Donovan and Tristan are two friends from humble beginnings in London Ontario. Off and on roommates and general guys who like beer, the following article follows them through a journey into the sometimes overcrowded world of craft beer where they will try to find the best that Ontario has to offer.
This review was written while tasting the beers themselves, after a few name brand beers. It has been presented in the most unedited version possible to preserve the accuracy of the experience.
We will be reviewing three different craft beers, each from different breweries. The first up is La Formidable, an IPA from the Gigantic Brewing Company in Vanleek Hill, Ontario. This beer was chosen for review purely due to the label design, as it portrays a giant robot holding a giant beer bottle, and that’s pretty sweet. First impressions of La Formidable were favourable. An underlying hoppy taste is accompanied by a fairly light feel. Overall it’s a solid workhorse beer, and we give it 3/5 stars.
Second up is Golden Rail, a Honey Brown Ale from the Cassel Brewery in Casselman, Ontario. This beer was picked completely randomly from the LCBO. The ale has a nice, sweet smell to it. It gives a solid first impression, with a very light taste. The honey in the beer comes through in a nice undertone. It’s a very sweet beer. Super Troopers is a very good movie. The Golden Rail goes down nice and smooth, and we give it a 4.5/5. A seriously good beer.
Last on the docket is the Forked River Riptide Rye Pale Ale, from London, Ontario. We both hail from London and we’ve heard of the trouble that the Forked River Brewing Company has had setting up their own store, so we picked up a bottle. First impressions have it rated in the delicious category. Very similar in taste to the La Formidable, with the hops shining through and a medium feel, it shines through in pretty much every way that La Formidable fails. Overall this beer is a local favorite and we give it a unanimous 4/5.
As can be seen by the scores, this was a solid set of beers. La Formidable, at 6.9% (nice), was a solid but unexceptional IPA. Golden Rail, at 5.0%, was delicious: a ride on the rail comes highly recommended. Finally, Forked River, at 5.7%, was an uncommonly tasty pale ale that we thoroughly enjoyed. Until next time!
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