Author: dpatrickryan

Parallel 49 / Green Flash Brewing Co. Brews Brothers What’s Golden: East Meets West IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.00 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2017, acquired 10-Mar-2017, reviewed 13-Mar-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, citrus, pine, biscuit and caramel malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (4/5)

I won’t lie: I had high hopes for this. East meets West? Seriously? West-coast-style dank and resiny meets East-coast-style hazy and juicy citrus? With Green Flash? Sign me up!

And yeah, it’s good… -ish… But it’s not great. I was hoping it would be the star of the show, but at best it’s sharing the headliner spot with the Gigantic collab. (And that might be a touch generous because I’m three beers in.) Ah, well – life is a series of bitter disappointments. Onward and upward! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Gigantic Brewing Company Brews Brothers Blazing Arrow: Tawny IPA American IPA at 6% ABV (C$6.00 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2017, acquired 10-Mar-2017, reviewed 13-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, citrus, stone fruit, slightly earthy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (3/5)

Now that is more like it! I was fairly unimpressed with the first 50% of this mixed pack, but finally we’ve hit a collaboration that plays to strengths. I’ve had quite a few of their collaboration beers over the past three years, but not a whole lot of Parallel 49-only brews – and of the ones I have, they tend to shine when the focus is hops (their 187 D/IPA, for example). And Gigantic? Well, they also tend to shine when it comes to A/IPA and D/IPA styles. (Or maybe I’m just a hophead – regardless, this is more my speed.) I’d be happier with a dryer, less malty finish, mind you, and could do without the earthy note on the nose, but perhaps that’s just me being difficult. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / 49th State Brewing Company Brews Brothers Gettin’ It: Farmhouse of the North Saison at 7% ABV (C$6.00 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2017, acquired 10-Mar-2017, reviewed 13-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready yeast, fruity esters, wet cardboard, coriander, hint of white pepper. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming and spicy bitter finish. (3/5)

Dunno what makes this a Farmhouse, to be honest – it’s a bit of a mishmash of vague fruit and doughy, bready yeast. No real clear direction or style here. Aside from the warming spicy finish, it’s pretty unexciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Scuttlebutt Brewing Co. Brews Brothers Baby Got Back: Hoppy Hefe Hefeweizen at 6.5% ABV (C$6.00 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2017, acquired 10-Mar-2017, reviewed 13-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet banana, cloves, wheat, melon, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, lightly spicy bitter finish. (3/5)

So, they called this a “Hoppy Hefe”, so of course I initially classified it in my system as a Hopfenweisse, because that’s pretty much by definition what that style is, right? Except, not so much. It’s got some hoppy spiciness in the finish, but really it’s just a Hefeweizen. A sweet, fruity, unsubtle Hefeweizen. It’s no Driftwood Entangled, or Beau’s Wag the Wolf, that’s for sure. This thing is dominated by banana and wheat, making it – in my opinion, anyway – pretty firmly a Hefeweizen, albeit a slightly ham-fisted one. Think banana bread with a few cloves stuck in it, maybe? (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hoyne Brewing Co. Devil’s Dream IPA American IPA at 6% ABV (C$7.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 12-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and soapy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel/toffee, mango, citrus, black tea. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium oily body, moderate carbonation, sticky and spicy lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Despite the big oily and spicy bitter dominating the finish, the malt gives it a run for its money on the front end. It’s not malt dominant, but it is malt heavy. Kind of surprising the ABV is as low as it is, actually, given the way it punches above its weight. I’d like it better if it were brighter and dryer, or maybe just boozier. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hoyne Brewing Co. Dark Matter American Brown Ale at 5.3% ABV | 30 IBU (C$7.46 at Crowfoot Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Feb-2017, reviewed 12-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of creamy light beige head, excellent retention and soapy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, sweet roasty malt, nutty, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending thin, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly mild combination of Brown and Stout characters, tending slightly thin despite its dark and forbidding appearance. Pleasant enough, though. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dogfish Head Brewery Namaste Witbier at 4.8% ABV | 20 IBU (US$2.59 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 12-Mar-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with one finger of pillowy dense white head, excellent retention and soapy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coriander, orange peel, banana, doughy yeast, peppercorn. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweet slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A decent easy-drinking Belgian Witbier. It’s a little aggressive on the spices, and a little heavy and sweet for my preference, making it fall a little flat in the finish – but only a little. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bench Creek Brewing Apex Predator American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV | 100 IBU (C$10.99 at Oak & Vine, 1 l growler, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 11-Mar-2017)

Appearance: opaque medium gold with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (5/5)

Damn. Bench Creek just served literal notice to the other 45 brewers in the province that they intend to be top dog – and I think they might accomplish it. This is some serious world-class shit, just beautiful: huge hoppy nose, layered complexity, lovely balanced body, a clean bitter finish that never becomes overwhelming, and SO easy drinking. Work on the structural side a little – I have no problem at all with an orange juice-like opacity, but like to see good retention and well-defined lacing – and this could well make its way into legendary territory for New England-style DIPAs. I mean, this is already challenging Tree House or Trillium, but a few tweaks could put this in contention with Alchemist. Really worth tracking down – but be careful, apex predators don’t respond well to being cornered. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Collective Project: IPA No. 1 American IPA at 7.1% ABV | 80 IBU (C$3.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, bottle date 9-Feb-2017, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 11-Mar-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, pine, dank resin, white wine must, hint of onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Another solid performer from Collective Arts. I’d be happier with it if the Nelson Sauvin were more pronounced, and the Citra a tiny bit less oniony, but it’s pretty solid as-is. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com