Clown Punch Belgian IPA

Clown Punch Belgian IPA is a 6.7% alcohol brew from Manantler Craft Brewing Co. in Bowmanville, Ontario. The beer comes in 650mL bottles with awesome, creepy labels. The beer has a handsome dull-orange/brown colour and pours with a fluffy eggshell head.

I reviewed a bottle with my great pal, WM, over Skype during the great quarantine of 2020.

WM: Bitter hops is only present initially and it fades into a corny, malted sweetness. There’s a hint of citrus and a slight floral element.

It tastes like an IPA at the front, but a bit more like an APA toward the finish. Tastes a lot hoppier than it smells. The bitterness lingers pleasantly at the finish. Light on the palate—would have guessed there was less alcohol.

Pleasant with a lot of nice components, but its missing something to tie it all together. The beer doesn’t taste particularly Belgian, beyond a bit of yeastiness. Enjoyed, but would not seek out actively.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Stout Man: Considerable pine aromatics, with a faint floral bent and a bit of yeasty funk. Great aroma, but the flavour isn’t quite as punchy. There is a sweet malt and yeast kickoff, a quirky bubblegum streak, and a modestly bitter finish.

The beer is a decent take on the Belgian IPA style, but it isn’t as boisterously bitter as I’d have liked, nor as yeasty as it might have been.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.