While there are many things to enjoy about the winter, let’s get real—life, and beer, is better enjoyed in sunlight and shorts. This will be my last beer review for the Fulcrum, and I’ve decided to leave you all with four spring and summer pints that can be found at an LCBO near you.
Remember me as you sip your summer ales somewhere warm and beautiful in the coming months, and never forget the good times alcohol and I brought you.
Stay golden.
Amsterdam Framboise
This beer, brewed seasonally in small batches, is best enjoyed among friends on a sweltering summer day. Surprisingly smooth for a fruity ale, the Framboise manages to walk a fine line between sour and sweet. This strong beer won’t overwhelm you, but it’ll give you and your friends something to talk about.
5/5
Amsterdam Spring Bock
This beer has about as much in common with spring as I did with my grade 10 girlfriend—we bonded over cinnamon hearts and Dr. Pepper, and that’s it. It’s brewed in the tradition of a bock, an extremely creamy and rich style of beer originally brewed only in monasteries during Lent to provide sustenance to monks required to fast for 40 days and nights, but it fails to capture what I look for in a spring or summer beer: a taste of brighter days ahead. With four different types of hops, and a strong molasses aftertaste, this beer may be best left for the monks.
3/5
Hockley Valley Brewing Co.’s Legends of the Bay: Giant’s Tomb
A very light and balanced amber ale, Legends of the Bay is sure to offend very few, but its forgettable flavour makes it a better choice for summer days when you’re worried about the quantity of beer you’re drinking, not the quality. If you’ve been throwing your money away on overpriced domestic beer like Keith’s and Rickard’s and want to try something a little different, have this beer instead. But if you’re looking to spice things up this summer, look for a beer with a little more going on.
3/5
Great Lakes Brewery’s Canuck Pale Ale
This beer just fits the season. A hoppy ale with attitude, this fruity IPA may leave you with a bitter aftertaste, but its refreshing and original flavour is well worth it. After having this beer I slipped into a deep sleep, and dreamt about trudging through waist-high snow, cold and miserable. I awoke to the taste of the Canuck Pale Ale on my lips and smiled, knowing that it was only a nightmare about the ghost of winters past, and that better days lay ahead.
5/5
