Mill Street Brewery West Coast Style IPA American IPA at 6.6% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brewpub YYZ, reviewed 16-Apr-2016)
Appearance: cloudy pale gold with a short creamy off-white head, diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, good lacing. (3/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
Definitely better than their last A/IPA I tried (Tankenstein) – more in keeping with the style, in that the hops are far and way in control, with the pale malt playing the appropriate supporting role. What stops me from ranking this higher, though, is the rapidity with which the bright hoppy aromas fade: by the time the pint is half gone, the dry hopping has settled dramatically, and there’s an undefinable almost sour stone fruitiness that, while not offensive, is certainly less welcome than the initial hops. Good, not great. (After writing, I looked up the brewer’s notes: “partially soured mash”, “aged in contact with French oak”. Yep, that’s what’s left behind when the dry hopping fades, all right. I’m tempted to think that a little filtering – or, at least, fining – would polish this a little and push it higher.) (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
