Winter Wizard
Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Burlington

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. Canned November 15/24. My 11th beer from the Burlington, Ontario brewery. Resoundingly adored by Gracie the cat...

Look: Pours a hazy bright pale yellow with a fluffy bright white head. After 5 minutes the head has pulled back leaving a 1/4 finger cover and strong lacing.

Smell: Strongly of pineapple, stone fruit, peaches and tangerines.

Taste: Starts sweetly of tropical citrus fruits and mango. Pineapple comes to the front mid sip with touches of bubblegum and tangerine mid sip into the finish.

Feel: Medium bodied and soft.

Glorious and bright. A sweet juicy treat, that grabbed me by the lapels with the first sniff and didn't let go over the whole pint. This new offering is one of the best IPA's on offer in Ontario. Top 10 in a very strong market. I give this a solid A.

 

 

 

Tallboy from the LCBO; dated Jan 11 2023 and served slightly chilled.

Pours hazy and turbid, its body golden-apricot in colour and capped with nearly two fingers of soapy, frothy white head. It dissipates within five minutes or so, coating the glass with a layer of sticky, webby lace as it's reduced to a thin collar and a few filmy wisps on the surface. Cedar, pine resin, mandarin orange and grapefruit juice on the nose, with lesser hints of papaya, nectarine, mango and floral hops. Unique aroma that stands out amongst the avalanche of other local/Ontario hazy IPAs.

A tasty IPA: I'm getting nectarine, mango and orange at first, with grapefruit and bubblegum coming through by mid-sip. More mango and grapefruit on the back end, with hints of papaya, coconut, floral/resinous hops and cedar tying up the finish; tropical fruit and resinous hops persist into the aftertaste. Medium in body, with fairly gentle carbonation that softly tickles the tongue with each sip, contributing to its smooth, satisfying mouthfeel. I really enjoyed this one, it's a well-suited tipple for a cool, early spring night.

Final Grade: 4.15, an A-. In terms of quality, Winter Wizard is about on par with Nickel Brook's other mainline IPAs, e.g. Headstock and Wicked Awesome - however, it's also quite distinct from either of them. A solid seasonal IPA that I'd encourage other BAs to try - it's drinking nicely at three months of age, so I wouldn't hesitate to give it a shot right now. Still, I'm keen to try this as fresh as possible, and will be keeping an eye out for fresh stock next winter.

 

March 1 2023

Pours pale blond with a smallish head that musters up loads of lace. The aroma is dominated by lemon and grapefruit hops with guava and berries in the background. Lemon rind, grapefruit, lime, mango in the taste. Sturdy bready malt ballast in the back. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with high carbonation. High bitterness and lots of lemon in the ever lasting finish.

Aggressively hopped with a focus on citrus. An excellent IPA.

I bought a can at the LCBO in Ontario 473ml at 6.2%.
Poured into glass with a 2 finger head hazy yellow color smooth and lot of tropical fruit flavours with a medium bitterness level
Overall a very enjoyable magical India pale ale.
Cheers

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Canned January 11, 2023 and LCBO purchase.

Appearance - Very hazy yellowy gold brew with a finger plus of white head. Good frothiness and pretty solid head retention. A small swath of lacing left behind.

Smell - Mango and tangerine with hints of peach. Pretty tropical on the whole.

Taste - Lots of tropical fruit, Some Mango, tangerine and maybe a trace of coconut. There's also a healthy stone fruit flavor.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with just the slightest tingly sensation on the tongue. Semi-dry to close.

Overall - Definitely another solid addition to the Nickel Brook lineup, nice contrast in IPA's with the existing NEIPA Wicked Awesome and their flagship IPA Headstock.