Bellwoods Brewery Acid House IPA, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Alcohol 7%) LCBO $5 (473ml can)

Being a child of the Acid House revolution, I was a sucker for this release from Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery, especially when I saw the smiley faces on the label (hidden in the above pic). As I grabbed a few cans, I noticed another release, Green Velvet, surely a nod to one of house/techno producer Curtis Alan Jones‘ monikers. With both of these dance music themed releases, I’m wondering if the brewmaster has become something of a rave evangelist after coming through his doom metal/folk horror phase (see many of their labels over the past decade).

For many, many years, I found the majority of Bellwoods’ brews to be syrupy, gout-inducing 750ml borefests, but recently I’ve found a few of their releases to be much more nimble on their feet and appealing to my palate’s peculiar perversions.

I’ve never been a huge fan of sour beers, mostly leaving them for the same folks who enjoy drinking murky vinegar from wine bottles, but I found this beer to be much more IPA than it is sour, and I do happen to enjoy the odd IPA from time to time. To be honest, I think that this may disappoint many a sour beer “aficionado”, as the sour thread for me acts more like a structural element than the main draw.

Pouring a hazy amber/yellow with a medium white head that leaves just a little lacing as one polishes it off, and believe me when I say I was polishing these off at some rate.

This edition of Acid House comes heavily dry hopped with both Citra and Mosaic hops, and they certainly make their funky/juicy presence known on both the nose and palate. The previous release was presented in a yellow can, and I found it much more reserved aromatically. There’s a lot of tropical fruit going on here, and some super-ripe peach character, alongside some dubbed-out skunk funk. In the mouth, the acid backbone keeps the beer structurally in check and prevents it from having that cloying stickiness that plagues many a beer at this strength and above. I found a notable blood orange element on the palate that was most appealing. The hoppy element lingers on the extended finish.

I occasionally balk at beers coming in at $5 a pop, but I found this one mouthwateringly delightful.

(Four out of a possible five apples)