Category: Reviews

Old Yale Brewing Co. Old Devilfish SMaSH IPA American IPA at 5.5% ABV (C$4.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 18-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber, one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange peel, caramel malt, dank resin, light floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Ella hops, huh? Interesting. I’m not unhappy with this, but it’s not a clear home run. Single hop is of course always a challenge, because it can be a bit of a one trick pony. I have to say, though, this particular hop is not without its appeal. It’s got a complex, spicy, almost funky character that I appreciate, but there’s also a little something that I can’t quite identify, verging on vegetal. A little weird, but not unpleasant. All in all, one of the best Old Yale brews I’ve tried – and, holy crap, this is the seventh Old Yale I’ve tried? Really? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Four Winds Brewing Co. Juxtapose Wild IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.39 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 18-Feb-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold, massive rocky white head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit, dry funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, dryish lingering bitter and funky finish. (4/5)

Look at that head! Just look at it! You don’t need to smell or taste this to know it’s brett. And there’s no doubt about the brett once the smell and taste hit! Balanced light sweetness, hoppy citrus and fruit, and a lingering dry funk. Really quite nice. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Six Corners Brew Works Triple Summit IPAx American Double / Imperial IPA at 10.3% ABV (C$3.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 17-Feb-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold, one finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and slightly boozy finish. (4/5)

I’m seriously excited by this – I had heard about these guys, but this is the first opportunity I’ve had to try their product. And, damn… A locally-brewed (OK, sort of. They’re contracting to Saskatoon while they build in Okotoks.), bottle-conditioned “triple” IPA (OK, fine, it’s a double) that doesn’t suck, for the same price as a corporate swill? What’s up with that? I have seriously high hopes going forward here! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie de la Senne Brusseleir Zwët IPA Black IPA at 8% ABV (C$3.78 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, bottle date 7-Aug-2015, best before 7-Aug-2016, reviewed 17-Feb-2016)

Appearance: murky brown, three fingers of fluffy light beige head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, coffee, bready yeast, mild citrus, light nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, very light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Surprisingly light-bodied and easy-drinking, given the somewhat imposing appearance. Essentially non-existent alcohol presence is a bit of a surprise given the relatively high ABV. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ninkasi Brewing Company Hop Cooler Citrus IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV (C$7.69 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 17-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold, one fat finger of rocky eggshell head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale biscuity malt, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Decent, but not as bright and citrusy as I was hoping. In particular, the taste falls a little flat, with less hop character than expected given the nose. Pleasant and thirst quenching, with a moderately emphatic lingering bitter finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cascade Brewing Cascade Kriek Ale Flanders Red at 8.5% ABV (C$27.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 16-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear red-tinged amber-brown, one finger of creamy light purple head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark cherry, malt vinegar, oak, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

Excellent. Dark cherries without a hint of cough syrup, and a lovely umame brown malt vinegar. A really nice kriek built on a solid Flanders Red base. (16/20)

My 219th from the 2010 Edition (208th from the 2013 edition), and 230th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Grande Noirceur Russian Imperial Stout at 9% ABV (C$3.22 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 28-Sep-2015, reviewed 15-Feb-2016)

Appearance: unrelieved opaque black, one finger of creamy light beige head, moderate retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roasty malt, coffee and bitter chocolate, lightly ashy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-low carbonation, dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite dry for the style, with low sweetness. Surprisingly non-existent alcohol presence given the moderately high ABV. One of my big problems with Imperial Stouts is the tendency to very high sweetness, making them syrupy and cloying, but this thing is very well-behaved. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Paddock Wood Brewing Company Barrel Full of Monkeys Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (C$7.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 15-Feb-2016)

Appearance: unrelieved opaque black, one finger of creamy light beige head, moderate retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: whisky, dark cocoa, dark fruit, maple syrup, vanilla, light nutty. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate-low carbonation, boozy lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

A decent RIS. Not overly boozy, but a definite alcohol presence, with the whisky (Wild Turkey) leading the way on the nose. Decent complexity follows, preventing the double digit ABV from becoming intrusive. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew Ginger Beer at 8% ABV (C$4.28 at Andrew Hilton Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, bottle date 1-Jun-2015, best before 1-Jun-2016, reviewed 14-Feb-2016)

Appearance: cloudy medium amber with one finger of medium dense light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, citrus, mild ginger, mild mixed spices. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

I just realized what this reminds me of: pumpkin beer. Oh, and American Strong Ale. I mean, yeah, I get the ginger – eventually – but it takes a seat right at the very back of this bus. This is nothing like your typical Jamaican-style ginger beers. In fact, it sort of reminds me of Arrogant Bastard. With a shot of pumpkin spice. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie de la Senne Jambe de Bois Belgian Revolution Tripel Abbey Tripel at 8% ABV (C$3.78 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, bottle date 10-Jun-2015, best before 10-Jun-2016, reviewed 14-Feb-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale straw with two fingers of fluffy eggshell head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry dusty citrus, bready yeast, white pepper, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry medium duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Well that’s a bit of all right. Dry and bitter, with just enough mild sweetness to keep it from being unbalanced. Sort of reminds me of their Taras Boulba, but drier and not tart. Refreshing and more-ish, with absolutely no indication of the relatively high ABV. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com