Microbrasserie Vox Populi Milkshake IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 21-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 25-Nov-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a massive loose pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet lactose, vanilla, oranges, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter mildly tart finish. (4/5)
I know that Milkshake IPAs take their flavour from lactose addition, and there’s no reason for them to be opaque, but I always find it viscerally odd when examples of the style are clear or nearly so. That’s not a criticism of this one by any means, because it’s probably among the best examples of the style I’ve had, with maybe three or four ranked higher and a small handful at the same score. I find the trick with this style to be balancing the sweet lactose with a reasonable level of bitterness so that the final product doesn’t end up cloying. This pushes up to the line, and certainly has an emphatic sweetness on the nose, but is rescued by a balanced hop bitterness that’s almost spicy in the finish. It’s not exactly clean or refreshing, but it is fun. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
