Review: Little Brown Jug Golden Ale


Little Brown Jug's 1919 Belgian Pale Ale has become a huge success in Manitoba to the point that just about anywhere that serves craft beer in the province will have their beer in stock. One thing I've been asked since 1919 took off was "Does Little Brown Jug brew any other beers?" Well, the first time I went to the brewery, they had both 1919 on tap as well as a then-one off beer, a Golden Ale simply called.. Golden Ale. Well, a year and a half since my first visit to LBJ, the Golden Ale is now available in cans and not just in little brown jugs or growler fills. 

LBJ's Golden Ale is a beer brewed to commemorate the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and is brewed with local honey and is described as herbal and floral aroma with a balanced body and being crisp and refreshing. 6% ABV.

Appearance: Clear with a golden straw body. Lots of carbonation in the body and a fairly thick amount of bright white head on top that doesn't seem to be going anywhere so no lacing occurring until I start drinking the beer.

Aroma: Reminds me a tad of their classic 1919 beer - it's sweet, mildly herbal, and slightly herbal. It's definitely lighter than 1919 as it doesn't have a big abundance of an earthy hop profile that everyone is familiar with in the classic Belgian Pale Ale. There's also a hint of honey popping out with a very slight hint of wildflower to it, though not as sweet on the honey as I expected so far.

Taste: The honey is definitely a lot more present in the taste than aroma as it's the first thing I get. The honey has a hint of a wildflower floral presence to it. It's decently sweet with an herbal presence to it and a grassy hoppiness as well. Ever so slightly meady but not overly sweet at all. It has a dry mouthfeel and a light floral aftertaste. Notes of bubble gum, a bit of a toasted grain profile, very easy to drink and smooth.

Overall Thoughts: Definitely has notes that will be familiar to those who are familiar with their classic 1919 but lighter, crisp and a sweet honey profile to it. It's definitely improved a good deal since I first tried this beer back in November 2017. I like Belgian Pale Ales but I'm not too keen on 1919 so I'm definitely preferring this one so far. This is very smooth so I think that it would be easy for this to become a gateway beer for the typical Manitoban lager drinker. 

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