Review: Bob Magnale Karl XII New England Double IPA

Today's review is thanks to Stef, AKA The Drunk French Canadian! He's easily one of the biggest supporters since the beginning. He recently moved from the always amazing Montreal to a small town in central Quebec called Acton Vale, because well.. like any rural part of Canada, it's not experiencing the insane housing crisis we're seeing in urban Canada. Not long after he moved to the community of 7600(ish), a brewery called Bob Magnale Artisans Brasseurs opened up, proving my point that almost every town in Quebec will have a brewery at one point.

Today's sampling is Karl XII New England Double IPA, which tops out at 8.0% ABV, pretty much expected at a Double IPA of any kind. The can labels have a bit of an embossed printing on it, giving off a bit of a premium quality design to it.

Appearance: Lots of head as soon as I poured it into the glass so it took a good moment for me to let it settle. Once it settled, it gave off a deep dark orange body to it with a moderate amount of sediment at the bottom of the beer and a thick off-white head on top that left behind sprinkling of head on the glass.

Aroma: Well, this is definitely a Double New England/New England IPA, it's got a sweet tropical presence to it, very fruity and something I just don't see much of even though every forth beer I drink is likely a beer of this style. Leafy and floral hop presence, pineapple, orange peel, melon, Five Alive in beer form.

Taste: The leafy/floral hop presence is the predominant taste I get from this beer, it's a tad bitter, a tad reminiscent of a fresh crop of alfalfa but full on tropical - lots of melon, pineapple, lemon and orange peel. Dry, hint of pear for aftertaste. 

Overall Thoughts: Pretty much what I expect from Quebec-brewed NEIPAs - lots of tropical notes with lots of leafy and floral notes, still somehow better than 3/4 of the juicy IPAs I can get two blocks from my house.