Getaway IPA

Getaway IPA calls Collingwood, ON, and its Side Launch Brewing Company, home. The 473mL can shows that this 6.3% ale is brewed with rye flakes, oat flakes, and wheat flakes. According to the copy, it’s a New England-style IPA, though based on the lack of haziness alone, I question that classification.

Getaway is a fairly clear golden ale that pours with a luscious cover of white suds. The aroma that emerges through the bubbles is poised between citrus and evergreen. The flavour trends closer to coniferous than juicy, though the finish is moderately bitter, and its here that a little tropical fruit enters the mix.

I found Getaway to be reasonably enjoyable stuff, though it’s a touch too sweet for my tastes. If I’m drinking a mid-strength IPA, I want crisp and bitter in the driver’s seat. There is a place for sweetness, but it calls for more rambunctious fruit notes than were in evidence here. The mouthfeel is nice, though, and the initial burst of pine is delightful. This stuff’ll never be regular rotation, but I’ll definitely enjoy it again periodically.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.