B.C. Beer Reviews is here today to take a look at the Street Legal IPA from Twin Sails Brewing. When it comes to IPAs, Twin Sails is undoubtedly one of my personal favourites. They have made some fantastic stuff over the last two and a half years they have been open, and Street Legal is included in that.

B.C. Beer Reviews with Nic Hendrickson: Twin Sails Brewing – Street Legal IPA

After over two years of making stellar beers, Twin Sails Brewing has truly developed a name for themselves in the B.C. Craft Beer scene. They are known for their IPAs, and Street Legal falls into a lineup of many very tasty bitter beers.

Let’s take a look at Street Legal and see if it lives up to their reputation.

Colour

Pours a nice golden colour typical of the American IPA style, bordering an almost amber hue. It is pretty well the same deep golden-amber colour in the glass as well. Aside from the particulates floating around the clarity of this beer is fantastic.

Nose/Aroma

Citrus notes come out very strongly in this beer. It is what you would expect from an American IPA. The powerful citrus notes are undeniably the strongest aroma this beer has to offer up.

There is a light characteristic of the malt/grain bill in the form of an indistinguishable sweetness. It is not at all strong, but noticeable if you take a nice big sniff of the beer. It helps to balance out the nose/aroma a bit.

Other than these two notes, there is not a ton of complexity to this nose/aroma. Powerful citrus notes offered up from the hops used play well with a light sweetness imparted by the malt/grain bill used.

Tasting Notes

A very smooth and ever-present bittering charge to this beer. It is noticeable immediately, but it is not overbearing in the slightest. You notice it throughout, but it allows the beer to be more than just a bitter bomb.

There is a smoothness to the mouthfeel that is creamy, albeit not to the level of a New England or Milkshake IPA. This is very likely a characteristic imparted by the malt/grain bill. It helps to keep this as a very well balanced beer overall.

The hop presence and malts/grains used balance each other nicely. This beer has enough bitterness to appease the hopheads, but enough balance for those still dipping their toes into the water.

Other Notes

Much like most core beers for Twin Sails, this one has a plain white label with a design front and centre. There is what looks to be a very fancy rim for a tire in maroon that is immediately above the name of the beer, the style, and Twin Sails Brewing.

The carbonation level of this beer is quite high. There are cascading bubbles throughout the glass. It adds to a very nice finish, but it is not nearly enough to be categorized as a crisp finish.

As stated in the tasting notes, there is a surprisingly smooth and creamy mouthfeel to this beer. It is an unexpected twist on the style and it is a very nice note to make this beer a more distinctive one.

The lacing from this beer coats the glass from top to bottom. This is less than surprising when taking into account how strong the hop presence is in the nose/aroma and the tasting notes.

There is a rather significant amount of sediment at the bottom of the glass. After letting it sit for a few minutes the bottom is pretty well covered by sediment that came from the can. This is neither a positive nor a negative, merely an observation.

Final Grade

There is a nice and clean bittering charge to this beer, but it is approachable. The hop presence in the nose/aroma and the tasting notes is complimented nicely by the creamy mouthfeel. Overall, a very tasty beer that I would highly recommend to any hophead out there.

Grade: 8.3/10

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