In yesterday's post, I promised some tasting notes for some IPAs, which I didn't include. There was a great article in the Globe and Mail today about IPAs, the link to which I tweeted out. They mention Red Racer in the article - They had some at the LCBO one weekend (special shipment), but it sold out in hours, so I couldn't get my hands on it :( So I still haven't tried it, but from what I've heard it's the Canadian gold standard for a good IPA. If you find it, I recommend you buy it.
Here are the eagerly awaited tasting notes:
In my neighbourhood, there are two widely known local craft IPAs available: Muskoka Brewery's Mad Tom IPA, which I've mentioned before, and Ontario craft darling Flying Monkey's Smashbomb Atomic IPA. I recomment them both. The Mad Tom IPA seems much more widely available than the smashbomb (I even found it on tap at the Duke of Kent pub at Yonge and Eglinton). Flying Monkey's Hoptical Illusion (their "almost" pale ale) is much more easily found, and is pretty good, but, in my humble opinion, not quite as delicious as smashbomb.
Flying Monkey's Smashbomb Atomic IPA:
Dark copper color, small head/Subdued hops aroma/Snap! hops blast, then a lingering taste of alcohol/Raspberry? Some fruit?/nice, subtle coffee, roasty backbone adds some depth/really interesting/which it was easier to find this beer/Packaging is pretty wacky.
Muskoka Mad Tom IPA:
Great head/beautiful bitterness, but a nice malt base/I love this beer/slight taste of bubblegum/This is probably my favourite widely available beer right now/I'm a big fan of Muskoka's style and packaging.
A quick note on 2xIPA
A quick note on 2xIPA: this is an IPA with twice the bang for the buck. More alcohol per volume, and more hops! At this point, for me, it starts to get a little bit too much. For example, I tried the Southern Tier 2xIPA this Summer, when it was REALLY hot out, and found it just didn't do it for me. I couldn't even finish it, which never happens with me... I tried it again later, to give it a better chance, but the same thing happened. I think it's the taste of alcohol that rubs me the wrong way.
Southern Tier 2XIPA:
Small head/little yellow/light carbonation/smell of citrus hops/good hops plus some other nicely balanced subtlety/not THAT hoppy/can taste alcohol/Malt: cake? vanilla?/Taste of alcohol overpowers everything else going on/I think I'd like their IPA, but this is too much.
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