Review: Boombox Juicy AF IPA

Here's a beer I never expected to see widely available, but here we are! Manitoba's Liquor Commission seems to have 0 desire to bring in anything decent from out of province so when a beer like Boombox's Juicy AF makes its way to stores, it just seems too good to be true. Boombox has only been available at MLCCs once in the past and that was for their collaboration with Winnipeg's Kilter Brewing for Legend of Citra DIPA, which was pretty amazing and sold out within a day or two. This has quickly become my new go-to IPA as it's insanely affordable and tastes great.

Ingredients: Water, malt, oat flakes, hops and yeast. 7.5% ABV

Appearance: One of the juiciest looking IPAs I've seen in months, aside from Kilter and 2 Crows. It's full on orange juice for the body and a moderate amount of white foam on top, good amount of layered lacing as the beer diminishes a tad.

Aroma: Notes of oats that give it a bit of a breakfast cereal and a bit of a creaminess to it. Quite sweet and tropical fruit forward - notes of orange and pineapple, a heavy yeastiness to it and a floral presence as well. 

Taste: Juicy AF? Certainly. It's quite sweet with a lot of juiciness to it, predominantly orange but also pineapple. There's a bit of a bitterness popping out every so often, part of it being from the yeast but also from the hops. The oat flakes do a good job to make this incredibly creamy and a bit reminiscent of a creamsicle. There's a bit of a floral presence to it but for the most part, quite a juicy IPA.

Overall Thoughts: I sampled quite a bit of Juicier AF at Vancouver's Weathered Beer Celebration back in January, so I'm glad to see this available in my neck of the woods. It's crazy how hops and oats can work in a way to make it taste like a creamsicle without any lactose or fruit used. Quite sweet, smooth, juice-forward. Very few breweries can consistently create a juicy/hazy/NEIPA-themed beer and make it taste great, Boombox does an amazing job each time.

If you're in Manitoba, Quality Beer Store has a great selection of Boombox beers, bringing in something new and interesting every few weeks!