Right after work yesterday I went to the liquor store across from my workplace just to check out what was new in stock, as well as pick up a bottle of Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale. A few new treats popped up that I didn't expect - turns out that there's a beer series promoting the Mortal Kombat X game by Sound Brewing out of Poulsbo, Washington. The imperial-style beers were launched in time for Comi-Con - Sub Zero Imperial IPA, Scorpion Imperial Stout and Raiden Imperial Saison. Well, I haven't played Mortal Kombat in 20 years.. since Sega Genesis days, but I knew I had to check out the beers! The downside is that each 650mL bottle costs $11.10 CDN.. which is incredibly pricey for this poor guy, but hey.. if I don't buy it, someone else will.
Right now I'm checking out their Sub Zero Imperial India Pale Ale. 8.5% ABV, unknown IBU.
Appearance: Incredibly rich reddish brown ale, almost a ruby in the shitty room lighting.. but more a caramel amber in reality. Thick beige head to start off, diminishes to a bit of a film and leaves behind a moderate amount of foamy residue on the glass.
Aroma: Not sure if this is supposed to be a malt forward Imperial IPA or if it's past its best before date. If it's more of an English IPA, then I get a lot of caramel malt, hint of mint, light toasty grains, hint of wet laundry right before you put it in the dryer, aaand hint of lightly burnt toffee and a hint of when you're licking a tootsie pop and it's in between the point where it's solidified corn syrup and faux chocolate insides.. that smell. If it's supposed to be hoppy, then this is likely past its prime.. but it's not bad if it's supposed to be more malt forward..
Taste: The bitterness makes a big appearance in the flavour department as I'm getting a heavy taste of bitter hops.. not quite piney but has a bit of a hint of earthiness to it. Leaves behind a bit of a metallic hop aftertaste. The Imperial IPA has a bit of a caramel malt sweetness, light bready and that's about it. I'm finding that it's giving off a bit of a cool sensation on the palate.. kind of like a cool spearmint gum.
Overall Thoughts: It was certainly alright, good amount of hop bitterness in the taste profile but it missed out completely in the aroma. I won't be spending $11.10 on this again. It's alright but coming from the Pacific North West... there's a million other Imperial IPAs out there that are substantially tastier.
Edit: From the beer description - Refreshing cooling on a warm day, yet also warming in cool weather. An Imperial India Pale Ale that's not all about the hops, or all about the alt, but a whole ot of both fighting it out for supremacy. Drink icy for more hops, warmer for more malt.
No comments:
Post a Comment