Category: Reviews

The Lost Abbey Track #10 (Bat Out of Hell) American Double / Imperial Stout at 13.5% ABV (US $18.96, trade – thanks Norm!, 375 ml, bottle date 1-Mar-2016, acquired 1-Nov-2016, reviewed 24-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with hints of brown around the margins, a short, short-lived loose beige head, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, coffee, bourbon, boozy dark fruit, oak, vanilla. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: full oily body, low carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (5/5)

In my experience, bourbon barrel-aged stouts can often be a bit much. So can coffee and chocolate stouts. When a brewery decides to do both (as an Imperial!), well, it’s almost always more than a bit much. And this is most certainly more than a bit much. In just about every aspect, this thing is massive – yet surprisingly well-behaved. No single flavour dominates: chocolate leads the way, coffee occupies the middle ground, and bourbon dominates the woody warming finish, but neither seems unbalanced. Rich and complex, big and boozy, warm and smooth. Reminiscent of the couple of hopped whiskies I’ve had recently (and just about as expensive per ounce). (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gueuzerie Tilquin Oude Mûre Tilquin À l’ancienne Lambic – Fruit at 6.4% ABV (C$15.34 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 23-Nov-2025, acquired 18-Aug-2016, reviewed 24-Jan-2017)

Appearance: hazy reddish pale to medium amber with a short loose foamy head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dusty barnyard funk, green apple and plums, lemon, woody and vinous notes. (9/10) Taste: mild to moderate sweet, strong tart, mild funk. (9/10) Palate: light body, prickly to moderate carbonation, very dry tart funky finish. (4/5)

I’m going to continue to damn this with faint praise to some extent, and say it’s very, very good – but hell if I can discern a significant difference between this and the other variants I’ve had, or if I can detect any mûre (blackberry). I want to say it’s about as good as the original (Oude Quetsche Tilquin à l’Ancienne) I’ve had a couple of times now, and slightly better than the avec Prunes de Namur I had last year. Unlike the situation with the avec Prunes de Namur, I don’t find that this one is less bright and tart than the Oude Quetsche Tilquin à l’Ancienne, but rather find it to be an intensely tart yet very well-balanced Lambic, with a lovely dry finish that invites the next sip. Highly recommended. (18/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing The Perfect Matcha Berliner Weisse at 4% ABV (C$11.93 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 23-Jan-2017)

Appearance: dirty pale gold with a short loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: pineapple, lemon, wheat malt, peaches, green tea, burnt rubber / band-aid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, low bitter, light brine. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, tart finish. (3/5)

Not really what it says on the label: I mean, yeah, there are hints of pineapple on the front end when freshly poured, and green tea in the finish, but for the most part it’s citrus-dominated. It’s really not one to allow to warm up either, because that’s when the burnt rubber / band-aid comes out. Has elements of both Berliner Weisse and Gose, but is really too heavy-handed for either style. Not without its merits, but nothing very exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Last Best Brewing and Distilling A.E. Cross Barley Wine (2016) American Barleywine at 11.8% ABV | 45 IBU (C$14.95 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 17-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short fluffy light beige head, good retention and sticky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, boozy dried fruit, brown sugar. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Wow – I’ve never had to work so hard to figure out what the hell I was drinking. This vintage was split into two, a barrel-aged version, and an “unoaked” version. Guess what the “unoaked” version says on the label to distinguish it from the barrel-aged one? Nothing. Seriously, that’s how you tell the difference: if the front label doesn’t say “barrel-aged”, it’s the unoaked one. Easy, right? Now go find that spelled out somewhere. Anywhere. I’ll wait. <insert “Jeopardy” theme here> See? Tolja. Apparently I’m one of about 50 people who bought this. On the other hand, bonus points for using highly technical brewing terms on the label: I honestly can’t think of another beer that gives OE or AE, let alone both. But, why stop there? Why not go full-bore and determine TE by distillation? But I digress. This is… well…, “OK”, I guess. I mean, it’s fairly well-implemented, and there’s certainly nothing off about it. The huge ABV is quite impressively integrated. But, the aromas and flavours are muted, to the point of verging on boring. I hope the barrel-aged one addresses that, and I will actually try to find it.  But this particular one, yeah, I fall back on “OK”. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Borg Brugghus Garún Nr. 19 Icelandic Stout Imperial Stout at 11.5% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 16-Dec-2015, reviewed 17-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with no relief, one finger of rocky beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: molasses, liquorice, chocolate, coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Slightly simplistic, on both the nose and the tongue, but pleasant. Molasses leads the way initially, fading slightly to a more liquorice-like note, with hints of chocolate and coffee in the finish. Y’know, I like Iceland, always have. I could see myself living in Iceland (except if I were going to go through the aggravation of uprooting and moving, it wouldn’t be to somewhere with basically the same weather as Newfoundland). That being said, what business does some Icelandic legend have, being on the label of this beer? I always figure if there’s some pretty legend on the label, it’s because they couldn’t think of anything to say about the beer. It might not be as big a warning flag as “Premium” – but, dammit, it’s close. Still and all, I like this. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist (Release #73) American Double / Imperial Stout at 12.7% ABV | 65[?] IBU (C$18.12 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 24-Aug-2016, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 15-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with two fingers of fine dark beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy, chocolate, roasty malt, coffee, dried fruit and red berries, hint of oak whiskey barrel. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: full viscid body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (5/5)

