Red IPA by Bad Shepherd Brewing

This week’s beer is the simply named, but also simply delicious Red IPA from Victoria’s Bad Shepherd Brewing Co.  As anyone who’s glanced at the blog would know, a red IPA is my personal favourite genre of beer by a decent margin.  So I can be admittedly a little picky with which ones I enjoy and recommend.  But that being said, this is a fantastic red IPA right up there with Capital’s Evil Red Eye, Six String’s Dark Red IPA, and Fox Hat’s Red Pelt.

This is a reasonably big beer coming in at 6% ABV and 58 IBU.  However, those numbers are actually a bit on the low end of the spectrum for a red IPA.  But don’t let that fool you.  The Bad Shepherd Red IPA is sharp and big in flavour in all of the best ways possible.  Where some red IPA’s have a soft, rounded malt flavour with the hoppiness rising up from below, this one has a sharp, tart, even piney flavour to the maltiness.  And that’s before we even talk about the hops.  Those hops are bitter and punchy, but without being overpowering.  In short, perfectly balanced with the malts and hops working together in harmony like a good red IPA should.

Simply put, this is just a damn good red IPA and a damn good beer.  The can suggests that this was one of their earliest beers that they’ve now revived.  And boy was that a good call.  I’ve enjoyed a number of Bad Shepherd’s offerings in the past, but this one genuinely knocked my socks off.