Dragon Series: Mazarine Dragon
Alley Kat Brewing Company

650ml bottle. Just saw the new Star Wars flick, and am now spending this particular Eve o solo mio (no pun intended). Enter the Kats, with their latest (at least to this sports fan) entry in their ongoing Dragon Series, single-hopped with the Galaxy varietal, and sporting another derivative of good ol' blue.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium bronzed orange colour, with four fingers of puffy, rocky, and mildly bubbly dirty white head, which leaves some decent streaky and splotchy layered cloud form lace around the glass as it lazily sinks out of sight.

It smells of gritty and biscuity cereal malt, some mixed citrus fruitiness, further sugary and juicy tropical notes, a hint of stoney flintiness, and more understated earthy, leafy, and musky floral hop bitters. The taste is grainy and bready caramel malt, a further not so subtle floral muskiness, some muddled domestic citrus rind, wet stones after a (foggy) drizzle, and more laid-back leafy, musty, and piney green hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-supporting frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and generally smooth, with perhaps a touch of bitter acridity (I know) maybe taking things down a peg or so here. It finishes trending dry, the hops kind of nudging out any lingering malt aspirations, and still with no hint of the 15-proof booze quotient.

Overall - well, I'm glad to see that the OG of YEG craft brewing has been keepin' on keepin' on, pumping out these rotating DIPAs in their typical steadfast manner. This one is certainly for the more bitter stans of the style, which is a-ok by me. Just like with the aforementioned close of the Skywalker saga, I am duly satisfied.

Celebrating my 2000th BA review/rating with a brew from a brewer and series that is always on point. Thank you Alley Kat for these delicious DIPAs, keep an coming!