O.T. Brewing Company Rivals Series: West Coast IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 70 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Sep-2020, acquired 25-Sep-2020, reviewed 8-Oct-2020)
Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap and ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, bready caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)
This is one of a pair of side-by-side brews. Brewers notes say “Both brews are a blend of Barley oat and wheat, hopped with Chinook, Amarillo, El Dorado and Simcoe.” Again, I ask: how exactly are they brewed differently? I looked this one up ahead of time, and noted that its bitterness, at 70 IBU, is much higher than the East Coast one, at 40 IBU. Visually, they’re clearly different as well: this one is clear, and the other is hazy, and a different colour. The aroma is different, too, with this one having a bit of pine and little or no tropical flirt. And, the taste follows the IBU rating, with this one clearly being much more bitter. I honestly don’t know how they ended up with such radically different results, but there you go – and I’m gonna give the edge to the East Coast. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
