I'll preface this review by stating for the record that I'm a big fan of Polyrhythm Brewing in Edmonton. It might be my favourite brewery here. There's a lot to like about it, starting with the very nice people who own it. From there, it ticks a number of boxes: friendly staff; casual tap room; and of course, good beer.
Polyrhythm brews a lot of hazy IPA. Probably more than anyone else in the city. They have some mainstays like Snare Buzz, which is a high quality hazy IPA on par with Super Saturation by Cabin—at least to my palate. But they also output quite a range of limited release hazy IPAs. I feel like they use a relatively standardized grist—almost all of the variations I have tried clock in at 6.5%—but that they experiment with a lot of different hop bills and schedules.
At some point I'll probably undertake a sort of review of the whole brewery as I intend to add content like that to this website. But for now, I'm sharing thoughts on Polyphonic, a relatively recent release by Polyrhythm.
Appearance: Polyphonic comes in a variation of the standard Polyrhythm can. While most of their releases feature solid backgrounds in bold colours, the design of this can features a tie-dyed effect in orange and green. To be honest, I love this brewery in spite of their branding and I don't feel a need to say more than that. I appreciate the text on the can which doesn't just detail the hops but advises if they were added hot side or cold side. This beer features Mosaic, Incognito and Citra in the boil or whirlpool and was dry hopped with Enigma and Rakau. (Mosaic and Citra are quintessential hops for hazy IPAs.) The beer itself is heavily hazed and highly opaque. It doesn't have much head but the lacing lasts from the top to bottom of the glass.
Aroma: This beer has a distinctly grassy or vegetal smell. To be clear it is not at all unpleasant.
Taste: Polyphonic is very hop forward, even for a hazy IPA. The predominant flavour is that of tart fruit like gooseberries. Below that there's a distinct layer of grapefruit pith and juice. This beer is all hops with very little malt body to carry it.
Mouthfeel: I think Polyrhythm nails the carbonation for most of its beers and this one is no different. The body is just right too.
Overall: Ultimately the hop profile for this beer is just a little too harsh for me and the malt bill lacks the heft to back it up. I could be labeled a Polyrhythm fanboy overall but this release falls short of the mark they have generally set. I will note that it improves as it warms but not enough to significantly change my perspective.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.