Boom!
Renaissance Brewing

 

Clear amber, one inch head, frothy persistent and good lacing.

Piney, hoppy, floral aromatics of banana and citrus peel.

Surprisingly refreshing, lengthy and lingering bitterness on finish.

 

 

 

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before Jan 2019. I grabbed this one a few months back and then forgot about it in the back of the fridge. Served at cellar temperature.

Pours bright, clear and effervescent, with an amber-orange hue. Nearly two fingers of billowing, puffy, long-lasted head spawns atop the surface, dissipating at such a slow pace that the patience of some BAs may eventually be tested. A thick, lumpy cap lasts on beyond the ten minute mark, with a beautiful layer of smooth, uninterrupted lace having now been applied to the interior of the glass. Looks fantastic, with the excellent visuals making the aroma almost seem lame in comparison. Typical West Coast IPA stuff; there's some grainy sweetness and caramelized malts in there, but I'm mostly getting earthy pine and faintly fruity hints of orange and apricot.

Not bad at all, but pretty plain Jane for something named after an explosion. The nose wasn't too far off target, with caramelized malt sweetness and graininess playing more of a background/supporting role for the trio of hops. Grapefruit and orange come through at first, with suggestions of berries and stone fruit; these are followed up by more of an earthy, pine resin bitterness towards the back end. Finishes earthy and resiny, with a bit of spiciness and suggestions of alcohol in the aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderately low carbonation levels that soften rapidly, giving this brew a nice, smooth, satisfying feel on the tongue. Actually very drinkable by DIPA standards, though I could see some arguing that this is a borderline IPA/DIPA case with its relatively low abv.

Final Grade: 3.83, a respectable B+. Boom! went down just fine - it's well-constructed and soundly brewed, but still not quite as good as several of the domestic DIPA alternatives. Once you factor in the price tag, I can't see any compelling reason to pick Boom! specifically over any of those, as the local options tend to be at least a few bucks cheaper. I don't regret trying this one, but it's not something I plan to seek out again.

 

Hazy, apricot hued body, covered with a fluffy, off-white head with a few minutes retention.
Nose is mango and tropical fruit, sweet pineapple, nectarine, tangerine - loads of fruit. Wonderfully fresh and real, you can see the cut up bowl of fruit in front of you.
After the aroma - wuh wuh. What happened? The bold fruitiness is a whisper of the scent, instead a pithy bitterness dominates, particularly in the finish. Like you zested and pulped an orange just to eat the pith. A touch more watery in mouthfeel than expected, but still medium body and carbonation, dry finish.

Skip this one, it's just a tease. Lacks interesting flavour or depth.

Amber and hazy with moderate, medium sized bubbles for carbonation. Topped with a finger of whitish head.

Smells of creme brulee, tangerines, pine, grapes and berries. There's a hint of dankness and onion as well.

The taste follows the nose but is balanced with tons of fruity, floral notes all in symphony, backed by a solid, caramel maltiness. I get oranges and lemons, grapefruit and black pepper, peaches and caramel, grapes and blueberries, as well as pine needles and citrus pith.

Medium, slightly juicy body, with moderate, foamy carbonation. Covers the ABV well.

Got this at the LCBO near Sick Kids in Toronto, drinking in Muskoka, March 18th, 2018. Excellent brew.

Review from notes. 500 ml bottle purchased from the LCBO for about $7 CDN. Served cold into a pint glass.

Appearance- Hazy, ruddy bronze coloured beer with a finger and a half of fluffy white head. Pretty good retention and some lacing left behind.

Smell - Earthy citrus aroma, some grapefruit and lemon. Some leafy hops as well with decent grainy malt balancing. Caramel notes too.

Taste - Quite leafy and earthy initially with lots of grapefruit. Very bitter and not terribly balanced. Near palate wrecking but there's something here that I enjoy.

Mouthfeel - Soft and smooth, easy drinking for the ABv and carbonation is a little lower. Booze well hidden and drinks like a cross between an old school west coast IPA/DIPA and barleywine.

Overall - Pretty good beer from these guys and quite impressed with hoe the level of bitterness held up.

 

 

Let's start with the positive. The label is really nice.
And that is about it.
This beer is so non descript, that you will have no difficulties forgetting it.
While it is touted as a double IPA, there is no resemblance to one. Weak pine taste (although it's there in full in the nose) and an almost total lack of citrus, this is mostly about malt of an uncomfortable variety, hinting garbage lager territory. Thankfully it never quite gets there. Still, this is not worth the effort.

 

Bottled
Marmalade orange body with spotty white head

Champagne & grapefruit aroma with real sparkling notes
Like a big citrus syrup the flavour is
Tip top stuff