DuClaw Brewing Company Hop Tarts Strawberry Milkshake IPA – American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 25 IBU (C$6.07 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Oct-2022, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 18-Feb-2023)
Appearance: cloudy particulate-laden medium gold with two fingers of creamy pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-developed soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet strawberry, cream, oats, citrus, faint resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration mildly warming tart astringent finish. (4/5)
I’ve kind of stopped bothering with the milkshake-style IPAs, but I figured if anybody could do it right, it would be DuClaw, given their extensive experience doing some really fun sweet pastry-style beers. And sure enough, it smells exactly like a strawberry milkshake, so it’s off to a good start. (Well, once you get past the not-so-pleasant appearance, anyway.) The brewer notes say this is hopped with Chinook, Mosaic, and Azacca, and indicate malted oats in the grain bill. I’m getting a little hop character in addition to the strawberry adjunct, and even detecting a little dankly resinous pine as the pine progresses and warms. Still, though, it’s dominated by the adjunct, making it somewhat less an “IPA” in my book, and more a “flavoured malt liquor”. It’s not bad overall, but I really prefer “real” beer. (14/20)
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