Category: Reviews

Brasserie McAuslan St-Ambroise Session IPA Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$3.99 at Marché Cosmopolitain, 473 ml, bottle date 2-Jun-2016, best before 2-Nov-2016, acquired 27-Aug-2016, reviewed 27-Aug-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, grainy caramel. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry shortish bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly unremarkable SIPA. Threatens to drop off to a watery finish but doesn’t, quite. Maintains a fairly good bitterness throughout, but ultimately ends up being fairly mediocre overall. On the up side, the Citra doesn’t come through as catty or oniony. Decent enough thirst quencher, I guess. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Archibald visit on 26-Aug-2016

Nuit Blanche White IPA at 6% ABV 7/10

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit, grassy, caramel, hint of Belgian yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Not bad at all. The bitterness builds as the pint progresses, making it a decently respectable IPA. Not sure I’m getting a whole lot of Belgian floral or fruit character here, but to be fair, they’re not claiming it’s “Belgian”, just “white”. And it’s definitely that, so… pretty good… I guess? (14/20)

La Ciboire English IPA at 5.6% ABV 6.5/10

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, earth, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Not quite as good as the white version, which was at least fairly citrus-dominant. This starts off a bit piney, but then becomes more earthy, tending to muddy. English means noble hops, and earthy kind of goes with the territory there, sure, but this seems a bit muddled. Not terrible, and at least it’s got an unabashed lingering bitterness going for it. (13/20)

Désirée India Session Ale at 4.2% ABV

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of rocky white head, moderate retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy, light citrus, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration bitter finish. (4/5)

I actually quite like this. Punches a bit above its weight when it comes to bitterness – the lighter body and lower sweetness work to emphasise the fairly moderate IBUs, to good effect. A pretty decent example of how you can have decent flavour and bitterness without a heavy malt presence and associated ABV. I could actually drink a lot of these on a hot patio some time. (14/20)

All in all? I’ve been in worse airport bars. At the end of the day, it’s a microbrewery, with at least two fairly decent beers. Loud, crowded, hot, and small, yes. But, y’know, if I weren’t waiting for the wife and kids to show up, that could actually be considered a positive. If you’re flying through YUL, give it a chance.

#ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bridge Brewing Company North Shore American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$5.80 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 25-Aug-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: earth and pine, caramel malt, citrus, stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Decent if fairly unremarkable Pale. Not as bright as I like APAs to be, but it’s hard to know whether that’s just age dulling the hops, because – you guessed it – THEY DON’T DATE THEIR FUCKING BOTTLES. The only one of theirs I’ve been really impressed with was their Sleigh Booster Imperial Red, which at 9% is by its nature fairly impervious to the ravages of time. People – at least put a bottling date on there. Get a government grant and give a job to someone of limited capacity, give ‘em a Sharpie or a stamp, and turn ‘em loose. It’s really not rocket surgery. Good, not great, maybe better if fresh, I dunno. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers Tin Can Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$7.55 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 25-Aug-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with an enthusiastic rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: earthy, caramel, stone fruit, citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate-high carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, I wasn’t very hopeful about this after trying their Tea Saison. (And that’s why I might’ve been a touch aggressive on the pour, at first, thinking it was going to be another low carbonation, but I should’ve known better from the enthusiastic decapping. The second glass, with a gentle pour, still had two fingers plus of head.) But, y’know, it’s not bad. Not my preferred hop profile for a Pale, by any means, but it tastes a touch better than it smells. Kind of neither fish nor fowl, with an English-style hop profile and a more American-feeling malt bill. Hugely gassy, too, which makes me wonder why their Saison was so under-carbonated. OK, but hardly worth making a special effort for. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers Sun Kissed Tea Saison Saison at 5% ABV (C$8.50 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 25-Aug-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short white head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, wheat, yeasty, coriander, white pepper. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)

“Oh!” I said, “A Tea Saison! That sound interesting. I wonder, will it be black tea boosting the bitterness of the hops, or maybe a delicate bergamot floral overtone?” What it was, was… well, nothing. Not much of anything, anyway. I argued with myself as to whether I was actually detecting a subtle green tea, but I’m not certain if it’s even there, and if it is, it’s completely overwhelmed by the yeast flavours. This isn’t terrible, but ultimately it comes across as a heavy-handed, low carbonation version of something that should be light, bright and (moderately) highly carbonated. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Binding-Brauerei Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Radler at 2.5% ABV (C$3.55 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 500 ml, bottle date 4-Jan-2016, best before 4-Apr-2017, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 25-Aug-2016)

Appearance: opaque orange-tinted deep gold with a short white head, poor retention and no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet grapefruit “drink”, orange, wheat. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, fizzy carbonation, sticky short duration tart finish. (3/5)

Sweet and mass-market-ish – but darn it if I don’t like it! At least, I like one, with lunch. Dunno how many more I could suffer through, since even towards the end of the first one the sweetness is getting overwhelmingly sticky, despite the fizzy carbonation. It is what it is, I guess – and what it is, is a mildly alcoholic fizzy grapefruit soda. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom Gypsy Stumper American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$8.90 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 500 ml, bottle date 1-Jul-2016, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 24-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel malt, tropical fruit, resiny pine, grapefruit pith, cardboard, grassy. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (5/10) Medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh. Smells like a malt-forward DIPA, with an added frisson of wet cardboard. Not bright, not interesting, not fun. Pretty, though. So, your typical high-school crush: disappointing once you’ve had it. OK, fine, it’s not terrible. It’s just not very good. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing De Witte Witbier at 5.2% ABV (C$7.53 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 18-Aug-2016, reviewed 24-Aug-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a truly ridiculous fluffy white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: lemon, tropical fruit, wheat, light barnyardy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart. (8/10) Medium-light body, high carbonation, off-dry light tart finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s a bit of all right! Aspects of a witbier and a sour, but also highly hopped, to boot. Really quite good. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Troubled Monk Brewery Berliner Style Weisse Berliner Weisse at 4.75% ABV (C$9.50 at Troubled Monk Brewery, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 24-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short, short-lived white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat, lemon, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry light tart finish. (3/5)

I was deeply disappointed by the carbonation and body of this one – I hope that I just got a badly-sealed bottle. The head and carbonation are completely against the style, not champagne-like at all. Otherwise, it’s a pleasant-tasting interpretation of the style. I was also inordinately pleased by the little sidecar of woodruff syrup that allowed me to try it mit schuss, giving it an interesting sweet green tea character. It’s near-on overwhelming, though, completely dominating the underlying beer flavour. I’m not sure it actually needs the syrup. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Troubled Monk Brewery visit on 24-Aug-2016

Golden Gaetz Golden / Blond Ale at 5% ABV 6.5/10

Appearance: clear pale straw with a short white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muted grassy, crackery pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish short finish. (3/5)

A fairly innocuous Golden Ale. Not exciting, but clean and pleasant. (13/20)

Open Road Brown Brown Ale at 5.5% ABV 7/10

Appearance: clear amber-brown with a short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malts, coffee, chocolate, grassy, nutty, mild dark fruit and liquorice. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, hoppy medium finish. (3/5)

Nicely hoppy Brown Ale that nonetheless still has all the roasted malt character you’d expect from a brown, or even a porter or stout. Lighter body keeps the dark roasty malt from become oppressive, and hops keep things on the bright side. (14/20)

Plus, a fun little cheese tray, a nice dry sausage, and a Berliner Weisse with a little Woodruff syrup sidecar for takeaway. And a couple of stickers. I’m very happy with a productive visit, and will definitely be back.

#ryansbooze ryansbooze.com