Kneecapper IRA
Hart & Thistle

500ml swing top poured into tulip oct15 2010

A a deep ruby red nearly brown with enough haze so I have trouble seeing bubbles, however they must be numerous because there's a dense two finger tan head that just sits there slowly falling to a soapy film leaving lots of lace in unorganized patches

S big on the citrus and a little earthy hops, pine is there and I get a little toffee and just a hint of booze and pineapple

T what I smell but with much more pine with some orange rind and enough malt too keep the hops from completely dominating this brew, don't get me wrong the hops are still firmly in charge but not completely overwhelming

M fairly full bodied and now I have more evidence of carbonation but not a whole lot but enough too please. Bitter without doubt and I think I could use my tongue as sandpaper to scrape the remaining enamel off my teeth

D a beer as well rounded as this is hard to find, I could drink myself stupid with this one with no issues but I only have the one bottle so maybe next time

Thanks NASH for hooking me up with a brew I doubt I'd get the chance to try otherwise. I would have loved to try this on tap from a fresh keg but I'm pretty pleased with whats in my glass today

500ml swing-top shared by Bobsy. Thanks! Badass name that fits for what IRA initially conjures in my mind...

Pours a deep dark brown with just some glints of amber, this is a hefty looking brew with a finger of head which leaves sticky lacing.

The hops are immediately evident but you don't really expect anything less from Canada's 'King of Hops'. Loads of pine and grapefruit, a touch of lemon and a hint of orange rind which just a smidgen of something tropical.

The beauty of this beer is that, despite the overload of hops, the malt base is quite complex and has enough heft to hold it's weight - all while being at 6.5%. Nice caramel sweetness, earth, Munich gives a hint of minerals, a touch of dry cocoa, and a hint of roast. The hops show off a resiny pine, grapefruit and orange rind, leaving a long bitter finish.

Nash fills a need in Canadian brewing with fearless use of hops. Hell, he outhops his southern counterparts on occasions I imagine. It's really a shame that beers such as this one never leave the brewhouse way out in blustery Halifax.

Awesome red appearance with a large creamy off-white head that laced as if you had a gun pointed at it. Huge tropical and citrus aromas display Greg's trademark generous hand with the hops. Big, big citrus character. Some caramel in the background and a touch of mineral. Neat.

Flavour comes through big and bitter, with a smash of grapefruit, orange peel, pine, earth and a big hit of malty goodness. HUgely bitter but surprisingly bitter. Nice meaty, medium body offsets things perfectly.

The guy swears like a trooper, but he brews some of the best beer in Canada. Awesome stuff that deserves a wider audience.

A: Dark red body with two fingers of white fluffy head. Retention is good and leaves very nice lacing.

S: Very sweet aroma consisting of sweet and roasted malts, earthy notes and loads of pine.

T: Quite amazing here. Extremely bitter and hoppy. The dry hops really come through and make a pleasing brew. Loads of sweet malts and earth and pine come through also.

M: Medium bodied and medium-high carbonation. Thicker than a typical red ale or IPA, but on par with a 'double'. The aftertaste is sweet and bitter with no alcohol notes.

D: Another great brew by NASH. Parting some from the citrus notes of IPA's and moving to the sweeter malts. I enjoyed this many times over as I love dry hops!