Review: Moosehead Strawberry Rhubarb Milkshake IPA

I have way too many reviews that I need to put out, but so little time.. So, why would I review a product by Moosehead before say.. Collective Arts' IPA #7 and #8? Well, I never in 12 years would ever think that Moosehead would be coming out with craft-style beers. I was at the LC a few days ago and saw a fairly straight forward looking white can with strawberry artwork on it. I assumed it was a beer from Ontario as at first glance you wouldn't know it's a Moosehead product because the Moosehead branding is only on the back of the can.

Moosehead's Strawberry Rhubarb Milkshake IPA is part of their small batch series (#0004). The beer is brewed with strawberries and rhubarb from PEI and contains wheat, oat and barley malt. The last time I reviewed a Moosehead product was their 150th Anniversary Ale, which was pretty much what something I'd expect from Moosehead. So, I'm not sure what I should expect in this brew.. but I have 0 expectations at this point as it's Moosehead after all.

Appearance: The Strawberry Rhubarb Milkshake IPA pours a hazy lemon yellow with a moderate amount of snow white foam on top. The head diminishes pretty quickly and just gives off a slim layer at the end.

Aroma: While it is fairly light, it has a nice light creaminess in it. There is a hint of strawberry and rhubarb popping up, but for the most part, it's the lactose that I'm noticing. There's a hint of oatiness in there as well as wheat.

Taste: Like the aroma, it's fairly light. The first flavour I get from the beer is a bit of lactose creaminiess, followed by a light strawberry fruitiness to it. I don't really notice the rhubarb, but since I'm not really a fan of rhubarb, it's not bad. It has a slightly acidic and lemon profile to it. It's pretty smooth and not intense in any sense as the fruitiness and rhubarb are quite muted, so it all depends if you are wanting something smooth and creamy or overly milky and sweet. One thing I did notice is that it's a bit sweeter once you add in the last bit of the beer into the glass as a good amount of the sediment for these kind of beers will always be at the very end, so try to get the last bits in sooner rather than later.

Overall Thoughts: I wish this was a bit sweeter but it was very smooth and easy to drink. Not only that, it's one of the more affordable Milkshake IPAs I've seen. At $3.37 per 473mL can, I'll definitely buy more of this.. it's just shocking to see Moosehead making a craft-like product after all this time. Sure, they also own Hop City, but I find Hop City to be boring and unimaginative just like classic Moosehead.. but if they keep doing one off products like this, I might have to get out my old Moosehead swag.

https://moosehead.ca/smallbatch