Category: Reviews

Blindman Brewing American Brown Ale American Brown Ale at 5.8% ABV (C$3.87 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 26-Jul-2016)

Appearance: cloudy deep amber with two fingers of loose beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, coffee, caramel/toffee. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad at all. Interesting back story on the can, how they accidentally added four times the intended dark malt to a red IPA, ending up with something like a Cascading dark, before cutting it with a bunch of their session ale and a little IPA. I’m not unhappy with the result at all: there’s a distinct coffee presence, but overall the flavours are dominated by the citrusy hops. Even though they list Simcoe (and some others) there’s none of the cattiness that hop can sometimes bring. It looks a bit ugly, sure, but flavour-wise it’s definitely passable. (And for those of you who aren’t familiar with Alberta geography, “Blindman” is a local river, whose name might or might not derive from the number of twists and turns it describes.) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Entangled Hopfenweisse at 7% ABV (C$7.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 25-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, pithy citrus, resiny pine, pale malt, clove, banana. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Woo! That’s how you do a wheat beer. I’ve had the original Hopfenweisse – the G. Schneider & Sohn / Brooklyn Brewery collab – as well as Les Trois Mousquetaires’ kick at it, and even the surprisingly good Creemore Springs (Molson) rendition. To varying degrees, they all do the same thing: blend hefeweizen banana and cloves with forward American hops. This? Well, it does that… sort of. By which I mean, it nukes your nose and tongue with huge PNW hops, then the few surviving taste buds report a little banana and clove in the finish. It ain’t pretty, and it’s subtle as a brick. So, of course, I love it. (And another gorgeous Driftwood label, too!) If you’re a hophead like me, run, don’t walk, to your local yadda yadda yadda. And to be crystal clear: if you’re rating this as a hefeweizen, you’re missing the point. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cannery Brewing Company Drupaceous Apricot Wheat Ale Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5% ABV (C$5.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 25-Jul-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with two fingers of loose off-white head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apricot, wheat malt, lemongrass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly tart and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

“Drupaceous,” huh? I think there’s a pill for that… a little blue one… (Yes, I know it refers to stone fruit – maybe you even knew that apricots, peaches and cherries are all drupes. But did you know coffee is too?) I guess it’s pretty much what it says on the label – apricot and wheat, and that’s pretty much it, without much complexity to speak of. A little bit plain and a little bit astringent, but not unpleasant. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Petit Détour Belgian IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.00 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 22-Apr-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 25-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose off-white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, dry hay, horseblankety funk, tropical and stone fruit, pale malt, Belgian yeast. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funk and tart. (9/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp bitter and spicy funky finish. (4/5)

Yep – that’s how you do a Belgian IPA. Not quite “bright” because of the funkiness, and there’s a spiciness that builds towards the end of the glass, but still crisp and refreshing. A really good example of one of my favourite styles. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Rancher Alberta Birthday Saison Saison at 5.5% ABV (C$7.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 24-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a short-lived loose white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: white pepper, wheat, orange peel, light burnt rubber. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly bitter and tart  finish. (3/5)

I called it white pepper, but having looked up the brewer’s notes, I guess it’s Grains of Paradise and pink peppercorns – whatever. I’m a bit conflicted on this one: one the one hand, it’s got that rustic character that I like to see in a Saison, but on the other hand, I’m getting a hint of what I identify as burnt rubber (I’m a gearhead, so sue me), which is either an infection, autolyze, or light-struck – but an off flavour any way you slice it. Not one of their better efforts, unfortunately. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Atomic Buffalo Smokey Red Saison Saison at 6.2% ABV (C$7.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 14-Nov-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 24-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear red-tinged medium amber with one fat finger of creamy off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, stone fruit, bready yeast, very light smoke. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and slightly smoky finish. (3/5)

Better than I was expecting, actually. I was expecting something a lot heavier and smokier, but this is actually fairly light and mild. I still have a beef with higher ABV, non-sessionable saisons, mind you. And this gets fairly sweet and mouth-coating after a while. Not cloying, as such, but not clean, crisp, or tart. So if we’re checking off label descriptions, we’re not doing so hot: smokey? not really. red? not so much. saison? eh…. sorta. Ultimately it’s more “saison” than “smoked”, I guess. OK for a change from the ordinary, but I don’t think it’ll be anybody’s go-to. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bench Creek Brewing Naked Woodsman American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$3.37 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, bottle date 4-Jul-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 24-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and bready malt, grass, citrus, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Eh. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as their White Raven. In particular, the malt is a bit more dominant than I’d prefer for an APA, and such hops as come through are mostly grassy in nature. (Actually smells a bit lager-y.) The body’s also a bit heavy for the style. Just doesn’t shine, overall. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ninkasi Brewing Company Easy Way Session IPA at 4.7% ABV (C$3.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 24-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemony citrus, pine, crackery pale malt, grass, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp moderately bitter finish. (4/5)

The label just calls this an IPA, but I’d consider it more of a S/IPA, both in terms of ABV and body. That being said, it doesn’t seem thin or watered-down. They’ve certainly done a good job of keeping bright hoppy flavours while lowering the gravity. Good example of the style, if not particularly memorable. This would be a good beer for a hot day on a sunny patio. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Le Trou du Diable Le Coq Sour / Wild Ale at 6.5% ABV (C$21.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 26-May-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 23-Jul-2016)

Appearance: cloudy ruby red with one finger of rocky pink head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sour cherry, mild horseblankety funk, light balsamic vinegar. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light funk. (9/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp tart and lightly funky finish. (4/5)

I was caught bit flat-footed by the explosive decapping, but grabbed the glass in time to save most of the subsequent gusher. Thankfully – because I will now impart pretty much the highest compliment I could give: in a blind tasting, you might be able to convince me this was a Cantillon Kriek. Well… y’know… if I had already been drinking… or had a cold… OK, fine, it smells like a Cantillon Kriek, OK? …sort of… The flavours don’t quite have the depth and complexity, and it’s not quite so bone-dry and champagne-like, nor is it the same crystal-clear ruby – but man, still very, very good. Call it 90% of a Cantillon for 60% of the (domestic) price? Totally worth it. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing Blonde IPA Belgian IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$9.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 23-Jul-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with two fingers of loose off-white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical and stone fruit, dry hay, pale malt, Belgian yeast, mild pine, light horseblankety funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funk, light tart. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and lightly funky finish. (4/5)

I’ve come to expect good Belgian interpretations from these guys, and this doesn’t disappoint. It’s similar to their Blonde, certainly, but the Amarillo hops are definitely changing the complexion of things. There’s still the strong family resemblance imparted by their house yeast, of course, but in this particular case, it takes a long time for that characteristic brown apple note to develop (and when it does it’s less noticeable than I’ve found it to be in their other beers). Ultimately I don’t think it’s better or worse than the Blonde – just different. And different is always good. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com