Right Brain Brewery Dead Kettle IPA American IPA at 5.8% ABV | 70 IBU (C$10.84 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 27-May-2019, acquired 29-Aug-2019, reviewed 1-Sep-2019)
Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with a massive uncontrollable rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, grapefruit zest, resiny pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, building and lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Might be a dead kettle, but it’s a live head, massive and growing, leaving behind a slightly unclean soapy lacing, on a slightly unclean hazy body. The less-than-stellar appearance sets the stage for a similarly less-than-stellar aroma, heavy on the caramel, but supported by an acceptable oily grapefruit zest and resiny pine. As far as flavour goes, it punches way above its weight, and in a blind test I would have guessed at least 2% more ABV than it actually possesses. Overall, it’s not bad, as such – I particularly enjoy the old-school sticky resiny finish – but not exactly great, either. It’s one of these beers that I might have found earth-shaking if it were still the 1990’s – but it’s not, and it’s not. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
