For this #beersaturday I'm going to share two beers that I tried while sitting on my balcony. I try to take advantage of our outdoor space whenever I can, especially if its a nice day out. Spring is in full force now so we are getting warmer temperatures and more and more days of sunshine. The balcony really has nothing to do with anything though so lets see what I drank shall we.

Against the Grain

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Brewery: High Park Brewery
Origin: Toronto ON Canada
Style: Lager
Abv: 4.5%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown

Marketing: The can was predominantly yellow and cream colored with some brown detailing. It had a simple tree design and bold black lettering.

The name was catchy and trendy sounding and the sort of title that insinuates that the beer inside is different in some way. Minimal descriptors of the beer listed on the can which is a con to the design in my opinion. I really didn't like the design overall to be honest. It was meh to me and reminded me of factory fast art, like not a lot of thought went into it and like the brewery plans to change the design regularly. Its boring to say the least.

Color: Golden yellow with a thin white foam. Crystal clear liquid. Standard Lager look about it.

Nose: Fresh smelling. grainy malt aroma. Notes of grass, hay and cereals.

Taste: Dry and bitter with a mild tanginess. It had a long lingering finish. Grainy cereal flavors, which I like.

Texture: Nicely carbonated. Big bubbles. Thin mouthfeel. Light bodied. Standard Lager texture.

Impression: This was a decent beer actually, but also nothing special. It was refreshing on a sunny day so I can't fault it. At the same time, it was nothing that I haven't seen before in another golden Lager. All that being said, I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this one again but I also wouldn't intentionally avoid it either. A standard beer really.

Little Norway Pilsner

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I drank this next beer on the balcony after finishing up a build project that I'll post about a little later. The day wasn't sunny and the weather wasn't particularly great out but it was still enjoyable to sit outside after a long day of working. I drank it when my dad was over so I didn't go too deep into my analysis. This one was by Sawdust City Brewing Company. They are out of Gravenhusrt Ontario, which is a small city in the Northern part of the province. I've never been there.

Style: Norwegian inspired Pilsner
Abv: 4.7%
IBU: 25
SRM: 2
OG: 11.2P FG: 2.4P

As the name suggests this one was hoppy and crisp tasting and actually had a lot of flavor for a Pilsner. As you can see in the photos it had a very pale yellow color that is very common among Pilsners. It had a good amount of foam on top, which is always nice to see.

I bought the beer because I was intrigued by the can. A short blurb on the back states that during WWII 3000 Norwegian pilots stayed at the Gravenhurst airbase to hone their airman skills while their country was occupied. At the time the town of Gravenhurst became known as "Little Norway." Thats an interesting tidbit of history about the town which I wasn't aware of and this beer pays homage to that time. Overall I thought that the beer was pretty good and would give it another try if the opportunity arises.

Well thats all that I have to say. Until next time, thanks for reading. Cheers everyone!