Katy and Sasha are the contributors for Ottawa Beer Events! They
have distinctly different palates and in this segment they go
head-to-head tasting Yakima IPA by Microbrasserie Le Castor.
Katy:
I'll admit I don't know much about Quebec craft beers and I'll often talk to Ryan from Bières Du Monde for advice, but Le Castor has been on my radar since Beau's brewer Matthew O'Hara mentioned it in our #IPAday post.
Pouring a hazy gold with creamy white head and delicious aromas of orange zest, grapefruit, mango and pine resin. The flavours aren't as juicy as the nose, but there is a little grapefruit citrus and a lingering grassy-pine hop bite. A hint of sweet malt tries to balance the hop bitterness, but does little to restrain the hops.
This Quebec beer reminds me of the big West Coast IPAs. Juicy, bitter and recklessly hoppy – I love it.
I'm not going to lie, when I first took a sip of Yakima IPA I didn't want to drink anymore. The aroma when poured is an overwhelming mix of hops and yeast. The first sip was very bitter and hoppy, not a style of beer that I enjoy.
But then the beer started to warm up and with that the bitterness subsided and the citrus flavour came out and I was pleasantly surprised. It was still very hoppy, but I didn't mind it. Overall a nice beer if you give it a chance.
Available at Bières Du Monde (181 Rue Principal Aylmer, QC) - lesbieresdumonde.com
