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After featuring a brewery that goes above and beyond with its beer can labels last week, I’m taking you all the way to the other end of the spectrum today.
It doesn’t get much simpler than a 33 Acres Brewing label and the Vancouver brewery’s West Coast Pale Ale is the subject of this week’s beer column.
The 33 Acres of Ocean comes in a blue can that can only be described as straight forward, with the beer information in plain text on one side and a large black circle on the other side.
While the minimalistic design works perfectly for 33 Acres, we all know that it’s what comes inside the can that really matters to beer drinkers.
And you certainly won’t be disappointed by this one.
The brewery says their West Coast Pale Ale is “typically consumed in good company amid the Pacific and pine.”
It pours with a light amber colour and has a pleasant, non-invasive aroma of fruit and floral hops.
When you crack the can open, pour a glass and take your first sip, you’ll find that the 33 Acres of Ocean is light and low in malt character, with a perfect dose of hop flavour and a refreshing temperament.
“This is a full-flavoured beer integrated with a distinct floral hop, which gives it a quality unique to our Pacific Northwest surroundings,” explains the 33 Acres website.
“This style is evolutionary from a typical IPA with an assertive hop, lower alcohol content and slight pine aroma.”
This particular West Coast Pale Ale is very sessionable at 5.3% ABV and comes in with 50 IBUs, but the hops don’t dominate the flavour like you’d find in the 33 Acres of Nirvana IPA.
As you might expect given the name of the beer and the brewery’s location, 33 Acres of Ocean is made with many ingredients harvested near the Pacific Ocean.
That includes Galena, Cascade and Citra hops; and the hop flavour pairs brilliantly with a touch of caramel to produce a medium finish.
You can find the 33 Acres of Ocean and other creations from the popular East Vancouver brewery at most craft-focused liquor stores around British Columbia.
Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at josh@nowmediagroup.ca. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.
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