Black Market Brewing Co. Enemy Within IPA American IPA at 7% ABV (C$10.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Jun-2016, reviewed 26-Jun-2016)
Appearance: clear purple-tinged pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: green berry and melon rind, caramel malt, citrus and tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
Y’know, I kinda like the fact that the world of IPAs has gone completely insane. I mean, at this point, the designation “IPA” is almost completely meaningless. (Especially “American IPA”. “English IPA” still sort of means something specific, but A/IPA? All bets are off.) It’s kind of the anti-Reinheitsgebot at this point – adulterate away. So, yeah: dragonfruit. Why? Well, why not? It’s not completely insane – the flavours are hop-complementary, sweet and tart, so sure, that should work. Except, it doesn’t, not really. Yeah, I get the fruit, and yeah, I can see where they were going with it – but they didn’t quite make it there. I mean, dragonfruit, despite its exotic appearance and butch-sounding name, tastes basically like a milder version of kiwi. Mull that over for a second: kiwi, but less so. Kiwi, for people who find kiwi a bit overwhelming. It ends up being a bit thin, and a bit astringent, and worst of all, a bit… well… boring. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
