Sinister Minister

I'd never heard of Ridgeway, Ontario when I purchased a 500mL bottle of Sinister Minister, but now I think I might like to visit, if only to visit Brimstone Brewing Co., the maker of the 7% alcohol IPA.

Aesthetically, I dig both Sinister Minister's hazy, burnished copper colour and the label, which depicts heavily tattooed hands clasped in prayer. The beer pours with a lusty off-white foam that lingered for a respectable period. To my nose, SM waltzed with notes of tropical fruit and a sticky bitterness. The flavour was resinous, faintly fruity, and garnished with a burnt sugar accent. The finish was murky, bitter, and assertively punctuated.

One of the more original Ontario IPAs I've sampled in a while, Sinister Minister has the makings of something quite excellent. It has some rough edges, but to my mind, those quirks are what gives it character. I'll definitely be buying this one again, and keeping my ear to the ground for the bottle-on-bottle tinkle of more Brimstone offerings.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.