I grew up spending summers in Muskoka. As a very young fellow, it was at resorts like Delmonte in the Pines and Idylwilde (sp?) on Sparrow Lake/Severn River. I also camped at Sparrow Lake Camp. As time went by, we got a cottage outside Bala, and I started going to Muskoka Woods Sports Resort in Rosseau. I am no stranger to Ontario’s cottage playground. I remember being really excited the first time I had a bottle of Muskoka Brewing’s Cream Ale while at my cottage, thinking it was so cool to be drinking a beer made about a 30 minute drive from my dock. So I was very interested when I heard Lake of Bays was getting their own brewery. I say interested, because I know a lot of the technical difficulties around running a brewery north of the city. It’s generally a boom/bust economy, where you have to make the lion’s share of your income in a the few warm months when you’re inundated with tourists, so you can weather the financial drought of the winter. In an effort to off-set that, you might think about making a product that appeals to the rubber-booted folks wearing the so-called “Kenora Dinner Jacket”. Namely, a simple lager that is virtually indistinguishable from beers named for colours or nationality. I actually wouldn’t even mind, as long as the brewer in question still was interested in making other brews as well. So when I was finally able to try Lake of Bays Pale Ale, I was hopeful, but not overly expectant. I didn’t think it would be bad, but as the flag-ship I assumed it would be more than a little easy to approach. Let’s say, I was pleasantly wrong…..
Lake of Bays Pale Ale
From a 341ml bottle with no freshness date, the beer pours a bright honey/amber with a small head that dissipates to a ring fairly quickly. Aroma is immediately sweet and malty. Hints of caramel, honey and lemon bread are prevalent. There is a bit of citrus from the hops, that is delicate and maybe even a little floral. But the malts are definitely forefront. On the palate, hops become more in balance, quite dry hinting at black tea. The citrus and floral aromatics are still there, and now the sweetness is an immediate hit on the front of your tongue, and a mellow sweetness on the mid palate, with sweet notes of melon along with the caramelly malts. Finish is nicely hoppy dry, with just a touch of malt sweetness, and that subtle melon lingering. The body is nicely weighty for a pale ale, but there is enough carbonation to keep it lively on your tongue. All in all, a lovely pale ale, quite English in make-up and one I could drink all night.
Cheers, Lake of Bays! Keep up the awesome work!
About the Brewery
Brewing…it’s in our blood! We may be new, but we like to think we’ve got some brewing history on our side. Following in his great-great-great grandfather’s steps, founder and President Darren Smith is dedicated to providing you with the best beer drinking experience Northern Ontario, and perhaps even the world (well, we like to think so), has to offer!
One Trackback
[…] another beer from my new friends at Lake of Bays Brewing Co. As I noted in my post on their Pale Ale, I would have been happy with them, even if they were making some very simple plain beers to […]