Photo Credit Booze Buddy
Alexander Keith’s brewery which originated in Nova Scotia, was founded in 1820 and has been a staple ever since. While technically not a lager due to the low amount of hops, it definitely is hoppier and bitter than a regular lager. Think of it as an Indian Pale Lager.
9/10
Crisp like a lager, mildly bitter, slight floral notes, refreshing taste and finish.
Cameron’s 12 Mile India Pale Lager
Photo Credit World Beer Awards
The family-run brewery native to Canada specializes in unique craft beer. It must be noted that Indian Pale Lager is not an actual classification of beer as there are no certain guidelines to the brewing process. You can think of it as a regular Lager with a significant hoppy flavor synonymous with most IPA’s.
8/10
Great if you like tropical mangoes, a good introductory beer for those that don’t like IPA’s as much.
Photo Credit PEI Liquor
New England Style IPA’s are more hazy regarding visuals and departs your palate with a creamy sensation. The brewing company recommends the beer with Mexican, Thai, and Indian dishes. The IPA is definitely best paired with any spicy dishes due to its sweeter flavors.
9/10
Mildly fruity, sweet, creamy.
Photo Credit LCBO
A new take on the traditional English Style, this IPA is a six-time medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival. A balanced hop profile that utilizes pilgrim, celeia, cascade, and centinnial hops (not an expert on hops but I’ll put this here to appear studious).
7/10
A lighter IPA, mildly fruity, not overly sweet, mild bitterness.
Photo Credit Habersham
Based out of Seattle, Washington, the Elysian Brewery is known for its interesting variety of beers, which include pumpkin beers. This particular beer is quite bitter, with a IBU rating of 73 combined with the powerful 8.3 ABV or alcohol by volume content.
6/10
Strong bitter notes exacerbated by high alcohol content, accompanied by bready/vegetable notes.
Photo Credit LCBO
If you are a fan of bitter IPA’s this is for you. If you ever want to know how bitter a beer is, look at the IBU or International Bitterness Unit on the label or the brewer’s website. The IBU scale goes from from 5 (little bitterness) to 120 (don’t drink that shit). The IPA 9 has an IBU of 55 which is quite high, considering how lagers such as Coors Light are around 5 or 7.
7/10
Pair this with some strong flavored foods to kill the bitterness.
Photo Credit LCBO
The US has Uncle Sam, the UK has John Bull, and Canada has Johnny Canuck as the personification of the country. Johnny Canuck was often portrayed as a superhero type character during WW2, whereby he fought the Nazis and singlehandedly ended the war by himself. Essentially the Canadian Captain America.
7/10
Floral notes, fruity and piney combination can seem a bit metallic, bitter finish.
Photo Credit Stanley Park Brewing
As the brewing company’s name suggests, the beers and their labels pay homage to Stanley Park located in Vancouver, B.C. The brewery uses the process of dry hopping found in many complex flavored IPAs. The process entails steeping hops into the almost done beer in order to release more flavors and aromas.
8/10
Mild bitterness, floral/hoppy notes, carbonation creates sense of light-medium body/thickness.
Photo Credit LCBO
The Omnipollo brewery explore multiple beer styles while providing visually appealing labels designed by their in-house graphic artists. The 6.2% ABV along with the three hops used imparts the beer with a bitter yet floral, weedy, fruity complexion.
7/10
Tropical notes, mildly bitter aftertaste, slightly sweet.