Day 72: India Pale Ale from Beaver's River

You may or may not know that I have a particular sweet spot for India Pale Ales. Something about the snap of it, maybe it's the cling of it, maybe it's how it tastes like you are literally out in the middle of the woods. But this one does not disappoint. If you like hoppiness, you'll love this guy.

Evergreen flavors, a bubbly flavour, a dark rich finish. Can't wait to eat it with some nice wild game some day!

On Beau's all Natural Brewing Company

Based in Vanleek Hill, Ontario, the company uses local spring water and doesn't chemically alter it. Because of this the mineral content in the water changes with the seasons.

100% of the malts are certified organic. don’t use malt extracts and add high-glucose corn syrup. 100% of the hops are certified organic.

The approach to freshness is fanatic. They personally deliver beer every week to each individual store and restaurant that carries the beer. They work with restaurants to make every effort to have clean beer lines and small inventories.

On Beaver River India Pale Ale (from company website)

BEAVER•RIVER marries the typical flavour profiles of the British and American interpretations of an India Pale Ale. Expect a bold yet balanced blend of hop bitterness, estery yeast character, and a blend of both citrus and earthy hop aromas.

Tasting Notes

Citrusy & piney-earthy hoppiness complemented by bready maltiness, fruity esters and caramel flavours.

On India Pale Ale (from beaus.ca)

The origins of the India Pale Ale are as exciting as the flavours themselves. During Britain’s occupation of India, British soldiers were guaranteed a ration of 6 pints of beer a day. However the beer would spoil on the long ship ride to India, so brewers were forced to make a few adaptations to give the beer a better chance of surviving the voyage. The essential oils of the hop plant is a natural preservative as is the alcohol. So to help the beer stay good longer, the beer was made with more hops (increasing the bitterness of the beer) and at a higher strength (which also helps keep the beer tasting balanced, as the extra malts needed to increase alcohol also adds sweetness). The resulting beer was very strong and flavourful.

Fast forward to the early days of craft brewing in North America. Innovative pioneers in the United States and Canada began brewing flavourful, high quality beer intended to provide an alternative to bland, corn-syrup laden mass produced beer that dominated the beer industry. Their experimentation led them to the traditional IPA style. They also began using hops that grew in North America, which tended to be more assertive in flavour and aroma. This led to what is now commonly referred to as an American-style IPA.