Pantless In Petrolia
Black Gold Brewery

Tallboy purchased at the brewery; no canning date and served barely chilled. The last of a bunch of Black Gold beers purchased around Thanksgiving.

Pours a clear honey golden colour with flecks of sediment hovering throughout its body; seated atop is nearly two inches of soapy, puffy white head that lasts for a little over five minutes, caking the glass with sticky lace as it recedes. Afterwards, a wide collar and thin cap remain in place - it looks nice, I'll give it that. Hints of doughy malts, canned pineapple and spicy, citrusy hops on the nose, with the jalapeño heat tickling the nostrils if you take a good, long, deep whiff.

It boasts 130 IBUs on the label, yet I actually found this rather sweet for an IPA: mostly because of the pineapple, which adds a juicy, fruity, consistent backdrop to the flavour profile. Hints of apricot and tangerine, with doughy malt and honeyed sweetness by mid-sip. It finishes with a mixture of earthy/resiny hops, jalapeño spiciness and subtle booziness; pineapple juice fades into a sweet, mildly spicy/hot aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation that softly rolls across the tongue - a bit flat, but its inherent spiciness helps rectify that weakness.

Final Grade: 3.68, a B grade. Pantless in Petrolia isn't a great IPA, but I do think it's a creative one worthy of some praise. There's a bit of picante flavour here, but I don't think it's prevalent enough to make the argument that this is a 'chile beer' - more like a pineapple IPA with residual spiciness. In fact, the pepper is subtle enough that I wouldn't necessarily discourage jalapeño haters from giving it a shot. Then again, this is an indeterminately old can, so maybe the heat has just dropped off over time. Not something to go out of your way for, but interesting enough to be worth a revisit.