First Fat Tug in AB

I wouldn't bother comparing California IPAs to Canadian ones. IMHO Fat Tug is one of the best IPAs in Western Canada, but it will be bettered by some Californian IPAs.

 

I'm partial to Fat Tug over Sucks but they're both world class beers.

I think a blind side by side would be great here; IPA vs IIPA probably doesn't matter too much, they're only 1% ABV apart, they pour a fairly similar colour, both have the bold grapefruit/piney hop profile... the only big tell really is the sweet/spicy grain bill of Sucks. I say give it a go and report back!

 

I guess I should clarify by saying that I am not opposed to your idea of a head-to-head taste test.

Sorry if I sounded kind of douchey before, but personally, I just wouldn't bother comparing cross-border IPAs because I am prone to heavy bias. My hometown brewery is Central City, and I think Red Racer is a fantastic IPA if I'm drinking it in BC. But in SD, I will take an Enjoy By or a Sculpin over Red Racer any day of the week.

 

Good luck with your Fat Tug versus Sucks comparison, especially if you're drinking both bottles solo, with Sucks in a 32 oz. Might be an early night.

San Diego makes good IPAs, but sadly neglect a lot of other beer styles because of the rate at which IPAs sell. As for Canadian IPAs, BC is obviously doing a good job, but I've heard Bellwoods in Toronto is doing some stuff too, so I'll have to see if someone out there is willing to ship west!

 

When fresh, I think RR narrowly beats out Fat Tug. A new smaller brewery in BC, Yellow Dog, makes one that beats them both but unfortunately they are too small at this stage to ship outside of BC.

In terms of other notable Canadian IPAs, definitely recommend Bellwoods and Moralite from DDC.

 

I agree with everything @FondueVoodoo says in the above post (shocking, I know!) - except I would personally recommend (and take!) La Castor's Yakima IPA over Moralite (and bellwoods). That beer fresh is utterly outstanding.

 

Glad to hear they seem to be getting around to other provinces.

I bought a bottle of Fat Tug sometime ago and remember really enjoying it, would love to some of their other brews in the future too.

 

Agreed. I haven't yet had Fat Tug (Spring CANBIF fingers crossed!), but Le Castor Yakima is probably my favourite Canadian brewed IPA.

 

I've heard rumblings of agents wanting to bring La Castor into Alberta so cross your fingers you never know in this market.
Pretty stoked to get Driftwood though, one of my favorite breweries in the country for sure. I'm curious to what seasonal's will make it to Alberta in the future, wait and see I suppose.

 

Thanks for the tips. I've never even heard of Le Castor, and the fact that the consensus best IPA in Canada is Quebecois is surprising to me. Usually people look west for their IPA fix.
As for Yellow Dog, maybe I'll have to venture out to Port Moody or wherever it is, just to see what the deal is out there.

 

I'm likely in the minority, but I was not wowed by Le Castor Yakima

 

Aaaand were back to disagreeing. Normal service is resumed!

 

Le Castor is way too tiny to be shipping to Alberta. They have done one pallet of private order stuff for Ontario and can barely supply their own market.