This review has genuinely been a very long time coming. Dead Elephant is a beer that I often seek out to ensure that it makes an appearance in my fridge every single weekend. This is a very bold beer that has a very bold story. A friend of mine named Heather (@heation), a former resident of St. Thomas, explained to me the true story behind what inspired this epic IPA. I'm not going to waste your time by reinterpreting the story, instead I'm going to borrow an except from the St. Thomas Public Library to bring you up to speed.
"September 15, 1885 - The circus stops in St. Thomas after a performance in Chatham. St. Thomas is a booming railroad town and its position on the railroad facilitates the circus stop here. The St. Thomas show is another success with large crowds coming to see the spectacle.
After the show, the elephants are being moved from the circus grounds to their train. It is 9:30, but the elephants are meant to have been loaded after 9:55. Along the Grand Trunk railroad track, Special Freight train #151 is travelling with its engineer, William Burnip. Several hundred yards down the track Jumbo and the little elephant Tom Thumb are the last elephants being loaded in. They are walking along the tracks to reach their train cars. Burnip sees the elephants but it is too late. He sounds the warning horn and puts the train in reverse. It screeches to a halt and strikes Tom Thumb first. He is struck by the cowcatcher and is thrown into the ravine. Jumbo is struck on his hind end, causing the train to derail. His trunk is impacted and his injuries are fatal. Scott manages to leap free of the incident, but now tends to the mortally wounded Jumbo, weeping as he strokes his head. Eyewitnesses would relate how Jumbo reached out and gently clasped his trainer with his trunk. Jumbo dies in a few minutes."
Dead Elephant IPA. This is a very bold beer that hops lovers will cherish for a long time. It pours a perfectly clear golden hue with a foamy head and citrus infused hop aroma. At first smell, this beer is curious and inviting. The taste is a little bit convoluted. Don't get me wrong, theres just a lot going on here.
Its a strong beer that packs 6.5% and nearly 50 ibu's of bitterness. This beer doesn't have a straight forward bitterness though, it has a complex hop texture that takes time to dissect. The flavour is mainly citrus based with what I can only describe as possibly apricot or peach, and it includes a mild grapefruit undertone. I would LOVE to know what hops they used and the process that achieved this exclusive blend. If you haven't tried this IPA yet then stop wasting your time reading this and go get one already.
As a man who absolutely loves IPA beers, this is a crown jewel. This beer is unparalleled in style, intricate in its layers, and has a legen.... wait for it... DARY story to boot. Larger then life in every dimension is how this brew lives. I adore this beer and I'll confidently rate it an A+ (91). If you love IPA's like I do (Spearhead Hawaiian Style IPA, Hop City Tap Room IPA, Amsterdam Brewery Boneshaker, etc.) you are going to keep this beer close to your heart. Simply put, its awesome! If it turns out that you happen to like this beer, keep an eye out for Delirium Tremens by Brouwerij Huyghe. You'll thank me for it later.
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Chris
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