I have pimped Block 3 Brewing Co. a few times on this blog. It is a great micro-brewery, close to home for me, and so it is a matter of great ease to head down to St. Jacobs and pick up a growler every once and a while (lately it has been about once a week). The beauty of Block 3 is how often they rotate their selection. They in fact have only one standard beer, their Saison (a great beer for those who prefer lighter fare). But their second offering is forever changing. I have had porters in the past, as well as great seasonal offerings including mapley flavours and mild ales. It is a great way of getting noticed, which is very important for any young brewery in an almost crowded micro brew market. Block 3 has only been around since August 2013 after all.

Their current rotational beer is a great new English Pale Ale they have named the New Rise Pale Ale. It is a fantastic brew in which you can taste both the malt and the hops very distinctly and at different times of the sip. It’s nose is very hoppy and so to is its initial taste, but the malt remains on the tongue after swallowing. It’s colouring is on the lighter shade of amber, but don’t confuse it with standard amber ales. This is a pale ale by definition.

I have always been rather hot and cold on English Pale Ales. I am not always the biggest fan of malt anything, and at many times I find the after-taste of a malty beer too much and I never end up finishing. Take for instance the offerings of Innis and Gunn’s Original. While some may taste creaminess, I could never get past the malty aftertaste. That is not the case with this beer. The New Rise appreciates the limitations of malt and the taste does not overstay its welcome.

As for the hops, they too know their limit. This is in no way comparable to a strong IPA. The hops are juts enough to give the beer a somewhat citrusy nose and taste. It may not be what the hop-heads are looking for, but for those who like a little kick but not a complete pucker-mouth, this may be the pale ale for you.

Now these rotational beers at Block 3 have a habit of running dry quickly so I cannot guarantee a longstanding supply, but I do urge anyone with the capacity to get to South-Western Ontario, to check out St. Jacobs and Block 3, grab a growler and enjoy.

You can check out Block 3 at http://www.blockthreebrewing.ca or follow them on twitter at @BlockThree

*** So this was my first time doing a beer review. I don’t really know how to review drinks, food, wine, etc., but I do enjoy all of them immensely. That being said, I kind of enjoyed writing about beer, so I think I will be doing more of this in the future. This site, while primarily about games, movies, tv, and geek lit, was also envisioned to have a side of sophistication, so here’s to hopefully more reviews of the good stuff every now and again. ***