Grab Box

I'm still accumulating beer in my cellar faster than I'm drinking it, but I'm doing my best to change that situation.

Before Christmas, I bought a gift pack of Beau's ales. I'm not going to say what came in the box other than it was a four-pack of their 600ml bottles. Because, I've forgotten what came in the box.

Last night, I reached into the box without looking and pulled out the first bottle I could grab. I figured that over the next while, that is what I'm going to do until the box is empty.

Here's what I grabbed last night:

Farm Table Belgian Pale Ale (4.5% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5

Appearance: a cloudy, creamy amber with a thick, lively, foamy, light-beige head that stayed through most of the way down to the bottom of the glass.

Nose: herbs, spice, and yeast, with faint traces of citrus.

Palate: light grapefruit, hops, and dough. There is a nice, mildly bitter finish, which is short; however, over the course of drinking, the flavour opened and the grapefruit became more pronounced, like fresh pink grapefruit.

Overall impression: the more I drank this ale, the more I liked it. This Belgian-styled pale ale is extremely easy to drink; it would be perfectly quaffable on a hot summer day, preferably on a patio. And at a light ABV rating, it would be easy to have a few.

I'm not sure if this ale is still available at the LCBO (I suspect not and haven't seen any since the holidays were over) but you can always check directly with Beau's. Their Web site lists several pubs throughout the province that offers this brew.

And one thing I have to say to Beau's: if you read this review, which I hope you do, I wish your labelling technique was better. The last few bottles I had came with torn, poorly affixed, crooked, bent, or loose labels. Just sayin'.

I guess it's inside that counts, right?

I can't wait to grab the next bottle from this mystery box.

Cheers!