Annex Ale Project Focal Shift San Diego Style IPA (Batch 104) – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.25 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 25-Jun-2021)
Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky off-white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, floral, caramel, citrus, melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Old-school without feeling too old-fashioned, this is very much a reminder of how the West Coast style used to roll. The label says this is hopped with Simcoe, Centennial, Amarillo, and Chinook, and I’m getting pretty much what you’d hope to from that blend: pine, floral, and citrus on a clean caramel background, and an emphatic lingering bitterness. (The label also says “No gods, no masters”, to which I can add only, “Fuck yeah!” And yes, I’m well aware of how silly it is for a well-off middle-aged white male to be an anarchist, to which I respond “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”) (15/20)
7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze
