Categories - Buffalo, NY Beer, Home Brew & Food Talk ...

Alexander Keith?s celebrated their U.S. release earlier this month with a live ?virtual tasting? on their Facebook page. The Nova Scotian brewery, founded by Scottish immigrant Alexander Keith in 1820, is an AB-InBev brand, and all signs seem to indicate the big marketing push for this beer?s U.S. release is coming from our pals at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis.

I did find it strange receiving a press release and sample offer for beers that I know have been available in our area (though somewhat rare) for some time now. I guess that must have had something to with our proximity to the Canadian border, as these beers seem to now be getting a more official U.S. release across 22 states. The press release indicates the beers will be brewed in Baldwinsville, NY (home of Alec, Billy, Stephen and Daniel), a quaint, upstate village that is indeed home to an Anheuser-Busch brewing facility.

A Scottish-rooted brewery that?s been around for damn-near 200 years definitely holds some appeal in my heart, regardless of its affiliation with AB-InBev (not to mention ? like ?em or not, AB seems to have turned some sort of corner over the past couple years as far as putting out a few drinkable beers), and I was glad to give these samples (Lager, Pale Ale and Brown Ale ? which true to macro-brew form all boast the same 5.2% ABV) a shot.

Nova Scotia Style Lager

This beer is described in the release as brewed with noble hops prized for their subtle spiciness, deep amber in color, with a crisp finish and clean, assertive bitterness.

The beer pours more of a lovely gold than a deep amber, with a billowing off-white head. It is darker than most drinkers of American or Canadian macros will be used to, and in terms of aroma and flavor, it ?ain?t the same fuckin? ballpark?! The nose is of sweet pale malts and you can certainly detect the noble hops (I?m guessing Hallertau, though I?m not expert). The aroma is delicate, bready maltiness meets floral/fruity hop notes.

This beer is quite tasty. Fairly standard, traditional lager with a light sweetness and a subtle-but-crisp hop finish. I say standard, but this beer seriously kicks the shit out of most normal American or Canadian beers. The carbonation level is definitely up there, giving this bubbly treat a refreshing and light mouthfeel. Overall it is not too remarkable, but I was very pleased with the flavor of this beer.

I would DEFINITELY buy this beer again. Frankly, I was surprised to enjoy it so much given my friends? apparent distaste for Alexander Keith?s. That said, there better examples brewed closer to home that probably run around the same price. (Buffalo Lager, Eliot Ness, to name a couple)

Novia Scotia Style Pale Ale

I was a little less impressed with this beer. Being so pleased with the Lager, I figured this would be pretty enjoyable. The press release describes the beer as having a full, malty flavor with a burst of fruity, spicy and citrusy hops on the nose, and balanced bitterness.

The beer pours a deep gold color with minimal white head. One immediately noticeable characteristic is that this Pale Ale is lighter than the lager previously sampled. Doesn?t necessarily mean anything, but I thought it was interesting. The carbonation bubbles were noticeably gigantic, for whatever that?s worth. The head faded fast to a faint lacing. The beer smells great, essentially like an old-world style pale ale. Sweet, bready malts with a clean hop balance. Nothing remarkably fruity or citrusy stands out on the nose, contrary to the beer?s description.

The taste is nothing remarkable. There is nothing off, or unpleasant, and the beer is actually quite balanced, but the beer does seem a little sweet, with no real hop punch that American drinkers will have come to expect from their Pale Ales (ahem). The finish is pretty sticky, and the hop character is pretty negligible int he flavor of this beer. You could definitely slam many of these with no damage to your palate, but that?s not exactly what I?m looking for, even in a malt-forward pale ale. And this beer is more ?sweet? than malt-forward. Overall, it was okay, but not memorable.

Novia Scotia Style Brown Ale

You know how they say to save the best for last? That?s definitely not how I drank or wrote about these three beers. The biggest disappointment of the bunch is surely the Brown Ale, which I pre-emptively assumed would be my favorite. Such a shame.

The beer is described as a full-bodied brown with hints of honey and caramel, balanced with Cascade hops.

This beer pours a transparent reddish brown with a small tan head. Upon pouring, the most noticeable characteristic of the aroma is that it?s nearly the same as the pale ale, which is not exactly expected in a beer that should exhibit roasted malt character that the pale ale does not. There is no hint of chocolate/roasted malt nose I?ve come to love so much in darker beers. The one difference in aroma is a faint whiff of fermented honey.

The taste is nice, but very, very sweet, and it lacks the tastes I associate with a brown ale. Sweet caramel, honey, and a light, English-tasting hop bite. From the bottle, I expected roasted malts with a hint of honey and a bite of citrus from the Cascades. Definitely not the case. This beer is not altogether terrible, but if you?re expecting a certain style (like a good brown ale, for example) you will probably be disappointed.

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Overall, I tried to be as fair as I could be while still enjoying these three free beers. I will say that I genuinely enjoyed the lager and will probably pick it up again in some way, shape or form. The pale ale I?d buy in a pinch where there weren?t many other options. I would drink the brown ale again for free if I had no other choices. Other than that, save it for the birds.

Find more information about Alexander Keith?s at their website.

Source: http://buffalobeerandfood.com/alexander-keiths-released-in-22-states-earlier-this-month/

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