Boo-yah! That’s how I like my beers – big and bad(-assed). Starts off smelling like a boozy chocolate milkshake, but then the almost-milky chocolate fades slightly, to be overtaken by coffee and whiskey-soaked dried berries. The ABV is impressive, contributing smooth heat with no hint of solvent or sharpness. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Sky Brewing Company Ivan the Terrible (2014) Russian Imperial Stout at 9.5% ABV | 39 IBU (C$5.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, bottle date 10-Sep-2014, best before 10-Sep-2039, acquired 27-Mar-2015, reviewed 15-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with one fat finger of beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, cocoa, dried fruit, coffee, lightly nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter and slightly astringent warming finish. (3/5)

A decent but fairly unremarkable RIS. The high ABV is relatively tame and well-integrated, possibly assisted by the two years I had this in storage. The flavours aren’t quite as smooth as I’d prefer, though, and there’s a little astringency in the finish. Good but not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Back Alley Brews Black Star Foreign / Export Stout at 6.6% ABV | 35 IBU (C$6.41 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 25-Apr-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 14-Jan-2017)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with brown margins, short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty (verging on burnt) malt, dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, earth, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full smooth body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

I kind of like the idea that this thing doesn’t technically have a name on the label, other than “★”. Is it supposed to be a Bowie reference, d’ya think? In any case, it’s a solid, slightly emphatic stout, well in-spec for the “Foreign/Export” label, except for the less-than-impressive head retention. Might be very nice on a nitro tap, but serviceable as-is. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewing Mocha Porter American Porter at 6% ABV | 25 IBU (C$7.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 14-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown, one fat finger of dense beige head, good retention and clingy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: slightly over extracted coffee, roasty malt, dark chocolate. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body dropping off to slightly watery, soft carbonation, moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Tastes a bit better than it smells: the aromas suggest a bit of over extraction of the coffee, but that doesn’t come through quite as much on the tongue. Mind you, I’d be happier if those over extraction notes weren’t there at all. The chocolate is short-lived, being quite promising on the initial pour, but dropping rapidly. I think this flavour profile would work better with a heavier beer, i.e. a Stout, but as a Porter it comes across as just a bit thin and anemic. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Calypso Single Hop Imperial India Pale American Wheat Lager Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager at 8% ABV (C$15.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 14-Jan-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold, three fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, tropical fruit, wheat malt, resiny pine, bready yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

I have no idea how old this thing is – the caked-on lees on the bottom of the bottle suggest older rather than newer – but the aromas and flavours are still bright and pleasant. I was going to make fun of the ridiculously lengthy name they hung on this thing, but the fact is, it’s a perfectly accurate description of its character. A lager worthy of the best accolade I can give a lager: it doesn’t taste like a lager. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com