RELEASE: Occasional // THE ABV. 7.5% | IBU’s. 75 // THE NOSE: Dried Mango, Peach Ice Cream, Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum, Lime Preserve, Condensed Milk // THE TASTE: Papaya, Boiled & Buttered French Haricots Vert, Canned Pineapple, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White Pepper, Hollandaise Sauce // THE BOTTOMLINE: Buttery honeysuckle aroma and pine syrup flavor abound in this extremely enticing and oft overlooked gift to hop addicts. There aren't too many IPA’s on the East Coast that vibe the pure spruce and sweet pollen characteristics of Russian River’s phenomenal India Pale Ales or the sweet honey bee boosted joy of fresh ‘Bell’s Hopslam,’ this though is an example that possesses both in equal measure while never straying from it's generously malted and robust British heritage. If you haven't already, you should seriously consider this next time you’re prowling for New World hop bombs. // THE BACKBONE: Two-Row and Honey Malts, Columbus, Cascade, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial Hops // PRICE POINT: $13 | 6x 12oz bottles //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. ? | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Copper Penny, Deli Roast Beef, Cat Pee, Horse Poop // THE TASTE: Quinine, Kellogg’s All-Bran Cereal, Goldenberry, Maple Syrup, White Grape // THE BOTTOMLINE: Significantly maltier and less hop forward than I like my IPA’s, this is nevertheless a rotund brew deserving of attention for what it does bring to the table. This being an IPA, hop character remains at the heart of this ale but it's of the unrelentingly bitter kind not the increasingly popular sunny over-the-top hop nectar variety. Fans of traditional English Bitters and English Pale Ales will likely find a lot more to appreciate in this beer than the average twenty-first century hophead . Try pairing this with overtly salty dishes. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $10 | 6x 12oz bottles //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 8.5% | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Basil, Lemon Juice, Wet Gravel, Eggnog // THE TASTE: Rose, Lychee, Wormwood, Elderflower, Pickled Ginger, Carrot Juice // THE BOTTOMLINE: Potent botanical flavors cut and compliment a weighty white pepper hop leaf burn in this pretty double IPA from British Columbia. More floral than citrusy on the nose than the bulk of its west coast American brethren, this gets extra points from my taste buds for standing a little askew of the crowd without veering off into odd and quizzical ‘extreme IPA’ territory. On the close it’s as bitter and piledrivingly bossy as you’d expect and desire from an honest to God DIPA. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $5 | 1 x22oz bottle //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 6.5% | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Chocolate Syrup, Cigarette Tobacco, Oreo Cookie, Liquid Smoke, Bacon, Oyster Shell // THE TASTE: Wild Rice, Cocoa Powder, Fennel, Chipotle, Rosemary, Chicory // THE BOTTOMLINE: Want to educate your palate in the differences between the common India Pale Ale and the emerging - some say alleged - new Black IPA style? If you do, then simply get your hands on a bottle of this archetypal Black IPA from British Columbia. With little pomp and circumstance this fairly off the radar Canadian effort demonstratively and in an appealing way, melds the floral scents and biting hop character of a serviceable session IPA with some of Black IPAs' most obvious and defining characteristics - an earthy rasp, smoked cocoa smoothness and an ashy finish. This is solid and interesting from every angle. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $5 | 1x 22oz bottle //

