Category: Reviews

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Full Time IPA American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 60 IBU (C$6.41 at Oak & Vine, 600 ml, packaged on 21-Apr-2017, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 5-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: oranges and grapefruit, white grape must, resiny pine, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, drying bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Nice. The combination of Nelson Sauvin and City makes for a pleasant combination of bright citrus and vinous flavours. The bitterness tends strong, but not unbalanced (at least, not for a hophead like myself), although there is a hint of melon peel astringency in the finish that doesn’t really belong. It’s not enough to knock this thing out of world-class territory, though. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Wunderbier Dunkelweizen at 5% ABV | 18 IBU (C$2.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 3-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of loose beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toffee, chocolate, banana, nutty, metallic. (4/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweet short duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Well, I guess that’s fool me twice, huh Big Rock? This appears to be a renamed/rebranded version of their “Dunkleweizen”. Too sweet, with a light body tending watery, and slightly astringent in the finish. And that metallic note isn’t helping matters. Meh. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Session IPA Session IPA at 5.5% ABV | 32 IBU (C$2.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 3-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: biscuity caramel malt, grass, hint of citrus. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (3/5)

Shame on you, Big Rock. As far as I can tell, this is simply their same old “IPA,” rebranded. And no, there’s actually no more truth to the label now as there was before: this is neither an English- nor an American-style IPA, but rather simply a malty amber. I gotta say, I like the 360/“big mouth” style can – though I’d like it more if it were filled with something I actually enjoyed drinking. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bridge Brewing Company Lemon Gin Saison Saison at 5.5% ABV | 24 IBU (C$8.61 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 1-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head that retains poorly, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juniper, lemon, wheat, fruity esters. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly oily light tart finish. (3/5)

I’m re-reviewing this after being somewhat disappointed with last year’s offering: at the time, I was hoping for much more lemon gin, as opposed to the wheaty malt and fruit that dominated. And, lo and behold, this year’s version actually delivers precisely that! I really am getting juniper and lemon as the predominant aromas and flavours, and there’s even a little gin-like oiliness in the finish. It’s still not without issues – it’s too dark, with a disappointing head, and the ABV is tending too high – but all in all it’s a significant improvement over last year. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Le Trou du Diable / Birrificio del Ducato Bella Ciao Saison at 5% ABV (C$6.00 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 1-Jun-2017)

Appearance: opaque straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry hay, lemon zest, doughy malt, banana, black peppercorns. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, mild bitter, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Really good “ticks all the boxes” Saison: structurally there’s the requisite large fluffy head with good retention and lacing, light body, lively carbonation, and dry finish. Aromas and flavours are pleasantly funky without sacrificing refreshment, and the ABV is low enough to make it a sessionable thirst quencher. I’ve had a couple of del Ducato beers in the past (in the 2014 and 2016 Advent Calendars) with mixed results: their 2014 Krampus was excellent, but their 2016 Molotov, well, wasn’t. Le Trou du Diable, on the other hand, is reliably excellent: of the almost twenty I’ve tried, I’ve only ever rated one of their beers at less than a 7/10. This collaboration is no exception, and I can recommend it without reservation. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belhaven Brewery Inter-Galactic Dry Hop Lager Euro Pale Lager at 5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$3.20 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 31-May-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with a short, short-lived fizzy head, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: sweet caramel, lemony citrus, grainy and biscuity malt, floral. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, sweetish finish. (3/5)

Wow – that’s even worse than their English Strong. I was cautiously optimistic that a “dry hop lager” with “bright fresh citrus” on the label might actually check more than one of the three boxes, but I guess not. Really not a very pleasant offering at all. Think I’ll put Belhaven on the list right next to Innis & Gunn – you know which list I mean… (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belhaven Brewery Speyside Oak Aged Blonde Ale English Strong Ale at 6.5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$3.20 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 31-May-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a short, short-lived fizzy head, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, vanilla, wood, whiskey, metallic. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, sweet mildly warming slightly metallic finish. (3/5)

Malt dominated and really far too sweet for my preference. I had a sneaking suspicion “Belhaven” wasn’t a “real” brewery when I bought this, and sure enough, turns out it’s Greene King. ‘Nuff said. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Halcyon Barrel House Infinity Mirror American IPA at 6.5% ABV (Review bottle provided by Halcyon Barrel House, 750 ml, packaged on 2-May-2017, acquired 30-May-2017, reviewed 31-May-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dry hay funk, tropical fruit, red wine, biscuity malt, wood, leather, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funky tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, dry mild bitter and lightly funky finish. (3/5)

Disclosure: this review bottle was provided by the brewer free of charge. This is the first release from a new branch of Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, dedicated to wilds and sours: https://www.halcyon.beer/news/2017/5/25/infinity-mirror.

I read the brewer’s notes prior to opening this, and I was pleasantly surprised at how balanced the vinous red wine notes were. I’ve had red wine barrel aged beers before, and in my experience it’s easy for them to be utterly dominated by vinous woody notes. Here, however, the dominant aromas are a characteristic dry funky hay brett and sweet tropical fruit, with red wine playing a mild supporting role. The aromas are interestingly complex without being too busy, and there’s a light fruitiness on the tongue before the dry brett finish comes into play. Truth be told, I’m a little disappointed that I opened this as fresh as I did (it just showed up in the mail yesterday) because I think I’d enjoy letting the brett really dig in and get established in this – if I get the chance, I’ll pick up another for extended cellaring. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Pump House Brewery Limited Crafty Radler Grapefruit & Tangerine Radler at 4.7% ABV | 5 IBU (C$3.39 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 30-May-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of fizzy pinkish-tinted head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: grapefruit, sweet tangerine, light grainy malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, fizzy carbonation, semi-sweet tart finish. (3/5)

As usual, I enjoy Radlers too much to be truly objective in my rating. Is this a high-quality, nuanced and challenging brew? No. Would I drink another 5 or 6 on a patio? Yes. It’s sweet, but not cloying, and the flavours seem at least reasonably authentic. And nearly 5% ABV for a Radler? Hell yeah! (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lost Craft Brewing Co. Sirius Premium Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.9% ABV | 33 IBU (C$3.57 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Apr-2017, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 30-May-2017)

Appearance: initially clear pale amber (grows cloudy in the final inch) with two fingers of rocky off-white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, grass, pale malt, hint of pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly oily bitter finish. (3/5)

The fact that this is apparently simply a renamed version of Sextant’s “Why So Sirius?” – in itself a contract brew – would not tend to endear this beer to me, even without the “Premium” on the label. (Though I suppose the fact that I never tried Sextant’s version, and the fact the Lost Craft bought Sextant, goes a ways towards ameliorating the former, if not the latter.) Though, y’know, it’s actually not terrible. A bit bland on the nose and on the tongue, yet with a finish that feels slightly like citrus oil and makes it feel slightly more bitter than the IBU would suggest. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com