This English Pale Ale pours a brilliant amber with a long-lasting tan head. Its digestive biscuit and caramel notes move back and forth between sweet malts and a leafy English hop bitterness, all washed down on a silky, gently carbonated body. The firmly bitter finale caps things off perfectly. Try it with a cheese plate, roast chicken or fish and chips.
Walk 5 miles outside of Shawnee National Forest in Illinois and you’ll stumble upon one of the most picturesque places to drink beer in the world: Scratch Brewing Company. Nestled among the forest, the small brewery forages ingredients from the land — hickory, oyster mushrooms, marigolds — and often ferments with a funky, wild house yeast culture. The effect mesmerizes the senses: the Single Tree Hickory has aromas of olive brine with hickory smoke and a Flanders red-like tang on the palate. Rustic and complex, it actually tastes like a tree. But it goes deeper, with a flavour that captures a distinct memory of a day spent outdoors. Scratch’s beers are rare, often only available at the brewery and select bottle shops — but worth the effort.
Debuting in 2015, this made-in-Colorado IPA is dry-hopped with a new “it” hop varietal — Mandarina Bavaria — named for its tangerine and citrus aromas. To take the orange character into hyperdrive, the brewer added orange peel. The result is a deep amber-hued ale that smells as if you just peeled a fresh mandarin orange with waves of tangerine and dank pine notes cascading along the tongue, building to a lengthy bitter finish. The full-bodied, citrusy beauty pairs with tangy tamarind coconut curries, Peking duck, pad Thai, grilled meats with a citrus marinade and dark chocolate.
Pronounced fresh ginger on the nose with underlying nuances of hops and lemon. Ginger and pepper on the palate with a long, piquant finish. Perhaps a tad sweet for some, but balanced and refreshing nonetheless.
Shows light amber in the glass, with creamy persistent head and lightly aromatic herbal hoppy and malty aromas. Fruity, malty and dusty dry hoppy flavours are nicely balanced, finishing with long herbal bitterness.
A classic Belgian-style golden ale that has a very persistent, light frothy head. Shows dry malty aromas with zesty malt and dry bitterness on the palate. The 8.5% alcohol seems hardly noticeable as it slides down all too easily!
A Bavarian-style lager showing pleasantly aromatic floral and green herbal hoppy scents with underlying malty aroma. Slightly sweet citrus and malty flavours on mid-palate shift to a hit of bitter dryness on the finish. Offers broad appeal with a bit of character.