RELEASE: December // THE ABV. 7.0% | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Vanilla Fudge, Petrol, Sweaty Sock, Parmigianino Cheese, Lavender, Honeysuckle, Violet // THE TASTE: Biscuit, Coconut Water, Pickled Ginger, Oysters, Anise, Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Hay // THE BOTTOMLINE: Ever had a beer that smelled like a sweaty locker-room filled with meadowsweet flowers and ripe Italian cheese? That’s what this divine India Pale Ale smells like. Taste wise, flavors are an epiphany of sea water, breakfast pastry and unmistakable leafy hop and peppercorn burn. The delicious factor here is off the charts and ranks this with the best IPA’s money can buy. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $7 | 1x 22oz bottle //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 9.5% | IBU’s. 99 // THE NOSE: Pickled Onion, Celery, Melted Butter, Kalamata Olive, Pine Nut, Peanut Butter, Blueberry Jam // THE TASTE: Graham Cracker, Hibiscus, Rosehip, Tahini, Blood Orange, Horseradish // THE BOTTOMLINE: Malted and hopped to delight those seeking that 'really huge' India Pale experience, this ale is something akin to IPA 'gone to the gym.' There is absolutely nothing coy about this ripped Imperial monster. If you’re the sort of IPA swooner that openly invites a hop flavored wrestling match onto your tongue, then you’ve found your perfect battle in ‘Dreadnaught.’ This is an ale of niche and connoisseurial appeal to be sure, a professional IPA drinkers beer and as such the hop unenlightened will without question find this overly abrasive - you have been warned. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $12 | 1x 22oz bottle //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 7.75%| IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Chalk Dust, Cardamom, Lime Margarita, Duck Pate, Orange Blossom Honey, Golden Sultanas, Damp Cardboard // THE TASTE: Red Bell Pepper, Ricola, Orange Marmalade, Yellow Grapefruit, Licorice Root, Green Olive // THE BOTTOMLINE: This is a little earthier and complex than a lot of its sub-Imperial strength peers, possessing an interesting and unexpected musty swagger from sip to finish. Those with a taste for IPA’s with obvious and dominant hop nectar like characteristics, will likely find this effort a little ill-defined. The broader of palate though should find plenty to savor and enjoy in this stand up hoppy offering. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $5 | 1x 22oz bottle //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 9.2% | IBU’s. 100+ // THE NOSE: Damp Forest, Spearmint, Red Licorice, Boiled Cauliflower // THE TASTE: Anise, Brussels Sprout, Charcoal, Soil // THE BOTTOMLINE: This monosyllabic, cinder bitter ultra hopped IPA is nothing short of obnoxious, it’s like trying to drink a cocktail of pureed coal slag and burnt herbs. This has no redeeming, noteworthy or pleasing attributes whatsoever and should be avoided at all costs by everyone, but especially those who truly appreciate the intricacies, subtleties and extreme complexities of real Imperial IPA’s. // THE BACKBONE: American Two-Row, Crystal 15L, Crystal 45L and Acidulated Malts, Yakima's Chinook, Cascade and Antanum Hops, White Labs #001 Chico Yeast // PRICE POINT: $12 | 1x 22oz bottle //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 6.2% | IBU’s. 99 // THE NOSE: Wet Dog, Steak & Kidney Pie, Musk, Bonfire, Enamel Paint, Key Lime Pie, Pickled Onion // THE TASTE: Grape-Nuts, Crispy Bacon, Yoohoo, Spruce Tree, Roasted Parsnip // THE BOTTOMLINE: The word 'robust,' aptly describes every single characteristic of this liberally malted and generally ballsy IPA. The flavors of jet black treacle toffee and charred caramelized pork fat smolder on the tongue with a presence and weight not common for India Pale Ales. On the backend, a pitch perfect pine forward citrusy pucker continually works to prime the palate for that next inevitable and satisfying sip. This IPA is playing in a different league than most of its peers, a smoky league of its own leftfield making and unique flavorful plays. // THE BACKBONE: American Hops, Scottish Malt // PRICE POINT: $10 | 4x 16oz cans //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 6.8% | IBU’s. 65 // THE NOSE: Cedar, Basil, Beer Gravy, Musty Attic, Boiled Cabbage // THE TASTE: Rye Bread, Sage, Savory, Lime Juice, Kale, Steamed Spinach // THE BOTTOMLINE: Bitter to its hopped-up heart, this exponentially herbaceous hop bomb strides confidently across the palate spreading some of the richest and most defined leafy green hop character this side of actually making a cauldron of fresh hop bud soup. The aroma is more than a match for the ale itself, oozing the kind of concentrated spruce and damp forest fauna notes that do for hopheads, what catnip does for felines. As straightforward India Pales go, this is anything but and commands attention ASAP if you're of the hobby beer persuasion. