Last week my wife
announced she was going to visit our local shrine to German
ingenuity, Aldi, to pick up some random item from 'the middle aisle'.
The 'brand' names always seem to be shit like 'Sunny Valley
Retreat', 'Shady Pine Woods', or some other name that resembles an
area Jason Vorhees would be likely to go on a killing spree in a
Friday the 13th movie. Aldi is the only store I can think
of where you can leave with canned spaghetti, smoked salmon, and a
new set of golf clubs. On the website they were advertising slabs
of Leffe for $40. A glistening oasis amidst the desert too appealing
to pass by, so I tagged along.
After traversing the
cluttered hallways of products named after retirement homes, neither
of us found what we were after. There was no Leffe to be seen. I
had been duped by a mirage. Not wanting to leave empty handed, I
scanned the liqour corner for something else.
I spotted this pale ale
at $13 a six pack. With a moniker like 'Hopper Whitman', it sounded
like the name of the 2nd basemen in a B-grade comedy about
a ramshackle baseball team that makes the World Series against all
the odds. I assumed it to be some kind of Aldi re-brand , but the
label claimed it was an imported beer from New York. I was not
entirely convinced, and gave the dude at the checkout a sceptical
look as he scanned it in. A look that made it known that I was not
fooled by their beguiling ways, and that I just like cheap grog. I
don't think he noticed.
The whole experience of
the Hopper Whitman Pale Ale is very Aldi. The label looks like a
feigned attempt at a well known brand. The beer looks like it's
meant to, and tastes reminiscent of a similar product you've had
before. In short, like everything else at Aldi, it does the job at a
remarkable price, but leaves you feeling just that little bit hollow
afterwards.
Flavour-wise, there is
a bit of toffee/caramel sweetness, citrus, and a light touch of hops.
The overall delivery is a bit flat, kind of like how I imagine a
German comedian to be, if there were any. At $13 though you really
can't complain. There are less impressive beers out there charging a
higher price of admission.
It's okay. It
is what it is.
Funnily enough, 'Aldi
Ale' would've been a title truly befitting of this beer.
2.5 $60 Stand Up Paddle
Boards / 5
