Omnipollo / Evil Twin Brewing Coffenade American IPA at 7% ABV (C$6.99 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 30-May-2018)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with short, short-lived white head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee grounds, lemonade. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate tart finish. (3/5)
I was pretty leery of this – every time I hear “coffee” and “IPA”, all I can think of is that horribly bad Molto Bella by Tree Brewing. I’ve had more palatable attempts since, but that’s what sticks with me. (Funny how a single bad experience can ruin something forever, huh? Remind me to tell you my tequila story sometime…) And adding “lemonade” to the mix didn’t seem likely to be all that redemptive. And, to be brutally honest, it wasn’t. It smells like over-extracted coffee grounds, and tastes like lemonade mixed with coffee. No twist, no surprise outcome: does mixing coffee and lemonade sound good to you? Then you’ll like this. I didn’t, much. The best I can say is, it tastes better than it smells, and it got better as it progressed – but that’s not saying much in either case. I love Omnipollo and I love Evil Twin – and I almost sink poured this (but grimly held on to the end). If you’re a fan of these breweries, you might be tempted to try this, thinking it can’t be as bad as all that. I emphatically recommend you do not. (11/20)
5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
