Muskoka Twice As Mad Tom IPA - Muskoka Brewery

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

355ml bottle. A double eye pee eh from Ontaria, ya do say? Well, if there ever was, it would surely be these fellers doin' it.

This beer pours a clear medium golden amber hue, with two fingers of puffy, silky, foamy off-white head, which leaves some low-pressure inversion layer lace around the glass as it slowly sinks away.

It smells of bitter orange and grapefruit rind, acrid pine resin, bready caramel malt, a touch of musty toffee, and some further lemony, earthy hop notes. The taste is more bitter generic citrus pith, pine sap, lemon cleanser (in a good way, I swear!), lightly honeyed caramel malt, and some mowed down and beaten tropical fruit esters.

The carbonation is a tad prickly, but mostly just supportive, the body a sturdy medium weight, and actually fairly smooth, just a few barbs from the persistent bitter hops getting in the way. It finishes off-dry, the bread and the caramel tones still jousting with tangy, fruity, zesty hops.

A pretty bang-on example of the style - big-ass hoppy, but balanced enough without making one too award of the sweetness required to actually accomplish this feat. I am pleased as punch to have the rest of this reasonably priced four-pack yet to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 02:50:45 | More by biboergosum

ssmack

Ontario (Canada)

4.21/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A deep golden honey colour with slight cloudiness. Half an inch of greenish medium head. Good lacing from top to bottom.

Delicious aroma of toffee and citrus.

Hops dominate the taste but there is a sweet cake malt base. It tastes as if there are hops growing in your mouth. Not like the aroma at all. Grapefruit and lemon bitterness. An earthy pine taste at the back of the mouth.

A solid refreshing mouthfeel.

A good double IPA. Enjoyable but not distinctive. One of the stars of Ontario craft brewing.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:14:18 | More by ssmack

BigGruntyThirst

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-23-2013 00:28:17 | More by BigGruntyThirst

adhallick

Manitoba (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-21-2013 01:03:09 | More by adhallick

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Slightly hazed amber beer under a chunky head that leaves lots of lace. Head settles to about half a cm.

Piney resinous nose, lots of hops, some citrus, sweetness, grain. Big hop taste, lots of pine, grapefruit peel. Lots of flavour. Finishes with a hit of sweetness and lingering bitterness. A really nice drinking beer. No rough edges. Mouthfeel is also resinous, fairly heavy, but not distracting.

A well made beer, quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 02:21:29 | More by TerryW

IdeaSpeeder

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 355ml bottle poured into a snifter

Appearance - Beer pours a bright golden-yellow colour. A white head forms but dissipates quickly enough, leaving behind a slight amount of lacing. The brew is quite clear.

Smell - Having a difficult time pinning down exactly what I'm smelling here. It's definitely appealing and it's definitely sweet. I'm thinking some light toffee or caramel, some grains, maybe even a light hint of fruits and flowers.

Taste - Pretty bitter, but to be expected given the style. The bitterness isn't overbearing by any means. It's rather pleasant. As the nose indicated, there is some toffee comming through in the malt. After that there is a 'bready' or grain flavour, followed by some light fruit notes. A wonderful hop-kick coming through at the very end.

Mouthfeel - Carbonation is pretty low...and to be honest I forgot about until this point. It could be a combination of low-carbonation or the fact that there's so many other things going on in this brew...but the bubbly is understated. The body is medium...on the light side even (again, given the style).

Overal 4.5/5

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 04:17:56 | More by IdeaSpeeder

Boozecamel

British Columbia (Canada)

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Received in CANBIF 2013. Thanks Peensteen! There should be more DIPA’s in small format. I haven’t had the Mad Tom IPA to compare.

Apperance: 2 fingers of pure white head. Well carbonated, golden orange amber, no cloudiness. Good looking beer.

Smell: Sweet, piney hoppiness, bit of citrus. Had me drooling.

Taste: Strong piney bitterness with sweet citrus notes. Really tasty, big beer. Alocohol well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, with a slight/moderate level of oilyness.

Overall: Really enjoyed this beer. Tastes as good as it smells. Would be happy if I could get this locally.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 21:14:33 | More by Boozecamel

Mack

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2%

04-28-2013 11:52:02 | More by Mack

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.49/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoy Before 29 June 2013.

A - Pours dark gold and bright with good carbonation. One finger creamy off white head. Good lace chunks and a finger of retention.

S - Grapefruit and pine hops. Mild.

T - Citrussy, grapefruit, lot's of pine. Some alcohol. Balanced, but restrained. Peach and stone fruits.

M - Medium bitterness, nice carbonation, full body.

O/D - Like so many other well done American iterations of the style. Too bad we're so far behind. Well crafted and tasty. Seems to lack some of the finer points of better versions of the style though.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 01:32:12 | More by tbeckett

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Big thank you to Caudalie for this want inside my CANBIF box.

Appearance. Pours a rich gold with a little amber and a light haze. Topped with a finger of white head.

Smell. Oranges, grapefruit, mango and pineapple, a bit of cedar and light grainy malts, and just a faint whiff of green onion.

Taste. Nice tropical fruits, mainly papaya and mango, some candied pineapple and yellow grapefruits, and nice malts with a touch of caramel.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body, below medium smooth carbonation.

