PINK HEFE’N BOMB ~ BIG RIG 

This brew was a most delicious spring treat. It was advertised as A North American Pale Wheat with grapefruit – I think it delivered as a wheat, and as a pale ale and as a fruit beer as well – great combination. Sampled on draught from the cask – hand pulled with natural carbonation. The beer poured a murky golden apricot colour with a small off white head. The head left nice lacing as it dissipated. Orange, grapefruit and grains were predominant on the nose but there were also subtler banana hefe notes in there as well. The taste was chocked full of flavour, fresh and tart pink grapefruit and orange appear at first sip. The middle has a lovely citrusy sweetness and other tropical fruit notes before finishing off with bitter grapefruit and Pale ale hoppiness.

5.4 % from Ottawa, Ontario 40 IBU

~ WATERLOO GRAPEFRUIT RADLER ~ BRICK BREWING (Waterloo Brewing)

This grapefruit Radler is a seasonal offering from Brick Brewery in Waterloo. Ontario.  It is small batch brewed in the traditional German Style according to their website.  Radler is German for bicycle and was designed to be refreshing on a hot day without the alcohol, presumably from cyclists on a long journey.

Pour hazy light straw yellow, good head of big bubbles, which quickly dissipate.  The nose is simply grapefruit soda, somewhat like an Orangina © or a San Pellegrino © Grapefruit soda.   Flavour not like beer at all, much more like a soda.  There is plenty of grapefruit, but it is too sugary for me.  Very much like a soda.  Good and refreshing on a hot day when quenching a thirst but I prefer Steigl’s version, as it tastes crisper and less sweet. 

3.1 % from Waterloo, Ontario

SCHÖFFERHOFER GRAPEFRUIT~BINDING BRAUEREI

Another Grapefruit Radler.  This one poured a cloudy pale yellowy-orange with a fluffy white head.  The nose is all grapefruit.  The taste was primarily grapefruit with a trace of malt.  Very easy drinking, especially on a hot day.  Unlike some radlers this had a nice mouth feel and did not taste watered down.  I found it tasted more like orange soda than beer, and would have preferred some grapefruit bitterness to come through.

2.5% from Frankfurt, Germany

 ~SUNLIGHT PARK SAISON ~ 

LEFT FIELD BREWERY

Farmhouse Ale/Saison.  Excited about having this new Brewery in the East End of Toronto.  Named in honour of Toronto’s first professional baseball stadium, which was located in the then Riverside area.  A little hoppy for a saison, this is made from a generous amount of honey malt and malted wheat and the zest of 100 organic grapefruits. -beer 8-

5.3% from East Side, Toronto, Ontario