Front Porch Session IPA
London Brewing

 

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From the LCBO in nearby Amherstburg. Stamped 2025-06-09-1. My first beer from the London, Ontario brewery. With Sundae the cat...

 

Sept 4 2025

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Nov 19 2019 and served slightly chilled. Now certified organic.

Pours a clear, pale golden-yellow hue, generating less than a finger of loose, bubbly white froth that vanishes in thirty seconds or so. A frothy collar lingers on, but that's about it - there's no lace or cap, and almost no effervescence; a suspicious looking IPA, for lack of a better descriptor. The subtle, borderline muted aroma does little to assuage my concerns - there's hints of orange and cantaloupe, along with a clean, grainy pale malt note.

Tastes fine I suppose, though perhaps a bit on the watery side, even for a session IPA. It tastes of grainy, slightly doughy pale malt sweetness, backed by suggestions of orange and citrus peel, as well as melon and an indistinct tropical fruitiness. That status quo is in effect until the back end, where a touch of floral, pithy bitterness joins in, dissipating into a slightly fruity, grainy aftertaste that dries itself out quickly. Light in body, with the carbonation providing a decent bite to its texture; feels crisp on the tongue, with very high drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.74, a B grade. Front Porch Organic Session IPA is a serviceable light pale ale that might have grown on me, just a little, over the course of the glass. It's nothing interesting or revolutionary, but it's refreshing and flavourful, with very good drinkability - and that's basically all that I can realistically expect from an ISA, anyhow. I don't have a lot of interest in this substyle, but this is one I'd at least consider picking up again. Tick it if you're able.