YellowBelly Brewery Deep South American IPA at 6% ABV (C$9.34 at NLC Kelsey Drive, 1 l, best before 27-Nov-2015)
Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, resiny pine, pale malt, light catty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
Overall a very nice A/IPA: lots of bright fruit and resiny flavour on the nose, and a nice balance of bitter and supporting malt on the tongue. The finish is slightly less clean than I would like, with a bit of cattiness coming out as the bitterness lingers. All things considered, though, this is a relatively minor sin, and not atypical for a Mosaic bittered brew. I’m not familiar with the other (Pacific Gem) hops, but wasn’t surprised in reading up on them that they’re considered similar to the standard starts-with-C culprits. There’s actually almost a vinous quality as well, that made me wonder if there was any Nelson Sauvin, but that seems not to be the case. I would definitely recommend it, except the brewery no longer has it on tap and I rather suspect I now own one of the very few bottles left in existence… and I ain’t sharing. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
