Cosmic Cowboy
Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Burlington

 

Sept 4 2023

473 mL can from the LCBO, one of three new brews in Nickel Brook's recent IPA mixed six pack. Dated Apr 25 2023 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a bright, clear golden-yellow hue, crowned with more than two fingers of billowing, foamy white head that lasts for over five minutes. A beautiful coat of spidery lace clings to the glass, with a lumpy cap and soapy collar holding fast - it's a visually attractive beer, that's for sure. It smells of gritty, grainy barley malts and whole wheat bread, with notes of grapefruit and earthy, floral hops also coming through; minor hints of mango and muddled stone fruit.

A unique IPA, in that's it's more malt-forward than most modern examples of this style. Whole grain bread, wheat and lightly caramelized sugars come through, alongside notes of grapefruit, mango and coconut. The bitterness ramps up on the back end, with earthy, pine resiny, floral hops easily overtaking the citrus/tropical flavours; the aftertaste is an amalgam of bready malts, resiny hops and muddled overripe stone fruit. Medium-full in body, with average carbonation that adds some bite to this brew's smooth, somewhat slick mouthfeel. Fair drinkability; a second serving is at least feasible, but one can is just about right.

Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. Nickel Brook's Cosmic Cowboy is a respectable effort, though I wouldn't say it compares favourably to some of their classic IPA recipes: I'm thinking of Headstock, Wicked Awesome, Tongue Tied, et al. The fortified malt presence is what distinguishes this from its competition - the hop flavours are palatable, but nothing this province's beer scene hasn't already witnessed many times over. Good stuff; if sold as a single I'd give it another shot.