Lager - Upper Canada Brewing Company

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

341 mL bottle from the LCBO; bottled May 2012. Another Guelph brewery I've never heard of, despite having lived there for years - I should be ashamed.

Pours a bright golden-yellow colour, topped with nearly two fingers of frothy, soapy white head. It fizzles away rather quickly, but an even cap and some webby lacing are left in its wake. Decent aroma, but nothing complex - typical pale lager smells. Mostly grainy, with some light honey sweetness and grassy hop notes.

Despite my leniency when reviewing pale lagers, I am very rarely genuinely impressed with the style - which is why this one really surprised me. It's a great lager - straightforward to be sure, but I can't really ask for much more from this type of brew. There is not a single hint of adjunct here - nothing but tasty, bready malt flavours with some light hay-like hop bitterness. Usually I find these pale lagers to lean on the sweet side, but this one is nicely balanced, and much more quaffable for it. Light-bodied and watery, with a very smooth mouthfeel. Light carbonation for an APL, but very drinkable and refreshing.

This brewery is actually a Sleeman operation - and their Upper Canada Lager has got to be the best pale lager this brewing behemoth has ever produced. And it's three dollars cheaper than a six pack of their flagship brands!

Final Grade: 3.95, a respectable B+. I am thoroughly impressed with this beer, and at 9 bucks a sixer will almost definitely get it again some time. It's obviously not complex - and given the style categorization, bothering to mention that seems mostly redundant - but it is still a supremely refreshing, well-made lager. Hands down one of the best-value beers available in Ontario: with this around, there is no real excuse to ever purchase the Lakeports, Boxers and James Readies of the world.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 03:46:49 | More by thehyperduck

atr2605

New York

3.49/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-pours a clear yellow straw color with a white head with average retention
S-hint of malt and spiciness
T-slightly sweet and spicy, nice bit of malt in the finish
M-medium-light bodied but very smooth.
O-really solid beer and caught me by surprise. Most canadian beers I have had don't really hit the styles they shoot for, well done and very drinkable

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 18:55:40 | More by atr2605

epicd3

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%

12-14-2012 20:13:12 | More by epicd3

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

341ml brown bottle with twist off cap poured in a pilsener glass. Purchased from an LCBO in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.

Golden yellow and clear. Bright white head is 1/2 inch on the pour and recedes to a thin cap. Lots of lines of lacing all along the edges.

Smells a little like a German lager with noble hops with a little sweet grains and malt in the background.

Taste echos the aroma. Reminds me of a euro lager leaning towards a german pilsener. Noble hops, crisp and clean. Grains and light malt.

Light bodied with steady, but not too heavy, carbonation.

I rather enjoyed this. Paired well with the Mad Dog IPA I chose as my other beer. Alternate the two to get a nice effect of citrus hop blast then crisp clean lager.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 03:30:25 | More by Noxious26

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev -27.1%

09-27-2012 11:14:35 | More by beerhunter13

harpus

Alabama

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

07-24-2012 14:06:15 | More by harpus

BigGruntyThirst

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

07-08-2012 02:43:10 | More by BigGruntyThirst

sliverX

New York

3.5/5  rDev +2%

06-25-2012 16:45:10 | More by sliverX

MattPS

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

06-23-2012 00:34:47 | More by MattPS

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Single bottle from a six-pack picked up at the LCBO. I'm on a mission to find the Great Summer Lager - at under 9 bucks a sixer, will this one fit the bill?

Poured into a nonic. Golden, clear, lager-like in every sense of my made-up word. Leaves a decent sized head of foam that dissolves into a thin but persistent head.

Nose had some sweet malt to it, usual malt suspects.

Huh. An inexpensive lager with some flavour to it. This is really something. Opens with sweet bready malt, and finishes with decent hop bitterness. Crisp and refreshing. Thin bodied, good carbonation.

My long search is over. This brew has some flavor, it's not pricey, and tastes great on the patio. If you're looking for a cheap summer brew, look no further.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 17:11:11 | More by JohnnyBarman

Screwball

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

04-10-2012 03:34:50 | More by Screwball

traumaqueen

2.5/5  rDev -27.1%

04-03-2012 04:59:33 | More by traumaqueen

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev -12.5%

03-15-2012 14:49:40 | More by oldp0rt

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%

03-10-2012 04:47:34 | More by RedAleMan

animal69

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev +2%

01-09-2012 22:33:25 | More by animal69

CharlyNovember

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a very slightly hazy golden yellow, with a nice bubbly head, decent retention with little lacing.

S: Sweet and malty, a hint of floral hops.

T: Less sweet than it smells, which is good thing. Fairly malt heavy taste, which lingers for a delicious finish. More bitter than your average lager but not too much so, has just the right amount of bitterness.

