At the head of the Rideau Canal, on the West end of the Upper Rideau, is the aptly named village of Westport. Driving down Main Street and I see the Westport Brewing Co. so by reflex I stop and drop in to do some suds shopping. The place is packed at lunch time, they must be doing something right. The owner is in the building greeting the lunch bunch and the daytime drinkers alike. Me, I’m browsing the bottle shop for some take aways. A Dock Days NEIPA was one of them.
Now I’m all about supporting local breweries whenever I can, and WB looked like a swell place in a charming little village. However, I am also about honest, sometimes cranky reviews for brews that are not pleasing to the palate. Enter Dock Days. My first concern was an IPA with an IBU of 6? A typo perhaps? Perhaps not.
A solid orange pour, not hazy, not pulpy, just orange, with some sediment coming from the bottom of the can into my glass? What’s that all about? No head while pouring, or anytime thereafter. Smells as OJ juicy as it looks, so it’s got that going for it. The first taste is a not pleasant mix of juice with malt and an astringent finish and slightly boozy aftertaste. Hopefully it improves but we all know that it’s hard to get first impressions off your mind. It’s thin watery juice, with that astringent finish and a bit of bitters. If I didn’t know better I would think this brew was past its best days date, but I bought it directly from the brewery not long ago and it’s been on ice ever since.
I was looking forward to an IPA, but not this one. Dock Days dismays. I’m afraid I have to dry dock this one.
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