I am not a fan of using the name Champagne to refer to beer. If I wanted Champagne, I’m not looking at a can from Nine Locks Brewing for Christ’s sake. Maybe they named it after looking at the beer in the glass – it does have a colour that resembles Champagne. But Cranky old men in a beer store are not gravitating to the Champagne section. Luckily the LCBO knows how to organize things and this one is on the shelf near the other IPA’s. That’s how I found it. I never heard of Nine Locks before …it’s actually from Dartmouth, NS which likely explains it. So I was willing to try one, in spite of the fluffy Champagne moniker.
I was disappointed by the experience. I figured an IPA at 6.3% and 38 IBU should have a kick to it and some snappy flavour to brighten a November evening. A decent pour, although quite cloudy in the glass. It had a bright, tropical flavour – but still less than I expected. It is advertised as a super dry finish which I can’t argue with, and the bitterness is more noticeable at the end. The citrus flavour does pair well with food, but I have to say I was expecting more from our East coast beer masters.
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