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Brouwerij ‘t Verzet Oud Bruin Hip Hops – Sour Brown Ale (Flanders Oud Bruin) at 6% ABV

Brouwerij ‘t Verzet Oud Bruin Hip Hops Sour Brown Ale (Flanders Oud Bruin) at 6% ABV (2016 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #20, 330 ml, bottle date 4-Jul-2016, best before 4-Jul-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2016, reviewed 20-Dec-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short beige head diminishing to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: vinous red fruit, green apples, oak, umame. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart. (9/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, lingering tart and gently warming finish. (4/5)

Advent day #20 (first day of winter!) brings one of my favourite styles, the Oud Bruin (Flanders Brown). I’m fairly sure this is actually just a slightly renamed version of their Oud Bruin, but I haven’t had that one, so I could be wrong. Certainly, I’m not getting a lot of hops, so I don’t know how relevant the name is. This is a nice beer, but that’s hardly surprising given their founders include a former head brewer of Omer Vanderghinste, a former employee of De Proef Brouwerij, and a former employee of Van Honsebrouck and New Belgium – a fairly impressive pedigree, to say the least. This beer reminds me of Rodenbach, or maybe Vichtenaar, and definitely tends more to the tart than the more traditional sweet and funky like Duchesse de Bourgogne. Still within spec for the style, but at the sour end of the scale, if you will. It’s actually so sour that I can’t tell if there’s any bitterness or not – but if there is, it’s low. I like this a lot. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Hornbeer Hophorn – Black IPA at 9.3% ABV | 135 IBU

Hornbeer Hophorn Black IPA at 9.3% ABV | 135 IBU (C$12.00 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 500 ml, best before 7-Mar-2018, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 19-Dec-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with two fingers of rocky beige head, moderate retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, boozy dark fruit, chocolate, molasses, citrus, grassy/herbal. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Hooo, yeah! I’ve never had a Black IPA like this before – it’s really more like a (very!) hoppy RIS, than any other Black IPA I’ve had. Lots of big sweet malt character melds extremely well with boozy dark fruit and massive hoppy bitterness. I think every other Black IPA I’ve ever had has focused on the IPA side of things, adding a dark roasted malt note as something of an afterthought, that doesn’t fundamentally change the body or overall character. This, on the other hand, is the bastard child of a heavy and sweet Imperial Baltic Porter, and a hop bomb A/IPA – and speaking of bastards, there’s more than a little hint of Stone’s Arrogant Bastard in here, too. This is some serious shit that I highly recommend. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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8 Wired Brewing Company Wireless IPA – India Pale Ale (IPA) at 6.2% ABV

8 Wired Brewing Company Wireless IPA India Pale Ale (IPA) at 6.2% ABV (C$12.40 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 19-Dec-2016)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: horseblankety brett funk, tropical fruit, citrus, pine, grassy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate funk. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, bone dry bitter funky lightly astringent finish. (4/5)

The brewer’s notes for this read, in part: “This has made the beer very clean and I don’t think many people would pick the brett unless they knew it was there. Not yet anyways, I hope it will funk up with some age.” Well, buddy, all I can say is, if this is what I get with an old bottle, bring it on! Because the funk leads the way here, and never stops. I’ve ben debating with myself whether I actually prefer this to the Black IPA variant I had previously, and all I can conclude is, they’re both excellent. This might be a tad cleaner than the black, and is certainly far less malty, so I lean ever so slightly more in favour of this one, but truth be told I wouldn’t argue with you if you wanted to give me either. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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All or Nothing Brewhouse Hopfenweisse – Hopfenweisse at 5.1% ABV | 25 IBU

All or Nothing Brewhouse Hopfenweisse Hopfenweisse at 5.1% ABV | 25 IBU (Gift – thanks, Kath M!, 473 ml, bottle date 21-Jul-2016, acquired 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 19-Dec-2016)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with three fingers of loose ivory head, moderate retention and minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, wheat malt, coriander, light citrus, hint of bandaid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and peppery finish. (3/5)

Not bad, not great. I tend to like the Hopfenweisse style, but this isn’t a particularly well-balanced implementation of that. It’s OK, but that’s about it. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Collective Arts Brewing Saint of Circumstance – Blond Ale at 4.7% ABV | 19 IBU

Collective Arts Brewing Saint of Circumstance Blond Ale at 4.7% ABV | 19 IBU (Gift – thanks, Kath M!, 473 ml, bottle date 18-Aug-2016, acquired 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 19-Dec-2016)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon pulp and zest, wheat malt, grassy/herbal, hint of coriander and white pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and peppery finish. (3/5)

