IPA
Exit Brewing

Yep, I said I would get my hands on the next Exit can - a variation of their #010 West Coast IPA - simply called Exit IPA now. Well it was a quirky little run with the #000 numbering system (they got to #016 by my count) but it’s about time Exit canned their goodness, it’s been too long [not actually, but I’m a big proponent of cans now - they’re like mini kegs, without the extra CO2 to give them awesome mouthfeel... so really they’re kegs in some sort of vague marketing approximation]. Oh yeah, I just read where Exit get their name from - the founders used to work in IT and left their day jobs to start a brewery and now they’re ex-IT, Exit, brilliant! Nothing goes over better with a craft beer audience than puns - we’re all basically dads or dads-in-waiting, bring on the dad jokes I say!

Poured from a 375ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Golden/straw hazed body with a white head that is all basically my fault, you see I poured this beer way too hard, dribbled some of this out in some weird display (to myself no less!) of my mad pouring skillz. Turns out that the head faded, leaving a nice lace scrawl, in the time it took to write that (96 wpm btw). 7/10.

S: Grassy/green/cannabis and rubbery hop notes upfront, this is a very fresh brew then, with a light biscuit and cracker malt base, and hints of piney character as well. Classic West Coast style IPA - in mint condition too. With an aroma this green it should be a tasty brew. 7/10.

T: Assertive piney resins upfront attack the tongue with a nice even kiss of bitterness, grassy and citrus mid-palate notes come in, biscuit and cracker malt base = “yeah, I’m here, what?!”, finishes with a nice grassy/herbal medium bitterness. Bitterness throughout is assertive yet it manages to balance with some malt sweetness as well, though bitterness is definitely the chefs special on todays menu. 8/10.

M: Medium bodied with a dense but flat carbonation, bit of hop resins in there too, right in that “good not great” meaty part of the curve. 7/10.

D: Did I say Classic West Coast style IPA [why yes, you even copy/pasted it from above]? This Classic West Coast style IPA is so classic that it feels like a relic from a different time now. Nonetheless those Ex-IT guys have provided me a good spot of the old nostalgia, or “nostalg” as I like to call it, what a Classic West Coast style IPA Exit have made us [that’s the last copy/paste I promise]. 8/10.

Food match: Spicy Cajun ribs with grilled potato and sour cream, guac, you name it.