Review: Willibald Roses (Among Thorns) Pale Ale

On my final full day in Toronto recently, mon ami Éric and I stopped at an LCBO to look at beer we should sample or take home. There were many times he’d freak out and tell me I needed to pick up a certain beer - and so I did, but I didn’t have any room in my luggage so I spent the evening trying to make the luggage lighter by sampling some of the beers with an old university buddy Olivier. One beer that I DID buy at the LCBO and brought home with me (on Éric’s advice) was Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewing’s Roses Pale Ale. If you know me, you know I’m especially a sucker for farm-based breweries as I was a farm kid at one point (see my photo of Dieu du Ciel's Aphrodisiaque taken from the back of a tractor and haybine).  I’ll likely never get to visit the Ayr, Ontario brewery/distillery, but being able to sample it 2000+ km away is pretty nice.

Roses Among Thorns is a smooth and elicately balanced Pale Ale created for our love of beautiful liquid. Contains barley and oats. 5.0% ABV

Appearance: Pretty hazy with a light lemon hue to it and a bit of a creaminess to said hue. The head is incredibly thick with a slightly off-white appearance that gives off a really fluffy snow look to it. The head does go down pretty quickly, so it leaves behind clumps of foam in some places, while just a nice sprinkling of bubbles elsewhere on the glass.

Aroma: Moderately citrusy with a bit of a lemon aroma to it, a floral hop presence to it, a slight hint of alfalfa, a slight pine-like bitterness to it, and a slight green tea herbal/sweetness at the end. I was expecting this to be more on the bitter side but it’s pretty welcoming so far.

Taste: The taste is more bitter-forward than the aroma led to believe - it’s definitely got a pine-forward bitterness to it, a bit of an herbal green tea presence to it, a decent amount of lemon for citrusness, a slight oatiness to it that gives off a cereal bite but also a slight creaminess to it. As the beer warms up a tad, it’s not as bitter as what I got from the first taste, it’s still moderately bitter but more floral.

Overall Thoughts: A solid Pale Ale, smoother than a lot of the ones I’ve had recently, though it’s still moderately bitter. The sweetness is nice, it’s creamy, smooth, absolutely no complaints from me!