Thanks to a fresh delivery from BC, yours truly was fortunate enough to procure a can of the rare Red Racer IPA...rare in my parts of the province that is. A can of this sells for $2.95, which if sort of pricey even for a pint, and this is only a 355 mL can. Luckily, the bold red "Best Beer in BC" label on the back justifies the price somewhat.
The beer has an amazing amber/orange color and is just a touch hazy. It pours with a generous, creamy head with an impressive retention time and lacing. The aroma is an explosion of hops inviting floral, herbal, fruity and piney notes.
OK, the aroma has it all, but the taste really blows you away. It is very hoppy, yet not so bitter that the rest of the flavours are overshadowed. The beer is very well balanced and lighter notes like papaya and pine are well pronounced.
The finish is long lasting and reveals some of the herbal and spicy characters this beer has, as well as the refreshing citrus twist.
This is...the best IPA I have had the pleasure of purchasing from the LCBO so far. There are many other IPAs that are as enjoyable as this one, but none (that I like) can be purchased at the LCBO at this time. If you are fortunate enough to come across some cans of Red Racer IPA, please do yourself a favor and buy them all.
The only gripe I have with this is compounding dryness the finish has. I predict that my mouth will be extremely dry if I have 3 or more of these in a row.
Scores:
Cost - $2.95
Taste - 9.5/10
ABV - 6.5%
Overall - 9.5/10...best IPA at the LCBO at this moment
Great review. It really is the best IPA available. My heart breaks that we're paying so much for it though. Even in BC they're paying more than states like Illinois that import it. Let us continue to enjoy world class beers but be suckers for paying so much for them.
ReplyDelete