Beer O'Clock: Sunsplit DDH

I've been drinking Sunsplit IPA from Dominion City Brewing for a few years now, and it's one of my go-to brews, especially when I'm in a restaurant and pub and find it on the beer menu (mind you, I haven't been to many restaurants and no bars since COVID-19 hit, in March of 2020, but I remember those days with fondness and longing).

So when Dominion City released the next incantation of this hazy, juicy pale ale, I was more than intrigued. And I was also pleased that this east-Ottawa brewery had released a handy phone app from which I could order it.

The app, available for both Android and iOS users, makes it very handy for ordering your favourite brews. And currently, Dominion City is offering a 10-percent discount code for your first order with the app.

I hope more breweries create apps to make ordering beer so convenient—not that ordering from a Web site is complicated, but I've never ordered from my phone before because I find negotiating a Web site on a small screen to be more cumbersome than a laptop.

My first order from this app included a coffee stout and this new iteration of my beloved Sunsplit. It's a hopped-up version that pumps up the bitterness without getting carried away.

Let's look a little closer.

Sunsplit DDH IPA (6% ABV)
Dominion City Brewing Company
Ottawa, ON

Appearance: pours like a cloudy, pale ruby-red grapefruit juice with a creamy white head that settles to a solid cap.

Nose: tropical notes of mango, pineapple, and light citrus. I actually found the aromas to be more closed than the regular Sunsplit.

Palate: tight hops and grapefruit. This double-dry-hopped (DDH) ale doesn't easily give away the tropical fruits on the first sip. Indeed, it takes consequent sips to bring out pineapple and citrus flavours. I found it to not be as juicy as Sunsplit IPA. The hops don't overpower, nor is the six-percent alcohol content in your face.

It's a subtle ale.

Overall impression: this is an easy-drinking DDH ale. I expected it to eclipse the regular Sunsplit IPA but it doesn't. Perhaps the dry hopping tempered the juicy explosion that I associate with Sunsplit. This ale doesn't disappoint but it also doesn't blow me away. It's a decent, easy-to-drink brew.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

I ordered Sunsplit DDH IPA on the day that I was notified of its release, which coincided with my notification about Dominion City's beer app. My delivery came too late for me to review it, last week, and at the time of writing this review, I now see that it's no longer available for order.

Likely, because this new release sold out right away. We can only hope that the brewers make another batch soon. But in the meantime, the regular Sunsplit is available and you should snatch that up. While I appreciated the DDH version, I'm going to put my money on the original.

Cheers!