Lake of Bays Brewing Company Crosswind Pale Ale Blond Ale at 5% ABV (C$3.34 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 2-Mar-2016, reviewed 3-Apr-2016)
Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pale malt, grassy, yeasty. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration mildly bitter finish. (3/5)
As an “American Pale Ale”, this is a fairly dismal failure. As a Blond Ale, it’s… well… less of a failure – but still a bit of a failure. Limited hop character coming through only as a weedy grassiness, so it ends up tasting not much different than a pale lager, especially as it warms. Really quite a pretty beer, but other than that it’s nothing special. The best I can suggest if you have some of these is, drink them quickly and cold. (11/20)
5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
