Iceberg Strong Pale Ale
Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse

A pint, on tap, at Spinnakers.

Arrived with a finger of nice head on top of a dark yellow, bubbly brew.

Smell is dominated by Northwest hops, citrusy hoppy goodness. Slight hint of a malt backbone.

Taste is hops. The waitress told me this was the hopped up IPA, replacing their Blue Bridge DIPA (though I still see that in bottles). Gorgeous, crisp hops with a slight malty, sweet backing. Only complaint is the hint of a watery body, but this is all drinkability for a hops lover.

As easy 6% makes this big hops drink a winner in my books!

Edit: Though certainly NOT a strong ale. It's a hopped up pale ale.

My first spinnakers offering:

A: pours a clear, orangey-yellow with a minimal bubbly head and leaves some decent lacing.

S: good amount of northwest hops, a bit of spice and some brown sugar, honey malty sweetness.

T: wow, very smooth malts with a great hoppy punch. Bitter hops and a nice honey, nutty sweetness that linger on forever.

M: medium bodied, slightly creamy, good amount of carbonation and a smooth, creamy finish.

D: this is a fantastic pale ale! fantastic hoppy flavour with a nice sweetness that doesn't overpower the beer. Incredibly easy to drink and very refreshing. I will most definitely be buying this beer again. I look forward to trying more beers from Spinnakers too!

Served a light bodied deep golden hue. Sticky lacing, but not any real head retention. Gorgeous citrus hop aroma of tangerine and mandarin peel, passionfruit and white grapefruit. The flavour is a pleasant blend of orange and citrus from the hops, the biscuit malt takes a serious backseat to the hops on this ride. A fantastic session ale (even with the higher octane), it's quenching, refreshing and invigorating, especially within the brewpub environment itself.

Wow, this could be the greatest pale ale in BC. Big in crisp hoppy flavour with roundness and perfect balance. It makes Doc Hadfields pale ale seem weak and inferior. This beer needs to be a regular item for Spinnakers as it screams go to beer ( taking place of the great ESB).

An excellent beer. Like stephenlouis, I'm surprised by this. I've never let down by Spinnakers, but this takes it to a whole new level.

Perfect amber colour with a thin, weak head. Malt scent has a sweet, toffee like note to it and then is a bitter, metallic tang from the hops. Slight fruit notes to it.

Tangy, somewhat bitter taste with a smooth malt finish to it. Hints of caramel and toffee. Very well balanced. My only complaint is that the aftertaste is a little bitter.

Great drinking. Slightly sharp on the tongue, but not overcarbonated. Easy to drink, even at a slightly higher ABV.