Category: Reviews

YellowBelly Brewery Flatrock Freshie Ryan’s Farm Black Currant Saison Saison at 5.6% ABV | 20 IBU (C$13.51 at YellowBelly Brewery, 1 l, best before 15-Dec-2016, acquired 8-Oct-2016, reviewed 25-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pinkish deep amber with a thin, sort-lived fizzy off-white head, poor retention and no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, sweet and tart red berry, light rubber/band-aid. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, light bitter. (5/10) Light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry lightly tart finish. (3/5)

An undefined berry sweetness and tart leads the way over a slight burned rubber or band-aid aroma, with no Saison character to speak of whatsoever. Warming didn’t improve the bouquet or flavour. Definitely a disappointment from YB. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company The Tom Green Beer! Milk / Sweet Stout at 5% ABV | 27 IBU (C$5.12 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, bottle date 22-Sep-2016, acquired 23-Nov-2016, reviewed 24-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with two fingers of rocky beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lactose, toasty malt, coffee and chocolate, light earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

My reaction to this beer is not unlike my reaction to its namesake: “meh”. This isn’t interesting at all – it’s got a little sweet lactose character, and some mild coffee and chocolate, but the body tends thin for the style, and everything falls flat fairly quickly. OK, but uninspired. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Golden Vox by k-os Rye Beer at 6% ABV | 46 IBU (C$5.12 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, bottle date 28-Sep-2016, acquired 23-Nov-2016, reviewed 24-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy malt, grassy, light rye. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light peppery spice. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish mildly bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Pretty boring, actually. Nothing’s offensive, but nothing stands out. There’s not a lot of rye grain character, though it does start to become a little apparent in the lightly spicy finish. Only the slightest hint of the supposed whiskey ageing becomes apparent at the very end, as the beer warms – I’m not sure I would’ve caught it had I not read the brewer’s notes. Definitely comes across more as a lagered ale, than a rye beer (to its detriment). (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Ginger Wolf (Wild Oats Series No. 67) Hopfenweisse at 6.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, bottle date 17-Aug-2016, acquired 23-Nov-2016, reviewed 24-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers (and growing) of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: ginger, citrus, melon, tropical fruit, wheat malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish bitter and building spicy finish. (4/5)

Quite good, but I’m not entirely convinced it’s as good as their Wag the Wolf Hopfenweisse. The ginger adds an interesting element, and isn’t as aggressive as the ginger presence in e.g. a ginger beer. However, it certainly lingers in the nose and builds on the tongue, eventually dominating over almost everything else. Unlike the Wag the Wolf, there’s no beautiful room-filling hop aromas immediately upon decapping, though they are present underneath the ginger. An interesting variation, but in this case I think I prefer the original. (15/20)

7.5/510 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company One Ping Only (Wild Oats Series No. 56) Baltic Porter at 8.5% ABV | 34 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, bottle date 8-Sep-2016, acquired 23-Nov-2016, reviewed 23-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of creamy light beige head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: molasses, deep roasty chocolate, dark boozy fruit, coffee.  (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, medium bitter. (7/10) Medium-full slick body, soft carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

I usually find Baltic Porters a bit too sweet, but this one is nicely balanced. The sweetness is emphatic, but not overwhelming, and is balanced by a smooth body and moderate bitterness. In this case, one ping is enough. (15/20)

7.5/510 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Return of the Mumme (Wild Oats Series No. 55) Mumme at 5.8% ABV | 35 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, bottle date 12-Sep-2016, acquired 23-Nov-2016, reviewed 23-Nov-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium to deep amber with two fingers of pillowy light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex botanicals, spicy, woody, black tea, clover, caraway seed, ginger, pine resin. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, medium bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

So that’s a Mumme, huh? First one for me, which makes it difficult to rate – and odd, which makes it even more difficult to rate. I should point out, though, that “odd” doesn’t necessarily mean “bad”. This is just… odd. It opens up with a combination of nearly medicinal botanicals like dandelion and clover, but then notes of black tea and caraway seed develop, before a lightly spicy, gingery finish with hints of resiny pine. It actually feels a little more bitter than the 35 IBU would suggest, probably due to herbal contributions over and above the straight alpha acids imparted by the hops. I guess it’s sort of like a Gruit, if I had to pick a comparison, but a Christmas blend one. Not unpleasant, and it sort of grew on me as it progressed – but, still: odd. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Farm Table: Vienna-Style Lager Vienna Lager at 4.7% ABV | 25 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, bottle date 19-Aug-2016, acquired 23-Nov-2016, reviewed 23-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy and biscuity malt, caramel, light citrus and grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

A pleasant Vienna Lager – nothing challenging, but well-balanced and even-tempered. Since it isn’t one of my favourite styles, I might or mightn’t have bothered to get this had it been on its own, but I don’t mind getting it as one of the 2016 Oktoberfest pack. (Yes, it just showed up at NLC stores, in November. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.) (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

YellowBelly Brewery Southern Shore Foggy Porter Porter at 5.8% ABV | 45 IBU (C$11.03 at YellowBelly Brewery, 1 l, best before 27-Oct-2016, acquired 7-Sep-2016, reviewed 22-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of fluffy light beige head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, dark fruit, banana, nutty and earthy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body tending slightly watery, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and lightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Not your typical porter, by any means. That’s made apparent by the hop character that is still clearly present even though this is a bit past the BB date – and there’s a hint right there that this isn’t a normal porter: the BB date is only a couple of months after it was bottled? Seriously? For a porter? It’s the dry hopping with New World hops that provides the answers: rather than a malt-dominant porter with little in the way of aromatic hopping, and purely noble hops for bittering, this is actually a hop-dominant oddball with lots of pine and citrus elements (in addition to earthy) leading the way over a mild malt base. I was unconvinced with the first few sips, but it grew on me in a big way. It’s not without its flaws – the body is still too thin, in my opinion, and that seems to contribute to sharp astringent note in the finish – but I’m not unhappy I tried it. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Xocoveza American Double / Imperial Stout at 8.1% ABV | 50 IBU (Trade – Bayman 4048, 355 ml, bottle date 21-Dec-2016, acquired 1-Nov-2016, reviewed 22-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, moderate retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chocolate, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg, lactose, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (9/10) Medium-full somewhat creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Probably the best ale made with peppers I’ve ever had, possibly because the peppers are so very mild. There’s a chilli/chipotle note in the aroma that grows as the beer warms, but it never translates into any real heat on the tongue. As a result, the beer stays smooth and balanced, is sweet without becoming overwhelming, and does a masterful job of hiding the fairly beefy ABV. I’d like to see a fuller and creamier body (maybe a nitro tap?) and maybe a hint more smoky chipotle and less green vegetal in the chilli, but excellent as it stands. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Muskoka Brewery Shinnicked Stout American Stout at 5.2% ABV | 19 IBU (C$3.57 at NLC Howley Estates, 473 ml, best before 28-Feb-2017, acquired 19-Nov-2016, reviewed 22-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of fluffy beige head diminishing gradually a to a persistent cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, dark chocolate, roasty malt, dark fruit, light nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Medium-full slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and slightly sweet finish. (4/5)

A pleasant, almost Dry Irish-style stout, except for the hint of coffee and slightly higher caramel-like sweetness in the finish. Quite smooth and pleasant, and at only 5.2% ABV, quite approachable. My biggest beef with it is how understated the coffee is: as it stands, one could easily misinterpret the coffee notes as being attributable to the roasted malt, though they do linger in the finish a bit like an iced latte. In my opinion it could easily have been much more emphatic – I’m not sure it’s got the presence to warm you up after a polar bear plunge – but it’s not bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com