For most of this summer I've devoted my focus to some of the best beers coming from Toronto's expanding brewing seen. (See posts on Left Field, Rainhard Brewing and Amsterdam to name three.) That has meant that the gems from the LCBO's summer craft beer release had to be put aside for a while. Luckily, one of the best, Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale  from Boulevard, is still available at several Toronto stores.

A few times over the past couple years I've gotten the sense from the tastings the LCBO generously puts on for their seasonal releases that some of their selections have missed the mark. At least two or three times per quarter it seems they have decided to bring in a beer that has impeccably high numbers on the beer rating sites, but an esoteric characteristic — overbearing barrel flavour, tons of smoke, hard-to-find Scandinavian wild herbs added to the brew kettle — that puts it into a microscopic niche. In other words, I rarely find myself typing "confidently well made" into my notebook.

Not so with Tank 7. This one is a stunner.

A resilient and lofty white head sits on top of a hazy yellow-gold beer. The aroma has layers of lemon zest, bubblegum, yeasty bread and pepper spice. A touch of piney bitterness kicks in with the first sip. Subsequent tastes bring out the delicious counterbalance between fruitiness and a dry, lingering finish.

At  $13.50 for a foursome of 335-ml bottles (or 1,420 ml) this is another world class farmhouse ale or saison that comes in under the $10/litre threshold. (Saison Dupont, the archetype for the style, is just over at $7.75 for 750 ml.) To my eye, bargains like these put the question to Ontario brewers: Why are you charging so much for your saison?

Boulevard Brewing's Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, $13.50 for a 4 X 355 ml bottles, LCBO #406298