Anderson IPA

A new to me Ontario IPA, Anderson IPA comes from London, ON, where it's brewed by Anderson Craft Ales. According to the almost impossibly basic 355mL cans, the ale contains 6.5% alcohol and 60 IBUs--although it tasted a lot more bitter to me.

The hazy, bright gold beer poured with a thick miasma of eggshell head. Through that fog, the aroma proved to be quite rich in fruit, as well as pretty sizably hoppy. The flavour was bitter first, but contained nuanced fruit elements--orange and grapefruit, chiefly. The finish came through as sweet in stages, but mostly curt and bitter.

Anderson IPA was an odd duck of an IPA. Its flavour didn't possess a lot of depth--rather, it was assertive and blunt, with a shortage of flair. However, for all of that, there was an undercurrent of complexity that made me really glad to have purchased a 4-pack of cans. By the end of my fourth can--spread over two nights--I was pretty much convinced that there was an intangible element that made this beer stand out in a crowded scene. I'd have enjoyed a bit more bombast and a bit more developed denouement, but it did have a certain quality that all but assures I'll revisit this little number.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.