Best Feature: bitter, hoppy, refreshing!

Granville Island Brewery is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and as part of the celebration they have developed a new beer, Brockton IPA. This is a very aggressive beer for Granville Island Brewery and is sure to capture a huge following from beer lovers who can never get enough bitterness and hops.

For the 25th Anniversary, Granville Island Brewery has also created a new but similar look for the bottles and logo. All of the bottles and cans are feature bright colours - the Brockton India Pale Ale is a very nice shade of green. Although this beer is very new, I have tried it several times in both bottles and in draught form - fortunately the flavour and aroma is consistent. The aroma is a nice combination of hops providing a very floral citrus note and a slight hint of peppers. The blend of hops and resulting aroma is very alluring. In the glass, Brockton IPA is a dark golden colour with a slight amount of cloudiness. The pour creates a nice dense head with thick bubbles which leaves a residual brewer's lace around the glass when the beer is consumed. The initial flavour is a burst of hoppy bitterness and a blend of citrus fruitiness; grapefruit, lemon/lime and orange. Although the flavour and finish is bitter this beer is very clean on the tongue and refreshing. Traditional IPA have both a higher alcohol content and the usually have higher amounts of hops that create a nicely balanced bitterness. Brockton IPA does not disappoint. The mouthfeel is pleasantly light the finish is smooth and the citrus bitterness lingers for a nice amount of time.

Brockton IPA is perfect for a hot sunny day and drinking beer on a Vancouver patio. The bitterness is very thirst quenching on hot summer days. In addition, this beer will work well with a variety of stronger flavours; medium to strong curry, blue cheese and peppercorn steak. It will definitely work with light salty foods but it is recommended to go with aggressive flavoured foods the combine several spices and herbs.

Beer Fact: Founded in 1984, Granville Island Brewery has been very successful brewing BC beer lovers a wide variety of naturally brewed beers. IPA was formerly a limited release beer but is now part of the year round lineup.