Harvest Ale
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro

This brew has undergone some recipe changes over the years, and is now made with Rye, and is hoppier. Poured a clean, clear medium brown color with 1/2 inch of white head that had moderate retention and light lacing.

Sweet malts, some crisp rye, and slightly citrusy and piney hops in the nose.

Pretty similar on the tongue, with a bit of hop bite on the finish.

The body was medium, smooth, and a bit sweet on the finish.

Drinkability was good, I drink a few pints every year.

Overall, a solid and enjoyable seasonal.

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Collins today.

The beer pours a dark brown color with good head retention and lacing. On the nose, this beer is very roasty, with considerable sweet malt and light brown sugar. Flavors replicate the nose on the palate, though frankly I thought the beer a bit too roasty and sweet for my liking. On the other hand, there is some nice light bitterness on the finish, which helps... I just wish there was a bit more of it. Mouthfeel is probably this beer's best feature. While I thought it a bit light and thin, I think that's probably more a result of the low abv. Otherwise, the beer has an impressive soft, creamy mouthfeel that I quite like. The finish was long and lingering... Drinkability was pretty good, though I thought the sweetness was a bit over done. Nevertheless, this is another solid, well made offering from the folks at Boundary Bay.

While I have been leaning towards maltier beers of late, this was a weird one. I have mixed feelings, so that I ought to give it a second go. The pour was a thick, dark brown that led to a thin off-white head with little lacing, which caused some concern, as I expected a harvest ale to be a little brighter, although earthy, especially since this claimed to be of the pale ale end of things. Needless, to say it succeeded in neither. But, aside from this I did enjoy it, although it was a bit too sweet. The aroma had some sour edges to sweet fruity malts that made me think of rotting fruit. Not necessarily bad, but odd. The body was more medium than the initial appearance seemed, but somewhat flat like a malty sweet maerzen with some bitter rounding off. This could be good, paired with the right food, but I haven't decided what yet.

Appearance – This one came out of the tap a thick, muddy, dark brown in color and looked a bit like a dredged pond. The head was modest at best.

Smell – The light hops were thrown in rather clumsily with some sharp, thick, grain.

Taste – This bitter ale is almost like a Brown. The malts are huge. The citrus hops make a go of it, but the balance here is way off.

Mouthfeel – This is just shy of medium-bodied. It is refreshing yet very thick at the same time.

Drinkability – If you drink this like a dark, American Brown Ale you might enjoy the hop surprise, but as an APA it is sub-par.

Comments – This was one of the few disappointments I had at the 2005 Fremont Oktoberfest.

On tap at 'bones during this years current NW fest. Dark brown when served, low head. Aroma I find to be in the juicy-fruit family. Malty, has a slightly hoppy finish. I also found the finish to be a bit tannic. Reading what I just wrote...the beer was ok, but nothing to get excited about. I enjoyed the Sierra (and Cisco harvest, although it's not in the same style) this year much better.

This was on tap at RedBones. It poured into the shaker glass a deep brown color with a thick tan head. The aroma had a malty nose with slight roasted hints. The taste has the same character as the aroma plus some mild piney hops. A decent lace cascaded off the side of the glass. Slight alcohol bite with a slick mouth feel medium drinkability.

Wasn't overly impressed with this beer. Inspired from the Oktoberfest style, but its simply an American fall seasonal ale. Nice malty body, however it turns into fruity / bubble-gum-ish character that gets rather annoying.