DARK MATTER BLACK IPA ~ JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING

This type of beer is a relatively new style, first recognized by the American Brewers Association in 2010. It has several monikers: India Black Ale, American Black Ale, or Cascadian Dark Ale. The name, Cascadian, is from the Republic of Cascadia a fantasy country that would include parts of Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia. It is dark like a porter but hoppy like an IPA. Sampled from a tin, this brew poured a dark brown with a beige head. The aroma has lots of roasted malts, a little nuttiness, and a piny hop. The beer itself was bitter but not overly so; there were lots of hops on the tail end and aftertaste. The beer starts with lots of roasted dark malts, with a touch of dark chocolate and toasted nuts. Piny hoppiness finishes it off. It took seven different types of barley and four hops to make this brew – Chinook, Cascade, Palisade and Tetnager) This brew was not as heavy as some other Black IPAs I have had, it had a medium body and soft carbonation. I would definitely revisit this one.

7% from Toronto, Ontario 70 IBU

BRAKEMAN’S SESSION ALE ~ JUNCTION

This Golden Ale was Sampled from a 473 mL tin. The beer poured a slightly opaque golden yellow colour with a good head. The head lasted several minutes then left good lacing on the glass. The nose was simple and contained a little citrus, grains and fragrant hops. The taste was surprisingly hoppy for Golden Ale. The brew was made with two malts and three hops (“Admiral”, “WGV” and “Super Galena) and ‘hopbacked’ with dry leaf Cascade and Super Galena hops. The beer is sharp right off the top, and bitterness dominated the taste. When chilled the hops had lots of pine and grapefruit flavour, but as it warmed the hops became more perfumy and floral. The malts also became more evident as the beer warmed and hinted at sweetness. The finish was dry and the hops lingered on the aftertaste. The carbonation was moderate and the mouthfeel was a little thin. The beer was simple and refreshing but it was a little too hoppy for me to be a session ale.

4.6% from Toronto, Ontario        40 IBU
Silver Medalist at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards