Elora Brewing Company “Lady Friend”, Elora, Ontario, Canada (Alcohol 6%) LCBO $3.65 (473ml can)
Just last week there was a 350lb black bear sighted not too far from the place in the Beaver Valley I call home. I’m no stranger to bears, of course, what with us having a cabin up near Tobermory, so I always carry bearspray in my hiking backpacks, but this was a little too close to… well… home.
Perhaps it was this sighting that had me thinking of bears, and subliminally had me pick up a half dozen of these amusingly labelled IPAs from Elora Brewing, because who doesn’t like to see a young plaid-attired woman punching up… and smacking a big old bear right in the jaw.
It pours a cloudy orange/amber and has a right big old creamy white head that impressively retains its form for an extended period of time.
Aromatically it’s all about the pungent hops. I’m not usually much of a hophead, as my wife tells me that my breath reeks of weed every time I drink IPAs and the like, but as she is away for a couple of weeks I thought I’d take the opportunity to indulge in some hoppier brews. The hops bring pronounced pine resin, citrus (mainly grapefruit), and then there is a pleasantly malty biscuit/caramel note.
The palate is pleasingly dry, firm, lightly carbonated, and once again we get all that grapefruit (pith this time around), with a little bit of lemon/orange. The hops giving some pleasing bitterness that is nicely balanced by the warm malt element. The finish is pleasingly persistent and herbal/floral.
As that alcohol sits rather nicely with the hops and malt combo, I wasn’t really feeling the 6% alcohol until I realised that I had finished my fifth can, and then it was bedtime for Bonzo.
(Four apples out of a possible five)