Overall. A great IPA with lots of fruit flavours going on and still not too sweet. Great stuff, thanks again, Caudalie!

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 01:50:21 | More by Rutager

Scaboo

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

04-16-2013 19:50:41 | More by Scaboo

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice hazy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of citrus, piney hops, sweet caramelly malts and a touch of breadiness.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some citrus, some piney resins and sweet caramelly malts. Nice balance and bitterness.

Mouthfeel: It has a low/medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 19:53:39 | More by SebD

GoHabsGo

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2%

04-13-2013 21:32:26 | More by GoHabsGo

polloenfuego

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2%

04-13-2013 21:08:15 | More by polloenfuego

bigox420

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

04-13-2013 18:12:50 | More by bigox420

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

04-08-2013 12:51:52 | More by beerhunter13

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

3.96/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Tulip, out of the fridge. Picked up as a single at the LCBO in late February, not entirely sure how fresh it is therefore....

A: Bright copper orange, brandy coloured, clear, small bubbles, decent head with pretty quick die off, nice lacing on top and around edges.

S: As with older IPA's, hard to get a lot on the nose. Some citrus, caramel malt, and some pine..

T: Lots of sweet, heavy malts upfront, light citrus but (and again, could be the age), not a lot of complexity coming through the malts at this stage, at least not the tropical fruits others are getting. Finishes with a burst of earthy, piney (slightly bitter citrus rind) and a touch of alcohol at the end.

M: Good amount of carbonation for the heaviness, pretty balanced, only slightly boozy, finishes dry and sticky.

O: Had the day after having the regular mad tom and find this one much more bitter (of course), but find that the increased ABV has hidden the nice hop profile that I got in the regular IPA that I found much more floral and citrus-y. Would like to try this fresher but I'm only in Ontario so often and have to take what I can find... overall a decent DIpa that's worth having for the price and drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 00:07:30 | More by 4ster

MFAnderson

Ontario (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +16.4%

03-17-2013 22:47:58 | More by MFAnderson

timiskin

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

03-12-2013 19:08:21 | More by timiskin

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

355ml bottle poured into a pint glass. ABV 8.4%.

A - Poured a clear burnt orange with a 1cm white head. Good amounts of lacing.

S - Loads of grapefruit, peaches, citrus & pine with a backing of caramel malts.

T - Caramel malts followed by loads of citrus & tropical fruits and pine resin. Similar to the aroma but not quite as distinct as it's a bit more muddled. A hint if alcohol is noticeable as the beer warms up. Lasting bitter aftertaste.

M - Medium carbonation, medium-heavy body, slick, sticky, oily, some heat in the finish. Alcohol is well hidden.

O - Decent DIPA. It's affordable so I might pick this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:48:45 | More by decimator

MylesMac

Manitoba (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2%

03-09-2013 00:37:08 | More by MylesMac

IanSpindler

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2%

02-27-2013 20:58:21 | More by IanSpindler

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.16/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

355 mL bottle from a 4-pack picked up at the LCBO; best before May 18 2013. This is one I've been wanting to try since I first heard the publicity blurb announcing its release, but as usual it took a few months for any stock to reach my area. Frankly, I'm just impressed there's actually a DIPA available in town in the first place. Served in a wine glass, slightly chilled.

Pours a clear amber-orange colour, topped with a dense, creamy, off-white coloured head that gradually seeps away over the next few minutes. It leaves behind a nice, continuous swath of lacing around the edge of the glass, as well as a frothy collar and thin cap. Quite reminiscent of regular Mad Tom in terms of appearance, although the head does prove to be less resilient (understandable with the extra ABV). The aroma is dominated by lots of tropical fruit hop notes - pink grapefruit, mandarin orange, and mango all cross my mind, with a solid dose of pine sap for good measure, all underlain with a pleasing caramel sweetness. Pretty enticing - more intensity would be nice, but I like what is there.

The taste does not disappoint at all, with plenty of juicy, fruity character in what seems to be an ensemble cast - with orange, grapefruit and pine sap taking the leading roles, and notes of strawberry, pineapple, mango and papaya rounding things out. The caramel malt is detectable at first beneath the sea of hop notes, but is quickly drowned out by their overpowering bitterness, which extends into a long, dry finish with some accompanying sweet fruit notes. Medium-bodied with mild carbonation; not especially heavy on the palate, but a little oily/slick from the hops. Quite drinkable for the style, with very little heat from the alcohol, but two would probably be my max for the night.

Final Grade: 4.16, a solid A-. Muskoka's Twice as Mad Tom is a very well-crafted double IPA that is right up my alley. It's relatively light on the booziness, with lots of hop bitterness being bolstered by just enough sweetness to balance it out. I might like regular Mad Tom a bit more, but that's just personal preference: I tend to like beers in the 6-7% range vs. higher. DIPAs aren't beers I tend to consume terribly frequently, but in my amateur opinion this is a solid one. It's exactly what I want from a DIPA - a bolder version of an IPA, rather than a hopped-up barleywine. This stuff is well worth a try, and I hope it remains widely available for a long time to come.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 20:02:35 | More by thehyperduck

JMBSH

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

02-18-2013 04:41:19 | More by JMBSH

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

02-18-2013 00:17:38 | More by RedAleMan