For this #beersaturday I have a new beer to review (its an IPA), along with an oldie but a goodie (Guinness) and just for fun as a bonus I've added in a fancy purple Gin drink. Let's get to it!

Lone Pine West Coast IPA

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Brewery: Sawdust City Brewing Company
Origin: Gravenhurst, ON Canada
Style: West coast style IPA
Abv: 6.5
IBU: 65
SRM: 11
O.G: 14.4P / F.G: 2.5P
Hops: Summit, Simcoe, Columbus Chinook.

Marketing: The beer comes in a Cream colored can with orange and forest green accents. Orange specks add texture to the overall design and kind of remind me of terrazzo tiles in a way. A simple cliff and tree on the water image for decoration create some interest.

There is a long blurb on the back, as well as a lot of additional information about the beer on the side which is always a plus. Overall I like the design and think that its has a West Coast vibe to it which is very fitting. I think of California when I look at it, even though I've never actually been there.

Color: The beer poured a bright yellow straw color with a decent head that left some lacing on the glass. The liquid was very clear without even a hint of haziness.

EDIT: I poured this one in two batches because I used a small glass and on the second pour there was quite a lot of haziness in the beer. So maybe this one is unfiltered.

Nose: Very fruity in the nose with strong notes of pineapple, grapefruit and maybe some pine needles in the background. Very nice aroma overall. Smells fresh to me.

Taste: Big punch of flavor for me in this one. Predominantly bitter but some sweetness in the begining and a distinct tartness as well. Tart and bitter for me. I got a lot fruity flavors like pineapple and possibly bubble gum??

Texture: Nice carbonation, strong angry bubbles, and a smooth silky mouthfeel underneath. Pleasant.

Impression: I don't normally drink IPAs and haven't tried many of them but this one was pretty good to me. It had a lot of flavor and it tasted fresh and crisp. It also had a tropical quality about it that I often get when I do drink the odd IPA. Overall I might actually buy this one again.

Guinness Draught

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Origin: Ireland
Style: Irish Nitro Stout
Abv: 4.2%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown

Guinness doesn't need an in depth description in my opinion. Its common enough that I think many people have a general sense of it.

For me, I would describe it simply as a beer with roasted notes, a slightly sour taste and a watery mouthfeel. Its like the O.G. of nitro beers. Its a "starter stout" for those wanting to give a dark beer a try.

Its not my favorite stout beer, or my "go to," but I do like it overall.

I usually buy Guinness when I'm out at a restaurant and there is nothing local or craft being served, only premium domestic beers on tap.

In this case I bought it because the beer store was limited this week and nothing was appealing or stood out to me. I knew what I was getting into with this one.

Empress Gin and Tonic

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Liquor: Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
Distillery: Victoria Distllery
Origin: Sidney BC Canada
Abv: 42.5%
Ingredients: Eight Botanicals including Pea Blossom.

Purple Gin is all the rage. Pink as well I think. Maybe its just colored liquor in general? This one is produced in Canada and states that its all natural including the color, which I believe comes from Pea Blossoms.

My wife drinks gin with tonic. I had a sip and liked it but I didn't analyze it enough to do a proper review. I'm not a Gin aficionado so I can't say how this one compares to others either. I mostly liked the look of the drink and wanted to show it off. It looks nice don't you think? The only thing missing is a garnish of some sort. I'm thinking even just a mint leaf would do it, to contrast the purple and make it really pop. It was served in a ribbed glass with gold rim and the color was certainly eye catching. What do you think? Does it look refreshing?

Have you tried pink or purple gin before? Let me know in the comments. Cheers everyone!