Beer # 81 Maple Leaf Lager

Maple Leaf Lager (Elora Grand Lager)


Trafalgar Ales and Meads
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Lager 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml.
$3.95 (Canadian) At The LCBO


Twitter: n/a


Two beers for the price of one in a brew by two breweries for the price of one... No, I haven't been drinking... yet. Maple leaf Lager goes by the Name of Elora Grand lager, for most of the year, but around Canada Day, it gets a little patriotic and sheds it's traditional label for something a wee bit more festive. Now the two breweries part. The Old Mill Brewery in Elora was purchased by Trafalgar Ales and Meads in1997 and they continued to operate in on site until 2000 when budgetary constraints forced them to close the Old Mill. Since 2000 all Elora Beers have been brewed at Trafalgar's Oakville Brewery. 


Onto our first Canada Day Brew:


Pours a very light coppery gold, with a thin skiff of a white head. Nose is pure malt and hops. First sip is grainy and sugary, malt and slightly bitter medicine. Some earthiness, and a little woody. Aeration smooths out the beer, and enhances the herbal hoppiness. Finish is short warm notes of roasted grains.



Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:



Not an entirely memorable beer, but not an entirely bad one for that matter. Certainly head and shoulders above the other "Barrel-wash" Lagers and Pilseners of the "Big Three." Deeper tones than the rain watery "Euro-lagers," But not a great contender for a recurring spot in the Fridge of Fame in Pint Jockey Headquarters.


Cheers
Happy Canada Day
CJT


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