Charles Wells Charlie Wells Dry Hopped Lager Euro Pale Lager at 4.7% ABV | 26 IBU (C$3.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 18-Apr-2017, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 8-Nov-2016)
Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: biscuity malt, citrus, grassy, earthy, tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration bitter finish. (3/5)
The first surprise was the overflowing foam when I opened the can – you’d’ve thought I had put it in a paint shaker, when in fact it was never mishandled at all. The second surprise was that it was actually fairly palatable – but that being said, even though it’s well before the BB date, I think it’s on the elderly side for the style. (The obscure date code reads “L6109A 20:15”, which might be the 109th day of 2016 – and since that’s April 19, that would seem to correlate well with the human-readable BB date.) The dry-hopping with Galaxy and Ella hops really doesn’t come to the forefront, and it’s dominated by bready/biscuity malt and noble hops. It might be nice to try this fresher, but still and all, a decent thirst-quenching lager. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
