Collective Arts Brewing: Ransack the Universe IPA – A Universal Review

Collective Arts Brewing is a unique grassroots brewery that merges brewing tasty beer, an art in its own right, with a venue for up-and-coming Canadian artists. Bob Russell and Matt Johnston tell their story in their own words in a short video on Collective Arts’ “About” page. When scanned by a free smartphone application, each beer’s label acts as a gateway to a featured emerging artist’s work.

As their website says, Collective Arts Brewing is located at 207 Burlington Street East in Hamilton, which was previously the home to five other breweries before Collective Arts took up residence there. With their official launch only last year, Collective Arts Brewing will hopefully be making beer and promoting art for years to come. I picked up a couple tall cans of their “Ransack the Universe” IPA at my local LCBO

Collective Arts Brewing: Ransack the Universe IPA – First Sip

Ransack the Universe pours cloudy and golden in colour. I notice its aroma, like sweet fruit, while I’m pouring it. Its smell balances well with its bitter, almost piney, flavour. The strong hops may put lager-drinkers off. But, as a longtime IPA-advocate I enjoy its bitter flavour, which leads to an only slightly less bitter finish. With a relatively high carbonation level and a noticeable thickness, Ransack the Universe has a thick but clean mouthfeel.

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Collective Arts Brewing: Ransack the Universe IPA – Last Sip

I suggest drinking this APA with salty food. But, beating up other beers and stealing their lunch money, this formidable brew weighs in at a respectable 6.8% ABV. So, you may want to limit yourself to ransacking one or two universes in a sitting.

But beyond their excellent brews, one of Collective Arts Brewing’s best features is their unique mandate. So don’t forget to submit your work, and join their grassroots revolution.

Michael Bedford
Michael Bedford
Under intense scrutiny by the Temporal Authorities, I was coerced into actualizing my capsule in this causality loop. Through no fault of my own, I am marooned on this dangerous yet lovely level-four civilization. Stranded here, I have spent most of my time learning what I can of the social norms and oddities of the Terran species, including how to properly use the term "Hipster" and how to perform a "perfect pour." Under the assumed name of "Michael Bedford," I have completed BA's with specialized honours in both theatre studies and philosophy, and am currently saving up for enough galactic credits to buy a new--or suitably used--temporal contextualizer ... for a friend.