Another much-loved American IPA has made its way, a little slowly, north
of the border. Jai Alai India Pale Ale, the 7.5%, 65 IBU bruiser from
Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City Brewing, recently showed up at my local
LCBO. It’s dated June 3 and I’m drinking it in October, which isn’t
ideal, but I’ve enjoyed older beers many times.
Jai
Alai is a happy golden ale with a hefty portion of off-white suds. It
has a sweet, caramel malt aroma balanced against a whiff of solid citrus
bitterness. The flavour and the nose of this IPA are in absolute
accord, with notes of caramel/toffee claiming the initial position and
orange pulp bitterness occupying the back end.
This
beer is hoppy, sure, but it’s also really well-balanced. The strength
of this beer is a strength, as it were, but so to its rich and agreeable
flavour. As expected, I liked this stuff a lot. Despite the slightly
aged provenance, I was pleased with the beer and found it bright and
fresh-tasting. Guys, this really is a good beer. Just a nice riff on the
IPA with lots of heft and commendable balance.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10.
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