WHIP Piña Colada Smoothie IPA

WHIP Piña Colada Smoothie IPA, from Left Field Brewery, is a complicated little brew that reflects a moderately complicated pitching statistic. Like its cocktail namesake, it features pineapple, coconut, along with lactose, oats, wheat, vanilla yeast, to combine in a 6% concoction that is sold in 355mL cans.

A milky golden brew, WHIP glugs out of its aluminum cage with a thin off-white head. It has a coconut-driven nose accented with pineapple 

 sweetness. The flavour hits the piña colada pedigree ever more squarely, with sweet coconut and pineapple elements evident to even the most untested palate. Behind that, there is a light hoppiness evident at the finish.

Left Field’s Piña Colada Smoothie IPA delivered exactly what it promised, with a creamy mouthfeel and boatloads of Island flavours. This isn’t exactly a novelty beer, but it is definitely the kind of ale that I’d only reach for occasionally. Too sweet for business drinking, but definitely interesting, it’s a beer I liked, but won’t hurry out for a second. I was watching the Toronto Maple Leafs host the hated Boston Bruins when I reached for this can of ale, needing something Toronto-born to cheer on the Buds—something from one of Toronto’s elite breweries seemed like an appropriate choice, and even if it didn’t fuel the Leafs to victory, it left me satisfied. My only real beef is that I’d have liked a more boisterously bitter finish to balance the sweet front end.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Black Raspberry Thunder Milkshake IPA

According to the 473mL can that contains Black Raspberry Thunder Milkshake IPA, this beer from Bracebridge, Ontario’s Muskoka Brewery is a collaboration with Kawartha Dairy, and some of the proceeds go “to support ongoing local community improvement projects”, though it isn’t immediately clear just which projects and what support.

Black Raspberry Thunder is one of my faves among Kawartha Dairy’s excellent ice cream flavours. Muskoka’s milkshake IPA homage is a 6% brew constructed with oats, raspberries, blackberries, and black raspberries. The beer has a vibrant red colour and a blaze of white head. It has a robust berries and cream aroma and loads of sweetness. The flavour is juicy, with lots of berry elements. The mouthfeel is agreeably smooth, though the bitterness quotient could be a smidge higher.

This beer would make a tasty dessert on its own—it’s sweet and flavourful—though if I had some vanilla ice cream, I bet this stuff would make for a gnarly float. To the negative side of the ledger, I’d really have liked more assertive bitterness and a few ticks more booze.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

YY*>PMI

A member of Bandit Brewery’s YY* Series of milkshake pale ales, YY*>PMI is flavoured with cantaloupe. A 6.2% alcohol ale from Toronto, the beer comes in 500mL bottles with a chilled out surfer raccoon hanging ten on the label.

The beer itself is a hazy golden brew that pours with an exacting amount of off-white head. Sure enough, PMI has a nose that alludes to cantaloupe, with sweet and fresh aromatics draping a veil across light hops sensibilities. The initial flavour is all melon and sweetness, with lots of fruity goodness. However, as the beer starts to warm, that sweetness becomes a touch cloying. My recommendation is to drink this beer cold and quickly—perhaps it’s best shared. The back end is slightly bitter, but not hopped quite enough to balance out the sweet front end. The milkshake-y nature of this beer certainly does provide a nice texture though.

The novelty (at least for me) is a cantaloupe beer makes this one worth trying, and I thought it was executed reasonably well. After all, that particular melon has a pretty bashful flavour compared to some other fruits, and this beer managed to get it to sing. Sadly, is sang a bit too loudly in the sweetness department. 

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Liquid Art Fest IPA

Perhaps the “orangest” beer I’ve ever tried, Collective Arts Brewing’s Liquid Art Fest IPA has a milky creamsicle colour. The Hamilton, Ontario ale comes in funky 473mL cans that have some kind of rock hop monster on them. The milkshake IPA has just 5.9% alcohol and it’s brewed with lactose, mango purée, passion fruit purée, flaked oats, and vanilla.

Unsurprisingly, Liquid Art Fest has a juicy, fruit-forward nose. It has a particular emphasis on mango. The flavour kicks off with an unexpectedly tart element. Tropical fruits are ably represented and there is a whisper of vanilla sweetness that serves to mellow the sharpness of the purée.

The lactose and oats combo gives Liquid Art Fest (brewed in honour of the eponymous festival put on by Collective Arts in June) a very smooth and creamy body; something that runs a bit contrary to the tartness, but which has some unusual charm. My biggest complaint with this beer is that, for an IPA, bitterness isn’t at a premium and booze is a bit underrepresented. Still, I wouldn’t complain if the gang at Collective Arts decided to elevate this beer from a limited release to a regular offering. It’s innovative and oddball.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Live Transmission

Live Transmission is Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery’s entrée into the hot and trendy world of milkshake IPAs. On top of lactose, this 6.3% ale from Barrie, Ontario is brewed with coconut white tea, orange peel, and grapefruit.

Golden-hued and slightly hazy, Live Transmission pours with a sudsy crown of white head. It has a wildly juicy aroma—primarily driven by big citrus notes, but also a not so subtle coconut element that gives it a very tropical scent. LT has a fairly smooth and creamy mouthfeel for an IPA, owing to the lactose. The flavour is substantial, with fruity notes to spare, but it is also, to my mind, way too sweet. The finish has some bitterness, but it was a bit too little too late.

Personally, I like a milkshake IPA alright, but I think their execution requires something really tart or really bitter to set off the creaminess. This one has beautiful flavours, but I didn’t find the sweetness as complementary as it could have been. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good beer made by a great brewery, but compared to Smashbomb or Juicy Ass, Live Transmission was just fair.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.