Granite Brewery Hopping Mad

Brewed by Granite Brewery (Toronto)
Style: American Pale Ale
Toronto, Canada

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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On cask at C’est What. Semi-hazy amberish grapefruit colour. The aroma is awesome, perfect juicy hop character with some nice malt backing. Flavour hits right off, grapefruity hop presence, decently bitter, met with some nice but simple biscuity malt body. Perfect balance. Body felt great, super smooth. I could have sessioned this all afternoon but wanted to try other stuff. Seemed like sort of an ESB/APA hybrid that worked out really well in my view. Damn tasty, well done.

I find this funny, in an area that is starved for hoppy beer, one of the hoppiest i’ve had from around here is considered an APA? Great grapefruit, and citrus aroma with a touch of skunky hops, but i like that in a big hoppy beer. THe flavor is very well balanced with the malt that is really adding a much needed back bone, i really like this.

Cloudy yellow pint with very large bubbles produced from hand-pumping out of a cask. Stinks of citrus, grass and pine needles. Tastes almost like orange juice laced with hops. Slight malty background compliments an obviously hop-forward beer. Bitterness lasts long after the pint does. Get it whenever you can on cask, this is a great one.

Cask. At Victory Cafe. Holy crap this is a great beer - freshly tapped, I had a few pints of it, hands-down the best beer they make and I think that it, along with Durham Hop Head are my two favourite cask beers in Ontario. Cloudy, light yellow pour, smallish head. Thick pungent floral hop aroma with background sweetness - incredible smell, like the best of the floral/grassy English golden ales. The taste followed - sweet grainy body and lush waves of grassy/pungent floral bitterness - I couldn’t wait for the second pint. Average body, not over carbonated but quite lively on the tongue, intense floral bitterness that manages to leave no aftertaste - has a crisp, dry finish to it. Awesome pint - a must try; well done Granite!

Very bitter. Rolls off your palavar, strong hops that stays with you. A really good beer, one of the best from a good brewery. On tap.

From cask at c’est what. Beautifully creamy in the mouth with thin head that really lasts. Food hop presence up front, with some lighter malt backing in the end. Nice stuff!

UPDATED: SEP 23, 2009 Cask at C’est What - poured a reddish caramel colour with a smallish head. Aroma mainly malty, with a hop presence lurking in the background. The flavour is the inverse - quite rounded with the hops sticking out, but the caramel malt is there all the way, providing a nice canvas on which the hops can play. Slightly metallic. Quite a lovely beer, and one I hope becomes a regular offering from Granite.

Cask at C’est What? Pale amber-gold pour with a thin white head. The nose has a touch of light hoppiness as well as a soft orangey citrus character. Marmalade as well as some lighter tropical fruit aromatics. A lingering kiss of crackery pale malts. Very fresh and inviting.

Old rate. Growler from Granite in Toronto. Pours a cloudy yellow with minimal head. Aroma is west coast hops, slightly grassy. Flavour is grapefruit with a good malt back. Good balance. Excellent when fresh.

Draught at C’est What. Pours a slightly hazy dark copper with no head. Decent hoppy aroma well backed by malt. Flavour, also decent, of hops and caramel malt. Good body for the style. Different then what I expected, I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would -- but it’s good though.
Note: Had this again on cask at The Victory and this time I loved it. Looked great, nice and cloudy. Smelled great, tasted great...well done! I need to go to Granite to get some growlers of this!