Two IPAs and a hoppy American Pale Ale from Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Imperial IPA -Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 7.0%

This unfiltered strong ale has a hop smell so strong and bitter it's almost metallic. It's a glowing reddish orange colour in a glass and is cloudy with some light sediment. The beer itself, quite unsurprisingly, tastes strongly of hops but with a caramel malt backing that prevents the beer from being one dimensional. However, even with this backdrop of sweetness, if you don't like hops this beer is not for you. If you DO like hops, this Imperial IPA has a hoppy bite that mellows as the glass empties and an interesting malt character making it an authentic and tasty IPA.

Comet Double IPA - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 7.0%

Had the chance to try this one out of a cask at the Seaport Beerfest. Quite good. Incredibly foamy. The aroma was very much watermelon and melon hops. Tastes extremely bitter, more along the lines of a sprucy hops but still with some melon tones balancing it out but overall less melon than there is in the aroma. Certainly sweet and had malt flavours but deliciously dominated by the hops.

Hop Yard Pale Ale - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 5.3%

This dry-hopped pale ale is just on the lighter side of medium amber in a glass and it pours a slightly cloudy gold with a nice fluffy head and good lacing. An aroma strongly of resin and sweet nectary hops. A very bitter very floral hops taste, citrus, melon and lots of cedar. Quite sweet with some toasted bread malt tones as well which grounds the high-flying hops taste which still dominates this lovely example of an American Pale Ale.

Depending on the sip this beer is sweet, malty, with fruity melon tones and very hoppy. If you love hops this beer is great: complicated and delicious. If you hate hops do not mess with this beer or really any other dry-hopped beer for that matter. If you are in between on whether or not you like hops give this one a try, and it may just make you a believer.

Picaroons's Summer Brews

Melon Head - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton) 4.5%

Smells like watermelon bubblegum and somehow tastes like that too! A mix of hops and natural extracted watermelon flavour gets the credit but Melon Head's flavour is so different it's still hard to believe it isn't artificially tweaked to taste this way. A really interesting beer and refreshing to boot. A full gold colour in a glass with a hilarious label.

Dooryard Summer Ale Organic Wheat - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton) 4.5%
A flowery and caramel aroma and taste. A subtle flavour of orange and a little spiciness to go along with typical wheat tones but they are somewhat masked by the caramel taste that is found in nearly every single Picaroons beer. The caramel taste is nice but its recurrent appearance in Picaroons's wide variety of types and styles (sometimes slightly inappropriately, in my opinion) is somewhat puzzling and could begin to wear on the palate. Still this is a pleasant, and certified organic, ale.