Nine Locks Brewing Company IPA American IPA at 6.9% ABV | 70 IBU (C$3.66 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 29-Mar-2017, acquired 5-May-2017, reviewed 10-May-2017)
Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of creamy off-white head diminishing gradually to a tenacious cap, soapy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, caramel, tropical fruit, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter finish. (3/5)
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much – but this ain’t half bad. Actually, it’s better than that. The fact that they bother to hop in three stages (wort, burst, and dry) would probably make me kindly disposed towards them even if the final product weren’t respectable – but it is. The aroma isn’t bright, as such, but it’s solidly hop-forward, and backstopped by an emphatic bitterness well balanced against a decent caramel malt sweetness. As usual, I’d prefer the hops brighter and the malt cleaner, but it’s pretty darned good as it stands. Decent effort from a new brewery, and I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t go see them when I was in Dartmouth on Monday! (I did get to Propeller and Unfiltered, so I’m actually not all that disappointed.) (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
