Coronado Brewing Company / Pizza Port Brewing Company South of the Pier – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.86 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Jan-2020, acquired 25-Mar-2020, reviewed 1-Apr-2020)
Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy & herbal, resiny pine, tropical fruit, crackery pale malt, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter lightly spicy finish. (4/5)
Bit disappointing, if I’m honest – I’ve heard great things about Pizza Port, and Coronado is a perennial favourite of mine. On top of that, the label reports Amarillo, Mosaic, Waimea, and Motueka hops, at least two of which are high on my list of favourites. (Amarillo and Waimea are OK, but kind of work-a-day in my opinion.) This, however, while reasonably solid and inoffensive, is a bit uninspired and falls well short of epic. I can’t say I’m getting a whole lot of Mosaic complexity or Motueka tropical fruit – or, for that matter, a lot of West Coast dankness. Ultimately it’s a middle-of-the-road AIPA without a whole lot to distinguish it in a very crowded field. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
