Boneshaker IPA
Amsterdam Brewing Company

InspectorHound from Canada (ON)

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Look: A dark copper shade of orange. Pours with a finger of off white densely bubbled head. The head pulls back over a few minutes leaving a ring of lace after 5 minutes. Hazy, and opaque.

Smell: Strong notes of caramel and candied sugar. Pine and bready malt backbone comes out after the sweetness of the caramel smell subsides.

Taste: This hits you in the face right away with a dank earthiness. The caramel sweetness peaks through in the middle but is restrained by the earthy hops. Piney but not in a fresh pine bough sort of way. More like if a pine bough fell off the tree and spent the winter composting into humas. Strong tea like notes throughout the middle and end sip.

Feel: Medium bodied, Plays low in the mouth and on the tongue, not much going on at the top of your palate. Finishes dry and bitter.

A very English bitter type IPA. Not my cup of tea, but I can understand why people who prefer less juicy iterations of an IPA would like this. It earns a solid B.

Aug 22, 2021

Joe_Canadian

4.71/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I need to preface this review with I'm very biased towards Boneshaker. It's one of my favourite beers and I'm a sucker for big pine. It's also one of the first IPAs I ever tried years and years ago and my go-to. I've loved the smell of pine trees since I was a little kid and it's probably part of the reason why I love this beer so much. Poured into a straight wall Pint Glass. Beers I've had before this - Wicked Awesome IPA, Sam Smith Yorkshire Stingo.

Look - Dark Amber. Almost too dark to see through.

Smell - Overwhelmingly piney but a hint of hoppy sweetness at the tail end. The pine is heavyn a good way if you like that sort of thing.

Taste - Much like the smell. Piney and delicious. I find it opens up as it warms up, and the pine taste flows throughout.

Feel - Medium-ish body. I don't want a full body as it'd probably take a bit away from the flavour.

Overall - Not perfect, but damn close.

Jun 11, 2021

Beershaker from Canada (ON)

4.66/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look: Dark amber. Head goes away rattan quickly. Hazy with some sediment on the bottom.

Smell: hoppy and pine. Strong pine smell.

Taste: taste bitter (80 IBU). Strong grapefruit and pine aroma.

Feel: Adequate amount of carbonation. Medium-body. Bitterness stay in the mouth which is something I enjoy. In the end, you taste some sweetness from the fallout of bitterness.

Overall: I love it.

Dec 26, 2020

Tony787 from Canada (ON)

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

bought a can from lcbo in Ontario
poured a 2 finger head into glass very hazy golden amber color.
the smell and taste is amazing grapefruits and pine so fresh.
its smooth and the bitterness is good.
no brew date under can they have a code instead dont understand the code anyways the beer tasted very fresh tho .
overall this beer is very enjoyable to drink I'm glad I picked it up today .
probably buy it again .
cheers

Nov 05, 2020

Hoofengooffer

4.94/5  rDev +26%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Boneshaker is my most favorite beer ever! It has a strong hop flavor with a smooth bitter taste (how can that be). Plus at 7.1% it demands respect and responsibility these are things most beer manufacturers are afraid to put on the market. On the downside its seems to be getting harder to find, not in the beer stores and at less and less LCBO's.

Dec 07, 2019

eberesford from Canada (ON)

3.81/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours mid copper with a thinnish head and moderate lacing. Aroma caramel and fruit - slightly piney hops. Flavour: Grassy piney hops over caramel. Bitterness significant but well balanced.

Aug 08, 2019

rapayn01 from Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from a standard 473 ml Canadian tall boy pint can. The can says 80 ibu and it is really hoppy with a tasty bitterness that I much enjoy. I'd definitely have it again.

Dec 17, 2018

Vyacheslav from Canada (ON)

3.32/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought in Toronto (2018) as bottles. My first review I might edit later with experience, but have to start somewhere...

Too hoppy for my taste, definitely has a pine taste, which reminded me of tonic (& gin too), both of which I don't like, so if you're into those, you may like it more, drank from the bottle so the look rating is just for the label.

