This is an interesting story. Double Trouble Brewing Co. is using the benefits of licence brewing to introduce their flagship Hops and Robbers IPA (Oh yeah! another silly hop oriented name!) on a National basis – Well at least in Ontario and Western Canada – over the next few weeks.
Very interested in tasting this stuff but more interested in the concept: craft brewing from many locations makes a national craft brand possible. But does possible equate to smart? As I’ve said before, and as many know, people like to connect to a local craft brew. Moreover, where expansion works, people are often buying into the taste of foreign. So, without a true local feel, can this somewhat silly looking IPA compete with the many local beautys that exist throughout Canada. My sense is that it may fade to the background as a novelty, but maybe its too good to resist. Indeed, its got solid bones with brewer Paul Dickey behind the wheel. So, I guess we’ll see.