Sunsplit IPA
Dominion City Brewing Co.

 

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. My seventh beer from the Ottawa, Ontario brewery, and fourth for 2025...

 

 

 

 

Pours a hazy, golden color. Fluffy white head formation with mild retention and lacing. Citrusy, pineappleon the nose. Peach, apricot, mango taste. Creamy mouthfeel. Overall a great IPA!

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated May 10 2022 and served slightly chilled. The label urges you to drink it fresh, but I don't think six-plus months old qualifies.

Pours a hazy, translucent golden-yellow hue, kicking up more than an inch of foamy white head that lingers for several minutes. It coats the glass with a thick layer of lace as it recedes down to a creamy collar and patchy, soapy cap - it's an attractive beer, there's no denying that. Grapefruit/orange citrus and floral hops on the nose, with suggestions of indeterminate tropical fruits; maybe a hint of alcohol.

Tasty stuff, much juicier than the aroma let on - mango & grapefruit are what really stand out for me, but I'm also getting hints of honeydew and orange. Semi-syrupy sweet, with more mango and hints of lychee at the finish, along with a little bit of pithy, floral bitterness that doesn't last; the aftertaste begins juicy, but trends dry. Medium-full in body, with fairly soft carbonation that contributes to a very smooth & highly juice-like mouthfeel. At 6.5%, this is more drinkable than it really ought to be, not that I'm complaining here.

[Updated Oct 11 2023]

Another tallboy from the LCBO; dated Sept 5 2023 - barely a month old, so this can is much fresher than the one I originally reviewed. Most of what I said still applies, but the aroma does seem a little more fragrant. More of a NEIPA if you ask me, but that's neither here nor there - whatever brush you paint it with, it's an upper tier Ontario IPA, no doubt. Now that it's available locally, this will definitely enter my pale ale rotation.

Final Grade: 4.14, an A-

A- Pillowy white foam enjoying a swim atop a hazy yellow brew
S-Subtle aromas if tropical fruit and mild sweet citrus
T-Sweet citrus upfront with a very mellow grapefruit pith bitterness to balance
M-Juicy and velvety mouthfeel with a medium to full body and low end carbonation
O-Solid NE style IPA.

 

473 ml can served into a pint glass at the Bread Bar in Hamilton. Listed as 6.5% ABV. Review from notes.

Appearance - Dark yellowy gold, super hazy and topped with 2 fingers of loose white head, that fizzles away semi-quick.

Smell - Layered tropical aromas, orange, mango and grapefruit with a nice floral addition at the end.

Taste - More of the same, big and bold tropical flavors, orange, grapefruit and mango, pretty much in that order. There's promise to be big and bitter, but there's a sweetness that keeps everything in check. Nice solid wheat-inspired malt backbone.

Mouthfeel - Super smooth, super-duper juicy, with flavor bursting at the scenes and making this too easy to crush if you're not careful. Booze well hidden.

Overall - Delicious IPA, that is more juicy than most. Definitely worth a try if you can get your hands on it, could be a little harder at this end of Ontario. Revised July 4, 2025. This brew has recently been released more than sporadically and it truly holds up as one of the very best IPA's in Ontario.

May 2 2025

 

 

The pour is copper and the nose here is of strong honey. Very summery. It leaves an ever so slight head after it settles.
The taste is very dry, but even more disappointingly malty, like a West Coast IPA. Not my favourite: I prefer New England IPAs.
Not bad, but not great either.

 

Can: Poured a hazy bright yellow color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of juicy hops notes with some floral citrusy notes is quite enticing. Taste is a great mix of juicy hops notes with some floral citrusy hops notes and some floral notes is quite enticing. Body is pretty full for style with good carbonation. Well brewed NEIPA with great drinkability factor.