COMDB have been selected as a treatment group in a single blind study to pick Nickel Brook’s next beer. This is the type of assignment that us COM take very seriously, and let us just say, we are happy we’re not in the control group. *
Challenge accepted
Mystery Beer A is only identified as a Canadian IPA, eh. 6% ABV, barley, rye, wheat but no other distinguishing characteristics or visible scars. Time to administer the treatment.
Dark and foreboding and a head with a mind of its own.
A dark pour for an IPA, with a snow drift of a head on this Canuck. It’s a head with a mind of its own, as it attempts to slowly climb out of my glass. I can barely smell a dark berry fruit aroma emanating from just below the igloo in my glass. First quaff is a blueberry tutti fruity sweetness, no bitters or hoppiness. A middlin’ mouthfeel but quite sweet and not hoppy for an IPA, the blueberries are relentless, the hops just can’t get through although a slight bitter finish does show up halfway through.
When I first saw the name Nickel Brook years ago I just assumed it was a Sudbury based brewer. I lived in Sudbury in the late 80’s early 90’s . I remember in mid summer, all those cars parked by the highway. Were they amateur geologists, rock buffs on rocky bluffs? Or just some unshy travelers with small bladders answering the call of nature? Perhaps hikers fond of scampering over the Canadian shield and scraggly bush with views of the Trans Canada? Maybe Fats Domino fans looking for a thrill? ** None of the above is your correct answer. In late July and August the blueberries up there were as thick as the blackflies were in the spring. ***
Now blueberries are great on your pancakes or cornflakes, or as stuffin’ in a muffin. In a pie or on your ice cream. But in my beer? This isn’t our first bluebrew sampling. The big question here is whether the KISS principle was adhered to. As in keep it subtle sudsmaster. Is the blueberry in this brewberry subtle. The simple answer is no.
And now COMDB will give a name for a beer with no name: We dub this beer: IP Eh!
I’ll be as nice as I can be with Mystery Beer A because I like Nickel Brook. Let’s just say I’m looking forward to Mystery Beer B.
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