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 Dunham/Kissmeyer Leo's Early Breakfast IPA.
Katy:
Brewed by gypsy brewer Anders Kissmeyer at Brasserie Dunham, this American IPA is super interesting as it's brewed with Earl Grey tea and guava puree. Upfront the aroma is full of resin with bergamot becoming more pronounced as it warms. It tastes like it smells ..at first. Wonderful resin with bergamot and floral hops mixing in, but as you sip other flavours become more pronounced. Tropical flavours of guava start picking up in the middle and a nice black tea bitterness lingers at the end. At 54 IBUs and 6% ABV this brew is easy to drink and quite enjoyable, no wonder Leo's having it for breakfast!
I'll have to admit I wasn't expecting to like this beer when at first glance I saw how cloudy it was, as I don't usually like cloudy/unfiltered beer. But it has a nice amber colour amidst the cloudiness. The aroma is sweet and almost citrusy blended with a strong hoppy smell as well the faint scent of Earl Grey tea. As a tea lover I really enjoyed the Earl Grey flavour and found it to be very present. I love the hint of fruitiness from the guava. Overall I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this beer.
Available at Bières Du Monde (181 Rue Principal Aylmer, QC) - lesbieresdumonde.com
I had a couple of bottles of this beer in my basement for months and only opened them last week. It's an incredibly well-balanced IPA. Great stuff!
Cheers!
Posted by: RossBrownfoot | Thursday, August 08, 2013 at 05:54 PM