Category: Reviews

Breakside Brewery Liquid Sunshine Pilsner Pilsener at 5.2% ABV (C$6.50 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 13-Jun-2016, acquired 18-Aug-2016, reviewed 18-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear pale straw with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy pale malt, citrus zest, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty straightforward pilsener. Decently light and crisp, with a mild noble hop bitter finish. Nothing exciting, but well-balanced and a solid example of the style. (13/20)

6.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing / Firestone Walker Brewing Company Fat Tire and Friends Fat Hoppy Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 6% ABV (C$3.12 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, best before 20-Nov-2016, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 18-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, caramel malt, hint of fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Part of the “Fat Tire and Friends Collabeeration Pack”, but unlike the others to date, is actually pretty good. Mosaic and Citra make everything better – and there isn’t so much of either that they come across as catty, either. In fact, I’m not even getting that little oniony note that so often occurs. Good clean hop-forward fun. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing / Rhinegeist Brewery Fat Tire and Friends Fat Pale Ale Belgian Pale Ale at 6% ABV (C$3.12 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, best before 13-Nov-2016, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 18-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a short ivory head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel malt, citrus/floral, grassy. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-light bitter. (5/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Part of the “Fat Tire and Friends Collabeeration Pack”, which continues to underwhelm. It doesn’t really do what it claims to, regardless of whether you consider it a Belgian Pale or the XPA (eXtra Pale Ale, typically described as halfway between an IPA and an APA) the label claims. Put bluntly, it doesn’t taste like a hoppy pale, but more like a malty amber, perhaps with a dash of additional hopping. Easy drinking and inoffensive, sure, but who wants to be remembered for being inoffensive? (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Tin Whistle Brewing Company Rattlesnake ESB Premium Bitter / ESB at 6.5% ABV (Gift – Doug B, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 17-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready and grainy caramel malt, floral, light grassy and citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

A decent ESB, with dominant sweet caramel malt and a mild floral/grassy hop character. Not my favourite style by a long shot, but a decent example of the style regardless. Lingering bitter makes this a little more emphatic than typical for the style, which I appreciate. Solid. Thanks, Doug! (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company The Real Peel Grapefruit IPA American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 1-Jan-2017, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 17-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, pale crackery malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

My second “grapefruit IPA” of the day, and this one is more like it: spicy and sharp grapefruit on the nose, and a biting bitter on the tongue. Still nothing like a Grapefruit Sculpin, for example, but a decent citrusy IPA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

4 Mile Brewing Co. Cactus Grapefruit IPA American IPA at 6% ABV (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 17-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of creamy off-white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: melon/prickly pear, caramel, white grapefruit pith. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, drying slightly tart finish. (3/5)

“Cactus Grapefruit IPA, huh? Sure, why the hell not?” And, y’know, I’ve had worse beers. Much worse. Today. But, to be completely honest, not getting a whole lot of grapefruit here. Things are dominated by a green melon note (which I can only assume is prickly pear, not having ever actually eaten one), with a mild citrusy pith coming in fairly late. The bitterness is quite vegetal in nature, and lingers. Not unpleasant, but not really what the label promises, if you ask me. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com\

New Belgium Brewing / Hopworks Urban Brewery Fat Tire and Friends Fat Sour Apple Ale Sour / Wild Ale at 5.9% ABV (C$3.12 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, best before 20-Nov-2016, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 17-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apples, butyric, bready caramel, light burnt rubber. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (4/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, off-dry and slightly tart finish. (3/5)

Part of the “Fat Tire and Friends Collabeeration Pack”. Wish I could say I was wrong about my prediction for this, but, well, I can’t. Smells like apple cider, tastes like puke and burnt rubber. OK, OK, I exaggerate – slightly. Tastes like apple cider, puke, and burnt rubber, happy? I mean, yeah, of course I’d rather drink this than Bud Lite Lime, but that’s not saying a whole lot, is it? Can’t really recommend this one, unless you’re possessed of a morbid curiosity. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company Fat Tire Amber Ale Amber Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$3.12 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, best before 6-Nov-2016, acquired 17-Aug-2016, reviewed 17-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: biscuity caramel malt, nutty, grassy/herbal, very slight butyric. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, odd-dry medium finish. (3/5)

Was slightly shocked to discover I had never actually formally reviewed this one before. Fairly meh-tastic – and that’s after correcting for my general disdain for the style. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty easy-drinking, and despite my noting a slight butyric, it’s not actually offensive: it’s just not very interesting. Got this as part of the “Fat Tire and Friends Collabeeration Pack”, and I wish I could say I hold out high hopes for the others (I mean come on, collaborators include Allagash, Avery, and Firestone Walker) – but I don’t, much. (13/20)

6.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tree House Brewing Company Green American IPA at 7.5% ABV (US$3.75, Trade from Bayman 4048 – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, bottle date 9-Aug-2016, acquired 12-Aug-2016, reviewed 16-Aug-2016)

Appearance: opaque pale amber with two fingers of creamy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, tangerines, green grass, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, drying slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

An excellent example of Galaxy hopping, but in my opinion too restrained. I mean, OK, it’s not calling itself a DIPA the way Bright does, so I shouldn’t be expecting that level of hop bomb goodness – but this, though hoppy, is positively polite, and really isn’t “sharply bitter” like the commercial description claims. If the references are to be believed, this thing has a much higher IBU rating than Bright (90, versus Bright’s 75), but despite the forbidding opaque orange juice-like appearance, it’s soft-bodied and mild, bitter but not aggressive. Batch variations, maybe, but it’s not quite what I was expecting. I guess it boils down to me marking this down because it’s too easy to drink? (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tree House Brewing Company Bright American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV (US$4.30, Trade from Bayman 4048 – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, bottle date 10-Aug-2016, acquired 12-Aug-2016, reviewed 16-Aug-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: short-lived resiny pine, tropical fruit, citrus, herbal, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, drying slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

If you have the means to enjoy one of these at less than a week old, I highly recommend it. The flavour profile, particularly the aromas, changes fairly dramatically as the beer warms: upon initial opening, a sharp (and yes, dare I say, bright) resiny pine fills the room, but this shortly fades to be replaced by a pleasant blend of tropical fruit and citrus, with an herbal edge. On the tongue, a moderate-high bitter remains throughout, but the character changes somewhat from an herbal, almost grassy note, to a hint of not-quite-onion. (None of the cattiness I sometimes get with Mosaic, though.) Not sure why they consider this to be a Double at 7.8% ABV, while their Green, at 7.5%, is not, but in any case it doesn’t come across as one: the bitterness is big but not overwhelming, the body is soft and pleasant, and the ABV is completely absent on the nose or the tongue. A very enjoyable DIPA. (17/20)

Edit: After trying the Green, I now know why this is both “bright” and “double.” It’s much clearer than Green, presumably because it’s filtered, and it’s much, much more bitter and emphatic than Green. By comparison to Green, it’s definitely both bright and double.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com