Alley Kat Brewing Co. African Queen Dragon – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$10.65 at Collective, 946 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Mar-2020, reviewed 13-Mar-2020)
Appearance: crystal clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and ring, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, grass, honey, melon, berry, perfumey floral, earth, hint of mint. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate-soft carbonation, sticky building and lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
So, I just had a Coronado North Island at 7.5% that called itself an NEIPA, while this, also at 7.5%, is styled as a Double – glad to see I’m not the only one who’s confused by this whole “classification” concept! I actually didn’t realize this was a Dragon series beer when I bought it, because I’m pretty sure “African Queen” isn’t a colour. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve been lambasting their colour choices for about four years now, so I’m not exactly surprised (or crushed) that they finally put a bullet in the idea – but I was sort of holding out hope that a “Smaragdine Dragon” would make an appearance at some point, especially since my previous ever-so-silly suggestion of “Periwinkle” came true. (Though, they did do “Mazarine”, so call that close enough, I suppose.) This one is… not all that impressive. By my count this is the third time I’ve had African Queen, although the first single-hop treatment, but I have yet to be impressed by it. I’m glad I did this one, actually, because I’m now growing more sure that African Queen is responsible for the less-than-impressive notes I got in my other experiences, so I’m at least tentatively placing it relatively low on my list of preferred hops. In addition to being less than impressed with the hop flavour profile, this one has much the same caramel and earthy characteristics of many of its brethren, but without many redeeming features. The series has had its successes, but this isn’t really one. (Also: t’internet, including Alley Kat’s web site, seems to be completely unaware of this one. Am I the first person to drink one of these, and if so, is it a practical joke?) (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
