Bench Creek Brewing Apex Predator American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV | 100 IBU (C$10.99 at Oak & Vine, 1 l growler, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 11-Mar-2017)
Appearance: opaque medium gold with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (5/5)
Damn. Bench Creek just served literal notice to the other 45 brewers in the province that they intend to be top dog – and I think they might accomplish it. This is some serious world-class shit, just beautiful: huge hoppy nose, layered complexity, lovely balanced body, a clean bitter finish that never becomes overwhelming, and SO easy drinking. Work on the structural side a little – I have no problem at all with an orange juice-like opacity, but like to see good retention and well-defined lacing – and this could well make its way into legendary territory for New England-style DIPAs. I mean, this is already challenging Tree House or Trillium, but a few tweaks could put this in contention with Alchemist. Really worth tracking down – but be careful, apex predators don’t respond well to being cornered. (18/20)
9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
