Review: Kilter Norse Code Nordic Kveik IPA

Thanks to bdgordonatlarge for making in a trip to Winnipeg immediately right before the pandemic so I could review some awesome beers. I've been busy reviewing a beer nearly every day since I've been out of work to keep sane, but I've been missing out on reviewing beers I wanted to review ASAP, including today's review, Kilter's Norse Code Nordic Kveik. Félicitations to Miguel & co on finally being able to brew out of their brand-spanking-new brewery in Saint-Boniface, I hope one day in the far future I will be able to get their beer here in Western Manitoba!

I've only ever had a couple beers with Kveik yeast and I don't really remember much about them, but here's a good article on what Kveik is all about.

From the label: A hoppy Nordic Kveik IPA fermented hot with native Norwegian Kveik yeast and double dry-hopped with a combination of Loral & Enigma. 7% ABV

Appearance: Hazy IPA with a dark peach-orange appearance to it that is reminiscent of the colour of cantaloupe. I was going to say that I didn't notice any carbonation in the body but I looked in closer and there's a nice stream of insanely tiny bubbles making its way up right to the foam on top. The head is a finger and a half thickness of creamy beige foam. The head diminishes a tad but leaves behind a liberal amount of lacing on the side of the glass.

Aroma: The IPA has a nice floral-pine presence right from the very moment I open this up. It's mildly citrusy with lemon, orange peel and grapefruit. There's a hint of dill popping out, as well as a hefty dose of yeastiness here to give off a rich breadiness to it.

Taste: I took a sip of this as soon as I opened up the can and I took a sip again just now, the first thing I got from this beer was a bit of a bubblegum flavour. The beer has a good citrus presence with a nice amount of lemon, grapefruit and a hint of orange peel. This is decently sweet and reminds me a tad of a sweetness you'd get from a syrup, but this isn't in any way syrupy... possibly a bit reminiscent of honey? The hops are really popping out with a good amount of floral (alfalfaesque) and bitter flavours. I certainly get the yeast in there but I don't have anything really to compare it to as I've probably only had a few beers that use Kveik in my life, but it's a bit bready I guess, not really stealing the show as everything else seems to be syncing in unison. The mouthfeel is a bit creamy and hop-forward while the aftertaste is a tingling of the hops and a hint of what I'm assuming is the Kveik but I can't really describe it, still.

Overall Thoughts: Kilter is well known for their juice-in-a-can beers so that was what I was expecting - It definitely had a good citrus presence to the beer but I found the hops played a good part in this beer so it was quite balanced. This is definitely a tad more bitter than most of Kilter's beers but I say.. bring on bitterness! Something that's not for everyone! Would I drink this again? Let's just say that I'd love to see this on tap at my favourite pubs in Brandon.