Review: Brasserie du Bas Canada Fuegitos Pale Ale

It was a bit over six years ago when I first discovered Gatineau's Brasserie du Bas Canada. I was in Montreal for work and for fun and my great buddy Eric let me know that a local pub had a brewery tap takeover by Bas Canada. At the time, Bas Canada was already becoming one of the most rave-reviewed breweries in the province so of course I had to go. I'm from a fairly rural part of Canada so I haven't been to many tap takeovers before but it was fun - nearly everyone there was dressed up in togas, including their owner/head brewer. I wasn't dressed for the event but I definitely enjoyed sampling a few of their beers before heading back to my hotel room.. including a nice rich Imperial Stout that got spilled by Eric so he proceeded to sip the beer right from the table.

I was on trip to Ottawa a few weeks ago and I made sure to make it over to Gatineau while in the area to check out the Bas Canada taproom - the beer was great, definitely a tad boozy but all in all an enjoyable experience. I asked the staff for suggestions on products to take home - over the coming days I hope to sample a few for you.

Today's sampling is Fuegitos Pale Ale, a Pale Ale brewed with Citra & Mosaic hops. 5.7% ABV

Appearance: Deep, thick, opaque orange juice-looking beer. The head is pretty full, frothy and has a bright snow white hue to it. The head diminishes after a few moments leaving behind a light amount of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Citrusy, sweet, floral. I get a heavy tropical and citrusy vibrancy of orange, pineapple, grapefruit and lemon. Some breakfast cereal notes of oats and barley, perhaps a bit of wheat? 

Taste: Somewhat creamy to the mouthfeel - that's what I keep getting from every sip I take, a moderate floral and bitter bite from the hops, some breakfast cereal notes from the grains, and lastly an aggressive tropical fruitiness that's mostly what I said earlier, orange, pineapple, grapefruit and lemon. I get a bit of a bitter hop presence lingering for aftertaste.

Overall Thoughts: Moderately bitter, decently sweet and tropical, some breakfast cereal graininess to it. Definitely would try this again!