The first time I had a beer from Collective Arts Brewing was in May of 2016 at Irish Embassy in Toronto, ON. It was after my second Pearl Jam concert in three nights. That particular show was special because I finally heard my “Holy Grail” Pearl Jam song, Alone. Up to that point, I had waited 26 shows to hear Alone. Before that night, the best chance I had to hear it was in Philadelphia in 2013. Pearl Jam sound checked the song before the first show of their two-night stand. The song did not end up making the set list either of those two nights. It made the set list at the next show, in the next city they were in. I was bummed out by this because I thought that was my best chance to hear it. With an ever-growing catalog of songs, I thought the chances I would ever hear it were becoming slim to none. Then on May 12th, 2016, after a spectacular performance of Present Tense, Alone just started. When I realized what I happening, I was so excited, I practically tackled my unsuspecting cousin next to me. I yelled “This is it! This is my holy grail song!” and he just smiled. I stood there rocking out for the next few minutes with a gigantic smile on my face. That was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. Anything that happened that night after hearing that song was icing on the cake. I honestly believe Pearl Jam could have taken turns farting into the microphone for the next two hours and I would not have minded. That moment made my night. Later, at the Irish Embassy, I could talk about little else while surveying the beer menu. I ordered something I had never heard of, which turned out to be Collective Arts Brewing Rhyme & Reason Pale Ale. I thought it tasted fantastic, so good in fact that I ordered a few. Usually I like to mix it up a bit but that beer was hitting all the right flavor notes. Fast forward to April 2017, Collective Arts Brewing is now being distributed in Upstate New York. I immediately bought cans of Rhyme & Reason. I was hoping the beer was not enhanced by the moment last May. I am happy to report it was not. Rhyme & Reason is a fantastic pale ale. It's malty with just the right amount of hop bite. I absolutely love that beer, and the fact that it is tied to a great memory makes it even better.
Rhyme & Reason was not the only beer to arrive in Upstate NY from Collective Arts Brewing and that got me excited. When I picked up some Rhyme & Reason, I also picked up their Blonde Ale, Saint of Circumstance. I think blonde ale is a criminally underrated style of beer. With warm weather coming I was hoping the brewery that made such an excellent pale ale would make a blonde ale that could be a regular summer staple in my refrigerator.
I can safely say I enjoyed drinking Saint of Circumstance. It delivered on being a light, easy-drinking, refreshing beer. I just thought I would enjoy it a bit more, especially from the pleasant cracker, spicy, grassy and citrus aroma. I enjoyed that the flavor lemon in particular shined here, especially in the finish. The other big flavor flavor is the malt which brings a nice amount of cracker and graininess to the beer. What I was not crazy about was the finish, which was a muddled mixture of lemon, grass, grapefruit and pepper spice. It was not by any means a dealbreaker though. This is a solid choice for a summer beer. If you have to decide between this or Rhyme or Reason, I would go with Rhyme or Reason. I say that not just because I had it for the first time after one of the greatest concert moments of my life. I say that because it is a damn fine pale ale.
Overall I would rate Saint of Circumstance a 3/5. A solid beer from a solid catalog of beers. Oh, and the can art is amazing.
Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!
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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
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