Honey is not an especially common ingredient in beer, so I was surprised to find it used in two of the brews included in the Central City Red Racer Across The Nation Collaboration mixed pack – but since there was one from each side of the country, it made my choice easy for another East vs West showdown. Land of Rice and Honey (collab with Half Pints) is a Saison that also uses local wild rice, and it features a mild honey sweetness, notes of pear skin and dry clovey yeast, and a bit of the “alternative grain” character that I sometimes get from gluten-free beers – I reckon the wild rice may be responsible for that. Biere d’ici Honey Ale (collab with PEI Brewing) is the first beer in the pack that has left me a bit disappointed, as it’s billed as a Bière de Garde, but lacks the complexity and balance I expect from the style, coming across instead as a simple and overly sweet golden ale with more warm booziness in the finish than a 6% beer should have. . . . . . #beer #craftbeer #beerphoto #craftbeerphoto #beerreview #craftbeerreview #saison #bieredegarde #honeybeer #farmhousebeer #craftale #collaborationbeer #centralcitybrewing #redracerbeer #halfpintsbrewing #peibrewingcompany #canada150