Today we have a go at Waterloo IPA by Waterloo Brewing Ltd in...Kitchener, Ontario. I have to say that for some reason I am leaning away from calling this a craft beer because I tried Waterloo Dark so many years ago, but that's not a rational reason to think such a thing. It says on the can that they are Ontario's first craft brewer, so who am I to take that away from them?
With all that aside, I am looking forward to this beer. I like IPA's and since Waterloo Brewing has been around a while now, I'm thinking they should have a handle on things by now. It's amber, if I knew what amber looked like for sure, and it's clear and filtered. It's a healthy 5.2%, and by the smell of it, I will hazard a guess that it's not going to be overly hoppy.
Let's see if my nose knows.
My nose does know. This beer is mildly hopped. So mildly hopped it doesn't really taste like an IPA. It's something all its own. It's tasty, it's on the lighter side, and it does have a hint of bitterness in the finish, but it's really hard to place it in the IPA category. I guess it's like an Alexander Kieth's; it is an IPA by the industry standards, but it's an IPA for the masses.
It's good beer and I like it. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. It has a nice flavour, and it goes down smooth and easy. I could see getting all messy drinking these out with the boys at the local watering hole no problem. If it ha a political lean, I would say it's centrist. Nothing to extreme either way despite it's official designation.
I could see this beer flowing at a family gathering (with the number of guests kept at or below the Covid mandated limits, of course), at a bar, around a fire beside a lake somewhere in the Muskokas, or anywhere else for that matter. It's a fit in and get along kind of guy, always in a good mood and even remembers your name after only meeting you once.
You'd even be alright with this character dating your sister.
I would serve this beer in a standard pint glass because there's no real outstanding characteristics that should be highlighted with specific glassware like you would want in a more hoppy IPA. A guy could ALMOST drink this one out of the can, if that guy were a goddam heathen.
My rating: 6.5/10. The drinkability is its strongest attribute, but it falls a little flat for my tastes as an IPA.
My lovely wife is my second sipper and man does that woman hate IPA's! It borders on pathological.
My wife's rating: 2/10
There you have it, friends. Waterloo IPA by Waterloo Brewing Ltd Kitchener, Ontario is an easy going beer that fits just about any occasion that isn't a wine tasting. It won't blow your sock off, but it won't steal your girlfriend either. Check out Waterloo Brewing at waterloobrewing.com for more of their offerings and learn about how Waterloo Brewing came to be.
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