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wine review

When Molson Coors acquired this pioneering Vancouver microbrewery through Ontario subsidiary Creemore Springs (yes, that's owned by Molson Coors too), the beerosphere wondered whether things would change. The answer is not very much, at least in terms of quality. Clearly the multinational behemoth had other priorities on the agenda, notably increased distribution. And so it comes to pass that Ontarians can now buy this seasonal summer brew widely through the Beer Store as well as the LCBO. An ale inspired by the German wheat-beer tradition, which uses wheat as opposed to barley as the dominant grain, it's pale orange in colour, with light haze owing to the unfiltered sediment. It honours the German style with subtle notes of banana and clove produced by a special yeast strain used in wheat ales. But it's more citrus-like and less assertive than classic hefeweizens, which can be strongly spicy, aromatic and vanilla-like. This is laid-back, West Coast hefeweizen at an attractive, non-import price, and there's something to be said for that, especially on a warm summer's day.

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