I had the honour of getting a tour of Four Winds Brewing in Delta, BC just over five years ago thanks to mon ami Chris. I was absolutely overwhelmed by Four Winds' beer selection while I visited because they just did a lot of stuff really, insanely well. Today, I'm sampling their Juxtapose IPA, a beer I remember raving about way back then, and want to thank Quality Beer Store in Winnipeg for bringing this in so I could go broke quicker to finally review this beer! Love ya!
From the can: At the heart of this distinctive West Coast IPA stands the juxtaposition of ripe tropical fruit esters and Wild Yeast funk. Moderately bitter and gracefully balanced. Where orchards meet pastures. 6.5% ABV / 50 IBU
Appearance: I love the appearance of the cans and back then, the bottles, they're playful, full of colour and just frankly welcoming. Juxtapose IPA pours a pretty opaque yellow-lemon body with a thick amout of snow white head on top. The head diminishes a bit to leave behind a layered lacing on the glass. Purrrty beer over here.
Aroma: The initial thoughts I got from the aroma were moderately floral, hint of alfalfa, lemon zest, moderate amount of grapefruit. I give it a moment or two and I start getting a bit of funk to it that gives off a slight Bretty vibe but just ever so subtle, no "ah, memories of my corral when the parents still had Arabian horses" vibe to it, just a slight tarty funkiness to the nose.
Taste: This is an incredibly smooth IPA.. and I've said that again on Untappd at various times as well. It's got a moderate tropical/citrus vibe to it, lemon, grapefruit, a decent amount of leafy hoppy vibe. The Brett/barnyard presence doesn't seem to be there, rather giving me more citrus than anything. It's dry and has a bit of a straw/floral aftertaste at the end. Very, very smooth IPA.
Overall Thoughts: I have no idea what the "best" IPA in British Columbia is but this is in my top five. My goodness, this is a smooth beer time and time again, it has a decent hop profile, citrus, and it even has a bit of wild yeast but it's subtle enough to be enjoyed by just about anyone who likes a good IPA. So smooth.
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