I am not really doing beer reviews on the site any more. But I loved the concept of Grain Bin Brewing’s Summer Chores mixed pack so much I am driven to write about it. Four beer named after dreaded yard chores with increasing strength and flavour intensity as the dread factor of the chore increases (although that is subjective).

It was intriguing enough I needed to try them in order, although I did not perform the associated chore before sampling the beer. I can safely say I have done all four in the past couple of weeks, so the memory is fresh enough.

The first is Mow the Lawn, a 4.3% alcohol session pale ale. I pours a hazy light yellow, offering a thin wisp of white head. I pick up moderate carbonation. The aroma arises as orange, lemon fruitiness accented by a light sharp grain. I get a bit of chaff in the background, which I am not sure is intentional. The flavour starts with soft orange and lemon and a touch of honey and dry cracker grain. The middle picks up a bit of lemon zest. I pick up a leafy hop presence providing low but noticeable bitterness. The back end loses the fruitiness and becomes more earthy. The beer finishes quite dry. I find this a wonderfully refreshing beer. I would prefer the fruit to make it all the way to the end, but that may be a nit-pick.

Chore Scale: Perfect post-lawn mowing summery session ale. Four weed-whippers out of five.

Next up is Wash the Car, a 6% IPA (not sure why we jumped the regular Pale Ale style). This one pours hazy light orange with a thin white head. I get some lemon and orange in the aroma, accented with a light graininess. Overall the aroma is rather subdued. Hard to find anything too noteworthy. The first sip gives me orange and lemon. I notice how light the body is immediately. It does remind me of Mow the Grass in its presentation, although earthier at the finish. I also get a touch of astringency in the middle, which I am starting to wonder if it is a pattern in the series. Overall I find it light, refreshing and drinkable. It certainly does not present its 6% alcohol. As a New England-ish IPA is a rather average, but sticks well to the summer theme.

Chore Scale: Washing the car is dusty. More fruit would cleanse the palate more effectively. Three Armor-Alls out of Five.

We start to get more intense when we get to Weed the Garden. Clearly our friend Dalen does not have a green thumb, as I would put washing the car higher on the list of dreaded tasks. This Double IPA (8%) starts to look the part of a New England ale. It pours very hazy medium gold and builds a thick white head with some lacing. Carbonation seems lower than the previous two. I take a sniff and pick up some light biscuit and cracker grain, a subdued fruitiness of melon and a touch of grassiness. Again the aroma is quieter than I would like. The flavour offers rounded fruit at the beginning. More tropical than citrus, specifically. More papaya and mango than grapefruit. A rounded sweetness of wildflower honey provides some complexity. The middle shifts, bringing in floral notes, some berry and melon flavours, and a sharper grain. The finish is moderately bitter, accented toward tropical. I detect Five alive more than lemonade. It is moderately sweet in the finish. The linger is fruity and sweet. I do find touches of alcohol, but it is soft and soothing, not harsh. This is a nicely balanced beer. I am looking for a bit more assertive fruitiness, I think. It doesn’t taste like a double, but that might not be a bad thing. Not a world beater, but a decent hazy IIPA. Sticks to the “summer drinking” theme quite well.

Chore Scale: Nicely knocks the soil off the tongue. Three-and-a-half hoes out of five.

The last, and biggest, beer is left for (in my opinion) the worst job. Clean the Garage is a bold Triple-IPA (yes, what does the third ‘I’ stand for? I know – this is not the time). At an impressive 11.5%, you likely want your spouse to re-park the car in the garage when you are done. In the glass it is deeply hazy orange and presents a light, dense white head which fades quickly. The haze is Impenetrable. In the aroma I get sweet orange, grapefruit, some berry, and a light graininess. Also a noted alcohol whiff, but that is hardly a surprise. The flavour begins with a bold, full sweet orange juice, some passion fruit, a touch of lemon and a noted grainy sweetness. In the middle some bitterness starts to kick in, which continues to builds through the finish. The linger is distinctly grapefruit. There is, again, some harsh graininess in the middle. Alcohol warming is a bit intense at the end, blending with the bitterness to create a fairly intense linger. Overall, the beer is a bit harsh and intense, but it is a triple after all, so it might be hard to avoid some of that. Intense fruitiness and noted bitterness take centre stage but find a way to work in balance.

Chore Scale: After the hell that is cleaning the garage (if you ever saw mine you would understand), the alcohol percentage alone is justification. Intense and screams “you did it!”. Four wet vacuums out of five.

A fun concept. The beer aren’t perfect, but do stick to a consistent summer theme, which likely is the purpose of the project. And, in a marketing sense, they did their job as I was instantly drawn to the mixed pack when I saw it.

Next year, if Grain Bin does it again, I might actually use them as post-chore rewards.