Fluffity Fluff Fluff!
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

Well this is definitely different as compared to most DIPA's it does have a very strong fruit candy like hop bitterness like a cotton or hard candy. Drinks pretty well for a 8% but I couldn't see reaching for another. A fun novelty

473 mL can
Served in an imperial nonic pint glass

This beer pours amber with copper highlights. It is a little hazy. It is topped with a couple inches of tan head that leaves nice lacing.

It smells sweet. The strawberry stands out. I get some underlying citrus from the hops.

Strawberry and citrus flavor. The flavors mesh really well. Light bitterness in the finish.

Medium bodied with an effervescent mouthfeel

Not bad. I like the strawberry aspect with the delicious selection of hops.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Oct 13 2022 and served barely chilled.

Pours a foggy golden orange colour, producing two fingers of puffy, foamy white head that lasts for a little over five minutes. It leaves behind a couple rings of delicate lace as it's reduced to a lumpy cap and generous collar of soapy suds - looks good so far. It smells of strawberry candy and grape sugar, with hints of citrus, watermelon, raspberries and pineapple - undeniably unique, but it doesn't immediately scream 'DIPA' to me.

Really, the same can be said of it's flavour profile, which is palatable at first, but less charming as the session goes on. Strawberries first and foremost, with pineapple, nectarine and gritty, grainy wheat also coming through. The cotton candy sweetness is initially low-key, but builds momentum throughout the sip; hints of bergamot tea and piney, herbal hop bitterness briefly interrupt near the finish, but it's back to strawberry candy, pineapple and currants fading into a sweet, slightly boozy aftertaste. On the fuller side of medium-bodied, with assertive carbonation that lasts right to the last gulp.

Final Grade: 3.85, a B+. I can't call Fluffity Fluff Fluff! a complete success, but if you're taking this as the novelty and/or gimmick beer that it is, I think it accomplished what it was going for. The cotton candy and strawberry result in a much sweeter than average DIPA, but it doesn't quite reach the level of being cloying or unappealing, at least not for me... the real problem is that they overshadow the hop profile, which brings me back to the 'gimmick' angle. Like all of the Monkeys' IPAs, this is worth a try for the experience alone.

 

This was interesting and fun. I was honestly hoping it would have more cotton candy vibes but the overall wall balanced approach is probably better suited. You do still recognize the ipa base beer as well. Solid.

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $4+ CDN. Canned September 27, 2022. Awesome pink can. A cotton candy beer.

Appearance - A clear IPA! Good clarity lots of bubbles and a peach /amber coloring mix. A finger of loose white head is poured with a touch of sticky lacing.

Smell - Light citrus notes, pineapple seems most prominent with some orchard fruit, green apple skins and a hint of pear in behind. Vague sugary sweetness overlaying all that.

Taste - Some pineapple, than rush of sugary sweetness, followed by some bitter earthy traits and then alternating between sweetness and bitterness. There's kind of a creamsicle vibe going on in the background - something this brewery has been successful with and have worked with before (live Transmission, Space Age Sunshine among others)

Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied, a touch boozy and moderate carbonation. Semidry finish.

Overall - Decent DIPA, but the cotton candy seems counterintuittive to an IPA and it's hard to make it work, I did enjoy some sweetness and the elements of cotton candy were interesting, but hard to make a cohesive brew. Worth a try from one of the best IPA brewers in Ontario.