Beer O'Clock: Zero

I don't tend to get excited when two breweries collaborate. The first time I tried a brew that was made by different microbreweries, I was disappointed. There was something mediocre, at best, about their product.

The beer was so forgettable that I no longer remember which breweries had combined forces.

I've had other collaborative brews since then, and while the beer was fine, I really felt that the breweries had made far better creations on their own.

But last Friday, as I was enjoying an English bitter at Flora Hall Brewing, I noticed on their draft board that they had gone into cahoots with Stray Dog Brewing.

Both Flora Hall and Stray Dog are among my favourite breweries in Ottawa. The name of their concoction also intrigued me: Zero IBU IPA. I just had to pick up a four-pack and bring it home.

IBUs, or International Bitterness Units, chemically measure how bitter a beer can taste. The higher the number, the more bitter the flavour. The bitterest beer I've ever had was by Brasserie Dunham, at a whopping 129 IBUs. It tasted like I was sucking on a dry teabag. Other than a sharp bitterness, there was no other flavour I could discern.

It was awful.

I find that the best range for a bitter beer is between 25 and 75 IBUs. I've had much lower, and still enjoyed the ale, but I was enjoying it for its maltiness, not for the bitter flavour.

So when two of my favourite breweries were offering a zero-IBU beer, I had to try it, especially when it was an IPA, which is typically known for higher IBUs. For this brew, no hops were included during the boil. The flavour from the hops came later, during the secondary fermentation, when the IPA was triple-dry-hopped.

What was the result?

Zero IBU IPA (6.2% ABV)

Appearance: a creamy, unfiltered, grapefruit-juice colour that leaves a thin, creamy-white cap. The appearance was not unlike an east-coast IPA.

Nose: the hops come through loud and clear with a juicy grapefruit aroma.

Palate: the first thing to hit me was a pronounced grapefruit flavour. The body is assertive but quickly fades in the finish, where I was left with a hint of peach. But on subsequent swallows, I felt a gentle burn of pine.

Overall impression: with its beautiful, bold colour, intense aroma, and full mouth feel, it was hard to believe that not a single IBU was measured. In the finish, though, the speed at which the flavour drops off gives the impression that something is missing, and that's the point.

The hops are there but there's no bitter aftertaste. It's quite brilliant, actually. Despite the 6.2-percent alcohol, I could drink this IPA all night.

While I haven't had every beer that Flora Hall has produced, I can in all honesty say that I haven't had one of their creations that I didn't like. The same can almost be said for Stray Dog, though the folks there know that I love a lot of what they do and have an immense amount of respect for them.

These brewers rank among my favourite Ottawa breweries. And they have done extremely well with this collaboration.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

The beer can be had, on tap, at Flora Hall: unfortunately, they are sold out of cans. Fortunately, Flora Hall is one of the nicest breweries in Ottawa, where you can sit and enjoy a pint.

Stray Dog also offers this juicy masterpiece, but under a different name, Why Can't IBU. They too have a great tasting area, where you can enjoy a pint, and to date they still have this IPA in cans. Grab it while you can.

Cheers!