Wellington Festbier (5.2%)

The Wellington Brewery was established as Ontario’s third microbrewery in the fall of 1985, after Brick (now Waterloo) Brewing and the almost defunct Upper Canada Brewing. (The latter was purchased by Sleeman, where the Lager and Dark Ale still exist as discount brands.) Its focus from the get-go was on British style ales, including the stellar Arkell Best Bitter and County Ale that are still brewed today, so it’s hardly surprising that for much of the brewery’s existence, even into the 2000s, its lager offerings were a bit underwhelming.

That all changed with the arrival of the Helles Lager in 2017, which quickly established itself as one of the best of its style brewed in Ontario, a position it maintains to this day. Still, with only the Helles and Boot Lite lagers in an otherwise ale-centric portfolio, I wondered how the brewery would fare when exploring Oktoberfest genre.   

The hazy copper colour of this beer suggests that the brewers of Wellington were after an Old School Märzen when they designed it, and the can copy that speaks of “amber in colour” and a “toasty aroma” would seem to confirm that fact. (That haziness is a bit of a puzzle, since the brilliant clarity of the Helles shows that Wellington to be quite capable of producing bright beers.) Unfortunately, the execution falls just a bit short of what is expected of such a beer.

The nose is indeed malty and earthy, as I would expect of a beer from the Old School, but there is a muddiness to it rather than the more tightly defined clarity I expect from a long- and cold-conditioned beer. Alongside, I find notes of caramel, red apple, a touch of cinnamon, and a hint of petrol.

The start is malt forward, as it should be, but has a bit of the taste of wet grain that I tend to associate with underattenuation or lack of sufficient conditioning. (Remembering that the original Märzens were lagered for up to six months.) It is not to the degree that the flavours are off-putting or, frankly, likely even discernable by a casual imbiber, but there is just enough that I am left with flavours on my tongue I feel shouldn’t be there. The mid-palate brings an earthier maltiness, which is to the beer’s credit, and a touch of tannic, drying hoppiness, the latter of which serves to dry out the finish nicely, alongside a mild bitterness and just a bit of brown spice.

Overall, while there is little to condemn this beer, neither is there a lot to commend it. For drinking in a bar or beer hall, I’m sure most people would find it perfectly fine, but it is not the sort of beer that causes eyes to light up and spirits to soar.

75 ($3.75/473 ml)