While the prevailing trend in beer locally has been for more sessionable styles with a lower ABV, down south of the border, the craft games seems to be dominated by big bold beers that will fuck your day up if you’re not careful.
Double IPAs, in particular, seem to be the hype can of choice these days, and the hazier the better. All though juicy hops do a great job of hiding any alcoholic warmth, so they go down way easier then they should. Remember that time when you first tried Fat Tug, and you had three pints and couldn’t walk straight? Now picture a beer that’s even smoother, fruitier and with significantly more alcohol.
Yeah, these beers are trouble. The best kind of trouble.
Yeast Van’s Parallel 49 Brewing Company has been getting into the juicy hop bombs lately, and thanks to the new 40-tap tasting room and 10 hL pilot batch system, there always seems to be something new to try. Cheap Perfume has been in cans for a few months now, but with spring around the corner, now seems as good a time as any to crack into this double-dry hopped DIPA.
One whiff, and it’s pretty obvious how Cheap Perfume got its name, thanks to its intoxicating mélange of tropical fruit and citrus. The beer pours a hazy golden orange, but if you’re looking for maximum opaque-ness and body you can float a quarter on, this isn’t that kind of beer. Which is good, honestly. Some of these juicy IPAs are so thick, they’re bordering on viscous. Personally, I’d prefer my beer to not have the same consistency as motor oil—but that’s just me.
Thankfully, Cheap Perfume makes good on the promise of its aroma, with big bold fruit notes. But while the hop flavours dominate, the hop bitterness is quite manageable.
Altogether very smooth, very delicious and very dangerous.
Cheap Perfume by Parallel 49 Brewing
8.1% ABV • 473 mL tall cans
Appearance: Hazy golden orange with a persistent fluffy white head.
Aroma: Tropical fruit, pineapple, passion fruit, mandarin orange, citrus, pine.
Flavour: Tropical fruit, passion fruit, pineapple, citrus, mandarin orange, melon, pine, subtle dankness, slight crackery malt character, low hop bitterness, low alcoholic warmth. Very smooth considering the ABV.
Body/Finish: Medium-full bodied with a semi-dry finish.
Pairs with: Trini doubles, hot wings, Tinder dates and a safe ride home.
- The Spring 2019 issue of The Growler is out now! You can find B.C.’s favourite craft beer guide at your local brewery, select private liquor stores, and on newsstands across the province.
