Phillips Brewing Company Hopocalypse Meow Anniversary Ale American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.2% ABV (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-Aug-2017, reviewed 23-Aug-2017)
Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical and stone fruit, resiny pine, citrus, grainy pale malt, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Dumb hop-pun name beer number three for the evening, and this one is the rarely-seen (thankfully!) double-pun, making it much worse. (Not to mention, it involves cats, so with my being a hard-core lifetime member of Team Dog, this verges on *infinitely* worse. Let’s go with a squillion times worse. And, trust me on this one: don’t go to their web site. The puns. The horror… the horror… oh. Shit. Now I’m doing it.) Can’t find a reliable reference for bitterness, but it’s got to be north of 80 IBU, maybe nearing 100 IBU. Well-balanced and drinkable, a solid offering for their 16th anniversary ale. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
