Double Ducks
Burdock - Kensington Market

 

Pours light straw with a short lived head that leaves some lace trails on the glass. The aroma is of lemon preserve, white grapefruit, some alcohol heat and fresh bread. The taste is citrusy with herbal, juniper notes and a solid bread malt ballast. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with light carbonation. Fruity and bitter long finish.

A nice DIPA with a complex, boozy mix of hops and malts

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Oct 24 2024 and served barely chilled.

Pours a hazy, turbid lemon drop yellow, briefly graced with one finger of loose, foamy white head that disintegrates within ninety seconds. A frothy collar and a thin cap live on, with sparse lace deposition over the course of the session. Lemon, lime, pineapple and papaya on the nose, as well as hints of perfumedly floral, grassy hops, bubblegum and grainy, crackery malts.

Good stuff - much like its lighter sibling, Double Ducks bombards you with a delicious array of fruity hop-derived flavours, while keeping the bitterness relatively low. I'm getting hints of lime, green mango and pineapple early on, with papaya, orange peel, bubblegum and bready, wheaty malt sweetness not far behind. Mango and citrus continue into the back end, with some floral, earthy hop bitterness asserting itself late in the sip; lemon and melon rind linger into a mildly boozy-sweet aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with moderately lively carbonation that adds some spritz to this double IPA's smooth mouthfeel. Good drinkability for the style.

Final Grade: 4.13, an A-. As much as I like Burdock's Ducks IPA, their Double Ducks is even better: its blend of citrus, tropical fruit, bubblegum and floral hops tantalizes the taste buds with every sip, while its well-integrated alcohol makes it far more drinkable than it has any right to be. There's room for improvement, sure, but isn't that always the case? One of those beers that I'll simply buy on sight the next time I spot it - highly recommended.

At my lady Pamela's house; canned, from the Ducks World Winter IPA Pack, at my favourite LCBO at The Roundhouse Centre in nearby Windsor. My third beer from the Toronto brewery, and first for 2025.

Jan 17 2025

473ml can served cold into a weizen glass. LCBO purchase.

Appearance - Hazy yellowy brew with a small half finger of white head.

Smell - Pineapple and cantaloupe with a generally sweet disposition. Robust nose

Taste - Pineapple and cantaloupe again, some general citrus backing things up with low bitterness. Pretty juicy and sweet.

Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied, well carbonated and easy to drink. Very enjoyable.

Overall - A stellar DIPA from Burdock, easy to drink flavorful and well rounded not trying to do too much other than execute a flavorful IPA.

Canned in a stubbie little crafty craft 330ml tinnie purchased from Beermoth in Manchester City centre
Pours hazy pear coloured body with splatterings of white head
Aroma is cantaloupe and pineapple
Flavour is mellow melon and bitter topics and so much booze