Sparklepuff: Galaxy Starfighter, Defender of the Universe

Probably the most written about, ranted about, and complained about beer to come out of Ontario in recent years is Flying Monkeys’ Sparklepuff: Galaxy Starfighter, Defender of the Universe. The ‘Puff proponents love this juicy, 10.2% alcohol triple IPA; Sparkle haters are critical of the beer’s chunky, sediment-heavy appearance and texture. I’m way late to the game, but it’s time for the Stout Man to weigh in.

Born in Barrie, Ontario and housed in wacky 473mL cans, Sparklepuff’s packaging features a kitty with rainbow laser eyes and loads of attitude. The effusive copy on the can mentions that the beer is unfiltered—which is an understatement. The beer has more sediment than I’ve ever seen in a beer—more than any Belgian-style beer on lees or weissbier by a wide margin. The hazy, golden ale is, in a word, chunky. Not does it pour with a whole lot of head—just a thin measure of off-white suds.

 

Sparklepuff has a fruity, peachy nose that looms over a bitter base note. The flavour is undeniably potent, with sweet and tangy peach elements, assertive citrus hops, and a powerful booze blast. 

A lot of my fellow beer reviewers have been highly critical of the amount of sediment on display in this beer and I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss it, too. To be fair, I’ve heard that this beer is a bit of a lottery and that some cans pour smooth and hazy, while others are full of floaties. But this “to be fair” isn’t a positive, when consistency is a hallmark of quality brewing. The (admittedly hearsay) can-to-can variation of Sparklepuff is evidence of an issue or a flaw. I’m typically partial to Flying Monkeys, so I’m willing to grant them some leeway, but this beer is imperfect. I’m not about to pretend to know what the problem is, since I’m a critic and not a creator, but something is wrong with this beer—that degree of sediment just can’t be okay. However, it does taste pretty grand, though the strength is perhaps unprincipled. Unlike some of my fellow beer bloggers and reviewers, I decided that I wouldn’t dump the back end of mine down the sink—I went for it, and found that the chucks were visible, but not nearly as tactile as I expected. Not exactly smooth, but certainly not evidently chunky if consumed blindfolded. Still, I’d be embarrassed to pour a beer like that for a guest or a pal without providing an awful lot of context.

So there: lots of ink spilled on an unattractive, wildly strong ale that I found to be flawed, but nonetheless enjoyable. If the Flying Monkeys can get their act together and clean this stuff up and ensure consistency, it could be a real winner. Until then, it has potential, but can’t score highly.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.