I was going to review this on Canada Day this year but with everything that's going on.. decided to postpone the review for a few days. Winnipeg's Trans Canada Brewing came out with a beer brewed for Canada Day called Dominion Ale (No. 154) that's brewed with ingredients from every province and territory in Canada. I kind of feel like I've had this beer before* but I might be thinking of something completely different. Also, this is the first time I've seen a beer in a 650mL bomber in ages and ages, it's a rarity now days.
*I know why I felt like I've had this before, I was thinking of Moosehead's 150 Anniversary Ale
From the label: A beer that truly brings the country together! Brewed each year to celebrate Dominion Day, we sourced its ingredients from every Canadian province and territory. So this year, let's raise a toast to our great country turning 154.. the Great White North has never tasted better!
British Columbia: Centennial Hops
Alberta: Cascade Hops
Saskatchewan: Malt
Manitoba: Chinook Hops
Ontario: Yeast
Quebec: Chinook Hops
Newfoundland & Labrador: Hardtack
New Brunswick: Moose Mountain Hops
Nova Scotia: Honey
Prince Edward Island: Buckwheat Malt
Yukon: Spruce Tip Bitters
Northwest Territories: Juniper Berries
Nunavut: Water
Appearance: Clear amber-honey ale with a hint of floaty bits throughout the beer, good amount of carbonation in the body with a thick amount of off-white/beige head on top that diminishes rather quickly leaving behind a really nice layered lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Floral, a tad bitter and decently sweet. I get notes of the various hop varieties they used for this beer which gives off a floral, citrusy and slightly piney presence to it. There's also a good amount of sweetness to it that's predominantly honey and caramel malt. I wasn't expecting any of the Spruce Tip Bitters to pop up, but it's there, flirting with the hops big time. The Buckwheat also pops out a tad too, giving off a bit of a bitterness for the grain.
Taste: The hops are the first thing I get from this beer - it's moderately bitter, floral, subtly citrusy and compliments the Spruce Tip Bitters quite well to the point that it's almost as if that taste is coming from the hops and not the tips themselves. Moderate sweetness of honey, a hint of tartness from the Juniper berries. As the beer warms up a tad, as it's a 650mL bottle after all, the Junipers pop out more, giving off a tad sweet, still tart, slightly pepper profile to it.
Overall Thoughts: Not bad but not worth the $9~ per 650mL bottle. That being said, the beer has ingredients from every single province and territory in the country so that's not cheap to do. Also, the label is pretty neat.. I was a big stamp collector when I was a kid so I do love the artwork which gives off the vibe of Canadian stamps back in the 1920s. Will this age well? No, but I wasn't planning on aging this anyways. Pretty easy to drink and I do say that this does taste like what a classic Canadian Ale should taste like, with some additions, of course.
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