Hopworks Urban Brewery _IPX Chinook_ American IPA at 6% ABV | 60 IBU _(C$7.62 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 9-Jun-2017)_
Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, citrus, caramel, pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter lightly spicy finish. (3/5)
The labelling here is a bit unclear: initially I wondered what was meant by the “Organic & Chinook hops” annotation. I wondered whether it was hopped exclusively with organic Chinook hops, or alternatively, with Chinook hops plus some unspecified varietal grown organically? But, upon further perusal, the fine print specifies this is hopped with organic Chinook hops only. Turfing the ampersand would clarify things immensely. (And, indulging in etymological geekery for a moment, the origin of the term “ampersand” is too much fun: “&” was historically treated as the 27th letter of the alphabet and recited as “and, per se, and”, after Z.) While we’re on the subject of fine print, it also advocates “Enjoy fresh”. Well, I’d love to. How do I know whether I’m doing so or not, when you DON’T DATE YOUR DAMN BOTTLES? <ahem> It’s not without its charms, but I find there’s a slightly harsh edge. This is a fairly typical response for me with single-hop brews, particularly when it comes to the “usual suspects starts-with-C” varietals – in my experience, balance is usually achieved by judicious blending, instead of leaving one to do all the heavy lifting alone. I wouldn’t say no to another, but I also wouldn’t go looking for that other, either. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
