Moosehead: Canadian Lager (Canada: Premium Lager: 5% ABV)
Visual: Pale yellowed grain body. Moderate amounts of small bubbled carbonation. Thin white bubbled head.
Nose: Bready. Light acidic apples. Vanilla.
Body: Vanilla. Light custard. Slight liquorice at the back. Blueberry. Light chalk. Popcorn. Lightly metallic.
Finish: Blueberry and liquorice notes. Light chalk. Lactose. Dry. Slight cereal grains.
Conclusion: Ok, I’m going to write what I tasted, but I swear a bunch of you are going to think I am going mad for it, and don’t worry, you are not alone. I do too.
This really did not impress me at all at the start. On the eye it was fine, no harm, no foul, it looks like a standard pale lager, but right from the pour the aroma felt kind of cheap. The most interesting note was a slight acidic apple, but generally light, fizzy and not great.
Thus the body was quite the surprise! Quite nutty with vanilla and even some light custard notes. It is slightly chalky but overall surprisingly sweet. But none of those elements are too wild, right? Now here is the point where some of you will think I am going mad. Under those standard lager notes I started getting some slight liquorice, not that unusual, not my favorite thing – it is a slight off note that I see in some lagers but then it developed into this liquorice and soft blueberry mix that I really liked and … what the heck? Where did that come from?
Most of the beer is an inoffensive, occasional sub optimal lager, but that note really makes me enjoy it. I find it so odd that I spent time experimenting and I only seem to get it when I hold the beer at the front of my mouth and tongue. At the back the beer seems to become a more generic slightly dry lager.
Not a must have lager, the bit I enjoyed isn’t reliable enough in turning up for it to be that, but it is far more interesting than I expected.
Background: This was a pretty random grab for me when I saw it at Independent Spirit, a Canadian brewery I had heard of, but never actually grabbed – one that, while new to me, is Canada’s oldest independent brewery – existing since 1867 – so possibly it was time for me to pull my thumb out and actually try it. I do like Canada, and its beer scene in general. I need to go back there one of these days – there are just so many places I want to visit though! Music wise I went with Battle Beast: Circus Of Doom while drinking, I was meant to see them live a while back but the gig got pushed back. Another thing I will hopefully do one day!
