Red IPA
Muskoka Brewery

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From their IPA Mixer boxset from my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. Canned December 5/24. My 11th beer from the Bracebridge, Ontario brewery, and 1st for 2026. With Sundae the cat's explicit approval and adoration...

Nov 17 2024

473 mL can from the LCBO, included in Muskoka's latest IPA mixed pack; dated Mar 1 2024 and served barely chilled.

Pours cloudy brick red with orange-amber highlights, topped with a little over an inch of foamy, off white-coloured head. It lasts for the better part of five minutes, eventually whittled down to a creamy collar surrounding a patchy film on the surface - nice lacing, too; lookin' good so far. The aroma displays strong malt characteristics, with caramel and a bready, biscuity note; hints of earthy, piney, resiny hops and grapefruit are also discernible.

The flavours don't differentiate much from that template: malty notes of toasted bread, caramel and biscuit, countered by hoppier notes of orange peel and grapefruit. The back end becomes more earthy and resiny, adding some piney bitterness to the mix that interacts well with the robust malt backbone, concluding with a malty, citrusy, slightly resiny aftertaste that lingers momentarily. Medium-full in body, with moderately low carbonation that gently brushes against the surface of the palate, resulting in a smooth, slick mouthfeel.

Final Grade: 3.79, a B+. Muskoka's Red IPA is a pretty decent take on a relatively uncommon substyle. Seriously, I don't recall the last time I tried a new red IPA... it was years ago, surely, but this beer quickly reminded me of what they're all about. Essentially a West Coast IPA with a beefy malt bill, it's likely to appeal to fans of old school IPAs first and foremost, but I think most hopheads will find something to appreciate here. This might be worth adding to their lineup as a seasonal - there's not a lot of red IPA competition in Ontario, so it'd fill a niche... then again, their scarcity suggests a lack of demand from modern beer geeks, so maybe not.

This is probably the best red ale I’ve had the pleasure of drinking. Pours a typical red. Nose notes are subtle. The balance of flavor here is what makes it so good. There’s a well rounded complexity of hops and malt. The malt character is outstanding.