Refuge
Rainhard Brewing Co.

Look: The body is in a dark shade of gold. It is possible to see a little bit through the glass. Speaking about the head, it is white and two-finger high. It ends up as a creamy crown. Moreover, the lacing is decent, in that it disappears gradually after being on the glass.

Smell: If one forgets for a fleeting moment the presence of hops, the nose is almost as floral as that of a white wine. I smelled dry hops, notes of citrus and tropical fruits.

Taste: The front-end is a replay of the nose. It has an assertive, yet pleasant, malt profile which is reminiscent of mangos. Afterwards, the beer's taste shifts to notes of pine woods, which are stronger than a good English IPA or a dry-hopped North American IPA.

Feel: The beer has a clean finish and no lingering sweetness in spite of the strong malt profile. It is medium-bodied and offers a nice dry taste of bitterness from the hops. As for the alcoholic warmth that occurs in the throat, it is very brief. Furthermore, even though this beer's ABV, which clocks in at 8%, is higher than that of a typical IPA, the warmth is almost lukewarm.

Overall: Although the beer's look can be improved, meaning the lacing's lack of creaminess and the head retention, I love this beer. This is an example of a Double IPA that goes nuts on both the maltiness and hoppiness. As a result of that, we get a beer that is perfectly balanced and that has a nice transition of taste.

Bought directly from the brewery.

Decent head with a body a bit too clear. Vegetal hops a bit and sweet with some resin but again, bitterness is not there.

 

 

 

This was a decent enough beer, but just like Asystole, it was way too sweet and malty for me. This was the 5th IPA/pale ale that I have had from Rainhard and I've found 4 of the 5 to be far too malty (save for Kapow). Hopefully they tweak their pale ale recipes in the future.

4oz sample at bar hop (peter st), toronto, oct 7 2015. slightly hazy orange with white-ish head. mango-orangey nose with lesser grapefruit notes. taste follows the nose, lots of awesome piney-citrusy-tropical hop flavours. bitter but not overly so, and finishes impressively clean -- not a lot of lingering flavours. good medium mouthfeel with sub-medium carbonation. really enjoyed this one! balanced and tasty. excited to try more from these guys

Pours out a very cloudy golden colour with a fat finger of slightly yellow head that retains very well and shines a bit under the light.

Great aromas of tropical fruit, peaches, orange juice, a bit of resin, floral esters as well and an underlying honey malt.

First taste is fresh fruit punch, some of the particular fruits hard to pin point but definitely more exotic tasting - think passionfruit. Nice orange rind bitterness rolls in and progressively gets more rindy and more bitter though for a DIPA it doesnt get overpowering, even with the 90 IBUs. There is almost a slight sourness under the bitterness as well, maybe like a kiwi or green strawberry. Very floral in the middle as well, like rose petals. Finish is dry and a little resiny. Thick and juicy, even oily, throughout which I like for this style.

When it comes to DIPAs many get into a pissing match as to who's got the bigger hop. What you'll find here is a Refuge from the over the top bitter contest and get an exotic fruity and refreshing IPA that yes, will give you the hob bite you crave, but will still let you taste the rest of the beer. The unique tropical flavours make me curious as to what hops were used in this. Glad I took home an extra bottle. At 8% its not on the DIPA strong side but still feels incredibly sessionable given its punch.

Very smooth and flavourful. Bright citrus fruit which is cut by a pine flavour, providing some flavour balance and depth. The nose is similar, citrus/tropical fruit with pine and caramel. A bit oily. A decent malt body, with a bit of caramel sweetness. Quite bitter. Full bodied, moderate to low carbonation. Good.

Good dipa. On tap release day at the brewery. Big hop with less malt backing. Dry hop amarillo and citra. Main hop centennial. Good drinking.