Liberty Ale

Baulz · Post by **Baulz** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:26 pm

Can't wait to get home tonight, have 6 bottles chilling in the fridge.

kafercrazy · Post by **kafercrazy** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:34 am

it's delicious.

it won't last long in my fridge!

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:41 pm

Bringing a 6 pack to my superbowl party sunday night.

kafercrazy · Post by **kafercrazy** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:27 pm

sprague11 wrote:Bringing a 6 pack to my superbowl party sunday night.

hopefully just for yourself.

IPA_Lover · Post by **IPA_Lover** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:37 am

Just noticed this was back yesterday. Picked up a 6 pack at the Liberty Village LCBO.

This is a delicious ale and is nice change-up from the IPA onslaught I've subjected myself to lately.

That's not to say I won't be picking up mad bottles of Double Hop Head!

Baulz · Post by **Baulz** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:57 am

Anyone know if/when there is more on the way?

TJ · Post by TJ » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:06 pm

Baulz wrote:Anyone know if/when there is more on the way?

Seems to be back:

http://lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/i ... ber=270454

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:47 pm

This old school SMaSH is nothing but 2-row and cascade (47 IBU?). It would've been a real eye opener in '75, but I'm surprised it still gets so much love?

http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/liberty_ale

Simple pleasures?

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:25 pm

Derek wrote: This old school SMaSH is nothing but 2-row and cascade (47 IBU?). It would've been a real eye opener in '75, but I'm surprised it still gets so much love?

http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/liberty_ale

Simple pleasures?

It's a flawlessly brewed, near-perfect example of the style, with impressive depth for such a basic recipe. Looking back on my review, I got perfume, clementine, and minty hops on the nose with white grapefruit, blood orange, tangerine zest, and a leafy-citric bitterness in the flavour. That's a lot more complex than your typical Ontario pale, save for Crazy Canuck. I've got a sixer chilling at home right now and I can't wait to crack into it tonight!

irishkyle21 · Post by **irishkyle21** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:45 pm

Picked up 12 today, loving every sip. Liberty is/was one of my regular purchases at the LCBO and I'm so glad to see it back and in six packs to boot!

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 5:02 pm

cratez wrote: It's a flawlessly brewed, near-perfect example of the style, with impressive depth for such a basic recipe.

I'm really glad this bit of history hasn't been ignored, but I'm just surprised it gets so much love (it's not nearly as bold as today's IPAs).

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:27 pm

Derek wrote: I'm just surprised it gets so much love (it's not nearly as bold as today's IPAs).

I guess it depends on whether you perceive it as an APA (like BA & RB) or IPA (like the brewer and BJCP). At 5.9% ABV and 47 IBUs, it's still within the upper limits of APA style guidelines (6.2% ABV / 45 IBUs), but it could also be considered a light IPA (5.5% / 40 IBUs are minimum parameters). I personally think of it as a big American pale with tons of hop character but less bitterness and a more balanced malt profile - doughy, biscuity, cracker-like - than most IPAs. But that's because both styles have evolved and, like you've pointed out, a bold decades-old IPA recipe resembles today's bright and complex APAs.

One thing I've noticed is that Anchor's beers have ridiculously long best before dates, which leads me to believe that they're flash pasteurized.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:38 pm

It definitely bridges the 2 styles today.

I like how well it's attenuated. It has a really nice dry finish, which I believe an IPA should have. A session IPA perhaps?

Anchor does filter & pasteurize their bottled products.

I swung by the brewery last summer and I was actually surprised it wasn't nearly as big as I thought it would be. Same as Rogue. Maybe the fact that the LCBO has carried their stuff has distorted my view. They're certainly large by Canadian standards, but there's much bigger breweries in the US.

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:42 pm

Maybe we could eventually see the delicious Anchor Porter at some point.

Philip1 · Post by **Philip1** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:41 am

sprague11 wrote:Maybe we could eventually see the delicious Anchor Porter at some point.

I had an Anchor Porter 2 days ago in Amsterdam. After I'd ordered it I noticed the pub also served something called Anchor Humming Ale, which I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit I'd never heard of before, despite being a fan of all Anchor beers for some years. I didn't have time to have another (I was just passing through) so I'm kicking myself for not reading the menu more carefully. So we've had Steam and Liberty for ages and Porter is somewhat known so I'm now curious about this Humming Ale and why we haven't (I assume) seen it here before?