Headstrong Pale Ale Review

A couple of weeks ago I went to small bar in Toronto called Smokeless Joe's. It is the type of bar that you can easily walk by if you are not paying attention. It is essentially a basement in a brick house and the only thing that identifies it as a bar to the passer by's is the menu board that leans against the front porch. The bar sells practically every beer that the LCBO carries plus some additional ones on tap. It was there that I first tried Headstrong Pale Ale on tap. At the time I thought that this was a solid British style ale and I didn't know that LCBO actually carried cans of it. I was also surprised to find that the cans cost only $1.95 CAD, a low price, which definitely made this a contender for the best cheapest beer title, currently held by Lech.

The beer is gold/amber in color and pours with a medium thick, creamy and lacy head which takes some time to recede. The aroma is absolutely amazing for a beer which costs less than $2 for a can. It is mostly sweet with hints of dried fruits, hops and some barley. The taste is strong for a cheap beer. The beer is creamy with citrus, dried fruits and toasted malt flavours. Hops come in at the end and help the beer finish on a bitter, very satisfying note resembling that of expensive bitters. The only difference between the can and the beer on tap is the metallic taste the beer in the can develops. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't think twice about giving this cheap beer a rating of over 8. Having said that, I think that this is the best cheapest beer I have ever had and will be making it the beer I buy in bulk for parties.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 473 mL can
Taste - 7.9/10

Overall - 7.9/10...best tasting cheap beer I have had to date