Rebecca — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

Well, despite assertions from major beer-writers in Toronto (I’m looking at you, Ben), this is the perfect beer for Valentines Day. Even if it doesn’t hit shelves till tomorrow It’s at the retail stores now! Get it on your way home. Why? Well, for starters, this vDay is on Friday. This is Rebecca Black IPA (get it?). The fact that this was actually named for an old Hitchcock movie be damned, it’s Friday Friday! Also, because it’s a Black IPA, it’s dark and bitter, like your soul. Unless you had a date for Valentines. In which case it’s complexity is like you, you poetic masterpiece.

Rebecca — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

Rebecca — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

From a 650ml Adventure Series one-off bottle, Rebecca pours a near solid black. Very bright light shows hints of brown at the edges, which you can also see while pouring. A generous mocha head drops to about 1/4″ of dense foam that laces the glass heavily. Aroma is evergreen hops and charred malts. There’s some spiciness as well, sort of black pepper and ginger. There’s coffee and chocolate from the malts, and a slightly astringent touch of citrus, maybe a little grapefruity. Taste is amazing. There’s some bitingly dry hoppiness off the top, then a huge shot of burnt sugar and coffee. There’s some leather and spices, then resinous pine hops. It’s actually tripping me out, as I’m typing at my new desk that I recently built, and it’s made out of unfinished pine. I can still smell the piney smell from the construction, then there’s this sticky pine smell in the beer. A weird pairing, indeed.  With a bit of warming, the hops get even more sticky, and the malts show more chocolate and leather. I suspect this is actually on the heavy side of medium-bodied, maybe even moving into the heavy range.  But there is a prickly carbonation, and with the biting hops the weight is very manageable.  Not something highly sessionable, but a wonderful Black IPA, perfect for sipping.

As always, cheers to Iain and the crew.

Buy Rebecca Black IPA

Bottles of Rebeccca hit shelves at both Esandar in Leaside and the BrewPub on Queen’s Quay tomorrow, February 15th right now!

Drink It With

Blue cheese, for sure. Something with a nice shot of funk, and saltiness. Beers this big are very difficult to find things that can keep up with them, but funky cheese is one.  I’ve said it before, but an Indonesian beef rendang could work too, especially if you jack the heat a bit. Also, bourbon would be a good pairing, which would be perfect, if your Valentines night was less than perfect…..

About The Brewery

The Amsterdam Brewing Company is an independently owned and operated craft brewery that is deeply rooted in the city of Toronto. A pioneer of the craft beer revolution in 1986 and initially called the Amsterdam Brasserie and Brew Pub, The Amsterdam was the first of its kind in Toronto to offer patrons hand crafted lagers and ales that were brewed ‘in-house’. Today they brew over ten different beers including their flagship lager – Amsterdam Natural Blonde, the award winning Big Wheel Deluxe Amber, Boneshaker IPA and multiple year-round and seasonal brews. The Amsterdam Brewing Company uses only traditional brewing methods and their beers are made with four all natural ingredients – malt, hops, yeast, and water. All beers are GMO-free, without preservatives, and never heat pasteurized.

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