The Jolly Inebriate

Neustadt knows what they’re doing.

The first beer of theirs I ever tried was the 10W30 which they had on tap at Fressen, a vegetarian restaurant on Queen West. While the food didn’t knock me out, the beer certainly left an impression. It didn’t taste quite the same when I bought a tallboy at the LCBO so I didn’t make any effort to buy anymore when I came across it later on.

Then there was the Scottish Ale I first tried at a local bar in Neustadt for lunch. Again, the meal was nothing special but I was excited because they carried every Neustadt product on tap and I had originally planned on trying one of each.

I never got past the first ale though and there’s no point trying to get ‘em all when you can only have two pints because you’re driving. I can’t say I minded though; this ale was fantastic; medium-bodied with a smooth, somewhat malty with a bit of hop to make things interesting.

Since then, I haven’t had an opportunity to try the Scottish Ale again because no bar serves it to my knowledge in Toronto (although the guys on RateBeer keep on talking about a Double Fuggled being served at C’est What? which is like the Scottish Ale but better…) so when I saw a can at the LCBO on Yonge St. I decided to give it another shot and see if it outperformed it’s kegged brethren.

A couple of glasses later, I’m pleased to report that it holds its own and my (admittedly imperfect) memory is hard-pressed to bring any glaring inconsistencies to the forefront. It’s very drinkable and perfect for those evenings when you want something a bit more substantial but more of it.

Apparently, Neustadt uses New Zealand hops in its beers so I have yet another reason to get excited about my time there. It’ll be interesting to see whether I can find some similar ales there to compare and contrast.