Backdoor Man Basil India Pale Ale
Parallel 49 Brewing Company

 

Poured from a 341ml bottle.

L: Dark yellow amber hue with minimal head leaving no lacing.

S: Basil and that's all I could smell is basil.

T: Basil and a slight pine taste with a sweet bitterness that gives it character.

F: Light but strong flavor.

O: A little to much basil for my palate but a very enjoyable beer and even though it has to much basil I still enjoy it.

 

Brewed in collaboration with Storm Brewing.

Appearance - Pours a bright amber with a finger of bubbly white head.

Smell - bready caramel malts, herbal notes, citrus and leafy hops, honey sweetness.

Taste - Starts off with the herbal notes (basil) and then goes into the citrus and leafy hops typical of a West Coast IPA . The hops are not as pronounced for the style. The honey sweetness comes through in the end.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes dry with a lingering sweetness from the honey and malts and the hops linger in there as well.

Overall - An interesting experiment to add basil to the IPA style. However, I find that this borders on the cusp of a APA and an American IPA. Otherwise, an intriguing take on the style.

 

I like it when a beer features a unique ingredient. I like it even better when that unique ingredient actually complements the beer. The Backdoor Man manages its basil extremely well - it is present, but this remains a beer at heart.

Tasting notes: Medium gold color, rather fizzy and body on the thin side. Herbal nose that recalls the signature ingredient, although I'm getting more green leaf and subtle licorice than a well-integrated basil note per se. Some classic west coast IPA character I suppose, citrus iced tea and a whiff of pine. Not grandiose in the hop department. Rather grassy and herbal versus fruity. Dry in character. Decent. More basil-like on nose than palate, which is perhaps to be expected.

 

In collaboration with Storm Brewing as part of the Brews Brothers collaboration mixed pack - This pours a nice clear copper colour with a finger thick firm white head. The nose is on the sweet caramel malt side, with some earthy hops along with just enough citrus hop to balance it out. There is a sweet basil edge to the nose. The flavour is much the same with the basil coming more to the front. It is still malt forward with just enough hop bitterness to balance it out. The carbonation gives a nice medium mouthfeel and crisp finish.

 

 

 

 

 

341ml bottle, part of the Brews Brothers collaboration mixed-pack, this one attributable to Storm Brewing. Howlin' Wolf gets his third nod in the naming of this one.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium golden amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly ecru head, which leaves some sloping headland lace around the glass as it slowly abates.

It smells of earthy, somewhat musty basil - more herb than licorice - grainy caramel malt, muddled citrusy hops (lemon and grapefruit, I think), and a further leafy, piney, and grassy bitterness. The taste is much more straight-up west coast IPA in bearing - grainy, bready caramel malt, still mixed and matched citrus rinds, and a subtle hard water flintiness - with the pleasantly herbal basil blending well with the grassy, leafy nature of the latent hops.

The bubbles are fairly understated, but supportive enough in their touch and go frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and more smooth than something with this particular spice in it should be. It finishes off-dry, the underlying caramel malt holding fast, while the guest herb/spice carries on with its new pals over in the hop department.

I gotta say, I was pretty trepidatious when approaching this brew - basil, say what? Turns out, s'alright, as it plays very nicely with the typical citrusy, leafy, and grassy hops endemic to the base style. At any rate, this would the beer that knocks wine off of its so far unassailed perch as my go-to red sauce pasta pairing.

Basil is one of my favourite herbs so naturally I liked the fresh herbaceous aromas in this brew. Solid effort, great summertime beer. Caprese salad anyone?

 

Brews Brothers collaboration between Parallel 49 and Storm Brewing

Clear copper. Basil on the nose. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the basil fits in with the hops, and why not? Fairly grassy, not much in the way of fruit flavours.