Hello and welcome to Beers and Such, a beer review site by a guy that is just learning about and experimenting with craft beers. Please keep in mind that all of these reviews are one man's opinion, and should be taken as such. Even though I'm probably right in my assessments a good 81% of the time, your own experience may vary.
Today I'll be having a go at 7 Squared New England IPA brought to you by The Exchange Brewery located in beautiful Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. First, I want to say right off the bat I have no idea how to use super script on my computer (or any computer for that matter) so the name of this beer should be written like it would be in math class with a 7 and a little elevated 2 beside it.
My apologies to The Exchange Brewery and all those involved with naming this beer. I actually have my suspicions that Elon Musk may have had a hand in it.
This is the first beer I've come across that has chunks of who knows what moving about in it. It does say on the can that this beer contains natural sediment, so I was warned. Still, I have some reservations as I typically avoid floaties in my beverages.
Fortune favours the bold they say, so I'll soldier on. The beer is dark yellow/orange-ish and a little foamier than some other IPA's I've tried. It smells fruity, and that's a good sign. It's also a hefty 7%, so if the bits of stuff trucking around in the beer don't bother you, there's all kinds of mischief waiting for you in this black can.
Moving on to the tasting, I find myself wondering if I'll have to chew this one...
Well that's a tasty beverage. It's very fruity, citrus specifically, and it doesn't have that sometimes nasty flavour some hops give off. There's a nice bitter aftertaste, but no ick in the back of my throat. It's really quite nice.
There's no doubt this is an IPA, but it's not inclined to beat you over the head with overdone hallmarks of the style. My other New England IPA adventure had that overpowering hoppiness to it, but this one is much easier to drink. I'm a little leery of the bits, still. I haven't come across any big ones yet, and I am seriously dreading the encounter.
I think this will be a one and done for me, personally. I like the flavour, but the bits throw me off too much for me to go on a bender with these babies. Your own tastes may lead to a legendary night of debauchery fueled by too many of these chunky beers, and I say all the power to you, my friend.
As usual, the IPA glass fits the glassware bill for this IPA. Why not get a set of them? That way you don't have to wash the glass every time you want a beer. Good thinking, right?
My rating: 7/10. I know I'm labouring the point, but the bits are a deal breaker for me.
My lovely wife is my second sipper and resident IPA hater. She didn't see the bits until after she tasted the beer, so it gets a better rating than it would have if she had seen them first.
My wife's rating: 2.5/10
There you have it, friends. 7 Squared (sorry) New England IPA by The Exchange Brewery in Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario is a chunky, light tasting, heavy hitting beer that was an adventure for me. Head on over to exchangebrewery.com to peruse the full line up of beers from this fine brewery.
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