Big Hole Headstrong Pale Ale

650ml bottle. Aroma os malt, and a bready graininess. Meh, pretty pedestrian. Flavour is much of the same, quite grainy. and boring.

can: browny copper colour, some citrus aroma. Surprised by the carbonation, but it doesn’t ruin it. Good mild hops.

from can; little odour; medium head - maybe a bit too much carbonation, but it went down fairly quickly; nice lace; mild hops and malt taste; medium finish, mildly bitter; better warmer than straight from the fridge

Seems like all of these ratings vary quite a bit. My bottle was extremely over-carbonated. I thought it was a fluke but another bottle of their white was the same. I think this brewery has a few kinks to work out. Otherwise, the pale ale was average and wasn’t so bad after the hour it took to calm down. Would not buy again.

473mL can purchased from LCBO in Toronto. Used to be subcontracted out to Wellington in Guelph, but the LCBO version is now brewed in the States. Pours a clear medium gold with little head. Mild hop aroma. As advertised, the flavour is pretty typical English pale ale in terms of hop profile and mouthfeel. Though I’m enjoying this just slightly less than some of the recent LCBO British bitter releases.

Can from Summerhill LCBO in Toronto. Tastes like total shite. Is there no beer in Toronto this week that I will enjoy?!? The state of brewing here truly is a cause for concern. Far more bitter than I expected from the English Pale Ale style - more of an American Pale Ale, IMHO.

From can. Golden, creamy head.. Light citrus and grapefruit aroma -- hoppy. Some apple as it warms. There’s more malt in the flavour than in the scent. Flowery. Some caramel and a mild hop finish. Light and pleasant. I could see this as a good session beer.

473ml can
5.5% ABV

Can says it was brewed by the Big Hole Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin (same brewer that is bringing in the Yankee Jim garbage). Surprise Surprise.....the website on the side of the can does not work although the picture matches what is here on the website.

I tried this beer on April 3, 2008 after purchasing from one of my local LCBO outlets. The beer poured a beautiful translucent rusty red colour with a generous white fluffy head that quickly faded to islands on the top. The aroma is a combination of florally hops (subtle) and some caramel malt (strong). The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some good carbonation, not a lot (there is some slight effervescence in the glass). The flavour has some hints of malt, but has that wonderful grapefruit-tinged hoppy bitterness I like.

Maybe Big Hole Brewing knows how to brew a beer after all.