Several months ago I went to my local LC and noticed a new beer in the US single serve beer section of the store. The can didn't pop out much but I still had to check it out. Big Deal Brewing by Spittin' Chiclets Original Golden Ale. I never heard of Big Deal Brewing but it's made by High Falls Operating Co out of Rochester, New York. Looking further into the beer at the time - all the branding I could find had Labatt's logo on the can. Well, High Falls Operating Co is owned by Genesee Brewing, which owns Labatt USA.
If you've gone down to the States (especially northern States) in the past five years, Labatt Blue is still a big seller there, while in Canada it's considered to be "your father's beer" at best now days. Of course the team over at Spittin' Chiclets and High Falls don't want to get in possible legal branding issues with Labatt Canada, so for the Canadian version of the product didn't make any references to the brewery.
On to the beer - Big Deal by Spittin' Chiclets Golden Ale. It's 4.5% ABV, a tad bit costly at $3.99 CAD/$2.94 USD (March 2024) but that's the norm for a craft beer from anywhere. According to the now-defunct website at BigDealBrewing.com, the beer is inspired by retired hockey player Paul Bissonette's ideal beverage.
Appearance: Clear, golden straw body with a very, very thick amount of snow white head on top. I had to take a few minutes to let the ever-so-thick head to diminish to the right 'foaminess'. Lots of carbonation in the beer itself - it brings me back to my childhood as I'd be in a smoke filled kitchen, bored with my parents and their friends, they'd be drinking multiple rye & Cokes and Labatt Lites or whatever beer was popular at that point... I'd stare at the bubbles going from the very bottom of the glass going all the way in a uniform pattern to the front.
Aroma: Sweet and very malt-forward Golden ale. Lots of honey, a bit of a soapiness to it, big whiff of straw, slightly floral at the end.
Taste: Notes of straw, a bit of a grassiness to it, moderate amount of honey. It's fairly dry for the mouthfeel and the aftertaste is a light straw/grain flavour at the end. Pretty straight-forward Golden Ale. Slight metallic taste as it warms up, though it's crushable enough that you probably won't experience that.
Overall Thoughts: It's a typical Golden Ale I'd have to say. The kind of beer to drink at a hockey game or while golfing. It's not aggressive in any way so it'll appeal to the typical hockey fan, hockey player or even Spittin' Chiclets fan. Nothing wowing about the beer but it does exactly what it's meant to - quench the thirst and taste like a flavourful non-watered down lite lager.
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