Cold Pop
Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Burlington

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, from Nickel Brook's Chill Pack, from my favourite LCBO at The Roundhouse Centre in nearby Windsor. My fifth beer from the Burlington brewery.

473 mL can from the LCBO, included in Nickel Brook's Chill mixed pack; dated Mar 20 2024 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a foggy pale yellow colour, fitted with a glorious two inch crown of lumpy, soapy white head that lasts for more than five minutes. It deposits a messy coat of delicate lace as it's reduced to a sudsy collar and cap - looks great so far. Its aroma consists of peach, pineapple and mango, with hints of citrus and passion fruit.

It tastes alright, with the flavours more or less mimicking the nose: I'm getting peach and mango for sure, paired with lesser notes of passion fruit, grainy malts, orange peel and melon. There is a faint hint of resiny bitterness on the back end, but it immediately gives way to residual stone & tropical fruitiness, which dissipate into a relatively dry aftertaste. Medium in body, with average carbonation that supplies some crispness to this brew's smooth, slightly soft mouthfeel. Surprisingly crushable at 6.5%, which I am attributing mainly to that lager-esque finish.

Final Grade: 3.86, a B+. Nickel Brook's Cold Pop isn't exactly a show stopper, but as far as cold IPAs are concerned, I do think this is one of the better renditions I've come across. The hop profile is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's that crisp, dry, lager-like finish that has me impressed - it really does increase the drinkability of this pale ale, to the extent that I think I could drink this all night and be mostly happy with it. Now, as an IPA *in general*, it's actually verging on mundane, and I don't see any reason to select this over, say, their Headstock IPA if you're actually looking for a full-flavoured, hoppy pale ale.