Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Freakshow Crush – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Jan-2020, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 14-Feb-2020)
Appearance: opaque straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pale crackery malt, melon, hint of dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)
The can is festooned with any number of let-your-freak-flag-fly encouragements, all pretty much boiling down to “Normal is weird”, but the bottom of the can contains the best text of all: “Jan/22/2020”. Three weeks old? Sweet! Flying Monkeys are probably one of the first craft breweries I became familiar with, so it’s nice to see them embracing new(er) styles with aplomb (unlike some of the old guard who seem to actively resent them). Yeah, it could stand to be a little juicier, and the bitterness just starts to hint at astringency in the finish, but overall it’s a solid example of the style. And yes, normal is weird. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
