Blue Buck

Blue Buck is a pale ale from the excellent Phillips Brewing Company, a solid brewery out of Victoria, British Columbia. I had a 341mL bottle on a downtown Vancouver patio while waiting for a lamb souvlaki plate. Blue Buck contains 5% alcohol. It's a clear, copper ale topped with an initially thick, but quickly thinning off-white head. It's nose has bready malts and a stream of metallic bitterness. This beer is fantastically drinkable, with a mellow, approachable flavour. There are some subtle fruity notes, as well as biscuit, caramel, and later, some modest bitterness.

This is not an earth-changing beer. It's not particularly memorable or unique. However, it's quietly satisfying. These are the kind of suds that I'd buy a case of to offer less adventurous beer-drinking guests.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.