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Deschutes Brewery Jubelale – English Strong Ale at 6.7% ABV

Deschutes Brewery Jubelale English Strong Ale at 6.7% ABV (C$3.79 at Sundance Wine Market, 355 ml, best before 20-May-2016, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with two fingers of loose light tan head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roasty malt, brown sugar, pine, dark boozy fruit, light chocolate and vanilla, spices. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending to the thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

Complex aromas but surprisingly thin flavours and body. I don’t often say this, but this is a brew that could use a little more sweetness. More maltiness would beef up the body and provide a bit more support to the flavours, which drop off rapidly. On the other hand, the lightness makes this more sessionable, so…? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA – American IPA at 6.8% ABV

Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$2.77 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 19-Oct-2015, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, floral, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m a little baffled by what makes this a “holiday” beer. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t need an excuse to drink a good IPA, and this is in fact a good IPA. Actually, I did a little reading, and understand this is one of the first of the modern A/IPA’s, and could legitimately take the credit for spawning – or, at least, helping popularize – one of my favourite styles. But any spiciness in this is strictly hop-derived – there’s none of the “usual suspect” gingerbread spices usually associated with Wintereenmas here. Big bitter nicely balanced with pleasant caramel malts, and an off-dry lingering bitter finish. (16/20)

My 207th from the 2010 Edition (196th from the 2013 edition), and 218th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Steamworks Brewing Company Hop Attack! – American IPA at 6% ABV

Steamworks Brewing Company Hop Attack! American IPA at 6% ABV (C$6.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 25-Oct-2015, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, citrus, dank herbal, pale biscuity grainy malt, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter, mild pepper. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

An interesting A/IPA with a pleasant hop blend merging floral, almost perfumy notes with a dank weedy herbal background. The sweetness tends to the high, but isn’t cloying, largely because of the emphatic (but not overwhelming), slightly peppery bitterness. The paper bag wrapper is fun, too. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Ursa Major Brown Ale – American Brown Ale at 7.2% ABV

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Ursa Major Brown Ale American Brown Ale at 7.2% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #11, 341 ml, bottle date 6-Aug-2015, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear brown with deep amber highlights, one finger of medium dense light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and chocolate malt, cocoa, molasses, dark fruit, nutty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending a little to the watery, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Fairly pedestrian brown ale that certainly doesn’t deliver on the “rich sweet chocolatey malt flavours” promised by the label, and actually comes across as a little watery at times. On the other hand, it’s pretty well behaved for a 7% ABV, with very little alcohol character coming through at all. Not bad, not great. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Bridge Brewing Company Sleigh Booster Imperial Red Ale – American Strong Ale at 9% ABV

Bridge Brewing Company Sleigh Booster Imperial Red Ale American Strong Ale at 9% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #10, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 10-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear deep amber to amber-brown with one fat finger of dense pillowy light tan head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, toffee/caramel, bread, light nutty. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and mild warming finish. (4/5)

Wow – not what I was expecting at all. When I saw “Imperial Red”, I had visions of a strong Irish Red, but this is much more like a DIPA, albeit a red(-dish) one. Hop forwards, with enough caramel to provide support, yet without being too sweet. Aesthetically pleasing, solid, and quite enjoyable if you like big bitter – and I do. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Evil Twin Brewing Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room – Imperial Stout at 10% ABV

Evil Twin Brewing Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (C$4.37 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Dec-2015)

Appearance: solid, unrelieved black with one finger of dense mocha head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: boozy, dark roasty malt, liquorice, dark chocolate, coffee, dried cherries. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: full oily body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering boozy finish. (4/5)

Massive and boozy. And that name? I seriously started humming “Fairytale of New York” and tearing up. But I’m a soppy drunk, so the double digit ABV probably had something to do with that too… However: Jeppe? Sorry, but Mikkel’s Beer Geek stouts are better. Way better. Feel free to discuss over what I’m sure are incredibly awkward family events. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Alley Kat Brewing Co. Coffee Porter – American Porter at 5% ABV

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Coffee Porter American Porter at 5% ABV (C$4.37 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of light tan head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roast espresso, very faint lactic. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)

Yes, it smells like coffee. No, nothing else, other than a smidge of cream. Tastes pretty much like coffee, too. No, nothing else, other than a smidge of cream. And I mean neither of those in a negative way. Smooth espresso that gets you drunk? Sign me up! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Granville Island Brewing Twisted Twin – Dunkelweizen at 5.2% ABV

Granville Island Brewing Twisted Twin Dunkelweizen at 5.2% ABV (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear brown with a stupidly unmanageable light tan head settling down to two fingers only after ten minutes of careful pouring, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat malt, caramel, light smoke, nutty and earthy, light metallic. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light smoke. (5/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, lively carbonation, off-dry finish. (2/5)

Muddled and not very interesting – bit of a dirty dishwater effect. The carbonation is weird, too: it kicked up a huge head, and makes you gassy as hell, but isn’t all that pronounced in the mouth. A somewhat strange beer, and to be frank, not entirely worth the lengthy and involved process of pouring it. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Iron Fist Brewing Company Spice of Life – Bière de Garde at 6.5% ABV

Iron Fist Brewing Company Spice of Life Bière de Garde at 6.5% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #9, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Dec-2015)

Appearance: decants clear (cloudy in the lees) deep gold with one finger of pillowy off-white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange peel, coriander, caramel malt, earthy spice. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration mildly peppery finish. (3/5)

Not much like any other Bière de Garde I’ve ever had – more like a heavily-spiced wit, although with the notable absence of wheat malt. Sweetness gets to be a bit much after a while, too. OK, not exactly exciting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Spider Bite Beer Co. Boris the Spider – Russian Imperial Stout at 10% ABV

Spider Bite Beer Co. Boris the Spider Russian Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #8, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 8-Dec-2015)

Appearance: opaque black with one finger of dense mocha head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malt, chocolate, coffee, boozy dark fruit, liquorice, molasses. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, mild alcohol. (8/10) Palate: full oily and sticky body, moderate carbonation, sticky warming finish. (4/5)

Not the most subtle, but then I guess very few RIS’s ever are.  Black, heavy, oily, and emphatically boozy, but not harsh – so although it’s a sipper, it’s not a chore to do so. ты был укушен, indeed. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com