Collective Project: Imperial IPA
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

A solid amber body like apricot flesh; off white head, dense, about 1 minute retention; looks like fresh squeezed juice.
Aroma of pineapple, mango, passionfruit - it's tropical and fresh, real fruit, brings to mind gelato; a touch of pine.
One sip and it's a splash of the tropics, again with pineapple and mango, but now the spruce hops are more aggressive. Yet fear not, it is perfectly balanced, not overly intense, it draws you in. Medium body and perfect carbonation. Pleasant burn in the finish, very dry.
I'm rarely a big fan if Imperial IPAs, but this is fantastic, with pure, complex, fresh flavour, and everything in balance.

Can: Poured a cloudy amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of fresh floral citrusy notes with light tropical notes and some residual sugar note are also noticeable. Taste is also a mix of light tropical notes with fresh juicy citrusy notes and some residual sugar notes. Body is full with good carbonation. Very enjoyable thought maybe a tad too sweet.

 

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Nov 21 2016 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy, translucent orange-amber colour, capped off with one centimeter of loose, soapy head that vanishes within 60 seconds. A foamy collar of modest proportions manages to survive, along with some scant lacing; nothing too noteworthy from a visual standpoint. The aroma is fruity and enticing, featuring notes of peach, mango and pineapple, as well as citrusy orange and grapefruit. Hints of pine resin, lychee, and light caramelized malt sweetness provide some added punch - smells like I'm in for a treat.

A very well-made DIPA; those fruity facets from the nose come through with ferocity. There's peach and apricot, orange and grapefruit, along with tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, and perhaps even some passion fruit, underlain by muted notes of bready malts and caramelized sugar sweetness. The 100 IBUs start to make their presence obvious on the back end, where flavours of pine resin and an earthy, somewhat floral bitterness come to dominate the profile. Finishes with a mixture of stone fruit, berries and resiny hops, with a bitter aftertaste that lasts. Medium-full bodied, with moderate carbonation levels that dutifully prickle the palate with each sip, providing a baseline crispness that barely stands up to the smooth, slippery, oily, tongue-coating texture. It's delicious, which helps with the drinkability, but the ethanol warming is noticeable enough to prevent this one from sneaking up on you.

Final Grade: 4.28, a solid A-. I'm a little surprised that it has taken so long for Collective Arts (with their strong lean towards producing quality, assertively well-hopped ales) to come out with a DIPA - but rest assured that their Imperial IPA is every bit as good as their mainline offerings like Ransack the Universe, or Rhyme & Reason. The price tag hurts a bit, but if this were an 8-9 dollar bomber I suspect that people wouldn't even bat an eye, given that this is such a well-made brew. I understand that this is technically a "one-off" release, but they'd have to be crazy not to bring this fantastic beer back in the future. Absolutely worth a try; I recommend that you grab a can while they're still relatively fresh.

Appearance - Pours a honey amber with three fingers of foamy off white head.

Smell - citrus and piney hops, pine resin, tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), grapefruit peel, bready malts, and caramel.

Taste - Starts right away with the bitter citrus and piney hops. The pine resin, tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), and grapefruit peel come through next followed by the bready malts and caramel.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes sticky with a lingering bitterness from the hops and sweetness from the malts.

Overall - Another outstanding IPA from Collective Arts. This one has all the elements of a tremendous Imperial IPA with the hop and malt characteristics on par while delivering a nice tropical fruit bouquet. A must try if you stumble across a can of this.

 

Nice hazy light amber pour with good lace and retention. Carbonation and bitterness are both appropriate for the style. Syrupy fruit and typical citrus and other fruit flavours with a nicer aroma. The syrupy juice note is a bit harsh for me, but overall this is a very easy drinking DIPA that can be dangerously drinkable. Good stuff as expected from the CA boys.

I am, staggered, by this beer. This may be the best Imperial IPA I have ever had out of Canada. It is remarkably hoppy and satisfying, while still remaining refreshing and drinkable. This beer will hold up to be a benchmark of Canadian IPA's for me throughout the foreseeable future.

Look:
Thick, Opaque, hazy, rust-like color. Moderate head with average lacing that turns to a small ring with some lacing floating on top.

Smell:
B R U H
A deeply pungent, tropical nose, full of ripe mangos, guava, lychee, hibiscus, elderflower, blood orange, grapefruit, and subtle notes of dank pine and pineapple

Taste/feel:

Refreshing waves of mango, blood orange, and pineapple eventually give way to a lovely sweet finish of lychee, green apple, and guava, accompanied by a light malt sweetness not unlike a weak caramel.

This incredibly tropical bouquet is all the while maintained by a satisfying, yet still very likable and refreshing mouthfeel. Every sip makes you want to take another. I have never, in my long time of drinking IPA's, encountered an imperial so drinkable yet so flavourful. The ABV of the beer, while admittedly low for an imperial, is barely noticeable, and manifests itself as a very pleasant, EXTREMELY long lasting end note, full of pine and lemon.

I hope that Collective Arts Continues this beer, as it was just a limited release. If you see this beer in stores, buy a couple, and drink them fresh.

A true 9/10, exceptional.

 

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned 21st November 2016.

Deep amber orange body color, and quite clear with a little bit of fine carbonation. Head is fluffy topped, with creamy retention. Stands tall at an easy three fingers with clumping, and clingy thick lace. Everything you want in a look of a DIPA.

Juiced up nose at first. Hits with a nice controlled dank character. Perfect mix of caramel sweetness to counter, then a good bit of light tropical notes. Definitely nice on the amber malt presence but also excellently hop complimentary.

Palate goes for a bit of simpler flavor. Light bodied caramel with much nice amounts of subdued hinting earth and dank hops. Caramel sweet with a fine finish, a good coating but not overly syrupy either.

Comes off at first impressive, but sticks to the basics. A solid Imperial.

 

 

 

 

 

Can from the lcbo for $6. A delicious beer, but the price seems a little steep.