Town Square Brewing Market Series IPA #002 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-May-2020, acquired 29-May-2020, reviewed 30-May-2020)
Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, pale malt, grass, pineapple. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky moderate bitter finish. (4/5)
To be clear: this is fine. It’s not great, but it’s fine. That being said, it’s a bit disappointing in a few ways. Primarily, it’s not as good an example of what it is, as #001 was – that one was almost a reference brew for the style, whereas this, well, isn’t. Secondly, I’ve been given to understand this is single-hopped with BRU-1, and if that’s the case I might have to re-evaluate my developing love affair with this hop – certainly this does not smell like a DDH IPA. Finally, I get cranky when I’m promised candied pineapple and it doesn’t materialize – to be honest, the biggest pineapple character here was when I burped. It’s clean and refreshing, but it’s not exciting. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
