Annex Ale Project New Material American IPA at 7.6% ABV (C$7.80 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 2-Apr-2018, acquired 11-Apr-2018, reviewed 11-Apr-2018)
Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pineapple, citrus, lactose, caramel, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)
Well, I gotta give credit where it’s due: in a lot of ways, this is a pretty decent implementation of the NEIPA style. Not the prettiest, mind you: yeah, it’s opaque, but it manages to look slightly dirty in the process. Just like, ohhh, which one of their was it? Oh, yeah: all of them. Seriously, everything they make looks dirty and muddy. And up until three or four releases ago, they kinda sucked at NEIPAs. Now, though, they seem to be hitting their stride. This isn’t quite as good as Cryo-Currency, but it’s not bad. Call it roughly on par with Howling Fantods for score, even though it’s a point and a half short on the booze meter. On the down side, I’m getting a milky lactose-like note that drives the sweetness a little higher than I’d prefer, especially in the finish. On the other hand, maybe that’s intentional, to get a milkshake-like result? Either way, not a complete success, but not bad. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
