Whistler Brewing Co. -- Classic Pale Ale and Premium Export Lager

Whistler Brewing Company is in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.  More specifically, its located at Function Junction, Whistler.  For those that don't know, Whistler Blackcomb is a huge ski resort 125 km north of Vancouver, which you may recognize from the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Anyway, Whistler Brewing was started in 1989 when craft brewing was becoming popular in British Columbia, and it is one of the few that passed the test of time. 

The two beers from Whistler that I snagged, Classic Pale Ale and Premium Export Lager, are from a beer sampler Kiki gave me for my birthday.  Otherwise, I have not seen them for sale in southern California.

First up is the "Classic Pale Ale" which clocks in at 5% ABV.  It pours slightly foamy and has a hazy copper color.  It doesn't have much aroma, but I would later learn it doesn't have much taste either.  It has a light body which was lighter than expected based on the color.  The flavor was more on the malty side without any noticeable hops.  This beer might be nice after a day on the slopes, but it's not a good beer for anyone looking for flavor.  Overall, it was a little too watery.

Next is the "Premium Export Lager" which is also 5% ABV.  As you can see, it's a hazy straw color.  It has a malty lager flavor.  It has flavors of bananas and toffee.  I like bananas, but not in my beer.  It's not very hoppy.  This one is medium body, which was obvious after drinking the pale ale.  I don't like lagers in general, which is why I started drinking craft beer in the first place.  In other words, this beer was going to be a hard sell to me from the start so it's not surprising I would give it one star out of five.  If, however, you like lagers and you like that banana flavor usually found in hefeweizens, then this might be the beer for you.

As always, I enjoy exploring new beers, but these two I don't need to try again.  But, looking at Whistler Brewing's website, they don't list these two beers.  They brew: Pineapple Express Wheat Ale, Grapefruit Ale, Powder Mountain Lager, Whiskey Jack Ale, Bear Paw Honey Lager, Black Tusk Ale, and Dunkle.  Some of those sound more up my alley.  In other words, if I come across some more Whistler beers I'm open to experiencing what else they have to offer.

Cheers!