Outcast Brewing No. 5 Biggie American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.0% ABV (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Apr-2019, acquired 8-May-2019, reviewed 9-May-2019)
Appearance: opaque slightly dirty medium gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: melon, caramel, overripe tropical fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky finish. (3/5)
A big brother to No. 6 Smalls, with the same hop profile, but double the malt bill. I suppose the effects of that change would have been fairly obvious had I given it some thought, but in fact I was a bit shocked by how different the two are. Right off the hop, the appearance of this one is muddy and slightly unclean, with far less head development and retention. The aroma is also dramatically altered, with a big sweet caramel note changing the overall profile in ways I wouldn’t have anticipated. It was a cute idea to release these two side-by-side this way, but I’m not gonna lie: I had high hopes here, and they just didn’t materialize. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
