Exhibition IPA
Royal City Brewing Co.

A-Golden yellow with a chill haze and a ring of white head around
S-Unfortunately this beer is skunked. If I try very hard there are layers of citrus and malt.
M-Light body with medium to high end carbination.
T-Very subtle sweetness upfront with an aggressive bitterness that comes through on the finish
O-Some unfinished elements here that can work if worked out. Not all bad for a session.

 

 

 

Cask conditioned at C’est What Pours clear straw with a creamy persistant white head with good lacing. Aroma: floral citrusy hops. Flavour: grainy, caramelly, malts - citrus lemony. Creamy mouthdeel

 

 

 

March 5 2025

 

From notes

Appearance: It has a nice hazy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice white head that dies down moderately fast and leaves light lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of floral hops, light citrus and lemon and some sweet bready malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some floral notes, light citrus/lemon, sweet grainy malts and some graininess.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied by decent flavors and aromas. I think this beer could definitely use some more dry hopping. I wasn't expecting it to be extremely hoppy considering it's a Session Ale but it seemed like the hops were not shinning through quite enough.

Serving type: growler

500 mL bottle from the brewery, served slightly chilled. Breweries across Ontario seem quite eager to jump onto the session IPA bandwagon these days, but given the recent success of brands like Detour I can't say I'm too surprised.

Pours a hazy golden-amber colour, producing more than a finger's width of spongy, fluffy, sparkling white-coloured head. Impressive retention - the froth slowly recedes over a period exceeding ten minutes, coating the glass with a layer of lace as it does so. A generously frothy cap and collar survive afterwards - this is a fine-lookin' pale ale. The aroma includes some floral notes, with light hints of citrusy lemon, lime and grapefruit. I'm also picking up a touch of honeydew melon and some berry-like sweetness.

Very nice stuff; the backbone consists of grainy pale malt with some light honey and caramelized sugar sweetness, with the blend of (late-added) Amarillo and Citra hops dictating the citrus-focused latter half of the profile. Grapefruit pith and lime flavours come through, with notes of melon and strawberry playing a contributing role. It finishes with a lightly pithy, floral bitterness that briefly clings to the palate, drying it out. Fairly light-bodied, but not thin - rather, it is actually quite smooth and almost creamy, with moderate carbonation levels that provide a decently crisp bite. Very drinkable, but not the most refreshing session IPA I've had in recent memory, as the 25 IBUs seem to be punching above their weight.

Final Grade: 3.76, edging into B+ territory. Royal City's Exhibition IPA is a well-made, perfectly acceptable session ale that I'd be buying repeatedly over the coming months, at least if I lived a bit closer to Guelph. I don't expect a beer like this to turn too many heads, but it's still an approachable, easy-drinking, well-hopped type of ale that I would feel comfortable returning to again, or recommending to others. I prefer their dry-hopped pale ale, but this is a fair substitute.