Vertical Dreams

Another IPA from the Toronto foothold of Collective Arts Brewing, Vertical Dreams is made with Azacca, Citra, and Nelson hops, along with some wheat. The beer comes in 500mL bottles with fun labels that feature what looks like a business pigeon and a queer party gator. The beer inside is a little more muted, with a dull golden colour and a bit of haze.

Through a modest white foam, the ale has a soft citrus aroma—lime particularly. The flavour is fairly mild and inclined toward fruity sweetness. The sweetness continues through the finish, though there is also a turn toward some resin bitterness.

At 7%, this beer has some ballast, but I found myself wishing for a little less sweetness and a little more character. Still, a pretty nice little IPA from CA’s Toronto location.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Prospect (DDH Simcoe)

Prospect is a series of single hop IPAs made by Toronto’s outstanding Left Field Brewery. The 355mL cans are, unfortunately, way overpriced in the provincial liquor stores, but when I saw a DDH Simcoe edition of Prospect, I snapped it up pretty quick anyway.

At 6.7%, the beer has decent strength. It’s a hazy, slightly milky golden ale that poured with a sudsy white head. To my nose, the beer had a juicy, tropical fruit nose spiked with something slightly floral. Simcoe Prospect tasted surprisingly boozy, with notes of over-ripe mango, some sticky resin, and a flourish of bitterness at the back end.

This was a tasty, dank, and juicy IPA with some verve. Questionable price tag nothwithstanding, I thought it was pretty good stuff, though I’d have liked a beefier IBU presence.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.