Hop City Big Mouth Pale Ale (also called Happy Hour).

 Question, do you like hoppy and bitter IPA's?  Do you need to be able to drive, or do anything productive after having a pint?   If you answered yes to all of these then Hop City's Big Mouth Pale Ale is the beer for you!   I ask these questions because it drinks more like a strong IPA without being 7 or 8% alcohol so you can have one without making you more than a bit tipsy.

Big Mouth is quite bitter, but it is not overwhelming the way some IPA's tend to be, tipping the bitterness scales at 48 IBU's.  One reason for this is that the bitterness is nice and spread out, it's a surprisingly well balanced beer.  It opens with a kick of citrusey bitterness but then the bitterness fades out slightly, not like some beers that tend to have a bitter opening and then a flavour that just falls off a cliff.  This balance makes it surprisingly refreshing for a beer this hoppy, but you would probably struggle to have more than one or two of them as the bitterness can really catch up to you. 

Overall, I really like this beer, and even those who are apprehensive about hoppy beers could enjoy it in small doses.  The fact that it is flavourful throughout and it's standard 5% strength makes it good pale ale for any occasion. It's available throughout Ontario at the LCBO as well as in Nova Scotia & New Brunswick.  Hop City has been expanding their distribution of their Barking Squirrel across Canada and into the United States so you may soon be able to find Big Mouth in more provinces or states.  

Final Rating
4 steins

What you need to know
Brewery
54 Bramsteele Rd
Brampton, Ontario
L6W 3M6


Website
http://www.hopcity.com/



Twitter: @hopcitybrewing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopCityBrewingCo