Judge’s Review: 84 Rating – Return to Joyland by Ivanhoe Park Brewing

Triple IPA | Limited Release | USA

By Richard Wong

Judges Rating: 84
Aroma: 23
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 32
Mouthfeel: 8
Overall Impression: 15

Return to Joyland by Ivanhoe Park Brewing was judged as style 21A, Double IPA, per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. 
The pour revealed a surprisingly nice orange/light brown hue with solid carbonation and good head retention. The clarity was hazy due to slight chill haze. The aroma instantly had nice citrus notes up front in the nose, reminiscent of blood oranges, and it also had a nice malt sweetness in the aroma. The initial taste of this beer is that it was well balanced. Again, nice citrus notes dominated the flavor along with malt sweetness in the background. Also noticeable was the alcohol strength at a hearty 10% ABV. Sadly, due to this beer’s strenght, there is an off-flavor of fusel alcohol detected. Fusel alcohol tastes “hot” and delivers something of a burning sensation. While an interesting beer, the fusel alcohol character was simply too strong, leaving this beer as less than the sum of its parts.