Brasserie Archibald West Coast IPA (Belle Mer) American IPA at 7.1% ABV | 70 IBU (C$9.50 on tap at Archibald YUL, reviewed 4-Mar-2017)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short creamy white head settling rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Fairly typical A/IPA starts-with-C hop profile, with a hint of West Coast dank. Decently clean and balanced, with just enough pale malt backing to support the middling-high bitterness. No real complaints here, but some structural improvements would be nice – as in, I’d like better head retention to protect the carbonation and aromas, which drop off as the pint progresses. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
