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Foster’s Brewing Foster’s Lager – Pale Lager at 5% ABV | 12 IBU

Foster’s Brewing Foster’s Lager Pale Lager at 5% ABV | 12 IBU (C$4.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 750 ml, bottle date 4-Jun-2015, acquired 19-Sep-2016, reviewed 19-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: adjunct corn syrup, grass, light vegetal. (4/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, low bitter. (3/10) Light body, lively carbonation, sweet medium duration finish. (2/5)

Very much a SABMiller product. Any character this might once have had has been pretty firmly stamped out – if not by the SABMiller ownership, than by the fact that this is brewed in the US under license. Hey, I knew it was gonna be shit going in, so I’m not disappointed. I was thirsty, now I’m not, so that’s kind of a win, right? And let’s be honest, the big-ass oilcan is fun. Cheap garbage, but at a cheap price. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Blindman Brewing Kettle Sour #4 – Sour / Wild Ale at 4.5% ABV | 7 IBU

Blindman Brewing Kettle Sour #4 Sour / Wild Ale at 4.5% ABV | 7 IBU (C$3.00 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 6-Jul-2016, best before 6-Oct-2016, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 18-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy, lemon, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short tart finish. (3/5)

It’s kettle sour, so how exciting can it be, right? (Gotta say, though, I love the “IT WAS DAVE’S FAULT” imprint on the date stamp. God dammit, Dave! Seriously, we’re sick of your shit, OK?) But, y’know, not bad – decent hop character from the Amarillo and Chinook. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Amsterdam Brewery Oranje Weisse Summer White – Witbier at 5% ABV | 12 IBU

Amsterdam Brewery Oranje Weisse Summer White Witbier at 5% ABV | 12 IBU (C$4.00 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 473 ml, bottle date 14-May-2015, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 18-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange peel, coriander, wheat, bready yeast. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (5/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

Bit of a disappointment from an otherwise solid brewery. Nothing overly wrong with it, but it just doesn’t excite me. Orange peel dominates a wheat and yeast base, but not exciting. Wish I liked it more than I do, actually. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Propeller Brewery Rye IPA – American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 72 IBU

Propeller Brewery Rye IPA American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 72 IBU (C$5.32 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, bottle date 22-Aug-2016, acquired 15-Sep-2016, reviewed 16-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: spicy rye, caramel, citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Last tried over a year ago, but I didn’t take good notes. Also, this was reasonably fresh, so I just had to do it again. Rye dominates the aromas and helps raise the already high hop-based bitterness to near hop bomb levels, only slightly tempered by the relatively high caramel sweetness. All in all, fairly bombastic on all levels. I suppose technically it’s a bit unbalanced, but I’m a sucker for a rye IPA, so it works for me – your mileage may vary. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Argentum (2014) – Belgian IPA at 7% ABV | 49 IBU

Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Argentum (2014) Belgian IPA at 7% ABV | 49 IBU (C$4.89 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, bottle date 22-Oct-2015, best before 31-Oct-2018, acquired 19-Jun-2016, reviewed 16-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grassy hay, caramel, stone fruit, apples, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

First time tasting, as part of a series of four from the family (Red, Nocturnum, Tremens, Argentum). Not entirely sure how this is a 2014 vintage if the Julian date on the bottle is 15295 (295th day of 2015), but that’s what the label claims, so…? An interesting beer – very much a Belgian interpretation of an American IPA. Which is to say, despite the fact that it’s dry-hopped with American hops, there’s still a significant (in fact, dominant) Belgian yeast character that lends a barnyardy hay note. Sort of but not entirely like a De Ranke XX. Doesn’t strike me as particularly well balanced, but I enjoyed it regardless – if for no other reason than different is always good. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Tremens – Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8.7% ABV | 26 IBU

Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Tremens Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8.7% ABV | 26 IBU (C$4.43 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, bottle date 15-Feb-2016, best before 28-Feb-2019, acquired 19-Jun-2016, reviewed 16-Sep-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: yeast, banana, cloves, floral, honey, green apples, white pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, light bitter. (8/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

Last tasted more than two years ago, re-trying as part of a series of four from the family (Red, Nocturnum, Tremens, Argentum). Well balanced ale with characteristics of Belgian Strong and Tripel. Warm but not aggressive, it carries off the high ABV well. I still prefer this to any of the variants (although I’ve not yet tried the Argentum, so that might change). A solid Belgian that has never disappointed me. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Nocturnum – Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 8.5% ABV | 26 IBU

Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Nocturnum Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 8.5% ABV | 26 IBU (C$4.89 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, bottle date 22-Apr-2016, best before 30-Apr-2019, acquired 19-Jun-2016, reviewed 15-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby-brown with one fat finger of medium dense beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark fruit, candi sugar, cloves and spice. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, thin slightly astringent warming finish. (3/5)

Last tasted two years ago, re-trying as part of a series of four from the family (Red, Nocturnum, Tremens, Argentum). A bit thin in the body for a BSDA, which is emphasized by the livelier than normal carbonation. Finishes thin and slightly astringent, albeit warming. The relatively high ABV and flavored could easily justify a heavier body, in my opinion. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Red – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 8% ABV | 10 IBU

Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Red Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 8% ABV | 10 IBU (C$4.89 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, bottle date 31-Mar-2016, best before 31-Mar-2018, acquired 19-Jun-2016, reviewed 15-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby with one fat finger of loose light purple head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: red berries, tart cherry, candi sugar. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild tart, light bitter. (5/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (3/5)

Last tasted two years ago, re-trying as part of a series of four from the family (Red, Nocturnum, Tremens, Argentum). Sweet – really sweet. To the point where the cherry starts to achieve the dreaded cough syrup character, and it’s hard to tell whether it’s fake or not. I swear, it looked and tasted better on tap at Delirium Cafe… or maybe that was just the whole ambiance? Definitely not an authentic kriek, by a long shot, but OK for what it is. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen – Rauchbier at 5.2% ABV | 20 IBU

Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen Rauchbier at 5.2% ABV | 20 IBU (C$4.25 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, best before 30-Apr-2017, acquired 7-Sep-2016, reviewed 13-Sep-2016)

Appearance: cloudy deep amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: smoke, toffee, ham/bacon, bready yeast. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate smoke, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry smoky finish. (3/5)

As usual, I’m not completely convinced that I’m actually smelling smoke-cured meat here, but the combination of sweetness and smoke is so inextricably linked to bacon, it’s impossible to convince myself there’s no bacon there. So, maybe there is, and maybe there isn’t. Aside from the cloudiness, the weizen character definitely takes a distant back seat to the smoke, but doesn’t feel out of place – I mean, who doesn’t like a slice of toast with their bacon, right? I think it’s a bit lighter – in body, colour, and flavour – than the rest of the family (except the Lagerbier) but that’s not necessarily a criticism: in general, I wouldn’t hesitate to have any one of the Schlenkerla beers as a fireside sipper, but this also works as a refreshing thirst quencher. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Thornbury Beverage Company Dark Horse Lager – Dunkel at 4.8% ABV

Thornbury Beverage Company Dark Horse Lager Dunkel at 4.8% ABV (C$3.50 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 7-Sep-2016, reviewed 12-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: brown sugar/molasses, nutty, toasted bread, mild dark fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish and slightly sticky mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Not a bad little Dunkel. Initially I felt the sweetness was actually pretty good, but it got just a tiny bit saccharine as the pint progressed, particularly in the finish. Otherwise, not bad, with a fairly rich malty, nutty flavour. Just a little better than the sum of its parts, this is a mild and sessionable dark(-ish) amber lager. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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