My first Newfoundland beer!

This was a gift from my uncle, by way of my cousin, who lives in Nfld. I had heard of Quidi Vidi brewery and done some research about them for Hop Across Canada, but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to enjoy one of their brews.

Iceberg Beer sounds like an interesting concept. Perhaps a bit gimmicky, but also … why not, right? Icebergs fascinate me. They look like giant brain-aliens and I feel that they’re so slow and giant that we overlook their inherent destructive potential (remember Titanic, folks? “Iceberg straight ahead!” … then everyone dies).

The bottle is made from blue glass, so it’s pretty much impossible to ascertain the colour of the beer until it’s been poured (straw, pale banana). The label doesn’t give any indication of the style of beer contained within said bottle (perhaps they’re intending “Iceberg Beer” to be a new style…?).  I can tell you that it’s a 4.5%ABV Pale Lager.

Truth be told, I’m a bit underwhelmed. Not because the beer isn’t tasty, but because I was hoping for something a bit more from my first “Iceberg Beer”. I wish they had gone wild instead of going safe. An Eisbock would have been the perfect Iceberg Beer, in my not-so-humble opinion.

With that being said, Quidi Vidi have brewed a great ‘lawnmower beer’; you know, a beer that would be perfect for a hot summer day, when you’re taking a break from mowing the lawn. In that moment, this is pretty much the exact beer I’d crave, and probably I’d crave the iceberg to sit upon while drinking it. Light, crisp, refreshing, simple, clean. Really not much going on in terms of aroma, perhaps a hint of apple, some french bread malt quality. But this isn’t a beer that’s trying to be complex. It succeeds at being immensely drinkable and inoffensive.