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Brasserie Dunham Saison du Pinacle – Saison at 6.5% ABV | 52 IBU

Brasserie Dunham Saison du Pinacle Saison at 6.5% ABV | 52 IBU (C$13.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 19-Sep-2016, reviewed 2-Oct-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky light ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: dry barnyardy funk, crackery malt, tropical fruit, pithy grapefruit, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, moderate funky tart. (8/10) Medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, bone dry verging on astringent moderate bitter and funky lingering finish. (4/5)

I dunno that it’s the “pinnacle” of saisons, but dammit, it’s close. Complex aromas are dominated but not overwhelmed by a pleasant dusty funk, and the flavour is nicely balanced by an emphatic bitter. The PNW and ANZ hops provide an enjoyable combination of vinous fruit and citrus that bolster, rather than obscure, the underlying barnyardy funk. I suppose the hop character adds to my usual complaint about beefy ABV presence to make this a fairly out-of-spec Saison, but I have to say I quite enjoy it. Definitely edging into world-class territory regardless of whether you consider it a Saison or a BSPA. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Mill Street Brewery Capelin Hound – Session IPA at 4% ABV | 50 IBU

Mill Street Brewery Capelin Hound Session IPA at 4% ABV | 50 IBU (C$8.00 at Mill Street Brew Pub St. John’s, 945 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 29-Sep-2016, reviewed 30-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of loose and slightly fizzy white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, floral, pale malt, green onion/catty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Light body, lively carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Starts off quite promising, with a lovely bright blast of citrus and floral hops upon decapping. I wish I could say that continues, but unfortunately it doesn’t. And yes, I get that it’s a Session IPA, and that it’s very hard to maintain that degree of aromatic hops on a thinner body and malt base. – I’m not critical, as such, just a little disappointed that magic wasn’t actually accomplished. As the initial brightness fades, a little green onion/cattiness becomes apparent, but not to the extent of becoming pleasant. All in all, a very pleasant sessionable ale, and possibly one of the most bitter of this style I’ve ever had. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Mill Street Brewery Cobbler Path – Wheat Ale at 5% ABV | 25 IBU

Mill Street Brewery Cobbler Path Wheat Ale at 5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$8.00 at Mill Street Brew Pub St. John’s, 945 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 29-Sep-2016, reviewed 1-Oct-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pink gold with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, wheat, melon, light berry and citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (7/10) Light slightly creamy body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly tart finish. (3/5)

This is fine – fairly light, easy-drinking, and not overly sweet – but how interesting, really, can a Blueberry Wheat Ale be? I’m not certain how much Mosaic is coming through, but it’s not a bad match for natural blueberry (which, I guess, is part of the reason I can’t really distinguish exactly what notes are coming from where). What this does particularly well, though, is keep an even hand on the blueberry: there’s enough that it’s detectable, but it’s not completely dominant, and it doesn’t taste artificial. I’ve had much worse along these lines, certainly (I’m looking at you, Pump House and Saugatuck!) and I guess I really need to be at least somewhat friendly about a beer named after a path five minutes from my house! (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brasserie Dunham Gouden Meyer Supermoine – Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8% ABV | 35 IBU

Brasserie Dunham Gouden Meyer Supermoine Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8% ABV | 35 IBU (C$16.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 19-Sep-2016, reviewed 30-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw two fingers of fluffy growing white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, honey, citrus, yeast, hay, light funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Medium-light body turning rapidly watery, prickly carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

I’m not sure what exactly it is about this leaves me a little unimpressed. The initial aromas are promising, similar to other BSPA’s, but no real depth or complexity seems to develop. The medium-light body is initially buoyed by a lively, almost prickly carbonation, but it drops off rapidly to a watery, uninspiring finish. The ABV isn’t overwhelming, but it’s definitely there, almost to the point of slight harshness. Overall, it just feels a little clumsy to me. I also never would have guessed that there was any added citrus, and certainly wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint it as Meyer. It’s fine, and there’s nothing really wrong with it as such, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price tag. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Smuttynose Brewing Company Rocky Road – Milk / Sweet Stout at 7.3% ABV | 25 IBU

Smuttynose Brewing Company Rocky Road Milk / Sweet Stout at 7.3% ABV | 25 IBU (US$5.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 650 ml, bottle date 1-Dec-2015, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 29-Sep-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with only hints of clear amber-brown around the margins, one fat finger of loose and slightly fizzy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, chocolate, caramel, woody, hints of coffee and nuts. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Full slick body, moderate-low carbonation, drying and lightly boozy mild bitter finish. (3/5)

