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Common Crown Brewing Co. Journeyman – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 62 IBU

Common Crown Brewing Co. Journeyman American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 62 IBU (C$2.33 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 15-Feb-2017, reviewed 15-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, caramel malt, pine, light floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Gotta say, I’m loving the growth in local craft breweries. These guys are less than a year old, but have succeeded in crafting a solid, verging on world-class offering here. Might have to make a point of doing a brewery tour! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Alley Kat Brewing Co. Emerald Dragon – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75+ IBU

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Emerald Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75+ IBU (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 30-Jul-2017, acquired 14-Feb-2017, reviewed 14-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, bubblegum, hint of pine and earth, green onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, I’ve give them this: they’ve managed to churn out another one in the series, that isn’t terrible. Fact is, it’s pretty good. It exhibits interesting complexity, including citrus, tropical fruit, and bubblegum, and drinks fairly easily for 75+ IBU – but there’s just a hint of green onion in the finish that I could live without. That skewed label, on the other hand, makes me pretty squirrelly.(14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Whistler Brewing Co. Cashmere Wet Hopped – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 42 IBU

Whistler Brewing Co. Cashmere Wet Hopped Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 42 IBU (C$10.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 946 ml, best before 1-May-2017, acquired 14-Feb-2017, reviewed 14-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, thyme, dank pine resin, white pepper, pale malt, melon rind and cut grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering moderate bitter and brightly vegetal finish. (4/5)

Wow – just, wow. If there’s one thing I love more than a new beer, it’s a new hop – and this is a fantastic new hop, a daughter of Cascade. The similarities to Cascade are readily apparent, but this brings more complexity, including more emphatic dank and herbal notes, with none of the off flavours that sometimes develop with Cascade. This is an excellent showcase for the hop, since it’s all about the hops: despite the light body and low ABV, it doesn’t come across as thin or sharp, due to a pale malt backbone that is just sufficient to support without coming to the fore. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Kellerbier Anno 1417 – Kellerbier at 5.5% ABV

Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Kellerbier Anno 1417 Kellerbier at 5.5% ABV (C$4.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, bottle date 24-Jun-2016, best before 24-Mar-2017, acquired 14-Feb-2017, reviewed 14-Feb-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky white head, moderate retention and patchy soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel malt, honey, light apple, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration mild bitter finish. (3/5)

The beer is fine – it’s not as crisp and clean as the Munich Gold, but as a Kellerbier, I wouldn’t have expected it to be. It’s not exciting, but there’s no doubt it’s very well done. But I absolutely love the “Awww yis, gonna get my drunk on” expression of the dude on the label. Been there, dude, been there. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold – Helles Lager at 5.5% ABV

Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold Helles Lager at 5.5% ABV (C$4.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, best before 31-Mar-2017, acquired 14-Feb-2017, reviewed 14-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet grainy pale malt, citrus, berry, grassy hay. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not generally a fan of lagers, and I left any reverence for the Reinheitsgebot behind a long time ago – but this is quite pleasant. No hint of adjunct sickliness, just clean pale malt and aromatic noble hops. As Helles Lagers go, this has got to be near the top of the heap. Now, if only I had a big pretzel to go with it, or maybe a pork hock… (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Mikkeller Tommi’s Beerger Joint – Specialty Grain at 6% ABV

Mikkeller Tommi’s Beerger Joint Specialty Grain at 6% ABV (C$6.00 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 2-Jun-2017, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 13-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, soapy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, green rye, floral, light sour funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, drying mild bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A pleasant ale with a nice balance between zesty citrus and spicy rye. I can see this working well for its intended purpose, of cutting through the fat of a pleasingly greasy burger. Dangit, now I want a greasy burger… (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Broadhead Brewing Company Grindstone – Amber Ale at 5% ABV | 25 IBU

Broadhead Brewing Company Grindstone Amber Ale at 5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$2.90 Gift – thanks, Kath M!, 473 ml, bottle date 23-Aug-2016, acquired 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 13-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of medium-dense ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy caramel, bready, floral. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

It’s really, really hard from to get excited about an amber – and this doesn’t really change my opinion much. Malt-forward, with some floral hoppy character, but not much depth or complexity. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Old Tomorrow Beers Track 85 Lagered Ale – Altbier at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU

Old Tomorrow Beers Track 85 Lagered Ale Altbier at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$2.95 Gift – thanks, Kath M!, 473 ml, bottle date 10-Aug-2016, acquired 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 13-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of medium-dense ivory head, moderate retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bread, honey, grass, apples. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about Alts. The few I’ve tried have always struck me as neither fish nor fowl, and this is no exception – you could describe this as either a slightly-more-robust-than-normal lager, or a slightly-more-watery-than-normal ale. Pleasant enough, but not very memorable. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Orkney Brewery Dark Island Reserve – Old Ale at 10% ABV

Orkney Brewery _Dark Island Reserve_ Old Ale at 10% ABV (C$28.84 at Beer Club Offering #11, 750 ml, bottle date 11-Dec-2013, acquired 24-Sep-2014, reviewed 12-Feb-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with a short, short-lived beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: burnt sugar, black strap molasses, dark chocolate, wood, dried fruit, cardboard. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, low carbonation, lingering moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not quite sure whether this is more properly considered a Scotch Ale, a Wee Heavy, or an Old Ale. In any case, it looks kind of like a stout, but tastes like a cross between a Barley Wine and an Old Ale. Quite a bit thinner than I’d’ve expected based on its appearance. Seems a bit oxidised, so I guess it was a mistake to cellar a flip-top for more than three years. A bit meh, especially for the price. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Western Newfoundland Brewing Company Killdevil Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV | 48 IBU

Western Newfoundland Brewing Company Killdevil Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV | 48 IBU (C$8.00 on tap at Sorrento Corner Brook, reviewed 10-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with a short, short-lived ivory head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, floral, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit unappealing visually – despite it being on tap, there’s poor head development, no retention to speak of, and no lacing. Combine that with the hazy/cloudy appearance and it’s not much in the way of eye candy. On the other hand, it smells and tastes quite pleasant: there’s some typical starts-with-C notes there, but a bit more floral than I typically find with Centennial and Citra. Speaking of Citra, there’s no hint of the catty/oniony notes that can accompany that hop. A solid performer that could use a bit of aesthetic polish. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com