Hop Circle IPA

From Victoria, British Columbia comes Hop Circle IPA, a product of the Phillips Brewing Company. It's a tasty India Pale Ale sold in 341mL bottles and containing a reasonable 6.5% alcohol. Its label carries the hop circle/alien theme pretty far.

Hop Circle pours an ever-so-slightly hazy golden colour and comes topped with an off-white head. It has very little carbonation. It features a brassy, no messing about citrus hop aroma. Likewise, the flavour amounts to a glorious bundle of hop bitterness, orange peel, and grapefruit. A firm "thwack" of hops hits you right out of the gate. Once passed that, there are some subtler flavours waiting in the wings--primarily a soft, fruity sweetness.

This stuff has a very dry, puckeringly bitter mouthfeel that's bound to play well with hops heads, but it's more than that. It's a warm, flavourful, and nicely crafted India Pale Ale--a fine Canadian example of the West Coast IPA style.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.