Review: Muskoka Brewery's Mad Tom IPA

With summer on its way, there's a continuous new stock of beers that have previously never been available in Manitoba. Muskoka Brewery was very easy to find a few years ago, but then disappeared completely from the Manitoban beer shelves, but it has returned! Every few months we see a new beer or two released in Manitoba by the brewery, this time it is Mad Tom IPA and Spring Oddity.

On a warm spring or summer day, a nice citrusy beer is great on the patio. Seeing that good IPAs generally have a generous amount of citrus in it, that's my go-to beer (after witbiers).

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden orange colour, pale beige head, very creamy foam that's not moving at all.

Aroma: Fresh cut alfalfa hay, a nice abundance of hops so it's a bit bitter and a lemony citrus to compliment it all.

Taste: Whew.. my goodness.. this is a BITTER India Pale Ale! This is a hop sandwich and then some. If you love nice and bitter hops, you'll love the flavour. That said, it's not a sweet IPA, very minimal lemon citrus to it. A bit much for even myself... and I absolutely love hops!

Overall Thoughts: INCREDIBLY HOPPY! Lots of bitterness, so much so that I'd call this a Hop beverage. I really enjoy it because I absolutely love a nice hoppy IPA, but to some who want a great balance of sweetness and hops, this will be too much for them. The bitterness of the hops will be lingering on my tongue for hours to come. This is a great patio beer and I wish I had bought more bottles. It is approximately $2.69 before tax and has 6.4% ABV, about average for a good India Pale Ale. Still not AS bitter as Simple Malt Cascade IPA.

From the label: Inspired by late night stories around the fire, Muskoka Mad Tom will instantly grab your attention. Dry-hopped with Chinook and Centennial hops, this IPA has a vibrant aroma, depth of flavour and crisp citrusy undertow like no other. So brace yourself, and crack one open for old Mad Tom.