Category: Reviews

Evil Twin Brewing Liquid Double Fudge (Batch #02) American Double / Imperial Stout at 12% ABV | 60 IBU (C$12.86 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 12-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with no relief, two fingers of fine beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: roasty malts, caramel, hint of red berries and dark fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: full viscous body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Well, smack my ass and call me Sally if that ain’t some serious what-for! (Yes, double-digit Imperial Stouts turn me into a redneck – go figure.) That’s a brew that numbs the pain of being alive, and then some. Good luck finding something else this big, boozy, and good at this price point. Jeppe might be the evil twin, but he does a fine beer. It wouldn’t take very many more of these for me to sign up for Team Evil. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller The Beer Traveler Abbey Dubbel at 8.3% ABV (C$24.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 750 ml, best before 16-Apr-2020, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 12-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: raisins, caramel, toast. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Not a particularly exciting offering by Mikkeller. That’s not to suggest it’s not well done, because it is, but it’s just not very interesting – and certainly not as good as the standards for the style e.g. Westmalle. I think the bottom line for me here is the lack of complexity: there’s certainly nothing wrong with it, but it falls short when compared to the big guns in the genre. Sorry, Mikkel, but this is merely pretty good, falling short of great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing / Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Ryan and the Gosling Sour / Wild Ale at 4% ABV (C$15.70 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 12-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of growing white head, excellent retention and clingy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: dusty straw, lemon zest, tropical fruit, pale malt, light earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funk. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, mildly bitter and funky finish. (4/5)

Nice. Brett-dominant, without being overwhelmingly funky. (Not that there’s anything wrong with overwhelmingly funky, y’unnerstand, just that sometimes it’s nice to go in a slightly different direction.) This is basically a citrusy APA, except with Brett instead of more traditional yeasts. The Brett bookends the flavour profile, coming into play at both the front and in the finish, but the middle is basically a balanced hoppy APA. It could be a crushable patio-style APA if it weren’t so expensive! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Imperial Doughnut Break Imperial Porter at 11.5% ABV (C$15.51 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 11-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with no relief, one fat finger of dense dark beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: cocoa, lactose, coffee, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: full viscous body, moderate-high carbonation, lingering bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Woof – what a beast. Basically a coffee and doughnut milkshake, with a seriously sneaky double digit ABV. When I say a mildly warming finish, I mean it: you’ll be most of the way through your first pint before you realize how hard it’s hitting you. Can’t find a reliable source for the IBU, but it’s gotta be 50+. However, given the sweetness and body for this thing, that’s completely appropriate – recommended. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Spontanbeetroot Lambic Style – Fruit at 7.7% ABV (C$10.76 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, bottle date 16-Jun-2016, best before 16-Jun-2026, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 11-Jan-2017)

Appearance: lightly hazy ruby red with one finger of fizzy purple head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: beet, cherry, wet hay funk, earthy, woody. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate tart, light funk, non-existent bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, prickly carbonation, dry moderate tart and lightly funky finish. (4/5)

Mmmm… beety. Yeah, this is just about as weird as it sounds. Initially, earthy beet notes dominate, but that gradually fades (perhaps as I acclimatize to it?) and more traditional (if that word can be applied to anything Mikkeller does) “spontan” character asserts. A little too weird to rate any better. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Berliner Mango Weisse Berliner Weisse at 4.2% ABV | 0 IBU (C$16.00 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 11-Jan-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, wheat, yeast funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light funk, non-existent bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, prickly carbonation, dry moderate tart and lightly funky finish. (4/5)

I guess that’s mango, but to be honest I’d’ve guessed puréed peaches – as in, baby food. Fairly tart for a Berliner Weisse, but not to the point where it’s out of spec. Somewhat simple, but refreshing. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

8 Wired Brewing Company Gypsy Funk 2016 Dry Hopped Barrel Aged Pale Sour Ale Sour / Wild Ale at 7.5% ABV (C$12.62 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, bottle date 1-Aug-2016, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 10-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: Brett funk, wet hay, vinous white grape must, lemon, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate funk, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, prickly carbonation, dry lingering tart and funky finish. (4/5)

As I’ve come to expect from 8 Wired, that is some serious shit. I very deliberately chose my lineup of tonight’s sours to end with this one, having high hopes for a true barrel-aged sour from one of my favourite breweries – and I was not disappointed. This very emphatically illustrates the difference between boring kettle sours, and true barrel-aged sours. Complex, fun, and interesting – and the high ABV never shows itself, at least not until the room starts to get a little wobbly. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dandy Brewing Company Baltus Van Tassel Cherry Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 7% ABV (C$8.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 10-Jan-2017)

Appearance: murky amber-brown with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, dark cherry, tart vinous. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, lingering tart finish. (3/5)

Now, that is interesting: coffee and dark cherry dominate the flavour profile, which is gratifyingly low in sweetness. This verges on being a Flanders Brown more than anything else, and there’s some nice depth and complexity going on. I’ve been waffling between “somewhat” and “moderately” unimpressed with Dandy’s lineup thus far, but this is definitely moving in the right direction, and right up there with the best they have to offer. Ugly as sin, though. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks Rei Boysenberry Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 6.5% ABV | 7 IBU (C$8.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 10-Jan-2017)

Appearance: cloudy ruby red with one finger of fluffy light pink head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: red berries, citrus, lacto sour, light funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (3/5)

Not bad for a kettle sour. I wouldn’t be able to identify a boysenberry to save my life, but there’s some sort of red berry character dominating over the fairly plain lacto sour, and it’s backstopped by a little musty funk. Cantillon this ain’t, but it’s drinkable. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Sour Note Bass Shaker Peach Sour Aged in Oak Sour / Wild Ale at 4.9% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 14-Apr-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 10-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lacto sour, peach, citrus, woody, bile. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (3/5)

I went into this fully expecting a sink pour, so I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised? I mean, it’s not great (hell, “good” is a bit of a stretch) but it’s not terrible. Ultimately, though, it’s a kettle sour – no more, no less. There’s a little more complexity in this than is typical for kettle sours, but there’s no real depth here, and lacto plus stone fruit plus citrus equals, well, bile. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com