American Pale Ale (El Dorado & Citra)
Burdock - Kensington Market

A good display of el dorado hop. Only a spot of dank, beating marketing writeup. Very decent. Some lace. Hop aroma.On tap at the source. One of the better ones of this series.

Hazed pale golden colour, one finger of white head and some good lace. Smell has a huge tropical fruit, pineapple, grapefruit and orange, light malty notes. Taste is fruity and dry, moderate bitterness but not too much going on otherwise, lightly bready finish and a fruity aftertaste. Medium carbonation, light bodied. A bit unimpressed by this, it is drinkable but a bit thin and lacking any clear flavour profile.

Bottle from the brewery. Served in a Bellwoods tulip.

A - White foam settles to a partial cap, chunky collar, and specks of lacing. Hazy peach body.

S - If the last weekend taught me anything, it's that I'm kind of indifferent to El Dorado hops. While some people have labelled it as 'fruity', to me there is a rotten and synthetic quality to it - like sweetened fruit juice that has spoiled. This isn't Burdock's fault per say, but it's hard for me to get super excited. In any case, a mix of Jolly Rancher and citrus here, with some sweet malts to back it up.

T - The taste is more enjoyable to me, with more leafy bitterness and citrus and less overripe watermelon and mango. Pretty balanced on the whole, with no obvious alcohol.

M - Feel is quite nice; medium body with pleasant carbonation and no obvious alcohol. Texture is a bit grainy, with a dry, crisp, finish.

D - It's well executed, but not a flavor combination that I really love. Still, a pretty easy drinking pale ale; split a bottle with buddy at the end of a work day with no difficulty. Curious if there is another hop that can pair with El Dorado to mitigate some of the less appealing notes.