It’s been a couple of weeks since my last beer review so I’m indulging myself this week by reviewing one of the hoppiest beers I’ve yet to enjoy, Amsterdam Brewing Company‘s Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA. Don’t let the brewery’s name fool you. Amsterdam Brewing Company is actually located on the waterfront in Toronto, Ontario, their website boasting that it was the first craft brewery of its kind in the city. This thirty-year veteran of the Toronto craft brewing scene is known for its Downtown Brown, which has won more than one Ontario Brewing Award, but is also well liked by those who love a good pale ale. On top of Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA, Amsterdam has also released their “All Day Pale Ale” Cruiser, a lighter and less hop-forward pale ale, and their ridiculously strong Fracture Imperial Pale Ale, weighing in at 9% ABV. Enough about the brewery, though, on with the tasting!
Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA – First Sip
Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA’s relatively high level of carbonation and its intensely bitter flavour give it a unique mouth-feel, smooth but lingering. I smell sour apples as I take a big gulp of it, although I know other reviewers frequently comment on its piney aroma. Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA has the notes of citrus and the barely noticeable malt presence typical of most IPA’s but it is its level of mouth-watering hoppiness that sets this beer apart from others, putting it on par with other strong IPA’s like Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA, only stronger … !
Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA – Last Sip
As with most unfiltered beers, Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA is so cloudy I can’t see my hand on the other side of the glass as I drink it. Not to be a nag, but I suggest pouring this masterpiece of craft brewing into a glass before taking your first mouth-puckering draught. And, weighing in as the strongest beer I’ve reviewed so far (I think) at 7.1% ABV, one or two of these potent brews is generally enough to get me embroiled in conversations I’d be better off avoiding …
” … and furthermore, why Zack Snyder was allowed to direct another movie after directing the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead is beyond–”