Nov 21, 2018

Mysticmage from Canada (ON)

4.13/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

So, will it rattle yer bones? lets find out matey. Poured into a tulip or rich caramel with decent and long lasting collar. Nose is nice of caramel grasses with slight fruity finish. The taste is a very strong IPA given its high ABU. If you are new to IPAs it may overwhelm but personally right up my alley. finishes very strong as well with solid afterbite that dimishes decently. Solid 7+ alochol comtent too. An excellent find here!

Jul 06, 2018

MichaelGennings from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA by Amsterdam Brewery in Toronto. 7.1% alc. 88 IBUs.

The beer has a dark golden/copper colour and a thick white head that sticks around. There is also nice glass lacing.

The nose is pine and grapefruit, plus hints of malt. This all transfers to the taste.

The beer is medium bodied with an enjoyable tart and dry finish.

Well done! This is truly a winner.

May 09, 2018

Larryfunnell from Canada (ON)

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Overall, I really liked this beer, it was a pleasant surprise, since the last Amtsterdam beer I had was probably 10-15 years ago and did not strike me as anything special tat the time.. It reminded me of a radlinger beer, without the addition of citrus juice. I found the grapefruit note overwhelmed the pine, but was nicely balanced by the bitterness. The hops notes linger in the aftertaste. This comes under the heading of one to buy again.

I do note the IBU is now showing as 80 on the can, vs. the 65 in the beer info.

Apr 26, 2018

patre_tim from Thailand

4.06/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Amber and cloudy with no carbonation, topped with 4 fingers of yellow-beige head.

Smells of pine, citrus, spruce, oranges, grapefruit pith, and a big garlic, onion dankness.

Tastes of a huge grapefruit bitterness, orange juice, pine, and slightly sweet, with dankness.

Thick and syrupy body, with moderate carbonation.

Got this in the KW area, drinking in Muskoka, Nov 26th, 2017. Excellent, big, dank IPA.

Nov 26, 2017

WoodBrew from Ohio

3.66/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

I brought a can of this back from a recent trip to Toronto. It poured a hazy orangish with white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had subtle bitter hop. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink their is bitter hop presence. The mouthfeel is medium in body with good carbonation. Overall it was a good beer.

Oct 15, 2017

Smakawhat from Maryland

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the can into a tulip/globe glass.

Orange copper body with a nice glowing appearance. Head is creamy forming with a fine two fingers of bubbles and some small ring and pill like lacing. Colors the top light khaki to off white and a thick bowled collar as it settles.

Nice basic hop angle. Floral and citrus notes, touching with a strong but somewhat sweet pineapple quality. Soft bodied malt presence with light caramel sweetness giving a simple balance. A pretty straight forward and solid brew.

Palate goes for a very nice fruit mix. Hop angle flavorings of citrus orange, and spritzy pineapple like juice making for a very memorable first sip. Mouthfeel comes off strangely slightly flat and with an almost fine carbonation, hinting of fizzy character. Juiced orange finish with a light nearly toffee to caramel sweetness on the finish.

A very odd mouthfeel takes down some of the beers qualities which are otherwise solid. Not bad.

Oct 08, 2017

jamesd345 from Canada (ON)

4.24/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Great beer from Amsterdam! I really like many of their other (lighter) beers and was a bit apprehensive of trying the Boneshaker as I generally don't like heavy beers. I was positively surprised with the relatively easy drinking taste and I have added this beer to my regular rotation.

Aug 09, 2017

GreesyFizeek from New York

4.24/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This one pours a light amber color- a definite West-Coast appearance here. There's a small head, and a lot of lacing.

This is smells very, very resinous, but dry- with pine, grass, and just a hint of caramel sweetness from the malt.

This works because it finishes so dry- it's exceedingly bitter and palate-crushing, in an awesome way. The malt backbone is noticeable, but is buried well enough under the hops. There's a little bit of grapefruit, and melon here, too- it's a nice mix of flavors.

This is lighter bodied, with a crisp and fairly clean finish, and a lingering bitterness. There's a good level of carbonation.