M: Medium-heavy carbonation, soft and refreshing. Very enjoyable.

O: An excellent Canadian lager, will definitely be buying this again.

For the price this is has got to be one of the best values at the Beer Store, and I can confidently say that this is by far the best beer in it's price range, in my opinion. Definitely worth a try, especially if you're on a budget! Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 03:06:10 | More by CharlyNovember

RyanBelle

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Small Pilsner Glass

A remarkable beer by a remarkable brewer. I hear Sleeman produces this and they are fantastic Guelph, Ontario brewery whose mass production beers easily compete with craft brews from Ontario. This beer is no exception and gets great marks across the board...now to review...

T - Malty, Earthy, Full and Robust for the style. Fizzy and very lively carbonation (I like!)

M - Fizzy and balanced. Great.

A - Pure straw yellow with a nice head and good lace rentention in the glass.

S - It has this full earthy wheat characteristic about it that works great for it and is slightly indicative of the taste of this brew.

Overall, this is a must try Ontario, Canada beer!!

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 07:18:43 | More by RyanBelle

Mit

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a Pours a clear golden colour that has a relatively long lasting head.

s-smells chiefly of malts some bready notes and some hoppy bitterness.

t-Nice and flavourful. Malts balanced against the hops but nothing over bearing.

m-average for the the alc percentage.

o-Good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 22:51:21 | More by Mit

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: : It has a nice dark gold colour to it. It has a nice white head that dies down fast and has lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of malts with a bit of hops.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a nice malt character to it with the hops balancing it out. I also sense small citrucy notes.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a very nice balance of malts and hops giving it a nice sweetness.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavours and aromas. It's an overall great Lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 04:29:59 | More by SebD

grac1970

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I purchased this beer in anticipation of guests dropping by. I hope they enjoy it as a nice change from our usual as much as I did.

A = dark golden yellow in colour. Not much of a head when poured into a pint glass from the bottle. Carb bubbles were plentiful. Despite the rich colour for some reason the beer seemed to look "watery" in the glass - probably due to the lack of head which made it look flat early on.

S = not much there, a bit of a hopsy smell.

T = a bit of citrus; hopsy; I detected a taste that reminded me of a somewhat tart apple; otherwise not a very overwhelming taste - quite nice

M = not watery despite initial appearance; the carbonation became apparent in the mouth; a bit of a tart/dryness left in the mouth with a slight bitterness to it

D = this went down very smooth and easy; I quite liked it.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 00:24:06 | More by grac1970

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Golden yellow, decent head. Average carbo.

S- Pretty much all bready malts. Couldn't make out much more.

T- Bready malts, subtle smooth hops. A little bit of citrus as well.

M- Smooth with a mid/high carbonation feel.

D- Pretty quenching. Good balance as well.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 19:52:41 | More by BBP

Travlr

District of Columbia

2.53/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Draught in Toronto.
A: Bright yellow with a thin white head, and little lacing.
S: Aroma of malt and light citrus.
T: Taste of malt, black pepper and a hint of lemon. Not complex.
M: Weak body.
D: Unimpressive overall, and average lager that is pretty forgettable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2009 00:39:01 | More by Travlr

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a clear pale golden hue, with two fingers of white soapy head, which leaves a small ring of head as it dissipates. It smells of light biscuit malt, and slightly skunky green hops. The taste is somewhat acrid white grain, and grassy, weedy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body mildly creamy and decently weighted, and it finishes dry and grainy.

An overall decent and drinkable lager, a definite step up from the native macros of Ontari-ari-ari-o...

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2009 05:22:46 | More by biboergosum

webmanspidey

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I won this in a bet with a colleague when the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last year. It's been in my fridge since.

Bottle poured into a pint glass.. fizzy pale yellow with tan head.. emphasis on the fizzy.

Smell is somewhat skunky and sour.

Taste is sweet, caramel malts. Not really hoppy but very nice malt presence for something I was expecting to be watered down and boring. Fizzy mouthfeel but pretty thick for a pale lager like this. Nothing to complain about as far as drinkability.

This is a beer I had lying around without drinking due to lack of excitement, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This is a pretty decent pale lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 04:41:42 | More by webmanspidey

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured it into something approximating a kolsch glass, and my, does it look like a beauty. Very classical lager appearance - a clear light gold liquid topped with a solid white head. Great retention and some nice lace. Subdued grainy malt aroma, but clean. Bready flavour, lots of pale malts and some honey. Slight citric bitterness and sourness in the finish. Medium-light mouthfeel and spritzy carbonation. Aye... its not a bad beer for a hot day. Too bad its still March!

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 13:33:50 | More by bobsy