Category: Reviews

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Wild Oats Series Triceratops Tripel Gruit at 9% ABV | 10 IBU (C$8.08 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, bottle date 19-Jan-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 5-Apr-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head finishing gradually to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, medicinal, cereal grains, perfume, light citrus. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medicinal mild bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

Yeah, not for me. I mean, it’s not badly done, as such, but the fact is I’m a hop fiend, so Gruits are very much a lost cause for me. (Even ones that cheat by actually having hops, like this one!) Bog myrtle, heather, and lavender just don’t have the punchiness of a nice NW or ANZ hop. Too sweet, too. On the other hand, the boozy big ABV passes by almost without notice, so…? (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Wild Oats Series Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale at 6.7% ABV | 24 IBU (C$8.08 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, bottle date 6-Jan-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 4-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toffee and caramel, oak, whiskey, vanilla. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, malty mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad, for the style. The whiskey barrel ageing adds some pleasant note to a style that I usually find to be fairly boring. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Powell Street Craft Brewery / Four Winds Brewing Co. American Farmhouse IPA Belgian IPA at 6.8% ABV | 31 IBU (C$4.49 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, bottle date 25-Feb-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 3-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dry funky yeast esters, tropical and stone fruit, citrus, light resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry lingering bitter and funky finish. (4/5)

Nothing wrong with this! Pleasant and balanced, decently complex without being overwhelming. The somewhat high ABV doesn’t come through at all, and this is very crushable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Banksobystricky Pivovar Urpiner Premium 12º Pale Lager Czech Pilsener at 5% ABV (C$1.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 13-Oct-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 3-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of fine white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready malt, grass, herbs. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Uh oh – “Premium” on the label! But, actually, not terrible, with a surprisingly emphatic bitter in the finish. Good enough as a thirst quencher with lunch. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sound Brewery Humonkulous Oak Aged Triple IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 10.25% ABV | 100 IBU (C$2.15 at Crowfoot Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Feb-2017, reviewed 1-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a large ivory head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, oak, tropical fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

But, that’s not how you spell… and there’s really no such thing as a… oh, never mind. No dating. Fresh? Faded? Who knows? Because they don’t… wait, hold on – did this really just cost me TWO BUCKS? OK, fine, I’ll double check my receipt, but barring data entry errors, y’know what, ignore everything else. (Found the receipt, confirmed the price.) From now on, we drink this. And nothing else. “But Dad, my bones are brittle!” Don’t care. We drink this from now on. Milk is for losers. Double digit ABV and triple digit IBU for two dollars? No brainer. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bomber Brewing Company Choqlette Porter American Porter at 5.5% ABV | 18 IBU (C$6.05 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-Apr-2017)

Appearance: near opaque deep brown with some relief around the margins, two fingers of rocky beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasted malts, dry cocoa, coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Quite understated: smells, and (for the most part) tastes like a standard, if decent, Dry Irish Stout. That’s not to say there’s no chocolate at all, but it’s really very restrained. Not at all what I was expecting, but I can’t really say I’m disappointed, because a decent, well-balanced Dy Irish Stout is pretty enjoyable in its own right. On the other hand, if you’re going to call your beer something that sounds like “chocolate”, is it unreasonable to expect that the dominant flavour might, be, ohh, I dunno… chocolate? Which it very much is not. Pleasant and more-ish? Yep. Chocolate? Nope. Govern yourselves accordingly. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Postmark Brewing Mosaic IPA American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 54 IBU (C$7.19 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky eggshell head, excellent retention and chunky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, caramel malt, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

A little on the boring side for Mosaic hops, if I’m honest. Yes, there’s some West Coast weed-like character on the nose, but I’d be happier if it were brighter. This feels just slightly prosaic, not helped by the way the body falls off a little watery. I don’t mean to damn it with faint praise, but it feels like it wouldn’t take much to make this a really special IPA, but as it stands, it’s not. (In fact, it feels a lot more like an APA.) Enjoyable, sure – but it falls just a little short of remarkable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Venatrix Framboise 2016 Sour / Wild Ale at 7% ABV (C$15.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, bottle date 6-Jan-2017, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 1-Apr-2017)

Appearance: muddy deep red with a fat finger of fizzy light beige head diminishing rapidly (and loudly!) to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart raspberries, yeast esters. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry mild tart finish. (3/5)

Huh. Well, I was initially excited by this – I mean, Driftwood is one of the most reliable breweries I can think of: of the 13 or so of theirs I had tried prior to this one, nine were 7/10 or better. So, I was pretty chuffed to see something by them I hadn’t tried, and in a style I enjoy, so I bought it gleefully. Then I started reading reviews, and had regret. It took me a few weeks to screw my courage to the sticking place and give it a try, whereupon I was sort of perversely disappointed to find that it wasn’t actually terrible. The aroma, while simple, is fairly authentic raspberry, and the taste is balanced sweet and tart, with a dry finish. And no, no phenols for me. (And yes, I’m sensitive to them – I usually get burnt rubber, instead of the “bandaid” description most people use, but regardless of what you call it, there’s none of that here.) On the other hand, it’s pretty straightforward, with no interesting complexity. OK, but not exciting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Four Winds Brewing Co. Apparition West Coast White Ale Belgian IPA at 6% ABV | 60 IBU (C$9.00 at Oak & Vine, 1 l, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with a large fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coriander, pine, grapefruit, crackery malt, pineapple, mild banana, light funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry moderate bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

First impressions were that it was only vaguely Belgian, and not really “white” as such (far too clear!). I initially thought the aromas were mild to the pint of muted, but as the pint progressed, complexity started to become apparent. The more of this I drink, the more I like it. Not bad at all, in the final analysis. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 55 IBU (C$3.41 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 14-Feb-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 1-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a large fluffy ivory head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, resiny pine, caramel malt, citrus, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter oily and spicy finish. (3/5)

Not quite as tropical as I was expecting on the nose or the tongue, but it kind of sneaks up on you. By the third or fourth sip, the juicy fruit flavour is fully developed, and a lingering oily hop bitterness is beginning to take hold. I think I like this slightly better than the original version: yes, the ABV is marginally lower (6.7%, compared to 7.2% for the original) but it also has a slightly less emphatic malt presence, allowing the hops to shine through more clearly. Much brighter than the malt-heavy, nearly DIPA style of the original, and preferable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com