Rainbow in the Dark

Billed as a “winter rye I.P.A.”, Redline Brewhouse’s Rainbow in the Dark came highly recommended by my server at Pinkerton’s, a little snack bar with a beer list that could in Toronto’s east end. Sold in lovely northern lights-themed 473mL cans, this Barrie, Ontario offering clocked in at 6.6% alcohol and a pretty rowdy 61 IBUs.

Cloudy and orange-gold, RITD poured under a luscious layer of off-white head. It had a potent citrus aroma, rich in lime notes. The flavour was somewhat unusual, with a combo that blended floral hops, spicy rye, and tangy citrus. The fairly enthusiastic IBU count was evident toward the finish, which was both bitter and thirst-quenching.

This little brew from Barrie had some game. I’d have liked to see the alcohol percentage tick up a few levels into the 7+ range to warm this brew up a bit, but the citrus/hops/rye combo lended a very interesting flavour that I found pretty engrossing—were I pairing, I’d have allied this beer with a spicy Thai prawn dish.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.