Bench Creek Brewing White Raven American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$3.87 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, bottle date 30-Jun-2016, acquired 19-Jul-2016, reviewed 20-Jul-2016)
Appearance: opaque pale amber with three fingers of loose ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pine, pale/caramel malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)
Oh hell damn yes – three week old IPA? Sign me up! Yeah, it looks like one of those malt-forward A/IPA messes I love to complain about – but it ain’t that. Lovely citrusy hops lead the way over tropical fruit, pine, and a restrained pale/caramel malt base. Fragrant aromas on moderately high bitter flavours? This would be worth going to Edmonton for – and I don’t say that lightly. (I advise you to just ignore the loony ramblings on the side of the can – crackpots can make good beer, apparently.) (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
