Muddy York's Brave Noise

 My first taste of the Brave Noise project came from Toronto’s Muddy York Brewing Co. Their Brave Noise Pale Ale is a collab with VQH Farms. It’s a 5.6% brew sold in 355mL cans that feature a QR code that links to the Toronto brewery’s code of conduct. A portion of the sales from this beer go to support the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres.

This version of Brave Noise is a strikingly clear amber beer with limited off-white head and a gorgeous pine, caramel, and grapefruit aroma. The beer has a decent amount of caramel-minded malt, but the real driver is a lovely pine bitterness.

Close to a not-so-potent West Coast IPA, Muddy York’s Brave Noise tastes big and tastes great! I’d love to see this as a year round initiative. To be clear, I don’t know if this is a standard recipe or one that can be tweaked, but what was in the can slaps, and it is in service of an improved beerscape more friendly to, and less harmful to, women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities. It’s a damn fined cause and a tasty product.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Border Crossing

 An international collaboration between Hamilton, ON’s Collective Arts Brewing and Buffalo, NY’s Thin Man Brewing, Border Crossing is an aptly named IPA. The beer checks in at 6% and it’s brewed with the engaging trio of Cascade, Simcoe, and Vic Secret hops. Border Crossing is a hazy bastard, with a slightly milky yellow-gold colour, white head, and loads of attractive lace. It comes in 473mL cans that feature a cool hockey illustration.

BC has a juicy, slightly floral nose built around citrus. Likewise, the flavour has a sweet and fruity nature that spotlights orange and grapefruit. And it comes with a smooth and silky texture that makes sipping a treat.

Border Crossing is a good IPA. It’s a lot like a number of others on the market and it doesn’t have much to distinguish itself, though I had few complaints. I’d have liked more booze (naturally!) and a bit more emphasis on the grapefruit side of the citrus equation. I’d definitely buy this one again.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

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.