Category: Reviews

Dungarvan Brewing Company Mine Head American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$5.13 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 1-May-2016, reviewed 17-Mar-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with a massive fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, tropical fruit, bready caramel malt, citrus, grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Difficult pour with a completely unmanageable head – fair enough, it’s bottle conditioned, but this is beyond the norm even considering that. While we’re on the topic, lots of cloudiness from the bottle conditioning as well, to the point of murkiness. Despite the huge head, the carbonation falls off fairly rapidly, leaving behind a thin, watery body. All-Cascade hopping, but the dominant flavours I’m getting are not citrus, but rather stone or tropical fruits, followed by a bready caramel malt. Not unpleasant, as such, but reminiscent of a not very sophisticated home brew. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales 6 Hop IPA American IPA at 6.66% ABV (C$7.95 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 16-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, caramel malt, tropical fruit, dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly chewy body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

A fairly beefy IPA with a big bitter bite. The hop character is very similar to the 4 Hop, but more emphatic. To my mind, the thicker body works somewhat better than the 4, since it doesn’t drop off as rapidly. And hell – fifty percent more hops, fifty percent more malt, and fifty percent more ABV, at the same price point? No brainer, innit? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales 4 Hop IPA Session IPA at 4.44% ABV (C$7.95 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 16-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of growing fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, tropical fruit, pale malt, dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short drying bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly well implemented light and sessionable IPA. The hoppiness leads the way, with just enough pale malt support it. It’s always a challenge to keep the malt bill light enough to keep the ABV under control, but still provide sufficient support that the hop bitterness does’t become overly sharp. For the most part, this does a decent job of doing that, although it does become a little thin and watery toward the end, with a somewhat abrupt finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewsters Brewing Company Turbo American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (On tap at Brewsters McKenzie Towne, reviewed 16-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a short, short-lived white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy, grainy malt, light citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

A serviceable thirst-quenching APA. The hop character is less aromatic than I’d like, and the carbonation falls off fairly rapidly. The net effect is a brew that’s drinkable, but not very exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Steel & Oak Brewing Co. Smoked Dunkelweizen Dunkelweizen at 5.2% ABV (C$5.39 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 17-Dec-2015, reviewed 15-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of fluffy light beige head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: wheat, light smoke, banana, caramel, nutty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild smoke. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry astringent smoky finish. (3/5)

A fairly light and easy drinking wheat beer, despite the dark colour and smokiness. Tastes very much like a hefeweizen, but with smoke dominating and nutty overtones bringing up the rear. Not without its charms. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Steamworks Brewing Company Winter White Stout American Stout at 5.1% ABV (C$5.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 15-Mar-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee grounds, cocoa, light citrus. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Strange beer. Definitely doesn’t smell, taste, or feel like a stout, let alone look like one. The bitterness and roastiness are clearly not grain, but coffee grounds. The coffee is emphatic to the point where it overwhelms pretty much everything else. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Alpenglow Winter Ale Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 7.5% ABV (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 6-Jan-2016, reviewed 15-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short loose light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, dark fruit, earthy, spices. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate-low carbonation, malty gently warming finish. (3/5)

Not bad. Kind of splits the difference between a Wee Heavy and a Winter Warmer, in that it’s a malty base ale with mild traditional winter spices. No hop character to speak of, except perhaps a slight earthiness. Certainly not unpleasant, though, with a very well-integrated high-ish ABV. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Blue Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy malt, grapefruit, resin, catty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter and boozy finish. (3/5)

Big, boozy, and unsubtle. Malt forward in pretty much exactly the way I was afraid it would be. Think, corn syrup with a dash of turpentine. But in a good way? Well… in an OK way, anyway. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Breakside Brewery Breakside IPA American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$9.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: hazy amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, pale malt, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

Well balanced A/IPA with bright citrusy and piney hops, and just enough pale malt to support, without any suggestion of malt forwardness. Solid and pleasant. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewsters Brewing Company Lanigan’s Irish Ale Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV (C$6.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee malts, light smoke, nutty. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, moderate carbonation, malty slightly metallic finish. (2/5)

“Lanigan’s Irish Ale”, huh? Sounds about as authentic as “Tipsy McStagger”. A fairly uninspiring interpretation of a stye that I find unexciting at best. Thinnish and malty, without much to recommend it. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com