Rusty Baboon - Light IPA

Rusty Baboon is a lively Light IPA built for maximum flavor with minimum heft. Clocking in at just 4.0% ABV, this sessionable ale layers bright citrus and pine from Centennial, Simcoe, and Rakau hops with hints of stone fruit and subtle tropical notes. A balanced malt base of Gambrinus Pale Ale and Simpsons Golden Promise provides gentle sweetness and a soft, biscuity backbone that keeps the hops expressive yet smooth. Light-bodied, crisp, and refreshing at 25 IBUs and a pale golden 4 SRM, Rusty Baboon delivers big character without the buzz—perfect for extended flights. The steampunk baboon on the label says it best: bold, adventurous, and ready for another pass.

There's a bit of a story here, before I even start talking about the art. A friend of mine and myself were on a trip to BC to visit another friend. That friend took us to see his friend, as he had set up a bar in his garage. The neighbourhood rule was if the garage door was open, so was the bar. It was not actually selling anything, it was just a gathering place for those who liked their libations. So we found ourselves in suburbia trying all kinds of exotic Belgian beers, local craft beers and ciders, and some damned tasty whiskeys. The name of said garage bar just happened to be The Rusty Baboon! Really, who wouldn't want a place like this to hang out with friends? They even had shirts made up, so to anyone else it would seem like a real place (I mean it is, but you can't go there, unless you know a guy.)

Now forward to the present, it seemed like a great name for a beer. So that's what we did, and created a sessionable light IPA perfect for a garage bar (any bar). I just needed a local artist who could make us a steampunk version of the baboon in the fighter pilots hat. This is where the idea of putting the baboon in the plane came from. An homage to the original Baboon's logo.

So I contacted Bradley J Wohlgemuth. Bradley is one of the regulars in Winnipeg at Comic Con in Artists Alley, and I've been a fan of his work for a while. Now I had a project that his unique style could bring to life. A couple of concept sketches later and we had what we wanted - a crazy steampunk baboon in a rusty WW1 fighter plane, belching out smoke and heading your way.

Cheers! Cheers to Bradley and his fantastic art! Cheers to Chris at the original Rusty Baboon! And cheers to the two other guys who also form our "beer club".