Olds College Brewery Pile Driver Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 85 IBU (C$9.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 14-Mar-2017)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet caramel and toffee, citrus, sticky resiny pine, tropical fruit, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, sweetish bitter finish. (3/5)
Yeah, yeah, I get it – a pile driver gets you hammered, very funny… if you’re a cheese-eating high school grad going to community college, maybe. No, I shouldn’t say that, it’s mean. I don’t intend to be mean, I have the greatest of respect for the hands-on trades. As an engineer, I’m pretty much exactly that myself – not to mention, I fancy myself a bit of a dab hand at carpentry, and not a complete incompetent at brewing. This isn’t without its charms. But it’s also a bit, well… “enthusiastic”? “Sophomoric”? “Blunt”? “Subtle as a brick upside the head”? Then again, I can’t say the label didn’t pretty much spell that out, so I guess good on them for doing exactly what it says on the tin. On the other hand, it’s perilously close to being the malt-forward style of DIPA I like to criticize, so, yeah. Ummm… carry on? (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
