Author: dpatrickryan

Deschutes Brewery Swivelhead Red India Red Ale at 6.5% ABV | 70 IBU (C$3.95 at J. Webb Wine Merchant, 355 ml, best before 2-Aug-2017, acquired 30-Apr-2017, reviewed 10-May-2017)

Appearance: clear red-tinged medium amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, pine, caramel, crusty bread, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh. The maltiness blunts the fairly high bitterness, preventing it from coming though as bright or emphatic. Not very exciting, but fairly easy drinking. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

3 Fonteinen Brouwerij Ambachtelijke Geuzestekerij Beersel Blonde Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7% ABV (C$6.02 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 11-Apr-2018, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-May-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bready malt, honey, floral, banana, hint of white pepper. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light peppery spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

I was really puzzled by the naming of this: 3 Fonteinen calls their BSPA “Beersel” Blonde, when it has no association whatsoever with Oud Beersel? But then, I figured it out: Beersel is the name of the town. The two breweries are literally a fifteen minute walk from each other. Still, gotta say, seems like a little bit of a dick move – if it confused a fairly hardcore beer geek like me, then you gotta think the possibility for consumer confusion is pretty high. Anyway. On to the beer. And, well, hrm. It’s not actually bad, y’know? But when you consider they make one of the best Gueuzes in the world, perhaps it might be better sticking with that? Really. It’s a very, very pretty beer. And that’s pretty much the best I can say about it. Stick to Gueuze and don’t bother contract brewing at the De Proefbrouwerij. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company / Three Floyds Axes of Evil (#3) English Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 70 IBU (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-May-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, citrus, tropical fruit, toasted malt, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice to see Gigantic using their fifth anniversary as a justification to re-release some of their seasonals that I never got a chance to try! This, they claim, is an English Pale Ale – to which, I respond, “Yeah, right!” Not in a negative way, y’unnerstand – this is excellent, with a bright, distinctly NON-Noble hop character you’d never find in a true EPA. It settles down a bit, and sorta kinda pretends to be an EPA, with a pleasant toasted/biscuity malt character, but then the massive bitter finish comes through. This is definitely a beer for whom a Lemmy quote on the label is appropriate. Now, just double up the hops in the boil, do a bunch of dry-hopping with Mosaic, and boost the malt bill by about 40%, will you? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing White Witbier at 5% ABV (C$7.64 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-May-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy dirty pale straw with a massive fluffy white head, excellent retention and chunky soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat, coriander, light banana, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter and spicy finish. (4/5)

Hmmm… I see why they make the frankly surprising admonition (for a witbier) to leave the sediment in the bottle: it starts off looking slightly unclean with a fairly clean pour after a gentle swirl of the bottle, but when I more aggressively swirled in the lees to get the true “white” character in the remainder, it turned a fairly unappealing dirty opaque ditchwater tone. Decent wit other than the appearance, though. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Son of the Morning Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV (C$7.74 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 30-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: honey, yeasty, hot booze, apples & pears. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, alcohol edge. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, lively carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and boozy hot finish. (3/5)

OK, Driftwood, I think you’ve overstepped here. “Son of the Morning”? As in “Lucifer”? As in “Devil”? As in “Duvel”? Yeah, no. I know Duvel, and you, my friend, are no Duvel. Points lost for overweening arrogance. (No, I don’t subtract points when it’s justifiable arrogance, duh.) Another gorgeous label, I’ll give you that, but we’re talking beer, not labels. Doesn’t hit the numbers on the style guidelines, which makes me a little sad because it seems to be happening all to frequently with Driftwood lately. This is drinkable, but it’s not what I was hoping for. Damned with faint praise: OK. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Scythe Matters Imperial Hefeweizen Hefeweizen at 7.2% ABV (C$9.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 1-Aug-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 30-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: clove, banana, wheat, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, alcohol edge. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

Shouldn’t that be “Scythe Matterth”? Now I need to find their Wheatking and compare – for SCIENCE! Actually, speaking of comparing, this reminds me a lot of their Crookeder Tooth, which is a pumpkin ale with nearly the same ABV. This isn’t as good, though, mostly due to a very slightly harsh alcoholic, solventy edge. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Wobbly Pop American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$2.75 at J. Webb Wine Merchant, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 30-Apr-2017, reviewed 30-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, grassy/herbal, hint of pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Pretty straightforward classic APA despite the label notes’ description of Pale Ale having come a long way since your father’s time. Pales in general have. This one, not so much. Malt dominant over largely noble hop character. About the only non-classical characteristic is the fairly emphatic bitter in the finish, but even that’s fairly blunt and unremarkable. OK, but no better. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Le Castor Sanctuaire Abbey Tripel at 9.3% ABV (C$11.04 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, bottle date 12-Sep-2016, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: red wine, oak, candi sugar. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry warming finish. (4/5)

Lots of red wine character here, completely dominating over the base Tripel character. Not a complaint, just an observation. Well-balanced overall, and pleasantly warming. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Lindemans Cassis Lambic Lambic at 3.5% ABV (C$8.09 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep ruby with one finger of fluffy pink/purple head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: intense black currant, light earth, hint of oak. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high tart, minimal bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

That’s a lot of fun if you like black currants: the fruit completely dominates the base lambic, but tastes very authentic, with a hint of that earthy note you get from the berry skins. The tartness mediates the high sweetness so that the final product is balanced, with neither feeling excessive. It’s almost as sweet as Faro, for example, but much more palatable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ritterguts Gose GmbH / Brauerei Reichenbrand Ritterguts Gose Gose at 4.7% ABV | 11 IBU (C$7.99 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, best before 31-Oct-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with a short-lived fizzy white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, lemon, brine, wheat, coriander. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, minimal bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp tart and lightly salty finish. (4/5)

Not bad, but not particularly interesting. I wonder if it’s a little elderly, because the head was short and short-lived, and the carbonation fell off rapidly. Bottom line, could stand to be a little brighter. (12/20)

My 237th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 226th from the 2013 edition, and 249th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com