Heretic Brewing Company Evil Twin Red IPA American Amber / Red Ale at 6.8% ABV (C$8.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 9-Feb-2015)
Pours clear red-tinged deep amber with two fat fingers of light tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is grapefruit, caramel malt, pine, earthy and woody tones, hint of chocolate. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry and lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
“Evil Twin”? Seriously? I wonder how Jeppe feels about his brewery name being applied to a beer… Anyway, this is my first “red IPA”, so I’m not all that conversant in what it’s supposed to be. Comes across as a slightly dark, somewhat malty A/IPA, with a little red ale character. Certainly not as roasty/smokey as a black IPA, but the maltiness doesn’t come across as the malt-forward character I associate with an old IPA, or a badly-executed DIPA. I think I might prefer this style to the fast-becoming-ubiquitous black variety… And it’s a pretty beer, so there’s that. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
