July 17, 2017

236/2054)  Home:  Hop to the East Hefeweizen, a collaboration between Central City of British Columbia and Quidi Vidi Brewery of Newfoundland and Labrador:  **;  5.5%, 20 ibu;  brewed with wheat, barley and "new age tropical hops";  nose is yeasty with tropical fruit notes; flavours of yeast, cloves, bubblegum, tropical fruit;  an odd set of juxtapositions but it works for me;  your milage may vary, as they say;

With this we reach the end of Central City's Coast to Coast collaboration series.  A few nice beers I might try again on their own but I don't feel any need to purchase either six-pack a second time.

237/2055) Home:  Bandit American Pale Ale by Lake Wilcox Brewing Co. of Ontario:  **;  5%, 28 ibu;  mild citrus nose;  gentle citrusy notes, if a bit washed out;

This was purchased bought at Longo's, in a tin - take that, rabble.ca.

It was an odd experience buying beer at a grocery store.  I was expecting rows of six-packs of the big sellers but while there were a few of this package size what I found for the most part was Ontario beers available individually and heavy on the "craft" side.  I don't know that I have ever bought enough items in a grocery store to disqualify we from the express line (not that this seems to inhibit people based on my observations) and the first time I bought a tin of beer here I was asked for my date of birth(!) but I made it through, business as usual.

The second time out I wasn't looking for the sign to tell me I could check beer through here and I had to make simultaneous transactions at the express line and the lottery counter opposite.  It seemed a bit fussy and I did think that I could have added another item to my basket.