Author: dpatrickryan

Brickworks Ciderhouse Brickworks Batch 1904 Dry Cider at 5% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brewpub YYZ, reviewed 13-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear bright yellow with a short, short-lived white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet tart apples, light floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, off-dry slightly sweet and sticky finish. (3/5)

Decent dry cider, not too sweet. Interesting truly local product (the apples travel no further than 300km to the cider house) and I approve of the ingredients list (heritage apples). Unfortunately, that pretty much exhausts the list of interesting things about it, and the flavour isn’t on that list. Not unpleasant, but very straightforward and simple. As well, the initially lively carbonation drops off fairly rapidly, making this an awful lot like drinking apple juice. Which, don’t get me wrong, is fine – if you want apple juice. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

YellowBelly Brewery / Top Shed East Coast Cream Ale American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV (C$9.34 at NLC Stavanger, 1 l, best before 14-Apr-2016, reviewed 12-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, white wine, pale malt, field berries. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Nice. Pacific Gem hops are supposed to have a blackberry aroma, but I’m finding they come through with a white wine vinous character here. Lots of citrus and fruit flavour make this a light and pleasant APA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Molson Coors Canada Rickard’s Red Session Lager American Amber / Red Lager at 4% ABV (C$3.31 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 10-Feb-2016, reviewed 11-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear slightly red-tinged medium amber with one finger of loose light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, bready, corn, light earth/herbal. (4/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (4/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)

What? They had it as singles, OK? It’s not like I bought a six-pack! So, anyway, yeah: watered-down Rickard’s Red. Whee. Sort of like Molson 67, in that if you think of it as lightly beer-flavoured water, it’s not terrible. It’s not good, either, mind you. Oh my goodness, no. But, a guy could gag it down. In a pinch. If I have to. I guess. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Propeller Brewery Propeller Organic Ale Golden Ale at 4.5% ABV (C$2.55 at NLC Stavanger, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 11-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grassy, pale crackery malt, light citrus and floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, crisp bitter finish. (3/5)

I’ve never been a fan of using “organic” as a beer descriptor – I mean, in theory, literally any style of beer can be made using 100% organic materials, so that doesn’t tell you a lot about what’s inside, does it? (Quite aside from the issue that an “organic” designation doesn’t really mean much, either.) Anyway, as far as what it is, it’s a pale pilsner-ish blonde, with grassy hops and crackery malt. Light, easy-drinking and thirst-quenching, but hardly one of Propeller’s more interesting offerings. Boring as heck and a good one to keep in the fridge for after physical labour and/or non beer-appreciating visitors. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

YellowBelly Brewery Patrick’s Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 6.4% ABV (On tap at YellowBelly, reviewed 10-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, light bitter finish. (3/5)

A very mild APA, extremely drinkable. Despite it being all-Cascade hops, it doesn’t have much sharpness, and certainly none of the cattiness that can sometimes be associated with that hop. It’s actually slightly creamy on tap, so I’m interested to see whether the bottle is the same. I’m definitely liking YB’s latest offerings! (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Crazy Beard Brewing Dusty Boots Hard Root Beer Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5.9% ABV (C$3.07 at NLC Stavanger, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 10-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one fat finger of loose fluffy eggshell head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: root beer and vanilla, sweet malts, slight alcohol. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, light acid. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sticky sweet finish. (3/5)

Well, on the one hand, it tastes like root beer. On the other hand, it tastes like root beer. If you weren’t told it was “hard”, it’s entirely possible you wouldn’t realize it – at least, not until you were part or most of the way through the bottle, and got a (very) little warming. If you like sweet sodas, particularly root beer, you’ll probably like this. Personally, I found it very sweet and sticky, which though not unexpected or out of spec for the style, makes it something that I would drink only sparingly. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Side Launch Brewing Side Launch Dark Lager Dunkel at 5.3% ABV (C$3.01 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, roasty notes, grassy, bready, light fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

A drinkable dunkel. I’ve certainly had worse lagers! Although it initially smells predominantly of caramel and bready malts, the sweetness remains quite restrained and decently balanced. Despite the colour, it’s light-bodied, perhaps even tending to the watery, but that’s not really a negative for the style. I’d call this a straightforward thirst quencher, and one could certainly session it were one so inclined. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wold Top Brewery Angler’s Reward Pale Ale English Pale Ale at 4% ABV (C$4.93 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 28-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear medium gold with a short eggshell head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy, herbal/dank, honey, light stone fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate-low carbonation, dry bitter finish. (3/5)

I might be rating this slightly low, actually. It’s certainly quite drinkable, and the low sweetness and dry finish make it definitely more-ish. On the whole, the hops are fairly typical for English ales, with the Goldings dominating, but the Cascade certainly comes through a the back, giving it a little dank-ish West Coast flourish. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Friend Dandy Baltic Porter Baltic Porter at 10% ABV (C$9.12 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 24-Feb-2016)

Appearance: nearly solid black with brown highlights, one finger of dense beige head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: muted, dark fruit, roasty malt, liquorice. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: full creamy body, soft carbonation, lingering bitter and boozy finish. (3/5)

Quite aside from the merits of this beer, Village epitomizes some of the finest characteristics of craft brewers: they’re big on community, and they’re big on cooperation. Not only is this a collaboration with one of the newer local breweries, but I’ve also been told the proceeds are in aid of Dandy getting a new fermenter. What do you think the odds are of ABInBevShitBeer helping MolsonCoorsShittierBeer raise capital for a project? (OK, maybe a bad example, since they’re actually pretty chummy – but only because it suits them to drive towards cornering the market.) Anyway, it’s a decent, if slightly hot, implementation of the style. The flavours aren’t complicated, and the aroma is slightly muted, but overall it’s not bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Rare Belgian Style Pale Ale (2016) Belgian Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$6.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 15-Jan-2016, reviewed 24-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two growing fingers of dense fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bready yeast, apple, stone fruit, floral and herbal, pine, spice. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, light funk. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, moderate bitter and lightly funky finish. (4/5)

Definitely a good-looking beer, with a nice dense head, good retention and lacing. Interesting complexity on the nose and the tongue, with characteristic Belgian yeast flavours. Pretty impressive to see something like this coming from a local brewery! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com