Surround Sound (Chinook & Citra)
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

-cloudy yellow -orange can pour with a fluffy foam cap and a lemony-resin aroma. The flavor is citrus-rich with orange rind and mango up front. There is a bit of alcohol heat/sweetness. The hop bitterness is moderate. This is a lighter bodied, flavorful IPA.

Pours murky dark straw with a frothy, compact head. Grapefruit, mango, pineapple and pine tar hops burst forth in the aroma. A giant wall of juicy, tropical, grapefruit, piney hops dominates the taste. A meek, clean malt profile lays well in the back. Alcohol is very well hidden for the ABV. The mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy with carbonation. High bitterness and loads of melon, tropical fruit, citrus in the everlasting finish.

This is yet another stellar IPA from this brewery. Super juicy and complex and very aggressive in the hopping. A must try.

A-Hazy yellow with a line of white head that floats around the glass circumference
S-Citrus and tropical fruit aromas with fragrant melon in the background
M-Medium to full body due to the higher end alcohol level. Low end carbonation which helps to accentuate the hop flavours
T-Really nice malt sweetness on the front, with a ripe Grapefruit bitterness that elevated the beer and gives a nice juicy character
O-Fantastic brew that hits many elements of a well crafted DIPA, as stated on the can and NEIPA, as stated in the description.

5 oz pour on tap. Pours a murky yellow-orange with not much of a head. Aroma and taste are sweet tropical fruit - pineapple mostly. Not a whole lot else going on and it's much too sweet for my taste. Mouthfeel is resinous and sticky. Disappointing.

 

473 ml can served cool-cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $4.75 CDN. Review partially from notes.

Appearance - Hazy turbid pale golden color with lots of yellow. Topped by a finger and a half of loose white foam that leaves a soapy collar as it recedes.

Smell - Big tropical splash with grapefruit and orange which then transitions to some pine resin at the close. Interesting take and definitely appetizing.

Taste - Big and juicy, grapefruit orange and passion fruit lead the way. Transitions nicely to pine resin. Big bold flavors.

Mouthfeel - Medium heavy bodied, prickly carbonation just right for the style and flavor profiles.

Overall - Surprise surprise, Collective Arts makes another very good IPA. I actually had a pair of these over a couple of days, they were mostly similar except that one was nearly six months old and the other was about a month. The elderly one held up quite nicely all things considered, the fruity explosion was subdued but still there and the transition to pine resin was quite crisp. Definitely top tier stuff.

 

 

Can: Poured a slightly hazy bright yellow color ale with a medium size white head with light retention and some lacing. Aroma of bright hoppy citrusy floral undertones with light juicy notes is quite enticing. Taste is also a mix of floral hoppy citrusy undertones with light juicy notes and faint residual sugar notes. Body is pretty full with good carbonation. Not as sweet as most NEIPA but very enjoyable nonetheless with nice floral notes.

 

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jul 2 2019 and served barely chilled. Loved the other Surround Sounds, though this one's Canadian debut seems curiously late.

Pours hazy golden yellow, topped with one finger of sparkling white head that lingers for less than two minutes' time. It leaves behind a messy smattering of lace as it seeps off, eventually reduced to a soapy collar of bubbles encircling a thin, filmy layer upon the surface. Fruity aroma, but not intensely so - I'm getting orange, grapefruit, lime and gooseberry, along with some pine resiny notes.

A fantastic DIPA; one which skilfully hides its 8.2% behind a deceiving veil of juicy, fruity deliciousness. Mandarin orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, lemon and lime all come to mind, with more of a piney, resiny, spicy bitterness combining with citrusy/pithy elements towards the finish, both of which carry on into the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with relatively moderate carbonation levels that gently agitate the palate; feels soft and smooth, with decent drinkability for a beer of its strength. It's hard to compare these SS beers, since they aren't available fresh simultaneously, but this version's vying for the top spot IMO.

Final Grade: 4.22, an A-. Surround Sound #4 is just as good as the other variants that I've tried, and quite possibly the juiciest one yet. That's not to say that it doesn't have a resiny, bitter side to it as well, but both facets are well balanced against one another, which makes this one of the best Canadian DIPAs I've tried in recent memory. Hope to see some fresh cans available in the near future - this one was a bit older than I'd prefer from an IPA, but I will say it has held up very well indeed for the time being. Try this one ASAP.