Labyrinth Brewing Company - "Turbo Love Juice" and "Milk Sickle" IPAs

Here's a two-fer spotlight on Labyrinth Brewing Co., located in Manchester, CT, just a stone's throw from my hometown of Glastonbury. I'll be in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine on vacation the next few weeks (well, a quasi-vacation since I still have to work part-time) so I'll be doing a bit more posting than usual. I was in Whole Foods in Glastonbury yesterday, saw these two cans for $4.75 each, and grabbed them.

Like many breweries, Labyrinth was started by a couple of homebrewers for whom the stars aligned and they struck out on their own. And like many breweries, the founders incorporated a great deal of social responsibility in their business model - they occupy a reclaimed Victorian-era building on Forest Street, and they also serve as the Manchester pickup location for the Community Supported Agriculture program, in partnership with Cloverleigh Farm.

OK, first up in our tasting line is "Turbo Love Juice" , a 6.70% ABV New England IPA, dry-hopped with Citra, Casacde, and Loral hops. Pours out swiftly, with a fizzy white head.

So, in my opinion, this is sort of a cross between a West Coast and New England IPA. I am getting some of that tropical juiciness that comes with NEIPAs (courtesy of the Citra hops, no doubt) but I'm also detecting a bitterness and crispness, especially on the finish, that you get with West Coast beers. Flavorwise, it's nothing unusual, but it's got a medium body and an approachable texture that would make this a nice accompaniment with a big ol' burger or a half-rack of ribs.

Part deux of this review is "Milk Sickle", a 7.00% "milkshake" IPA made with Mosaic, Citra, and Mandarina hops, mangoes, and milk sugar (lactose.) I love these kind of milky, sugary, creamy beers, so let's give it a go!

Good showing of mangoes with an attendant sweetness, and this beer has a nice hop backbone which gives the beer a full body. Moderate carbonation, and unfortunately I'm not getting much lactose nor is it super creamy. Tasting with me are my aunts Jayne and Claudia; Claudia detects some white grapefruit rind, like the pith - and you know what, as the beer opens and warms up, I see what she means! There's an element of bitterness here I wasn't expecting at all. The texture is certainly softer than the "Turbo Love Juice" but I just do not see the milkshake element here. A little disappointing in that regard, but perhaps I was unfairly expecting it to be similar to some Decadent beers that are practically milkshakes. However, I'd still drink this for sure, and would be a good choice for IPA lovers who might want something a tad sweeter. I also think the price point is very fair for both beers - they're good quality brews that I wouldn't mind spending $17 or so for four pints, had I come across it in a store. So seek them out if you're in Manchester - curious to see what else they have on draft!