Organic Hazy IPA
London Brewing

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From the LCBO in nearby Amherstburg. Canned August 4/25. My second beer from the London, Ontario brewery, and for 2025. With Sundae the cat...

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jan 27 2022 and served barely chilled.

Pours foggy, translucent and effervescent, its body golden-blonde in colour; situated atop is nearly an inch of rocky, bubbly white foam that settles down to a soapy cap and creamy collar over the course of three or four minutes' time. Some attractive stringy lace is tossed about in the process - looks good so far, and the nose is also enticing. Melon, nectarine, mandarin orange and guava, with suggestions of berries and grape juice.

A quality hazy IPA. Its flavours follow the nose, offering up juicy notes of orange, cantaloupe, stone fruit and pineapple, while the malt backbone provides a bready, wheaty backdrop. Finishes with melon rind and a low key pithy, floral bitterness that doesn't persist beyond the mildly fruity aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderate carbonation that softly agitates the surface of the tongue, lending a weak prickliness to this brew's smooth, fluffy mouthfeel. It's quite drinkable for 6.5% - I could go for another glass, but that'd be my limit per night.

Final Grade: 3.96, a solid B+. I liked London's Organic Hazy IPA quite a bit, and will encourage other BAs to give it a try. Still, the fact remains that this is a crowded beer category with a lot of strong competition, and I'm not sure I see many reasons to reach for this one specifically. It's organic, so that's certainly one point in its favour, assuming you care in the first place. It also boasts reasonably juicy aromas/flavours, and is pretty approachable for an IPA (i.e. not very bitter), so even a subset of non-hopheads might be able to enjoy it. It's better than their session IPA, and something I'm sure I'll return to this summer.

Dec 6 2024