Author: dpatrickryan

Powell Street Craft Brewery Hopdemonium American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.2% ABV | 70 IBU (C$8.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 8-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet pulpy citrus, grapefruit pith, tropical fruit, caramel malt, resiny pine, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, building and lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

So, the jury seems to be out as to whether this is a DIPA, or “merely” an IPA. I mean, they themselves call it an IPA, but at 70 IBU and more than 7% ABV, let’s be clear: it’s obviously a DIPA (which meets with my whole-hearted approval). The flavour profile is right up my alley as well – I’ve had more emphatically “West Coast” ales, but this is decent, with both citrus flesh and pith, as well as fruit and pine tones. Not quite as dank as a full-blown West Coast – which, yes, I’d prefer – but pleasant enough. It tastes reasonably fresh, and certainly hasn’t become malt-forward, but I’ll still repeat my desire for bottle dating – it would be nice to know if this is brighter (and better!) when fresher. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Powell Street Craft Brewery Ode to Citra Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$8.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 8-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, tropical fruit, citrus, caramel and pale malt, earthy, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I’d bet good money that the only difference between this and Old Jalopy is the hopping – I’m guessing the malt bill is essentially identical. And, come right down to it, there’s not all that much difference in the hopping: many of the same elements are present, just in differing intensities. On the other hand, the differences are all to the good, so I’ve got high hopes for the next Powell Street beer in my rotation (the Hopdemonium IPA). (15/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Powell Street Craft Brewery Old Jalopy Pale Ale English Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$8.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 8-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: earthy, caramel malt, floral, citrus, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Not quite a true English Pale, given the North American hop presence, but certainly English-dominant. The bitterness is also a bit higher than typically for the EPA style, but not to the point of becoming unbalanced. Maybe you could almost call this an EPA/APA hybrid? Not my favourite style overall, but still a pleasant and well-balanced ale. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Kettle Sour #6 (Amarillo & Vic Secret) Sour / Wild Ale at 4.5% ABV | 7 IBU (C$3.25 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 24-Aug-2016, best before 22-Nov-2016, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 8-Nov-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lactic funk, grassy, lemon, tropical fruit, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short tart finish. (3/5)

I’m a bit of a sucker for ANZ hops, so I was hopeful that the Vic Secret might make this a bit more interesting than #4 (Amarillo and Chinook). And there’s a hint of vinous tropical fruit there, sure – but it’s hidden a long way behind a plain-Jane funky lactic sour. Not sure I’ll bother with their next kick at the cat for this style. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Charles Wells Charlie Wells Dry Hopped Lager Euro Pale Lager at 4.7% ABV | 26 IBU (C$3.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 18-Apr-2017, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 8-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: biscuity malt, citrus, grassy, earthy, tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration bitter finish. (3/5)

The first surprise was the overflowing foam when I opened the can – you’d’ve thought I had put it in a paint shaker, when in fact it was never mishandled at all. The second surprise was that it was actually fairly palatable – but that being said, even though it’s well before the BB date, I think it’s on the elderly side for the style. (The obscure date code reads “L6109A 20:15”, which might be the 109th day of 2016 – and since that’s April 19, that would seem to correlate well with the human-readable BB date.) The dry-hopping with Galaxy and Ella hops really doesn’t come to the forefront, and it’s dominated by bready/biscuity malt and noble hops. It might be nice to try this fresher, but still and all, a decent thirst-quenching lager. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clifford Brewing Co. Clifford Porter Porter at 5.9% ABV | 38 IBU (C$3.90 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 2-Sep-2016, acquired 1-Nov-2016, reviewed 7-Nov-2016)

Appearance: near opaque deep brown with ruby highlights, two fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: coffee, chocolate, sweet roasty malt, toasted bread, earthy, dark fruit, nutty. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium-full slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, drying and warming mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, that was unexpected! A brewer I’d never heard of, doing a style that isn’t a particular favorite of mine – and it’s excellent. Deep, rich malt flavours are well balanced against a definite but not overwhelming earthy Fuggles hop presence. Slightly more bitter than is typical for the style, but not distracting or out of spec. Overall a well-balanced, smooth, and pleasant dark ale. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Prince Edward Island Brewing Company Gahan Vic Park Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.41 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 9-Sep-2016, acquired 1-Nov-2016, reviewed 7-Nov-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pine, pale malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body tending somewhat thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate duration bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, colour me surprised – another decent ale from a brewery that I had sort of written off! I bought a mixed four-pack containing two of theirs I’d never had before, despite knowing the two I actually had previously tried (Sir John A’s Honey Wheat and Rogue’s Roost) were not all that thrilling – and I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised at how good the new-to-me ones were. Maybe I shouldn’t have been, but it’s hard to overcome initial perceptions – and my initial perceptions of these guys were based on their Sir John A’s Honey Wheat and their Blueberry Ale, neither of which exactly inspired confidence. But, to be fair, their Rogue’s Roost E/IPA was quite a bit better than that inauspicious beginning, and now I’m finding their Saison and their APA to be quite solid. This isn’t quite good enough for me to suggest you should actually rush out and buy it, but for a sessionable (-ish) Pale, it’s quite nice. Citra hops come through loud and clear as soon as you crack the can, but don’t exhibit any of the cattiness one sometimes gets. Yes, it’s on the thin side, and since it’s single-hopped (and uses only two malts), it verges a bit towards the simplistic, but for what it is, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’d still prefer a full-blown IPA, sure, but this is fine for a mid-afternoon break from swinging a hammer. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Prince Edward Island Brewing Company Gahan Setting Day Saison Saison at 3.5% ABV (C$3.41 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 12-Sep-2016, acquired 1-Nov-2016, reviewed 7-Nov-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, coriander, Belgian yeast, bubble gum, candi sugar, light white pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart, light pepper. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry mildly tart finish. (3/5)

Quite a pleasant saison, adhering reasonably closely to the style: spices aren’t overwhelming, carbonation is moderate but maybe tending just slightly soft, finish is dry and mildly tart, and ABV is low enough for its intended purpose, of quenching thirst. Granted, I was working construction, not in the fields, but close enough! (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Double Trouble Brewing Co. French Press Vanilla Stout Milk / Sweet Stout at 4.8% ABV (C$3.56 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, best before 1-Mar-2017, acquired 31-Oct-2016, reviewed 6-Nov-2016)

Appearance: near opaque deep brown with ruby highlights, two fat fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vanilla, espresso, sweet roasty malt, chocolate. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light metallic. (4/10) Medium-light body tending watery, moderate-low carbonation, slightly astringent mildly bitter finish. (2/5)

Starts off promising, with dark and rich color and an excellent fluffy head. The aroma is pleasant, with sweet vanilla and dark coffee dominating malt. Unfortunately, things fall apart pretty emphatically with the flavour and mouth feel, with a metallic tinge and a thin body falling off to watery. Not terrible, but definitely not a great example of the style. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Creemore Springs Oktoberfest Oktoberfest / Märzen at 5.4% ABV (C$6.10 at NLC Stavanger, 625 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 21-Oct-2016, reviewed 5-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel malt, breads, grassy noble hops, floral, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

A decent Märzen, if not very exciting. There are certainly hints of the Molson ownership coming through here, but they aren’t as overt as one might fear. As is so often the case, the way to make a lager palatable is to make it taste as much like an ale as possible, and this certainly accomplishes that. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com