This was definitely enjoyable- it's a classic West Coast-style bruiser and I dig it.

Jul 24, 2017

Act25 from New Jersey

3.92/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Liked this. Generally, I like Canadian craft. Served with pride at Ritz Carlton Toronto.

A: The beer is a deep golden color, with a creamy, dense off-white half-finger head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.
S: The aroma offers earthy hops, citrus, pine, and sweet and inviting caramelized malts.
T: Upfront a juicy and earthy hops bitterness. Next caramel and citrus. then really nice see-saw battle of hops bitter and malt sweet, finishing clean.
M: Crisp and smooth, medium body and carbonation. Finish is sticky.
O: Loved it, ordered a second.

Jun 07, 2017

swim from Canada (ON)

3.96/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A semi-opaque deep amber colour. Full of suspended fine particulate. A small amount of head that receded to a light covering with some lacing.

S: Primarily citrusy aroma. Hints of grapefruit, citrus rind, and toasty spicy floweriness.

T: Similar to the smell but the toasty malt and spicy yeast is more prominent. The hops are herbal, floral, a little piney and citrus rindy. Quite nicely balanced, not too bitter, and the aftertaste is pleasant and not too strong.

F: Nice thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Warming and not too drying.

O: A great IPA with a pleasant and complex flavor. Very drinkable for the higher alcohol percentage. Will be keeping this one in mind for later.

May 11, 2017

Jesterr44 from Canada (ON)

4.21/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

First, my can says 80 IBU as opposed to the 65 listed here. Pours a deep golden orange with a tall fluffy off-white head with great retention - makes you wait for it like a good beer should. Aroma dominated by grapefruit, taste follows with a big grapefuit hit up front, with fluffy bready malt there as well, followed by some solid smooth pine flavour as well as some bitter astringency which lingers on the finish. As the glass empties, the smooth malts seem to come out more, mellowing the pine & offering a nice smooth mouthfeel. It's a good IPA which has been around for awhile in Ontario and holds its own with all the options out there these days. To me it stands out as more grapefruity than anything else out there - reminds me of Sculpin & of course Grapefruit Sculpin - & I don't quite enjoy the finish as much as some other IPAs but it's a good one overall & I will enjoy it again.

Apr 13, 2017

john_hugh7 from Canada (ON)

3.61/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

L: Cloudy brown
S: Hops jump right onto the nose.
T: Bitter and hoppy but balanced. Very impressive for an IPA that's 65 IBU's
F: Balanced and drinkable for an IPA

Must try!

Jan 05, 2017

Seducer_McCoon from Canada (SK)

4.52/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Great beer. Had this in Toronto about a year ago and found it here recently, drank out of a snifter. Great aroma of pine and citrus. Excellent hoppy flavour that uses an excellent variety malts to cover up some of the bitterness to make this a great drink at anytime.

Dec 01, 2016

mokeefe11 from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Hint of copper, filtered. On tap in Toronto at Loose Goose. Good but not awesome. Resinous after taste makes you know it's an IPA but that it might be trying too hard. Give it a try and welcome any disagreement.

Nov 16, 2016

johanschmidt from Canada (ON)

4.11/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Orange-y brown colour, with an average sized head. It's very bitter, and I'll admit the first time I had this I found it far too bitter, but coming back to it, it is actually quite good. If you like a strong bitter beer (that somehow still tastes somewhat light at 7.1%) with loads of hops, this is one for you.

Aug 24, 2016

Tsar_Riga from Indiana

4.23/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Dark orange body, hazy, with off white head and lots of lacing. The nose is resin and pine, lemon and zest, and the taste follows, bringing a caramel and honeyed note to the middle. The close is snappy bitter. A full hop smack, and a well done one at that.

Jul 08, 2016

TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz can into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep golden brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains earthy hops, caramelized malts and some citrus.

T: The taste starts out with a strong earthy hops bitterness. Then some sweetness comes in from flavors of caramel and citrus. The malt character is hearty and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, this is a decent IPA to drink for a while.

May 26, 2016