Flying Monkeys SuperCollider - Double IPA

It's hard to believe it has been 4 months since my inaugural blog entry. In fact, if you go by the schedule of "one blog post per week" that I originally set my mind out to do, this should be lucky post number 14. During those 14 weeks I have had many exciting beer moments. I've traveled to England and Scotland - land of incredible cask ale. I've been to many local beer events, and drank some remarkably rare and tasty beer. I've even... been too inebriated to type a number of times.

But it is this beer that made me come out of hiding and break my endless circle of procrastination to write my second blog post. Why? This could be the beer that puts Ontario "on the map" for DIPA production (I say this to myself staring at the cleverly labeled $8.95 650ml bottle).

Is SuperCollider good? Yes. Can it compete with veteran DIPA brewers south of the border like Bells, Russian River, Founders? Gentle reader, you are about to find out!

SuperCollider looks and sounds impressive. A 12.4% DIPA packing a 160IBU punch wrapped up in a beautifully designed bottle. The beer pours uncharacteristically dark but clear. Some internet sources list the beer style as "Imperial Black India Pale Ale" which is probably a better style descriptor than simply "Double IPA".

The beer puts out a surprisingly high amount of alcohol fumes. Maybe I should expect that given the 12.4%, but I also tend to get spoiled by the American's finesse for balance and control on these massive beers. On the plus side, this is a huge hop bomb with a well executed malt backbone. I'm not sure what hop vareties are used here, but I'm guessing a combination of warrior, cascade and citra. Characteristic light fruit and citrus are present in a big way.

Tasting Supercollider reveals more alcohol presence. Initial sip is citrus and pineapple, followed by a sweet malt backbone and finally a wallop of hop bitterness and alcohol. Finish is very dry and lingering, parching the corners and rear of your palate. Flying Monkeys has certainly delivered a B-52 sized payload of hop bomb, but compared to world class DIPA's like Hopslam or Pliny the Elder, this is a mess.

In conclusion I believe this is not the DIPA messiah Ontario beergeeks have been looking for, and one that needs some tweaking before Flying Monkeys of Barrie Ontario should add this to their usual (and excellent) selection. However, this is definitely a welcome addition to the Ontario brewing landscape, and I applaud Peter at Flying Monkeys for his recent experimentations, world records, and dedication to making Ontario a better place to live for beer enthusiasts!

Until next time... (whenever that is!)