Curly Horse IPA
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

 

 

 

355ml bottle poured into tulip.

Pours a clear copper with half a finger of loose, foamy off-white head that leaves skeleton grin lace as it recedes.

Smells of grapefruit and orange rind, caramel malt and piney hops.

Tastes of mildly sweet breakfast biscuit malt, more bright citrus rind and sticky pine sap.

Feels fuzzy and frothy. Medium-light bodied with sturdy carbonation. Finishes mildly dry.

Verdict: Recommended. Could drink a great deal of this.

 

Poured from tap. A little bit of aggression in the bitter category with good overall flavor. It can almost hang with the big
boys but I'd still give it a 10 PM curfew.

I picked up a growler of Curly Horse from the Airdrie Brewster's. This is a very pleasant IPA. It's not overly hopped, but there is enough bite to balance out the malt. I enjoyed the delicate pepper and fruit flavours - not overbearing, just enough to remind you what you have in your glass. I'm very pleased with this one - it compares nicely with many of my favourite Alberta IPAs.

 

 

 

 

Sampled a pint at Calgary Crowfoot location. A dark bronze-gold in the pint glass, nil head beyond an anemic dappling of white foam here and there. Oh well. Aroma was classic West Coast IPA, citrus and tropical fruit accompanied by some pungent resins, pine and pot. Little malt discernible on the nose beyond a vague caramel sweetness. Palate includes more malt balance, some roasted and toasted flavors that balance the assertive hops. As for the latter, I get less tropical than on the nose, instead there's toasted orange and grapefruit rind, grass, herbal licorice, pine boughs, and a whole shitload of pot resin and ashy residue from a hash pipe. Earthy, spicy, and resinous rather than fruity, but does evolve in a sweeter direction over time ... Thinnish body and quite fizzy, with a dry yet gooseberry-laden finish. I like this latter aspect a lot. Ends things on a lighter note after the resin blitz in the middle. Nice IPA all around, reminds me of Phillips Hop Circle albeit better balanced.

 

Draft at downtown location.
Finally, Brewster's is starting to push their boundries a bit. Most of their beers are good, but pretty pedestrian. I was afraid this might be another "Keith's IPA" - boy was I wrong.
Pours a slightly hazy, deep copper orange color, solid short head with long lasting foam that left good looking sheets of lace. Lots of citrus hoppiness coming off of this one, earthy and leafy and a background of caramel malt.
Lots of earthy hops in the flavour, pine, some citrus. Good malty base keeps it all balanced. Medium body, smooth, dry finish, great flavor throughout.
Pleasantly suprised by the amount of bitterness, and while not as burning bitter as some American IPAs, this one hits the spot.

Props to joemcgrath27 for including this in a recent cross Canada hop-box trade!

A - Pours a slightly hazy copper colour, finger of head with decent retention and nice sheeting lacing.

S - Mild on the nose, musty caramel, earthy cedar hops and a hint of peppery spice.

T - Mild earthy hop notes, cedar and pine, nice caramel malt undertones that Luger alongside hints of bitter citrus rind.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness.

O - This is a quality IPA that hits the flavour profile without being overpowering. A tasty brew indeed and those that have the luxury of havin this chain in their hometown are a lucky bunch!

A - clear copper golden, tall tan head, retained well with plenty of lacing
S - citrus, herbs, greens, mild grain and caramel
T - strong hop notes of pepper, milder notes of citrus and leafs, malty background of caramel, very balanced similar to an ESB
M - medium body with somewhat light carbonation, come creaminess, pleasant bitter finish
O - this is a very solid offering from a great Alberta institution, it has ESB leaning in its balance, one of my faves from Brewsters

 

 

 

500ml bottle poured into a 20oz nonic glass.

A - A good hard pour yields a big frothy head of beige foam atop a clean copper colored ale. The head settles to a thin cap that generously coats the glass in patches of lace. Fairly typical IPA appearance.

S - This nose might be even better out of the bottle than on-tap, as surprising as that is. TONS of piney and citric hops here. With this much hop presence in the nose, I would assume this ale packs more than 55 IBUs as their site states. Light caramel malt backbone, but the hops are really front-and-center of this aroma; and they smell great. Lots of tropical fruit, citrus and good ol' Western pine character.

T - Brewsters really hit the nail on the head with this one. Just a solid IPA. Good variation in the hop profile, with tropical fruit and citric qualities upfront, but a nice piney hop presence as well. Orange and mango notes are clearly pronounced, and balanced nicely by a slight caramel malt sweetness that compliments the hops well without interfering in the profile they have.

M - Maybe a touch light here, as the body feels a bit watery to me, but the light feel doesn't exactly hurt the fruity hop feel this IPA has. Fine but prickly carbonation throughout. Not exceptional here, but certainly not a weak point for this brew. Bitterness is kept in check well.

D - Really enjoyed this offering, and I would even go as far as to say that this IPA usurps Tree's HopHead as my favorite domestic IPA. This was just a great ale. Nice citric fruitiness in the hops and a really tasty beer overall. Simple, but really effective.