Flight Delay

I think it's time we stopped using sex to sell products.

I'm hard-wired to look at women, but I find, these days, that I catch myself and become ashamed when I see a woman being used to sell a product. Women are not accessories, and it's high time that we, as a society, recognize that very important fact.

I saw the illustration of the buxom, curvy, '50s-era woman, in the short-shorts, dressed more like she was ready for the open seas than for the sky, and I was disappointed by the brewery's choice for marketing. I didn't pick up the can.

I didn't pick it up the second or third time that I saw it in the LCBO. But finally, I was curious about the contents inside, whether this IPA would make me forget the packaging.

I read the side of the can and learned that it was a west-coast IPA, and because I had such good luck with another of these tropical-fruit brews, I took it home.

Flight Delay IPA (6.5% ABV)
Barnstormer Brewing Co.
Barrie ON

Appearance: clear, copper-amber colour with a creamy, taupe head that pours thick and slowly settles to a firm cap.

Nose: caramel, malt, light, tropical fruit, and mild hops holding them all together.

Palate: those hops hit you right away and are strong, so much so that they overshadow flavours of citrus—under-ripe orange and bitter grapefruit.

Overall impression: if I were to design the label, instead of the saluting woman, I would have designed a flexed, muscle-bulging arm, clenching a wrench in a powerful hand. I find the strength of the hops and bitterness dominate this ale. There is no finesse, no other distinctive, tropical flavour that I've experienced in other west-coast IPAs.

The artwork on the can kept me from buying the ale for weeks. The contents will keep me from buying it again. And, sadly, it's the woman on the can that seems to be Barnstormer's logo, so I don't know how long it will be before I pick up another of their brews.

Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5

Cheers!