The Mullet
Beyond the Pale Brewing Company

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From their Hoptastic Voyage boxset at my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. Canned April 11/25. My 7th beer from the Ottawa, Ontario brewery, and 1st for 2026. With Sundae the cat's complete approval...

Aug 7 2025

 

473 mL can from the LCBO, included in Beyond the Pale's Hoptastic Voyage mixed pack; dated Apr 11 2025 and served barely chilled. Listed at 6.5%.

Pours a cloudy goldenrod colour, generating more than two fingers of lumpy, soapy white head that dissipates at a casual pace. Ten minutes later, I'm left with a frothy collar and a thin cap, with a gorgeous Roman aqueduct pattern of lace imprinted onto the glass. No complaints visually. Grassy, herbal, spicy hops on the nose, with hints of lemon, apricot, melon, thyme and wheaty, grainy malts. Intriguing, inviting aroma.

It's a solid lighter Belgian IPA - and yes, it is my belief that 6.5% is conservative for this style. I'm getting orchard fruits - apple, apricot, maybe some underripe pear - as well as a citric lemony note. Flavours of wheaty malts, grassy hay and spicy, floral hop bitterness are also apparent, the lattermost asserting themselves prior to a spicy, slightly peppery conclusion with a light medicinal/phenolic note that lingers briefly into a drying aftertaste. Medium in body, with active carbonation and a pillowy, frothy mouthfeel that works well here. I found this extremely quaffable, and wouldn't have minded a second serving.

Final Grade: 4.06, an A-. Belgian IPAs are a favourite style of mine, which is why I'm always thrilled to stumble across a new one. I don't think I'd call The Mullet a world-class BIPA, but it's still a very good brew that I thoroughly enjoyed. Its restrained abv is probably holding it back a little: the hop profile and yeasty goodness speak for themselves, but it's lacking that oomph that comes with the best examples of this style. Possibly the highlight of this mixed pack, though I still have a couple more to try - great work bringing this back, BTP!

 

 

 

Growler: Poured a bright golden color ale with a medium size foamy head with OK retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrusy hoppy notes is more dominant then expected with some fruity ester also noticeable. Taste is a mix of citrusy hoppy notes with some fruity ester and residual sugar notes is pretty pleasant. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Nice beer though maybe lacking some attenuation.

 

Of the beers we tried at the brewery, this was the standout. I expected something mild and likely uninteresting, but was pleasantly surprised by a combination of peppery hops and tropical fruit in the yeast that reminded me of some of the better new saisons coming out of parts of the U.S. these days. Really quite nice.