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Cedar Creek Brewery Dankosaurus IPA – American IPA at 6.8% ABV

Cedar Creek Brewery Dankosaurus IPA American IPA at 6.8% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 31-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, soft carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Not bad at all. Smells quite promising, with lots of dank resiny pine, but disappoints just a little on the tongue by not quite following through. In addition to the slightly dull flavour, the body is a little watery, and the carbonation is a little on the flat side. Brighter and crisper would make this world-class, but as it stands, it’s merely quite good. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Avery Brewing Co. Raja Double IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV

Avery Brewing Co. Raja Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (US$3.78 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 27-Oct-2015, reviewed 30-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, bready malt, pine, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

I wasn’t all that thrilled at first. The malt, for example, initially seemed a little more forward than I prefer, causing me to think this was another one of those malty DIPAs that, while not actually a sink pour, make me have mild regret. That definitely changes, and while it never gets “crisp”, it certainly develops and expands as it warms. I’m not quite sure if there really is a lemon note, of whether the appearance just makes me think that, but there’s a nice blend of tropical fruit and citrus leading the way for the somewhat bready malt, rounded out by a slightly earthy pine note. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Karbach Brewing Co. Hopadillo IPA – American IPA at 6.6% ABV

Karbach Brewing Co. Hopadillo IPA American IPA at 6.6% ABV (US$1.46 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 19-Nov-2015, reviewed 30-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a fat finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus rind, pale malt, light earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Solid hop-forward A/IPA with just enough malt backbone to support it. Goes down a treat when working on the basement, and hard to beat for the price! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Oskar Blues Brewery IPA – American IPA at 6.43% ABV

Oskar Blues Brewery IPA American IPA at 6.43% ABV (US$2.31 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 30-Sep-2015, reviewed 29-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus rind, pale malt, light pine, hint of wheat and maybe a touch of earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Very drinkable. If I had any lingering qualms about craft beer in cans, this would have laid them to rest: a decent IPA that you can toss into a bag and haul into the bush? Nice. I’m not quite getting any vinous notes like I associate with Nelson Sauvin, but this collection of ANZAC hops (Enigma, Vic Secret, Ella, Topaz) are working well together. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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The Wild Beer Co. Bliss – Sour / Wild Ale at 6% ABV

The Wild Beer Co. Bliss Sour / Wild Ale at 6% ABV (US$7.36 at Specs Main Branch, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 26-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart dark stone fruit, spices (cloves?), herbal, sweet grainy malt, leather, light funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (3/5)

Pretty approachable for a wild – lightly tart and mildly funky. Not wildly different than a Flanders red, but milder. Mildly pleasant but not very exciting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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The Wild Beer Co. Somerset Wild – Sour / Wild Ale at 5% ABV

The Wild Beer Co. Somerset Wild Sour / Wild Ale at 5% ABV (US$7.36 at Specs Main Branch, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 26-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy translucent pale straw gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: very bready yeast, apple cider, lemon. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong tart, light bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (3/5)

Hooo… I dunno about this one. Reminds me of a scrumpy, actually – lots (and I mean LOTS) of bready baker’s yeast, dominating over some cidery apple and a tinge of citrus. (The yeast is frankly out of control: there’s a lot of lees, and even some caked residue around the neck.) The smell is frankly somewhat off-putting, but the taste is a darn sight better. It’s certainly growing on me as it warms, too. Not an unqualified success, certainly, but not without its charms. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Green Flash Brewing Co. Soul Style IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV

Green Flash Brewing Co. Soul Style IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, best before 30-May-2016, reviewed 26-Jan-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one finger of creamy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus peel, caramel malt, floral, light onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

It’s pretty much what it says on the label, I guess – reasonably bright and reasonably tropical. I’m not entirely sure why it’s not getting me more excited. Perhaps it’s the bit of almost soapy creaminess in the body, perhaps it’s the little vegetal onion-like flavour in the back end. It just doesn’t “pop”, though – could stand to be be more crisp and bright. Good, yes, but not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Real Ale Brewing Co. Devil’s Backbone – Tripel at 8.1% ABV

Real Ale Brewing Co. Devil’s Backbone Tripel at 8.1% ABV (US$2.20 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 15-Oct-2016, best before 9-May-2016, reviewed 26-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy translucent pale gold with a short, short-lived white head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange peel, coriander, candi sugar, bubble gum, yeasty. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Pleasant Belg-ish tripel. Sweet, but not overly so, with some complexity and a nice yeasty base. I wouldn’t say no to another of these. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Real Ale Brewing Co. Full Moon Rye IPA – American IPA at 6.2% ABV

Real Ale Brewing Co. Full Moon Rye IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV (US$1.99 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 19-Sep-2015, best before 17-Feb-2016, reviewed 26-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy translucent pale amber with one finger of creamy light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone and tropical fruit, earthy rye, bready malt, light citrus and floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body , moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

Nice – there’s a definite rye presence that’s very well integrated with the IPA bitterness, such that neither really dominates. Certainly it’s not as heavy-handed or spicy as some rye ales I’ve had. I’m not saying there’s necessarily anything wrong with a spicy rye beer, but this different, more subtle approach makes for an interesting change. Nothing earth-shattering but a nicely quaffable rye. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Green Flash Brewing Co. Hop Odyssey: Segal Ranch Session IPA – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV

Green Flash Brewing Co. Hop Odyssey: Segal Ranch Session IPA Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, best before 28-Mar-2016, reviewed 25-Jan-2016)

Appearance: lightly hazy medium gold with one finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, floral, pale malt, light tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending a little to the watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Big flavour for a low ABV ale! Not sure how sessionable this is, given the moderately high bitter, mind you… It’s not a complete success – the high-ish bitterness doesn’t work overly well with the slightly watery body, for example – but it’s not bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com