Aviator Bicoastal IPA
Muskoka Brewery

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Mar 21 2025 and served barely chilled.

Pours a muddled orange-amber colour, equipped with a two-inch cap of pillowy, soapy white head that takes its sweet time to dissipate. Multiple rings of lace adorn the glass afterwards, with a frothy collar and sudsy cap lasting on - looks fantastic thus far. Piney, spicy hops and resin on the nose, complemented by notes of orange, grapefruit, pineapple and bready, wheaty malts.

Not bad, but not exactly memorable, either. It features a citrus-heavy profile of grapefruit, orange and lemon peel, with bready malts and lightly caramelized sugars also coming through. Piney, resiny bitterness and floral, spicy hops dominate the back end, with grapefruit pith, orange peel and resin lingering into the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation and a soft, fluffy mouthfeel that aids this pale ale's drinkability. Even still, one serving per night is plenty for me.

Final Grade: 3.75, squeaking out a B+. It's unusual, at least in my experience, for an India pale ale with such restrained bitterness to also feature piney hops so heavily - but that's Aviator Bicoastal IPA for ya. It's a worthwhile experience, but the compromise that this beer makes is inherently self-sabotaging: it's a jack-of-all-trades that excels at nothing, leaving me kinda dissatisfied no matter which way I look at it. The juicy flavours that I'd want out of a New England IPA are absent, and it also lacks the bracing bitterness of a proper West Coast IPA. I think I'd prefer either Muskoka's Mad Tom or their Hazed & Confused over this, depending on my mood.

 

 

Aug 3 2025

Pours a beguiling glowing orange with a chunky, quickly dissipating head. Heady pine aromatics and grapefruit hop notes dominate in the nose. The taste is a throwback reminiscent of the pine tar, grapefruit IPAs of the early oughts. Lots of pine and evergreen eucalyptus notes with some tropical hops in the back. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with high carbonation. The finish is moderately bitter with lots of old school pine PACNWest hop character.

A nice old school IPA with a less common hop character.

 

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. My fifth beer from the Bracebridge, Ontario brewery, and first for 2025.