Fat Tug
Driftwood Brewery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦
IPA - West Coast Regular|
Score
7.36
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Brewed with the hop aficionado in mind, Fat Tug is a Northwest-style India Pale Ale with an intense hop profile featuring notes of grapefruit, mango, melon and passionfruit. Sufficient malt is there to provide support. At 7% alc/vol and 80+ IBUs this beer delivers on the promise to satisfy anyone with a thirst for all things hoppy!
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7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle: Poured a deep amber color ale with a large off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrus and grapefruit hops is quite powerful and enjoyable. Taste is also a great mix between some citrus hops with a good amount of grapefruit notes, medium bitterness and some light caramelized malt with a touch of residual sugar. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. Very well brewed but I would preferred a bit less residual sugar with a dryer finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Oct 2013
at 11:48
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Re-rate: Heard this year’s batch was good and haven’t tried it in years, also nothing good on tap here at Good Co (Colony) Northwoods. Clear gold with small white head. A fairly light pilsnery malt with some crystal malt in there, pine hops, touch of citrus hops, could use some more body, and maybe slightly stronger hopping, but it’s decent. Sept 17, 2013 (8/3/7/3/15=3.6): Poured from 650mL bottle. Clear orangey yellow with white head. Citrusy hop aroma. Bitter hop taste with dry finish. Medium body, oily texture.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 Sep 2013
at 22:25
7.9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Really a great IPA. Smells wonderfully fruity with lots of hops, even a little farmhouse glacier. Beautiful head and lacing. Pours orange clear. Nice soft carbonation. I like everything about this IPA. Reminds me of Bellwoods Roman Candle. Finishes with balanced bitterness. Creamy texture. Tap at the beagle.
Tried
from Can
on 01 May 2013
at 22:01
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle - Grapefruit, pine and some well balanced sweet malts on the nose. Clear copper with a nice medium white head. An intense bitterness right of the bat, that thankfully mellows but still lingers. Pine, resin and a bit of alcohol. A nice rich mouthfeel, carbonated perfectly. Too much bitterness destroys the balance.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jan 2013
at 17:47
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Many gave high marks for this one but I found the hops to be a bit too citrus-y if that’s a word. Nice head and a bright orange body, the intended layers of hops don’t mingle as well as I hoped they would. Still a highly drinkable brew but I don’t think it’s the amazing beer many say it is.
Tried
on 28 Dec 2012
at 22:06
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle shared from Deanso. Pours clear amber with a thick off white head. Aroma of grass, citrus and grapefruit, very fresh. Flavour is light to medium sweet and moderate bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Nov 2012
at 07:22
7.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
66cl bottle via a friend, shared with Kermis. Thick white head. Citrus aroma. Lovely citrus bitterness. Hazy blond pour
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Nov 2012
at 07:19
8.9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating but this should be pretty fresh. Pours lightly hazy golden orange color with a nice 3 finger dense off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big pineapple, mango, lemon zest, orange rind, herbal, floral, pine, grass, and earthy spiciness. Excellent aromas with great balance and hop complexity. Taste of big grapefruit, orange rind, pineapple, herbal, floral, pine, and earthy spiciness. Good amount of floral bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pineapple, herbal, pine, floral, and earthy spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Great balance and complexity of hop flavors; with a nice bitterness/sweetness balance as well. No cloying flavors on the finish at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with nearly zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic IPA! Excellent hop complexity and balance; very smooth and crisp to drink. Extremely enjoyable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Oct 2012
at 20:15
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Peach and light vanilla aroma. Cloudy orange, lacing white head. Strong fruity hops, resinny, peachy finish. Medium to light, slightly sticky body. Grassy aftertaste. I enjoyed the fruit salad qualities of this beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Oct 2012
at 15:49
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Elevating rating in 2024 based on latest can and relative to other local brewery offerings. (Sad to say other locals cannot produce something equal or better and glad to see pubs that typically serve only cheap industrial swill often have Fat Tug.) Original 2012 - On tap. Pours a light copper color with a light head. Aroma of spruce/hops. Flavors of bitter citrus hops along with pine/spruce and doughy malts. Pleasant enough - not overpowering. 7/4/6/4/13
Tried
from Can
on 20 Sep 2012
at 22:22