Lady Friend IPA

Built in Elora, Ontario by the imaginatively named Elora Brewing Co., Lady Friend IPA is sold in cool 500mL bottles with a label that features a badass gal striking a huge bear. The beer within contains 6% alcohol. It’s a hazy orange-gold concoction with a slightly low test 6% alcohol and a dense and durable white head.

Lady Friend has a fresh aroma that mixes melon, mango, and a touch of something citric. Quite sweet for an IPA, this Eloran ale tends toward subtle fruit notes; however, the back end has some resinous hops in measured doses.

No surprise to those who follow the Bitter World, I found Lady Friend’s 6% backbone to be a bit anemic for the IPA style—7% is closer to my ideal. The taste is agreeable and nuanced. Melon is one of my recent flavour darlings, and this one does it nicely. However, a heartier and more rambunctious finish would have made this beer a bit better.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.