Author: dpatrickryan

Howe Sound Brewing Log Driver Juniper Rye IPA Rye Beer at 5.5% ABV (C$9.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 1 l, bottle date 10-Feb-2016, reviewed 16-Apr-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pine, pale malt, light juniper and spicy rye. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and spicy finish. (3/5)

A decent IPA, but surprisingly muted for the style: I’m not getting a lot of juniper on the nose – or rye, for that matter. It comes out eventually, but I was honestly hoping for something more emphatic. On the other hand, the bitterness and spice do build and linger, so it’s not a complete washout. Decent, if a bit unremarkable. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery Madawaska Maple Ale Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brewpub YYZ, reviewed 16-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear reddish-tinged medium amber with one finger of creamy light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: somewhat muted, lightly grainy caramel malt, maple syrup, hint of floral. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild smoke. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

Meh. Kind of interesting that there’s a smokey note on the tongue, while there’s no hint of it on the nose, but other than that it’s an unremarkable Irish Red, with a hint of maple. Nothing offensive, mind, but not worth making a special effort to locate. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery West Coast Style IPA American IPA at 6.6% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brewpub YYZ, reviewed 16-Apr-2016)

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

Definitely better than their last A/IPA I tried (Tankenstein) – more in keeping with the style, in that the hops are far and way in control, with the pale malt playing the appropriate supporting role. What stops me from ranking this higher, though, is the rapidity with which the bright hoppy aromas fade: by the time the pint is half gone, the dry hopping has settled dramatically, and there’s an undefinable almost sour stone fruitiness that, while not offensive, is certainly less welcome than the initial hops. Good, not great. (After writing, I looked up the brewer’s notes: “partially soured mash”, “aged in contact with French oak”. Yep, that’s what’s left behind when the dry hopping fades, all right. I’m tempted to think that a little filtering – or, at least, fining – would polish this a little and push it higher.) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd Hot Cross Bunny Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 3.8% ABV (C$3.71 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, best before 31-Dec-2016, reviewed 15-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear medium gold with a short loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: burnt rubber, cinnamon. (3/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild spice. (3/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Vile. (6/20)

3.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company _1892 Traditional Ale_ American Amber / Red Ale at 5% ABV (C$2.21 at NLC Stavanger, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with a short loose foamy ivory head diminishing gradually to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, bready yeast, grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration off-dry finish. (3/5)

One of their best, second only to their British IPA (which when fresh is in my opinion world-class). This isn’t world-class, by any means, but it’s solid. The malt profile leads the way, but the caramel aromas don’t translate into sickly sweetness, and there’s appropriate grassy bittering in the finish. I wouldn’t call it my “go to” but if faced with the typical choice of local product, this is the one I’d take. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Premium Lager American Pale Lager at 5% ABV (C$2.21 at NLC Stavanger, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 13-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with a short loose foamy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: biscuity grainy malt, corn syrup, grassy, light skunk. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, short duration and slightly mouth-coating finish. (2/5)

Nearly identical to their Light Lager – just a shade darker in colour and flavour. (I’ve come to the conclusion that “Premium” is a throwaway word that brewers use when they need to tack something on to the name, and “Bog Standard” seems too honest.) Getting a little skunk on this one in particular, that I don’t recall having noticed previously for this beer. (It’s local, so I’ve had it on rare occasions in the past.) Absolutely nothing to recommend this over a standard macro lager. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Light Lager Euro Pale Lager at 4% ABV (C$2.21 at NLC Stavanger, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 13-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale straw with a short loose foamy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: sweet biscuity pale malt, corn syrup, grassy. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, short duration and slightly mouth-coating finish. (2/5)

Look, it is what it is, OK? And what it is, is a light, super pale euro-style lager. It’s clean, fairly crisp, and easy to drink. Like so many pale lagers, though, even though I know there’s no corn or rice in it, the sweetness still gives it something of an adjunct character. Still better than a Coors Light, though – if only barely. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Greene King Morland Old Hoppy Hen English Bitter at 4.2% ABV (C$3.71 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 12-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a short loose foamy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, grapefruit, caramel, grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, very light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Starts off fairly hoppy for an English Bitter, with floral and citrusy aromas leading the way. The dry hopping settles down fairly rapidly, with a light sweet caramel and lingering grassy bitter remaining. Easy drinking. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Marston’s Plc Pedigree English Bitter at 4.5% ABV (C$3.21 at NLC Stavanger, 440 ml, best before 31-Dec-2016, reviewed 12-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: biscuity caramel and toffee, fruity esters, grassy and earthy. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, moderate to low carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Not much to say about this: biscuity malt leading the way, finishing with a mild earthy bitter. A very typical pub pint. (10/20)

My 224th from the 2010 Edition (213th from the 2013 edition), and 235th combining both editions.

5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gueuzerie Tilquin Oude Quetsche Tilquin à l’Ancienne avec Prunes de Namur (2015) Lambic – Fruit at 6.4% ABV (C$12.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 375 ml, best before 27-Jan-2025, reviewed 11-Apr-2016)

Appearance: hazy reddish pale to medium amber with a short loose foamy head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dusty barnyard funk, green apple and plums, woody and vinous notes. (9/10) Taste: mild to moderate sweet, strong tart, mild funk. (8/10) Palate: light body, prickly to moderate carbonation, very dry tart funky finish. (4/5)

Had I not done them in quick succession, I’m not sure I could have identified any significant variations between this version and the one made with Quetsche véritable d’Alsace. Having done so, though, it seems to me that this version is just slightly less bright and tart than the other. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very good, but it suffers, if only slightly, by comparison. (18/20)

8.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com