Author: dpatrickryan

Crooked Stave Vieille Artisinal Saison Saison at 4.2% ABV (US$7.99 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 375 ml, packaged on 6-Jul-1905, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 8-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon zest, white wine, oak, dry hay funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, minimal bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp finish. (4/5)

It’s good, but… well, I’m not sure. There was initially a hint of an almost skunk-like aroma, but not in an off-putting or offensive way. That faded rapidly, leaving behind zesty lemon and vinous white wine backed up by a dry brett funk. When I poured the lees, the aromas and flavours mellowed and altered considerably as the beer became nearly opaque, becoming reminiscent of a Gueuze. This might also have been a result of allowing it to warm even more – I started with it at about 42ºF, which was probably a little too cold. By the time it hit 53ºF, it had opened and mellowed a lot. I’m not sure that it’s very Saison-like – really more of a barrel-aged Sour or Wild – but it’s pretty darned good. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

To Øl LikeWeisse Berliner Weisse at 3.8% ABV (C$7.50 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, packaged on 29-Dec-2015, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 8-Jul-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart citrus, tropical fruit, melon and strawberry, white grape must, wheat, light earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp finish. (4/5)

Interesting complex aromas, mildly tart flavours, and a light crisp body. In a blind taste test, you just might be able to convince someone this was an oddball little white wine. “Little” being the operative word here, of course, given the super low ABV. A beer you could literally drink all day long, especially given the balanced tartness and clean finish. Probably better fresh (that packaging date is a wild-ass guess based on that weird date code on the cap, but it’s certainly more than six months old) but for all that it doesn’t seem to have suffered much. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Amsterdam Brewery Spotted Cow Witbier at 5% ABV | 12 IBU (C$4.49 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Apr-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 8-Jul-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, wheat, orange peel, coriander, weeds. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, mild peppery spice. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mild spicy finish. (3/5)

Not a lot to say about this: mild yeasty wheat and spice aromas, balanced sweetness, and an almost crisp light finish make it a decent little thirst quencher. Pleasant enough, but fairly forgettable. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Mystic Skull No. 5 Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5.5% ABV | 26 IBU (C$7.50 at J. Webb Wine Merchant, 650 ml, packaged on 18-Jan-2017, acquired 30-Apr-2017, reviewed 7-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a persistent cap, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: chilli peppers, dry cocoa, corn. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate peppery spice. (4/10) Palate: medium body tending watery, soft carbonation, medium duration mild spicy finish. (3/5)

After over 2500 unique beers, this is probably the worst gusher I’ve ever experienced. I saw it rushing up immediately upon decapping, and tilted it upright while I grabbed a glass, but it still firehosed a good 3-4” vertically. Yet, the head diminishes rapidly, and very little residual carbonation retains, so I’m wondering if it might be infected. Flavours are unbalanced, with a sharp chilli note on the outset that could really use some malt for support – but never gets it. No hop character to speak of, and a body that drops off thin and watery. About the only good thing I can say about this is, it’s different. Immediately after saying that, I said “… thankfully” and sink poured the remaining mess. A bit shit, overall. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Rye the Long Face Rye IPA at 8.5% ABV | 86 IBU (C$7.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 18-Jan-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 7-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with three fingers of fine ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toffee/caramel, citrus, rye sourdough, tropical fruit, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter lightly peppery finish. (3/5)

One of the most painful labels I’ve ever experienced: it starts off with “Hay neigh-bour!” and goes downhill from there, with “to put pasture lips” being particularly cringe-worthy. OK, puns aside, how’s the beer, you might well ask? Well… it’s certainly not as good as Charlevoix’ La Vache Folle RyePA, for example, but it’s not bad. The rye presence could stand to be a little more pronounced, because right now it comes through predominantly as a doughy presence in the mid, and only a very mild spice in the finish. Overall, this comes across as a fairly old-style DIPA, with heavy malt leading the way over an emphatic but fairly blunt bitter. Fairly enjoyable, but not all that interesting. If my interpretation of the date code is correct, it’s a bit outside the golden window for IPAs, but that doesn’t generally apply to DIPAs because the much higher ABV should have provided at least some measure of protection. And if not, and I’m experiencing the effects of age, well, perhaps you should clearly date your bottles instead of using an arcane code system lightly engraved on the neck so you can only see it after pouring the beer, huh Skippy? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Bodhisattva American Wild Ale at 6% ABV (C$7.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 30-May-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 7-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of dense white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vinous white grape must, tropical fruit, floral, apples. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, minimal bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp tart finish. (3/5)

Eh. OK, I guess. I particularly like the Motueka notes in the dry-hopping, bringing that ANZ white wine vinous character, but the plain old lacto sour is getting more than a little boring. Hardly transcendent. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Red & White India Red Ale Batch 150* India Red Ale at 6% ABV | 50 IBU (C$5.49 at Oak & Vine, 568 ml, packaged on 24-Jun-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 7-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of loose beige head, good retention and minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toffee, citrus, hint of roasty malts (coffee/chocolate), grass & earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Well, I didn’t get this until a couple of days after the sequicentennial, but that’s OK, because they admit they lied about it being batch #150, so it all balances out. I’m also going to have to disagree with the label claim this is “hazy & crazy hoppy” – it’s clear, and at best moderately crazy hoppy.  More to the point, it’s an India Red Ale, a style I’ve had infrequently but never particularly liked. This isn’t bad for the style, particularly in the way the hoppy bitterness lingers and grows, but it’s nowhere near as good as some of their other offerings, like their 1 Year or their New England-Style Pale Ale. The choice of sizes is nice, too, assuming you consider the Imperial pint (568ml) to be more “Canadian” than the US pint (473ml). (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Vancouver Island Brewing Juniper Lime Ale Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 7% ABV | 13 IBU (C$7.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 1-Jun-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 6-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with an explosive overflowing  white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: ginger ale, artificial lime, faint juniper. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweet warming finish. (2/5)

Not very good at all. I warmed up to it very slightly as it warmed me up, but only slightly. Sweet to the point of being slightly sickly, and doesn’t smell or taste like a gimlet to me – more like a rye and ginger, if anything. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewing Gose With Peach Gose at 5% ABV | 17 IBU (C$7.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 6-Jul-2017)

Appearance: muddy opaque pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: peach puree, coriander, wheat, brine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, sweet tart finish. (3/5)

Not a very impressive example of the style: in particular the peach is reminiscent not of peaches, but peach puree – or maybe, baby food. In this case, the sweetness and salt are less refreshing than I’ve seen in other examples of the style. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Last Aurochs Weizenbock at 8% ABV (C$10.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 7-Apr-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 5-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana bread and not much else – maybe hints of dark fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweet medium duration finish. (4/5)

Really, really not my preferred flavour profile, but very well done. It’s not a common style, and I would’ve sworn it wouldn’t be among my favourites – but a quick search suggests otherwise: of the four others I’ve had, only one ranked less than an eight out of ten, so apparently there’s something about this that works for me. Sweet and almost sticky, with very little hop character to speak of, this is all about the yeast and malt. But, what yeast and malt it is! Bananas, doughy yeast, and brown sugar, with just a hint of dark fruits towards the end. And, I just had a bit of an epiphany when I noticed the ABV: that’s why it’s so palatable, staying smooth and not getting sticky despite the heavy malt character. Ahh, alcohol – is there anything you can’t do? Gotta say, I like this a lot. (And yes, yet another gorgeous label.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com