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $10 | 6x 12oz cans //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 5.5% | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Piña Colada, Sea Shells, Kola Kubes, Mango Chewing Gum, Strawberry Jam, Norwegian Spruce, Raspberry Sherbet // THE TASTE: Spearmint, Cactus, Jícama, Egg Yolk, Grapefruit Preserve, Cilantro, Hearts of Palm // THE BOTTOMLINE: This IPA possesses an incredibly ‘tropical’ vibe - imagine adding a splash of freshly squeezed pineapple juice to your regular West Coast IPA and you’ll be spot on. Under its breezy beach-side cocktail aroma breathes a refreshing and medium bittered India Pale, one that succeeds not by going for the more typical hop overload, but by amping up the lighter, naturally sweet characteristics associated with the style instead. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $? | 6x 12oz cans //

RELEASE: January // THE ABV. 10.0% | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Beeswax, Pine, Peach Sorbet, Cream Cheese, Candy Apple, Golden Syrup, Strawberry Ice Cream, Pineapple // THE TASTE: Pink Grapefruit Juice, Cucumber, Starfruit, Hot Buttered Toast, Maraschino Cherry, Fresh Jalapeño, Black Licorice // THE BOTTOMLINE: Hoptea would also be an apt name for this ridiculously refined bottle conditioned IPA. Pouring a fresh bottle of Hopslam into a glass unleashes a literal mushroom cloud of distilled pine needle and citrus peel aromas the likes of which most noses have never experienced. Upon first sip the mouth is overtaken to the point of numbness by possibly the most domineering pure hop character this side of actually chewing a handful of freshly plucked hop flowers. It’s easy to see why this ale of utter excellence and limited availability, is considered a rite of passage for hopheads proclaiming their love of the hop juice. Rightly mythologized, revered and exulted, this to my palate comes but within a hair's-breadth of the truly blissful and equally heralded, Pliny The Elder by Russian River. // THE BACKBONE: Honey, Loads of Hops // PRICE POINT: $17 | 6x 12oz bottles //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 6.0% | IBU’s. 60 // THE NOSE: Cigar Smoke, Sweet Tarts, Asian Pear, Marshmallow Fluff, White Grape Juice // THE TASTE: Tobacco, Melted Butter, Gooseberry, Oak, Mint, Cilantro // THE BOTTOMLINE: This tart and woody session IPA from one of craft beers most beloved and idolized breweries, maintains a morish bitter hopped drinkability to the last drop without being the slightest bit boring. On the palate, white and green fruit flavors compliment hints of musty wood and fresh uncomplicated herbal notes. In the finish, an almost lagery texture, weight and feel alleviates the load on the taste buds and invites much further drinking. There is a lot to like about this IPA, if this were my breweries session India Pale I’d be quite the satisfied man. // THE BACKBONE: ? // PRICE POINT: $12 | 6x 12oz bottles //

RELEASE: Year Round // THE ABV. 6.3% | IBU’s. ? // THE NOSE: Salty Coastal Air, Unflavored Kombucha, Clean Linen Scent, Pencil Carbon, Honey, Satsuma // THE TASTE: Ovaltine, Coriander, Baking Soda, Rubber, Granny Smith Apple, Prune Juice // THE BOTTOMLINE: This not so straightforward, not so simple IPA, bathes the palate in unique malted dairy and concentrated juicy red fruit flavors before bitterness swells, overwhelms and powers the ale to a big rubbery finish. Surprisingly complex and leftfield, this is not going to be everybody’s idea of a quaffable, multi pint IPA, those with a nose and eye for more off center beers though will find lots to appreciate inside one of these little yellow cans. // THE BACKBONE: Two-Row Barley and Cara Malts, Whole Leaf Hops // PRICE POINT: $8.50 | 6x 12oz cans //