Category: Reviews

Persephone Brewing Company Honey Farmhouse Saison at 5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$8.02 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 11-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: musty yeast, clove, wheat, black pepper, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild funky tart. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry sharply astringent finish. (2/5)

Not much honey on the nose or the tongue, and a bit thin and astringent. Not a lot more to say about this – I’ve certainly had much better Farmhouse/Saisons. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

M.I.A. Beer Company Tourist Trappe Tripel at 10% ABV | 20 IBU (US$2.59 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, packaged on 15-Feb-2017, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 11-Jun-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: banana, bubble gum, candi sugar, apples and pears, hint of pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (6/10) Medium slick body, moderate carbonation, syrupy warming finish. (3/5)

Subtle, this ain’t. On the nose, huge banana and bubblegum lead the way over candy sweetness, fruit, and mild pepper. The body is slick and syrupy, and the finish is dominated by hot fusels. There’s nothing actually wrong with this, but it’s certainly not my cup of tea. Don’t get me wrong, I like a double-digit ABV as much as the next guy, but this is just way too sweet for me – I didn’t bother to finish it. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

M.I.A. Beer Company Mega Mix American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 50 IBU (US$2.49 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, packaged on 11-Apr-2017, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 11-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit & pineapple, caramel. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

Really nice balance of bright citrus and tropical fruits on the front end, with just enough mild caramel to stop it from becoming thin or sharp. Finishes clean, with very little residual bitterness. In a lot of ways it’s similar to an NE/IPA – especially in the haziness – but could use a bit better head retention and lacing definition. Well worth making the effort to locate. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Beachcomber Left Coast IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 65 IBU (C$6.81 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 6-Apr-2017, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 10-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel malt, floral, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (3/5)

Dunno how this is “Left Coast” – hell, if you ask me, it’s pretty much a straight-up English style. There’s no dankness, and no pine, and although it’s hop forward over caramel malt, it’s not by much. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s not really what it says on the label, either. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Father 2017: Extra Special Bitter Premium Bitter / ESB at 5.2% ABV (C$7.22 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 10-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready yeast, caramel, earth & grass, hint of coffee. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly typical ESB, dominated by bread and caramel, with only a very mild weedy green hop bitterness in the background. A hint of coffee adds a little depth and complexity, but it’s pretty minimal. Not a style that’s going to get me excited in any case, and this implementation is not particularly interesting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Shank’d It Berliner Weisse at 3.5% ABV (C$6.81 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 10-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear light pink with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, sulphur, tart lacto, crackery malt, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, low bitter. (7/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, crisp tart finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but a bit sulphurous on the front end. Finishes decently crisp without being overly tart. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

SaltWater Brewery Screamin’ Reels IPA American IPA at 7% ABV | 75 IBU (US$2.29 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, packaged on 4-Feb-2017, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 10-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with three fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderately heavy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, melon, caramel, earth/floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, moderate-high astringent. (3/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter astringent spicy finish. (2/5)

I’m not sure what’s going on here, but there’s an astringent melon-rind, almost metallic note on the tongue that’s really quite distracting. Age doesn’t seem to be a factor, but this is unbalanced and not pleasant overall – sink poured after a few sips. (8/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Worthy Brewing Prefunk Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.29 at Thumbprint Craft Beer Market, 355 ml, packaged on 31-Oct-2016, acquired 27-May-2017, reviewed 10-Jun-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with a short creamy ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Probably would’ve been brighter when it was fresh, but still quite drinkable. Hops lead the way over a reasonably clean caramel malt, providing an emphatic but not overwhelming bitterness. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hopworks Urban Brewery _IPX Chinook_ American IPA at 6% ABV | 60 IBU _(C$7.62 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 9-Jun-2017)_

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, citrus, caramel, pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

The labelling here is a bit unclear: initially I wondered what was meant by the “Organic & Chinook hops” annotation. I wondered whether it was hopped exclusively with organic Chinook hops, or alternatively, with Chinook hops plus some unspecified varietal grown organically? But, upon further perusal, the fine print specifies this is hopped with organic Chinook hops only. Turfing the ampersand would clarify things immensely. (And, indulging in etymological geekery for a moment, the origin of the term “ampersand” is too much fun: “&” was historically treated as the 27th letter of the alphabet and recited as “and, per se, and”, after Z.) While we’re on the subject of fine print, it also advocates “Enjoy fresh”. Well, I’d love to. How do I know whether I’m doing so or not, when you DON’T DATE YOUR DAMN BOTTLES? <ahem> It’s not without its charms, but I find there’s a slightly harsh edge. This is a fairly typical response for me with single-hop brews, particularly when it comes to the “usual suspects starts-with-C” varietals – in my experience, balance is usually achieved by judicious blending, instead of leaving one to do all the heavy lifting alone. I wouldn’t say no to another, but I also wouldn’t go looking for that other, either. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project Metes & Bounds XPA American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$3.49 at Thumbprint Craft Beer Market, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-May-2017, reviewed 9-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy, somewhat murky pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, caramel, pine, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

The name of this one drove me nuts because it made no damn sense to me at all, until I looked it up and discovered it’s a way of measuring land. Which I guess goes some ways to explaining the label notes, but I still find them unbearably pretentious: “understand the space this beer occupies”? Really? Allow me to clarify: it occupies my glass. Then my head, then my gut, then the toilet. It’s not deeply philosophical. Not to mention, they say it’s an XPA, (meaning “Extra Pale Ale”, which is a poorly defined and not formally recognized style) but then proceed to claim it possess the aromas of a “great IPA”. Well… no. No, it doesn’t. It possesses the aromas of a passable APA, but that’s as far as I’d go. Appearance, aromas, and flavours are all similarly muddy. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com