Hey fellow drinkers and welcome to another Brew Review, circa 2015. This time I'm looking at a beer by one of the big boys in Canada, Alexander Keith's (aka Oland Brewery aka AB-InBev). Now I know they are mass producing evil corp, but having rarely had any of their Keith's beers I felt it only right to give them a go (stupid I know, but you live and learn...hopefully). So I dropped into the local LCBO and got a couple cans of their Single Hop series. The ones I picked up was Galaxy and Celeia hops. To make it easier on me I will post both reviews at the same time, so let us begin:
Details
Name: Alexander Keith's Single Hop Series: Galaxy
Style: APA (American Pale Ale)
Brewery: Alexander Keith (Website)
Country: Halifax, Canada
Price: $2.60 CAD
ABV: 5.5%
Commercial Fluff:
"This fine Alexander Keith’s Hop Series Ale celebrates one of the world’s foremost breeds of hops. Brewed with 100% malt. Dry-hopped using only Galaxy hops to showcase the unique characteristics of the varietal."
Own Opinion
Sight: Pours a very clear golden colour with a small white head topping it.
Aroma: Getting bread and malts with a little bit of grass. Weirdly getting metal as well, not what I was imagining.
Taste: Taste is nothing exciting a bit of pine forest, a bit of grass and a bit of tropical fruit. Really lacks punch and bitterness. Also has to much malt for the hops to battle through.
Would I buy it again? No. Sadly for a single hopped beer it was lacking the HOPS! It could have done with at least three times the flavour, instead you are treated to a water down IPA, nothing exciting here so let us move on.
Details
Name: Alexander Keith's Single Hop Series: Celeia
Style: APA (American Pale Ale)
Brewery: Alexander Keith (Website)
Country: Halifax, Canada
Price: $2.60 CAD
ABV: 5.5%
Commercial Fluff:
"Alexander Keith’s Hop Series. Bold lemon and subtle pepper notes reveal the native roots of this Slovenian hop"
Own Opinion
Sight: Slightly a more darker Golden reddish hinted pour. Once again a thin white head sits on top.
Aroma: Slight lemon aroma on first smell but soon washed away by malty aromas and caramel.
Taste: Grassy, tiny and I do mean tiny amount of lemon citrus, some peppery action happening to. But these get washed away by the malts sadly.
Would I buy it again? No. Same problem as the other can. Not enough hops and way to much malt. I can understand them making a sweet beer as they want to hit the mass market, but in my mind single hop beers are meant to showcase the hop. These beer showcased the malts more. Very disappointed.
So have you tried these? Drop me comment and let me know.