Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA

Brewed by Amsterdam Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Toronto, Canada

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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UPDATED: MAY 24, 2011 3rd annual Ontario Cask IPA Challenge tasted blind. Beautiful, burnished amber pour. The aroma is spicy and woody with a bit of black pepper. Woody and earthy with some light resinousness as well. A touch of sweet plummy fruit . Resinous and not at all citrusy, but it’s fairly well made. First off - I have to give big props to the two women working at Amsterdam when I went in. I saw this beer on the board, but there was none in the cooler. I asked when it would be made next, since I’m a big fan of IPA but they didn’t know. When I got to the front, one of them had run in back to get me one from her own stash. She didn’t even charge me for it, so I was pretty happy about that as well. On to the beer - amber pour with a white head. The aroma is fairly hoppy. A mix of spice and orangey citrus with a fairly sweet and malty backbone. Lots of soft caramelly sweetness through the middle. It seems quite sweet and the hopping gets lost in the middle of that. Herbal and spicy as it warms up. It’s just not the kind of IPA I go for.

This is a nice IPA. Happy that L.C.B.O. carries it now. One of the better beers out of Amsterdam Brewery. Citrusy, Hoppy...but at 7.1%, a little strong to drink more than 2-3 at a time. It will shake your bones.

Oh, but this is a pleasant surprise. While Amsterdam was the first brewpub that I ever visited (way back when...), their bottled beers have never really impressed me all that much. Boneshaker however is absolutely great. A glowing orange beer with moderate carbonation, it gives off a lovely hoppy aroma with the bitterness counteracted by a hint of sweetness. It packs a "mild wallop" on first sip. A contradiction in terms perhaps, but the strong hoppy bitterness never overwhelms. It is beautifully balanced and doesn’t leave a bitter tang on the tongue.500ml bottle sample purchased at the Amsterdam store. Ontarians have been blessed recently by a number of fine Pale Ales, and this one moves to the head of the list.

On tap, lovely deep amber hue with a nice frothy head. Pine is very apparent, with citrus in the background, subtle toast aroma as well. Bitter, slightly creamy mouthfeel, nice finish. Good beer.

in bottle. Unfiltered. My beer has chunks in it! I wish more beers had chunks in them. big aroma (not reduced from filtration!). dry hopped/leafy aroma, a slight malty taste. big bitter/hoppy taste and some citrus crammed in there as well. a very tasty brew!

Big, bold, brash American IPA that delivers as promised. On tap, introduced as 7.2%. Orangey-yellow with haze and ample head. Aromas are big grapefruit with a decent malt background. Good.

Bottle - 500ml. Light amber body with an average white foamy head. Fresh hoppy aroma with malty and flowery hints. Its sharp hoppy taste carries grapefruit and grainy notes. Ends with a decent bitter finish. Very drinkable.

Really enjoyed this. In bottle. Pours dark orange. Up front lots of great hop notes. Some nice malt backing, and the bitterness lasts. Medium in the mouth with lively carbonation. Wish this had wider release.

Appearance: hazy golden orange, proud snow white head. Aroma: bitter pine, leafy, good malty backbone yet still lots of hops shining through. Flavour: Deliciously hoppy, a lovely ’zing’ on the tongue, lots of malt, with a prominent tangy hop Flavour to boot. A delicious offering and in my opinion it’s Amsterdams best regularly available beer along with being one of the best IPA’s in Ontario.

A pretty flaky IPA. Blink once and the bitterness is gone. Don’t know why I even thought a Toronto company that calls itself Amsterdam is worth trying.

A hazed amber ale with a thin lacing off white head. In aroma, wild herbaceous malt, with grassy, resinous hops, mineral notes, very nice. In mouth, a smooth grassy malt with light burned notes, light butterscotch, decent. On tap at Volo, Oct. 29 2011.