Bad Tattoo Brewing West Coast IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$5.95 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)
Pours cloudy muddy brown with two fingers of creamy light tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, toast, toffee, citrus and pine. (5/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, surprisingly boozy finish. (2/5)
Deeply unimpressive right from the start – I actually did a double-take as I started to pour, convinced I had picked up the wrong bottle. The colour is far too dark for a “pale ale”, and though muddiness like that might be acceptable in an Abt, it sure isn’t in an IPA. And there’s no chance I’d call this a “west coast” IPA – there is no dankness to speak of, and it’s malt-forward to the point of toffee flavours. You might call it an English IPA, but even then I’d quibble, since the 6.2% ABV, by no means astronomical, is actually pretty hot on the throat. Perhaps it’s simply old and oxidized, but I of course have no way of knowing since THERE’S NO BOTTLE DATE. Give this one a pass – way too many good IPA’s out there to waste your time with this. (10/20)
5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
