Cruiser – Amsterdam Brewing Co.

As much as I evangelize the goodness of drinking a variety of types and tastes of beers, I must confess: the beers I tend to keep on hand and reach for time and again, are hoppier pale ales and IPAs. And I know, everybody who hasn’t drank the koolaid is probably pretty sick of hearing about IBUs and the West Coast and on and on. But there it is: I currently have cans of Amsterdam Boneshaker, Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale, and Sawdust City Lone Pine IPA in my fridge. They’re what I want, 9 times in 10. So even though I know I’m talking about a pretty saturated market that has limited (though growing) appeal, I’m also super stoked when a new product comes out that not only pleases me, but truly excels.

Enter Cruiser All Day Pale Ale from Amsterdam.

While many breweries have introduced “session IPAs” (which, strictly speaking, aren’t really a style, yet) to appease people who like hops, but don’t want to get a one-two to the mouth of sticky C-hops, Amsterdam decided to just put out a rock solid pale. Many of you will remember their Market Pale Ale, which was a lovely pale ale, built on the ideal of farm-freshness. It was only sold on draught and in growlers at the retail stores. Market was a great exploration into pushing people to seek out the freshest beer possible. The evolution of that was Cruiser. Applying lessons they learned about making great pale ales, and looking to tie-in to the existing Boneshaker and Fracture beers, they created Cruiser. At 4.9%, it’s in the same category as Canuck, not Detour or Limp Puppet. But like it’s Etobicoker cousin, it is a highly sessionable beer that lives up to its title of “All Day Pale Ale”.

Cruiser All Day Pale Ale — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

Cruiser All Day Pale Ale — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

From a  341ml bottle, Cruiser pours a slightly hazy yellow with a trace of orange in the centre. A big fluffy 3″ head drops to a dense layer of foam that sticks around and laces the glass quite well. Aroma is beautiful and hoppy. Sharp evergreen, pepper and citrus. Some berry-like fruits that make me think there’s some Mosaic in the mix too.  There’s a touch of malts, but the aroma hops are what is on display here. Taste shows a hit of malty sweetness to start, but immediately the hops come in. The citrusy bitterness shows as tangerine, with more pepper, and a biting astringent dryness. Finish is nicely bitter, but without lingering stickiness. Just clean and dry, with a hint of the tangerine. While hops are the thrust of this beer, there is a delicacy and grace to it. It’s not a West Coast hop bomb. This, like many of the Great Lakes APA/IPAs, shows a real skilled hand with the hop additions. And it fits perfectly into the Amsterdam portfolio. Definitely Boneshaker’s kid brother who comes to the rink because their Mum makes Boneshaker take, him, but he manages to skate circles around his elder’s friends. With a medium-light body and friendly carbonation, they’re not kidding when they call this an “Al Day Pale Ale”. This could easily be a constant in my fridge.

As always, excellent work from the crew at Amsterdam. Cheers!

Buy Cruiser Everyday Pale Ale

Available right now at both Amsterdam retail stores and select bars around the GTA.

Drink It With

This fantastic goat’s milk gouda I’ve got from Monforte Dairy. The cheese is nice and smooth and creamy, with a nice touch of goaty tang, which juxtaposes the citrusy hop in the Cruiser. Both are products that could easily be over done, but aren’t.

About The Brewery

The Amsterdam Brewing Company is an independently owned and operated craft brewery that is deeply rooted in the city of Toronto. A pioneer of the craft beer revolution in 1986 and initially called the Amsterdam Brasserie and Brew Pub, The Amsterdam was the first of its kind in Toronto to offer patrons hand crafted lagers and ales that were brewed ‘in-house’. Today they brew over ten different beers including their flagship lager – Amsterdam Natural Blonde, the award winning Big Wheel Deluxe Amber, Boneshaker IPA and multiple year-round and seasonal brews. The Amsterdam Brewing Company uses only traditional brewing methods and their beers are made with four all natural ingredients – malt, hops, yeast, and water. All beers are GMO-free, without preservatives, and never heat pasteurized.

http://www.amsterdambeer.com@amsterdambeer

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