I love me an amber…..usually. Almost without fail I love me an amber. If it is an amber you can safely assume I will love it and your assumption will most likely be correct. Most likely. Usually. Almost without fail. Maybe you see where I am going with this.
Lost in the Woods Again
Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve is just South of Algonquin Park and is the namesake of this brew, and Boshkung encourages us to donate to the cause. At the same time they call their beer Logger, a lame play on words which I have used myself before, that’s why I know it’s lame. But wouldn’t a logger be the mortal enemy of a protected forest like Haliburton? On the can they show a big axe in a log of a tree recently cut down, that judging by its diameter I would assume to be about 20 years old*. Not old growth but old enough. Maybe I have an amber axe to grind here? I know, I should be drinking, not overthinking, this beer.
This amber is in fact amber in colour at least. A nice dark amber pour, very sedate as in no bubbles. Tree topped, no head. Mild malt aroma with a bit of hoppy pine? Is that the woods in my head or in my nose? I guess both. It starts out with a nice amber flavour but some graininess, but a surprisingly crisp and mildly hoppy bitter finish which doesn’t seem to be consistent with the style. I believe more swigs are warranted, as always. Malt grain does not result in the greatest amber flavour. I think what is missing is the touch of caramel finish (no ol’ smoothy). In it’s place is a bit of pine bitter. Does it work? Not for me. This amber is wandering aimlessly through the forest and got lost in the woods.
Did you ever order steak and potatoes and get served tube steak and soggy fries? Me neither, so maybe not the best analogy but suffice to say this brew didn’t meet my high standards for an amber.
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