Thursday 16 August 2018

Space Invader IPA

I found my eyes instantly drawn to a retro-looking, 8-bit-style can in my local beer vendor the other day and wound up coming home with a handful of 473mL aluminum sleeves of Space Invader IPA.

A 6% alcohol brew from Amsterdam Brewery in Toronto, Space Invader is a hazy golden India pale. It pours with a lacy white head and a light burst of carbonation. The beer as a sticky, fruity scent that, while bitter. has tropical leanings. Unlike Amsterdam’s excellent Boneshaker IPA, Space Invader eschews potent grapefruit notes in favour of juicy tropical notes. It has some sweetness mingled with a slightly floral tone, leading toward a modestly bitter finish.

Not early as bitter or boisterous as Boneshaker, in my opinion, Space Invader isn’t as good either. However, I’ve met lots of reasonable people who find Boney to be too sharp and hoppy—I suspect in Space Invaders Amsterdam has found a recipe less likely to be divisive among casual beer drinkers who are wary of big IBU numbers. As a fan of IPAs that can strip the enamel off your teeth while punishing your liver, I’d definitely have preferred this beer to be stronger and more bitter, but the smart folks at Amsterdam clearly didn’t set out to create Boney II. The result was an IPA with good drinkability, an agreeable flavour, and a summery vibe.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

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