United Nations of Beer

Wellington Special Pale ale

by Ashley Cotter-Cairns
(UNOB Towers)

On a recent trip to the big city of Toronto, I hit a couple of local pubs with a couple of locals. In the Rose and Crown, a suitably English name for a pub, I tried Wellington Special Pale ale, a suitably English-sounding beer.

It's brewed in Guelph, which was much closer to where I was drinking it than my home in Quebec, so it was as local a beer as I needed.

Honestly, there wasn't much need for justification, having driven nearly six hours to get to the city and facing an even longer journey the following day.

Before I had a taste, I was won over by the fantastic Wellington boot-shaped bar tap. You've got to love that sense of humour! Wellie fills a pint glass proudly, deep reddish amber in colour. Wellington smells like an amber ale: that sweetish perfume you expect from Ontario red beers.

For an Ale, Wellington Special Pale ale is quite fizzy in the mouth and even gassier when you swallow it. An initial moderate bitterness fades into a lingering aftertaste, which is a different level of bitterness altogether. The bitterness comes and goes, kind of a peaky taste, spiking up and down. Which is strange.

Unlike an IPA, which you expect to be bitter AND dry, Wellington Special Pale won't have you asking the wait staff for a pitcher of water. But that's a bright spot in a gloomy pint pot, I'm afraid.

I found it way too gassy to be really enjoyable and struggled to finish my pint. Ultimately, Wellington Special is gassy and forgettable, but it's not the worst pint you'll ever drink by any means.