Deceptive Creature
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

A-Pale light yellow with a bright white thick head
S-Aroma has a funk, with elements of tropical fruits and raisin
M-Watery body with medium carbonation and a juicy yet dry mouthfeel
T-Sweet citrus upfront with grapefruit pith bitterness. There is a sour element that tweaks the palate
O-Deceptive indeed, as this beer borders a sour in a few ways…

Look: Pours a bright hazy pale yellow, with a 1 1/2 finger fluffy white head. The head recedes slowly leaving plenty of lace.

Smell: Heavy pineapple up front. Tangerines, and lemon, with a distinct earthy back end.

Taste: Lemons, oranges and grapefruit up front. Far less sweet than I expected given the heavy pineapple smell. A discernable mango taste on the back end.

Feel: Mid bodied, and very soft, almost pillowy. Hits the sweet spot with a slight but noticeable carbonation and a touch of bitterness.

This is a great looking, great smelling and outstanding mouthfeel beer. The taste is sadly the weak spot, which pulls this beers grade down to a solid B. 

 

 

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Aug 15 2024 and served barely chilled.

Pours a foggy straw yellow colour, graced with nearly two fingers of soapy, foamy white head that drops back at a casual pace. A little less than five minutes later, a delicate ring of lace clings to the glass, with a frothy collar and cap lingering on the surface. Very fruity on the nose - I'm talking crushed pineapple, juicy peach, grapefruit pulp and melon, with hints of grape and passion fruit. Outstanding aroma.

It's tasty, but the aroma inflated my expectations ever so slightly. Pineapple, peach, apricot and grapefruit are discernible, with hints of passion fruit, bready malts, orange and cantaloupe. Stays fruity through the conclusion, with stone fruit and tropical fruit persisting into the aftertaste; low bitterness and moderate acidity. On the fuller side of medium-bodied, with low carbonation that gently brushes across the surface of the palate. Surprisingly crushable for 6.8%.

Final Grade: 4.22, an A-. Once again, Collective Arts knocks it out of the park with yet another excellent IPA. Deceptive Creature is hardly their best work, but the pineapple and stone fruit-heavy aromas and flavours of the Nectaron hops are more than enough to sell me on this one. I'm not sure I'd take this over a Ransack or a Life in the Clouds, but it's certainly the in the same neighbourhood in terms of quality - a very solid Ontario IPA that is well worth seeking out and trying for yourself.

 

IPA No. 28 - if one were to reignite the IPA series. 473 ml can served cold into a tulip. Canned August 15, 2024. LCBO purchase for $4.85 CDN.

Appearance - Very hazy yellowy brew with a finger plus of long lived white head. Great staying power and some nice tendrils of lacing linger.

Smell - peach and apricot with a dose of grapefruit. Pineapple muddled in too. Pretty robust and a wheaty background with a slight bit of vegetative funk.

Taste - Fairly sweet with the peach and apricot pulling through, some candied pineapple and mango. Low bitterness. Quite juicy and strong wheat backbone. The stone fruit and candied pineapple are really stars here.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, juicy and crushable with lower than average carbonation.

Overall - A very crushable albeit sweet NEIPA that hits on all notes and stacks up well against some of the best of the IPA series. One of the very best brews Collective Arts has put out in years (this doesn't include Ransack and Life in the Clouds, the OG's), and maybe their best in my opinion outside of some of the Origin of Darkness variants. Well worth a try.

Pours cloudy gold with a fluffy, long lasting head. Apricot, peach, pineapple, white pepper in the nose. The taste is an interesting blend of tropical hops with some herbal edges. The mouthfeel is full bodied with high carbonation. Moderate bitterness and lingering apricot in the finish.

An interesting IPA from a master producer. Worth a try.