A pleasant hybrid ale – I honestly don’t know whether it would be better characterized as a Witbier or an American Pale (or even a session IPA), so I’ve gone with the more general “Blond” moniker. It’s very light, though. That’s not necessarily a criticism, but it definitely makes it a more difficult target to meet. This would probably be a lot more fun if it were a little more… well… everything. As it is, good, but not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Wold Top Brewery Shepherd’s Watch (Canadian Edition 2016) – Old Ale at 6% ABV

Wold Top Brewery Shepherd’s Watch (Canadian Edition 2016) Old Ale at 6% ABV (2016 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #19, 330 ml, best before 31-Jul-2017, acquired 25-Sep-2016, reviewed 19-Dec-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque deep brown with amber-brown highlights, one finger of fluffy tan head diminishing rapidly to nothing, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: molasses, dark fruit, toffee. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending somewhat to watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderately bitter finish. (3/5)

I was somewhat disappointed to find that Advent day #19 was a repeat beer for me, one that I tried only 8 months ago. Having found it a bit thin at that time, I decided to drink it considerably warmer, and allowed it to get up to about 15ºC. That may have helped somewhat, but to completely honest, I still don’t see a significant difference between this “Canadian Edition” and the original one I had, so here those original notes: “Not unpleasant. Somewhat surprising bitterness in the finish keeps the sweetness under control, without getting astringent. Drinkable example of the style.” (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Bent Stick Brewing Co. Dark Farm – Saison at 5% ABV

Bent Stick Brewing Co. Dark Farm Saison at 5% ABV (C$7.60 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 18-Dec-2016)

Appearance: cloudy brown with a fluffy three finger rocky beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, toasted bread, citrus and grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, sweetish moderate bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Meh – another mess from Bent Stick. Unmanageable head, muddy appearance, and an aroma/flavour profile that’s far more Brown Ale than Saison/Farmhouse. It’s not actually offensive, but I can’t see bothering with another one of theirs. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Bent Stick Brewing Co. Swap the Hops Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV

Bent Stick Brewing Co. Swap the Hops Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$5.56 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 18-Dec-2016)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with a massive and growing four fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and chunky patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel, floral, apple, grainy malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (3/5)

Another near-gusher from Bent Stick – I’m starting to sense a pattern here. This one was even more out of control than The Crusher, even with a nearly horizontal pour. Aromas and flavours are very similar to The Crusher, although slightly more pronounced. At least the body and carbonation don’t drop off quite as badly, so I guess it has that going for it. But, seriously, dudes: “hops will vary”, but you don’t have any sort of release date or batch numbering? How about you, ohhhh I dunno, DATE YOUR DAMN BOTTLES? I’ve got one more of theirs to try but I think I might be done with these guys after that – I like to support local brewers, but life’s too short to put up with ones who insist on making all of the most annoying mistakes. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Bent Stick Brewing Co. The Crusher Lean and Mean ISA – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV

Bent Stick Brewing Co. The Crusher Lean and Mean ISA Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$7.60 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 18-Dec-2016)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with a massive and growing three fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and chunky patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muted, caramel, citrus, grassy/herbal. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body tending watery, lively to soft carbonation, short mild bitter finish. (3/5)

I thought it was going to be “The Gusher” when I heard the explosive decapping, but caught it all (although the massive head continued to grow for quite some time). That pillowy head in turn seems to have muted the aromas dramatically. What little aroma there is, is dominated in equal parts by caramel and citrus notes, with a faint herbal or grassy in the finish. The already somewhat light body drops off fairly rapidly to a watery, unimpressive finish, while the initially frothy carbonation diminishes quickly to soft and almost flat. It’s not a bad beer, as such, but it’s almost the perfect poster child for how not to do an ISA. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Birrificio del Ducato Molotov – Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 7% ABV

Birrificio del Ducato Molotov Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 7% ABV (2016 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #18, 330 ml, bottle date 27-Jun-2016, best before 1-Aug-2017, acquired 25-Sep-2016, reviewed 18-Dec-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of white head diminishing quickly to a persistent thick cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: brown apple, yeasty malt, very light spice. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild spice. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Advent calendar day #18 is pretty boring. Based upon my admittedly limited experience with Italian beers, I tend to find them a pretty middle-of-the-road bunch, and this is no exception. “Proudly brewed with wasabi and appetite for destruction” this might be, but said appetite for destruction does not seem to extend to one’s taste buds, because any wasabi in this is well in the background. For the most part, this comes across as an unremarkable golden ale until well into the glass, at which point a hint of warming becomes apparent (and I might be tempted to conclude this was as much due to the 7% ABV, as to wasabi, were it not for the way it tends to build in the sinuses). (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com