In 2019 I wrote an extensive review of the breweries in Penticton and the Penticton Ale Trail. 

This past weekend I revisited the Trail once again having stopped in at Bad Tattoo Brewing Company. I wish the circumstances could have been better as it was for a family funeral and service but the uncle who passed was a fan of this brewery.

Bad Tattoo Delights With Some New Flavours and Familiar Ones

I sampled probably 9 or 10 of the beers at Bad Tattoo this past weekend focusing on a sampler of five my first visit and then a couple of glasses my second time in.

I previously had not tried or sampled the Sol Vida Cerveza Clara or the Hellion IPA.

My pervious review had the Los Muertos Cerveza Negra and Tramp Stamp Pale Ale. The Juice Bomb IPA I had tried last year but haven’t reviewed it.

Los Muertos is one of my favourite beers any time of year. It reminds me of Dos Equis Dark if anything and I enjoy its malty flavour. I love malty beers that remind me of coffee and chocolate.

With a 5% alcohol content and an IBU of 25, Bad Tattoo calls it “A malt forward, crisp, refreshing, medium-dark lager that loves being chilled down. Add a twist of lime for an authentic Mexican experience or enjoy on its own.” 

Tramp Stamp Pale Ale gives you the full American Pale Ale experience that the brewery says is “fruit forward American style pale ale hopped exclusively with Super Pride, Galaxy & Summer Australian hops.”

I like this beer a lot but that’s really not enough of a review to make someone seriously considering trying it. What I like about beers such as Tramp Stamp is that they are good anytime of year and that is why they are likely in their core lineup.

Flavour dominates here as well as enough little interesting things going on in its flavour profile to make you want to drink it again and again.

Hellion IPA/Juice Bomb 

This IPA is what you would expect in a beer that has a 6.3 percent alcohol by volume and an IBU of 66. Bad Tatoo says that “it has fruit forward notes of peach and mandarin followed by a light malt backbone to finish it off.”

It’s a great IPA and a definite alternative to the Juice Bomb IPA which is all the rage these days with the hazy look and tart taste. 

I’d call the Hellion a classic IPA that I would drink at any time of the year.

The Juice Bomb follows the New England IPA recipe that features an intense, tropical fruit centric, hop aroma and flavour. New England IPA’s are heavily dry hopped to the point of being hazy. They tend to have a fuller body, smoother flavour, and less perceived bitterness than typical IPAs.

Sol Vida Cerveza Clara

I hadn’t tried this beer before with my go to light choice being the Vagabond Pilsner. 

Sol Vida is an easy drinking, almost too easy in fact, light beer that reminds me of a Corona. When I found out that it was the lighter cousin of my favourite beer, Los Muertos, I had to try it. 

This beer could and should have a wide appeal because of it’s easy drinking nature. Hot days are the perfect time for this beer. 

Watermelon Gose

I’ll be the first person to tell you I am not a big Gose drinker. I had thought to label them trendy given the fact that I see them around a lot these days at breweries I visit so I decided to do some research.

Gose have actually been brewed since the 13th century and were named after the German town of Goslar. The beer itself was adopted in Leipzig as well so much so that it become known for being from there as well.

Since the late 1980’s it has been a popular beer style in the U.S. and it looks like it’s come to Canada as well. 

The issue I can’t get past the salty taste that emerges nor how my stomach felt after drinking one. I had a Los Muertos before so maybe it was the difference in beers. Not sure. 

Bad Light

This beer was another fine light beer from Bad Tattoo. What can you say but the spoofing here is obvious since the brewery is trying to cash in on the Bud Light crowd.

Good on them. Never been a serious Bud Light drinker and never will be. Tried to have two Bud Lights once in a row and I felt like I had eaten a meal. Definitely felt bloated and just generally gross.

This version however is a great light beer that works again on hot days. I have generally chosen pilsners over lagers for the warmer days of spring and summer but both the Bad Light and Sol Vida are both great choices for light beer drinkers.