Great Lakes Brewery Crazy Canuck Pale Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Formerly known as Crazy Canuck Pale ale, but I guess now that it has reached the ripe old age of five, the craziness has slipped away. Originally this was the American Pale Ale that all APAs in Ontario aspired to, and for me, it is still one of the best. The beer pours a light golden-tinged rust colour into the glass with a generous sized white head. Aroma is citrusy hops, and grainy malt, and maybe a bit of caramel. Flavour is all about those hops with grapefruit flavours galore.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours a large frothy off white head and has a golden light amber appearance. Pretty thick dirty lacing. Bready malts and earthy hop aromas. Flavours are quite hoppy with the crisp bitterness showing. Has notes of bready and even toasty malts as well as earthy and herbal hops. Some mild citrus hints do show up eventually. Has a nice smooth and slightly creamy mouthfeel. Hoppy bitterness definitely comes out in the finish. Actually pretty good and quite easy to drink.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

If somebody had told me that this was an IPA, I would have believed them. This beer is a cloudy orange-gold with a creamy tan head. Aroma is very citrusy, with some caramel malt, and pine. The flavour has a hoppy bite to it, and is easily enjoyed.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

473ml can
5.2% ABV
Queen's Quay LCBO Outlet (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
June 10, 2011
The beer pours a translucent light golden amber with a this rocky tan coloured cap. The aroma is bready malt, and citrusy hops. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. The flavour is primarily citrusy hops, grain, and an odd perfumy flavour.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Bottle: Poured a medium copper color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of floral and lightly bitter hops is interesting. Taste is also dominated by some notes of floral and bitter hops with traces of pines and a decent caramel malt backbone. Body is about average with good carbonation. Missing some hops but still very drinkable.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

650ml Bomber fresh from Brewery. Pours a gold-amber ale in my glass. Large puffy white cap with great retention and lacing qualities. Nose: citrusy, fruity with a deep caramel malt tone ( abundant Diacetyl too which becomes more dominant as the beer warms - butterscotch overwhelms when warmer) Slick mouth feel. Nice chew of bready sweet malts in front are balanced by light hopping Diacetyl is detectable in flavor more so than aroma but it is some what subdued by the malts . Finishes nicely with an increasing bittering and a great bready-bicuity maltiness...lingering bitterness. This is not an over the top intense Pale but one that is full of flavor and very drinkable...great session ale but the price is a tad steep for that. I really wanted to rate this higher but in spite of it’s great hopping and malt profile The diacetyl really is unforgivable in a beer marketed as premium with a premium price. They did this to me with the green tea ale as well and I really wanted to like that beer as well..

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Another bomber from Great Lakes Brewing, and a Canadian tribute for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Pours a rich golden colour with an off-white head that is fluffy, with decent retention and dry bubbly lacing. Great grain malt scent (I recognize the same malt found in Steam Whistle and some other pils) at first, and then, the hop appears. An awesome pairing of both. Silky smooth mouthfeel with a little stick in the end. Wicked bitterness the whole way which rules my mouth. Nice grain aftertaste with the hop always present. I really enjoy this brew and will buy some more for the Olympics. A superb pale ale. Great Lakes seems to be impressing more and more, every time they release a new offering.