Gigantic Brewing Company / Three Floyds Axes of Evil (#3) English Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 70 IBU (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-May-2017)
Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, citrus, tropical fruit, toasted malt, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Nice to see Gigantic using their fifth anniversary as a justification to re-release some of their seasonals that I never got a chance to try! This, they claim, is an English Pale Ale – to which, I respond, “Yeah, right!” Not in a negative way, y’unnerstand – this is excellent, with a bright, distinctly NON-Noble hop character you’d never find in a true EPA. It settles down a bit, and sorta kinda pretends to be an EPA, with a pleasant toasted/biscuity malt character, but then the massive bitter finish comes through. This is definitely a beer for whom a Lemmy quote on the label is appropriate. Now, just double up the hops in the boil, do a bunch of dry-hopping with Mosaic, and boost the malt bill by about 40%, will you? (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
