Hickson Imperial IPA
Brasserie Les 2 Frères

Bought 8 can at Costco for 20,99$

Look: Brown colour with a lace of white head.

Smell: Pineapple, bananas, mint and herbal floral

Taste: Pine, herbal floral, hoppy bitterness, caramel malt,

Feel: Medium body, light to medium carbonation, easy drinking for a 74 IBU the bitterness is there but not killing it.

So overall would I recommend it ? Absolutely,

Would I buy it again ? As an IPA yes, as a easy drinking chilling beer, no

 

 

 

 

 

Too malty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know where brewers (Canadian ones, specifically) got the idea that stronger means darker. Hickson Imperial IPA is only marginally higher in alcohol (7.6% compared to 6.2%) from their standard IPA yet is way darker in colour - we go from clear daisy yellow to cloudy, tarnished copper.

The bouquet doesn't have me doing cartwheels but, let's face it, any ample combination of Calypso, Cascade and Mosaic hops is tough to turn your nose up at. This herbal, fruity aroma is dripping with pine resins and spiked with fermenting citrus juice just as it should be.

The palate, however, is another matter altogether - you won't smell the booze but you sure as hell taste it! Those flavours of dank, overripe mango, guava, grapefruit, blood orange, and pineapple become a little too real for comfort, especially given the ultra-earthy, bitter medicine-like aftertaste.

Indeed, the hops are great: love it guys, keep doing what you're doing. But the alcohol throws a tantrum; for such a relatively mild Double IPA this thing is way too blatant about its strength. And for such a dark rendition, where's the malt? There's virtually zero caramel, nougat or toasted nuttiness to mop things up.

The best American craft brewers paint their Double IPAs with colours that most Canadian producers simply don't have in their palate. This one is no exception. Les 2 Frères Imperial IPA accords with the spirit of the style's law but certainly not its letter - it's bold and obnoxious... just not in the right way.

 

L:Copper colored, evanescent white collar, few bubbles.
S: fruit ,melon sweetness .
T: The initial hoppy bitterness is followed by stone fruit sweetness. Warmth from alcohol is immediate. Caramel softness on the tongue.
F:Nice carbonation,well balance bitterness and sweetness A winter warmer not a summer thirst quencher.
O:A pleasant surprise will buy some more.

 

 

 

Amber-copper in color with a little carbonation visible and a nice 1-inch head. Notes of pineapple, grapefruits, bananas and strawberries in the nose. Some caramel from the malts also. Intense bitterness when you take a sip, you get a nice grapefruit taste too, a little bit less of the other fruits I mentioned before. There's some kind of copper/metallic taste but it's not overpowering but it does make the beer loses some points. I preferred the standard Hickson IPA to this one though.

A - Copper/amber colour. Bright. Three finger off-white pillowy head. Good carbonation. Decent lace, good retention with one full finger.

S - Stone fruit, really balanced. A bit of an off note. Kinda subtle.

T - Lot's of fruit and balance. A bit of buttery note. Old fruit. Earthy. Malt character is pretty strong.

M - Good carbonation, medium body. Good bitterness.

O/D - Not overly drinkable. A sort of off note. Stone fruit and hop character is good but the malt character is pretty intense too. Not too much to make this unique or altogether interesting. Decent, but forgettable for a DIPA.