Hooked Up

Hooked Up is an interesting concept—two double IPAs with a common name brewed by two breweries in two cities—one a West Coast classic and the other described as “a more modern DIPA.” The Hooked Up collaboration is the work of Toronto’s Henderson Brewing Co. and Ottawa’s Broadhead Brewery.

First up I decided to tackle Broadhead’s version of Hooked Up. Sold in 473mL cans, the beer has 7.5% alcohol, which is a tad under strength compared to my preferred Double IPAs, but still strong enough to have some snap. The beer is bronze in colour and pours with a touch of ecru head. To my nose, there is a medley of tropical fruit notes, a touch of pine, and a slightly metallic tinkle. The flavour is quite sweet, particularly initially, with floral, honey, and fruit elements. There is some bitterness, but it is restrained. And there is a notable absence of boozy burn.

It’s not a bad beer, but there are definitely some tweaks that could make it sing—more booze and a heartier texture.

Rating 7.0 out of 10.

The West Coast leaning Henderson Brewing Co. edition of Hooked Up is an 8.5% brew. It’s copper coloured and clear, with a dense and creamy  off-white head. The beer has mild but agreeable aroma focused around a roasty malt foundation and accents of pine and grapefruit. The flavour is considerably more assertive, with citrus and evergreen driving the bus. The beer is fairly malty, but the balance is mixed in favour of hops and bitterness. The booze is apparent, without being dominant.

This was a really enjoyable double IPA—strong and brassy, with a nice, old school flavour profile.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.