New Juice and Uncompromising Classics

I’m going to keep the COVID-19 and social distancing talk on here to a minimum, because to be honest, for the sake of my own sanity I’m desperate to talk about anything else right now, as I’m sure many of you are too. Instead, I’m revisiting some classics and a new addition to the lineup of one of my favourite Ontario breweries, London’s Anderson Craft Ales. A couple of weeks ago before going into full isolation I got to meet Chris, Anderson’s new Ottawa sales rep, who linked me with their newest IPA and a couple of classics I never get tired of.

Juicy IPA

6.2%

Last year’s newest IPA addition to their lineup was the Hazy, now comes the Juicy! Not surprisingly it pours with a fully opaque yellow-orange haze. The aroma is bright and inviting, full of strawberry, melon, papaya, and a bit of grass. The mouthfeel is smooth and soft with plenty of mango and a tangy spritz of citrus. Further into the mid-palate there’s more berry along with a smoothing hint of coconut (do I detect Sabro?) and some notes of white grape (Nelson Sauvin perhaps?). All these flavours culminate with a barely detectable bitterness, a delightfully smooth finish, and leave the slightest citrusy tingle in the cheeks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Anderson has never been a hype brewery. They don’t make haze just for the sake of haze, and they don’t half-ass anything. Whether it’s the classic styles that dominate their core lineup, a hazy, juicy one-off, or anything in between, you can expect Anderson quality every time.

Cream Ale

4.8%

A long-standing mainstay of Anderson’s core lineup has been their Canadian Brewing Award gold medal-winning Cream Ale. This classic American style is not widely brewed in the craft beer world (in Ontario at any rate), and as such it’s not one I’m particularly well versed in. I think the last time I had this one was on my first, and unfortunately only (so far), visit to Anderson back in 2017. It pours crystal clear straw with a nose that gives off some sweetness from the malt base along with a touch of grassiness and spice. It drinks delightfully light with a crisp effervescence, malt forward flavour of whole wheat bread crusts, a slight peppery tingle and a super dry finish. An eminently drinkable year-round crusher.

2xIPA

The big brother of their Hazy IPA, 2xIPA is a beer I excitedly got to try for the first time shortly after Anderson launched their online store in late 2019. It pours with the same clean haze as all of their similar styled IPAs and has an inviting nose full of fresh citrus and dank pine. The flavour is abundant with honeydew melon and papaya along with pine and a refreshing zip of orange zest. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth. It has all the flavour of a DIPA with the body of an IPA of half the ABV, which makes it deceptively drinkable.

IPA

6.5%

As I’ve sang its praises many times before, my favourite of Anderson’s lineup remains their core IPA. The nose is hugely dank and full of wet pine. The palate delivers melon, grapefruit pith, candied pineapple and resinous pine with an earthy and slightly floral background. As I’ve said before, if you’re experiencing haze fatigue and are craving dank, bitterness and pine, this is the IPA you want in your glass. Look no further.

For me, Anderson remains in a class of a select few in being consistent and uncompromising on quality. Most craft breweries are small family and friend-owned businesses who need the community’s support now more than ever. In Ontario, many breweries have adapted the way they are selling in order to protect their employees and the public by enabling social distancing. Many of Anderson’s beers, including the Cream Ale, IPA, and 2xIPA are widely available in the LCBO, but as always the best way (and currently the safest way) to support craft brewers is to buy directly from them, which in most cases now means using their online stores. All of Anderson’s current lineup is available via their online store, shipping across Ontario.

Free shipping available on orders of 2 cases or more with the code FREESHIP48

*Needless to say, this is being written in uncertain times. Circumstances are changing rapidly, and breweries are needing to adapt just as fast. The ways in which you can support your local brewery may have changed by the time you read this. Whatever happens, if it’s within your means, keep supporting local, but most importantly, stay home and stay safe.

Photography by Nathan Does Beer.

Clean Branding, Consistently Well Brewed - Anderson Craft Ales

by Nathan Does Beer, November 15, 2019

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Nathan

Nathan is a craft beer enthusiast from Ottawa, ON. He is the Co-Founder of @TeamLactose, he’s passionate about travelling for beer and he loves talking about beer from Ontario, Quebec and beyond.

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