[MindBomber]

Interesting, might need to check this one out.

Switchback IPA (Lighthouse Brewing Company, 6.5%)

This is the first in a series of reviews on the new wave of B.C. IPAs. This province already produces some of the best India Pale Ales in Canada and arguably North America – I’m looking at you, Red Racer and Fat Tug – but that doesn’t deter craft brewers releasing new takes on the style into an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Lighthouse already had an IPA in its range when head brewer Dean McLeod was challenged to make a bolder, more distinctive West Coast-style brew.

The New Zealander had previously tinkered with hops from his native land and now decided to add their flavours and aromas to a staggering bill of 14 different hop strains in what was to become the Switchback IPA .

(McLeod explained the effort that goes into making this beer as part of my Labeer of Love series.)

All the hard work was clearly worth it, because this is one of the most distinctive B.C. IPAs on the market right now. And the market is loving it, considering how quickly supplies dwindled when it was released this spring.

A bold, clear, slightly reddish copper colour with a robust, long-lasting white head, Switchback looks great in a glass.

But the journey really starts with the nose. Immediately snappy and biscuity, it suddenly blooms into a basket of tropical fruit notes: passion fruit, mango, guava, with a slightly sour grapefruit edge. A solid caramel malt sweetness underpins it all.

That sweetness is the first flavour to hit, but again, the fruit arrives just in time for the party. There’s cantaloupe, melon and some strawberry in there, with some bitter herbs (I caught some sage and thyme) and a little grass.

There’s even a hint of roastiness that comes into play as a sturdy bitterness coats the tongue and attacks the sides of the mouth, leaving a snappy, salty-sour tang.

This then develops into an umame savouriness in the aftertaste and elegant finish, which is long and dry but maybe just a little too thin, but purely in relation to the riot of flavours that have come before.

Nevertheless, this is an extraordinary, unique B.C. IPA that reveals what careful blending of hop strains can achieve.