Nasty Habit

LCBO

Indian Pale Ale

650mL

Canada

6.0% ABV

LCBO 595 Bat Street

Friday, October 28, 2010

$5.90

A

My boyfriend actually spotted Nasty Habit. The name caught our attention, so it did its job well.

By the time we tasted it a day later, I had forgotten about the blurb on the label. But when I sampled it for the first time, I could actually taste the mountain spring water in the finish. At first I couldn't put my finger on it. I kept writing "clarity" after every taste.

So I picked it up, and there e it was, right there on the label: "A generously hopped IPA balanced by a diabolical blend of rich specialty malts and pure mountain water." Huh. Truth in advertising. You've got to love independent brewing companies.

I could have written the review right from the label. Before you even taste it, you can see - suspended in the amber beer - a haze of 'generous' hops. Its thick and hoppy until the bottom centimeter of the glass.

But the nose isn't all hops. There's a grassy, honey, malty middle. And - seriously - you can smell the spring water. Seriously.

And those nuances are what make this one of my favorite IPAs. More than just bite, the beer's aggressive hoppiness is rounded out by rich, honey malt flavors and a palate-softening spring water finish.

Delicious. This is a great beer, very high on my list of all time favorites. I will definitely have this again...possibly habitually.