Hell’s Basement Brewing The Yard Blackberry Milkshake IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV | 20 IBU (C$2.93 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Mar-2018, reviewed 14-Mar-2018)
Appearance: dirty particulate-laden deep amber with two fingers of rocky pale beige head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (2/5) Aroma: mild, vanilla, blackberry, light burnt sugar. (4/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)
(No packaging or BB dates, but the shop told me this was a fresh batch, so I’m operating on the assumption that this is the way the brewer intended it to be.) Yeah, I actually didn’t notice the “blackberry” bit on the label when I picked this up, so I was halfway expecting an NEIPA – not so much. I had a bad feeling about the appearance when I started pouring this, and the last inch or so out of the can being as lumpy as it was didn’t do much to help. My comment above notwithstanding, I don’t think this can possibly be fresh. In fact, the visual was so off-putting I was actually hesitant to taste it, despite the mild aroma. Once I started, it wasn’t so bad, though. Wasn’t so good, either, mind you. Bit of a train wreck, actually, and I’m left wondering if this is actually what the brewer intended. Gee, if only there were some way to know how fresh a beer was – if only there were some magic that allowed one to know when a beer was packaged!
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That is all. (10/20)
5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
