As you’ve probably heard if you follow these types of blogs in Toronto, Spearhead Brewing has launched their first beer, their Hawaiian Style Pale Ale, just in time for OCB week. It was this time last year (actually, during an OCB week event, Cass and Troy’s Pub Crawl), that I first met Dimitri van Kampen, and heard his plans to start a brewery. In the ensuing year, he’s grown his company, secured a great brewmaster, coordinated brewing facilities, and launched a new beer. The beer, called “Hawaiian Style Pale Ale” features a touch of pineapple in the brew, which adds a sweet depth to the beer. It’s currently available at a variety of bars throughout Toronto on draught. There are no immediate plans for distribution through the LCBO or Beer Store, but with the passion and intensity these guys are bringing to party, I don’t think it will be a long wait. I had a taste of this beer in one of it’s earlier versions, so I’m interested to see how the final product came out.
Hawaiian Style Pale Ale - Spearhead Brewing Co. (Sorry about the bad iPhone pic).
On draught at Castro’s in Spearhead’s branded 400ml stemmed glass, the Hawaiian style pale ale is a coppery orange, slightly hazy beer. About 2″ of head dropped to a film fairly quickly. The aroma is immediately big citrusy hops, mostly white grapefruit peels, with hints of some tropical fruits. Some caramel like malts are present if you look for them too. There is also a sharp note of alcohol. Taste is about the same, big grapefruit peel hops, maybe some lemon as well. The initial taste carries a huge coating bitterness too, which subsidies through the palate. As it does, the juicy citrus and sweetness from the malts come out. There is some more tropical fruit towards the end of the palate, though it’s got a nearly mango-like quality. It’s pretty mellow and sweet. But mainly what you get is a generous dose of American hops. Both citrusy aromatics, and biting resin like bitterness. The alcohol is pretty hot at the finish, staying on your tongue with the dry bitterness. It drinks like it’s a lot higher in abv than 6.5%. As it warms, this becomes more pronounced, meaning it’s definitely more of a sipping beer. The good news is, in a 400ml glass, you can finish it before it’s had too much time to warm up. Definitely not a beer for the uninitiated; if you like your hops big and juicy, you will love Spearhead’s Hawaiian Style Pale Ale.
Cheers Spearhead, glad to have you on the scene!
About the Brewery:
Founded in 2011 by Dimitri van Kampen, Spearhead Brewing Company is a family-run craft brewery located in Toronto, Canada. At its heart is the partnership of Dimitri and Martin Villeneuve, a passion for real beer and a dedication to brewing Beer Without BoundariesTM. At Spearhead, we believe in beer’s unlimited potential. We don’t adhere to the limitations set by traditional style definitions. We use unusual ingredients and brewing methods to make all-natural craft beer in small batches that is so distinctive and delicious we hope it cannot be judged by ordinary standards.
A great interview with Dimitri van Kampen on Mike Warner’s blog:
