Author: dpatrickryan

Boston Beer Company Sam Adams Hopscape Wheat Ale at 5.5% ABV | 30 IBU (On tap at Ruby’s Diner IAH, reviewed 9-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of dense white head, good lacing. (3/5) Aroma: resiny pine, floral, pale malt, hint of wheat. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild-moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Decent. Lots of hops on the nose, if not much wheat. Body is slightly thin and slightly grainy, but not bad overall. I might consider it a bit thin for an IPA, but since it’s not claiming to be an IPA, I guess that’s a bit beside the point. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boston Beer Company Fresh as Helles Helles/Dortmunder at 5.4% ABV | 18 IBU (On tap at Pappadeaux IAH, reviewed 9-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of medium white head, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange zest, lightly toasted grain, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (3/5)

A fairly straightforward Helles made slightly more interesting by the addition of orange blossoms. Easy drinking and clean, if not all that exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Franconia Silver Star Bock Bock at 5.06% ABV | 21 IBU (On tap at Saltgrass Houston, reviewed 8-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short, short-lived head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel malt, light chocolate and grass. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry short finish. (3/5)

Meh. Sweet and bland. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Pub Crawl Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.7% ABV | 43 IBU (US$1.16 at Spec’s, 355 ml, bottle date 23-Jan-2017, acquired 6-Mar-2017, reviewed 7-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon zest, crackery malt, melon, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (3/5)

Starts off extremely promising, with exactly the “bright and sessionable” character the label promises: citrusy hops lead the way over a well-behaved clean malt backbone. Somewhat unfortunately, though, those bright hops fade as rapidly as the loose white head, leaving behind a mild fruity and grassy character. It remains pleasant throughout, and it’s not my intention to damn it with faint praise, but it’s not quite as stellar as the first sips suggest. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Karbach Brewing Weekend Warrior Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 40 IBU (US$1.16 at Spec’s, 355 ml, bottle date 23-Jan-2017, acquired 6-Mar-2017, reviewed 7-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toasted and caramel malt, citrus, tropical fruit, pine, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (3/5)

Not a bad little APA, and I could forgive the tendency of the body to drop off to watery given the style, but the malt is a little forward for my preferred implementation of the style. It isn’t unbalanced as such, but it’s certainly more malt dominant than I’d like it to be. Very drinkable, though. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie McAuslan Griffon Rousse American Amber/Red at 4.5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$11.50 on tap at Hurley’s Irish Pub YUL, reviewed 4-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear reddish deep amber with a short creamy ivory head settling rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, toasty malt, light herbal. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

Fairly outrageous pricing for a plain-Jane Irish Red, but I guess that’s par for the course when you’re stuck in an Irish pub in the high-security post-screening part of YUL. (I feel very secure. And significantly poorer.) Decent enough example of the style, malt-dominated but well-behaved, with none of the diacetyl this style can be so prone to. I have a high opinion of McAuslan, and this isn’t a let-down: to the extent it’s possible to do a good Irish Red, they’ve done it. I really find these way too sweet for my preference these days, though, which makes it hard to be impartial. A bit old-fashioned, and good(-ish) – but one’s my hard limit. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Archibald West Coast IPA (Belle Mer) American IPA at 7.1% ABV | 70 IBU (C$9.50 on tap at Archibald YUL, reviewed 4-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short creamy white head settling rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Fairly typical A/IPA starts-with-C hop profile, with a hint of West Coast dank. Decently clean and balanced, with just enough pale malt backing to support the middling-high bitterness. No real complaints here, but some structural improvements would be nice – as in, I’d like better head retention to protect the carbonation and aromas, which drop off as the pint progresses. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Breakside Brewery Salted Caramel Stout Sweet Stout at 6.7% ABV | 31 IBU (C$11.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 3-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep ruby brown with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, roasty dark malt, caramel, lactose. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light salt. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, soft carbonation, dry slightly briny mild bitter warming finish. (3/5)

I was hoping for a little more little more dessert-in-a-glass, but not bad. Body is a decent weight for the style, and in fact would be quite capable of supporting more emphatic salted caramel. A bit more bombast would go a long way here. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Category 12 Brewing Excitation Cacao Nib Espresso Stout American Stout at 6.4% ABV | 30 IBU (C$9.50 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 3-Jan-2017, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 3-Mar-2017)

Appearance: nearly opaque deep brown with brown highlights around the margins, one fat finger of fine creamy beige head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cacao, espresso, light ash and liquorice, hint of resin. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate-soft carbonation, dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Feels slightly thin – a little more body would work with the chocolate notes. On the up side, the espresso presence is mild and well-balanced, not tasting overextracted as so often happens with this style. Not bad, but not exactly memorable, either. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Propolis Saison at 5.2% ABV | 18 IBU (C$8.62 at NLC Stavanger, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 25-Feb-2017, reviewed 3-Mar-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skin, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: honey, pale malt, grassy hay, white pepper, lemon zest, bready yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: Light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry sweetish finish. (3/5)

A pretty straightforward table saison, if a bit too sweet for my preference. Not getting much in the way of specialty grains, either. I think I’d like this a lot more if it were dryer, or if there were some rye notes to balance the honey sweetness – or, preferably, both. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com