A cold, rainy, and generally horrible day today, boding the return of six months (at least) of cold, rainy (or snowy – or both), and generally horrible days, necessitated a comfort beer. (On the up side, I should now have about six months’ worth of excuses to drink down the glut of dark and heavy beers in my cellar.) Can’t say I got much of the marshmallow fluff, but the cocoa nibs seem to contribute both chocolate notes and more bitterness – particularly in the slightly astringent finish – than the lower IBU would suggest. There’s also some hoppiness in the finish as well, though. All in all, pretty well-balanced despite the higher sweetness. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Cannery Brewing Company Thornless Blackberry Porter – American Porter at 6.0% ABV | 45 IBU

Cannery Brewing Company Thornless Blackberry Porter American Porter at 6.0% ABV | 45 IBU (C$7.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 650 ml, bottle date 6-Sep-2016, acquired 19-Sep-2016, reviewed 27-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby to deep brown with two fingers of rocky beige head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: blackberry, roasty malts, chocolate and coffee, light booziness. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (6/10) Medium-full body, soft carbonation, sweet and lightly boozy mild tart and bitter finish. (3/5)

Might be thornless, but it sure as hell ain’t sugarless. Think chocolates filled with blackberry liqueur and you’re getting pretty close. But, other than being way too sweet, it’s not terrible. It doesn’t actually taste artificial, and the berry flavours work well with the chocolate, for pretty much the same reason people make berry-filled chocolates. It all ends up being a bit of a mess in the finish, though, with sweet, bitter, tart, and alcohol all fighting it out for dominance. I’m not sure what to suggest to fix that, actually, but I wouldn’t say no to another while I thought about it, so there you go. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Cannery Brewing Company Kiss Yer Cousin Kentucky Common – California Common at 5.0% ABV | 15 IBU

Cannery Brewing Company Kiss Yer Cousin Kentucky Common California Common at 5.0% ABV | 15 IBU (C$6.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 20-Jun-2016, acquired 19-Aug-2016, reviewed 27-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with one fat finger of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a think skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy malt, caramel, bready, light nutty and coffee. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, clean short duration bitter finish. (3/5)

So, what, it’s “Kiss Yer Cousin Kentucky Common” because it’s a kissing cousin to that other, California, Common? Yeah, OK, I can see that. It actually starts off pretty similar to Anchor Steam. Not quite as much depth, perhaps – and if you’ve had Anchor Steam, you know that’s not saying much! Still, though, it’s reasonably clean, and the corn (Kentucky, get it?) doesn’t feel like a macro adjunct. But, if you ask me, you coulda called it “Kiss Yer Sister”, because it’s about as exciting as that. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Mikkeller Centennial Single Hop IPA – American IPA at 6.9% ABV | 100 IBU

Mikkeller Centennial Single Hop IPA American IPA at 6.9% ABV | 100 IBU (C$4.85 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 330 ml, best before 26-Feb-2016, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 27-Sep-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, grapefruit pith, candied fruits. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry warming and lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Yes, another dusty shelf turd, but “only” seven months past its BB date, so that hardly counts, right? This higher ABV and high bitterness certainly seems to have protected it to some extent, and it’s still hop forward – hell, even a hop bomb. It’s possible the malts and fruit flavours have turned a little darker, perhaps, but hard to tell. Still lots of fun, but not for the faint of heart. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Moody Ales Hardy Brown Ale – English Brown Ale at 5.5% ABV | 22 IBU

Moody Ales Hardy Brown Ale English Brown Ale at 5.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$8.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2016, reviewed 26-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with one finger of rocky light beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee, toasted bread, light chocolate and nutty, earthy and grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

I make no secret of the fact that I generally find Brown Ales to be boring, often excruciatingly so. This, though, is quite pleasant: it starts off with so much coffee that I actually had to read the label several times to verify there wasn’t actually any coffee present. As the pint progresses, the flavour balance changes and layers are revealed, including a mild and unexpected – but pleasant – Noble hop bitterness. A bit light in colour and body for the style, perhaps, but the unexpected depth of flavour makes up for that. I hesitate to say it’s better than e.g Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown, but it’s as good, albeit slightly different. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Red Collar Brewing Co. Cherry Sour – Sour / Wild Ale at 7% ABV | 10 IBU

Red Collar Brewing Co. Cherry Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 7% ABV | 10 IBU (C$8.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2016, reviewed 26-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy golden pink with one fat finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart cherry, light funk, light acetic vinegar. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry moderate tart finish. (3/5)

My first thought pouring this was “Huh – a cherry beer that isn’t the obligatory fake red. This could be promising.” And it’s not like I had any great expectations here – the cautious optimism I had after trying their (English-style) India Pale Ale was cruelly shattered by their Belgian IPA. This, though, isn’t bad. It’s not great, granted, but it’s not bad, either. The funk in the aroma isn’t completely clean, but the taste is a little better. Ultimately, it’s a fairly basic kettle sour. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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