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Mikkeller Hop On Drink’In Berliner – Berliner Weisse at 2.8% ABV

Mikkeller Hop On Drink’In Berliner Berliner Weisse at 2.8% ABV (C$5.50 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 24-Nov-2017, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a short loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, sugary lemon, some yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high tart, minimal bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

At some point I’ll need to compare this to the non-dry-hopped version to be certain, but I can’t say I’m getting a whole lot of the dry hopping in this. Tastes kinda like a lemon Jolly Rancher – and doesn’t have much more alcohol content than one. That’s not really a fair comparison, though, because the sweetness here is really quite restrained, and never becomes cloying. Definitely the kind of thing you could drink all day on a hot patio – and still be stone cold sober at the end of it. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Wild Rose Brewery High Harvest Hemp IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 55 IBU

Wild Rose Brewery High Harvest Hemp IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 55 IBU (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 20-Apr-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt, tart berry. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (4/5)

(sigh) There’s not much more juvenile than the pot jokes surrounding hops. Yes, we get it, they’re related. We also know you aren’t actually putting any THC in your brew (yet?), so why bother with the lame puns? That said, this really is a nicely dank West Coast style IPA. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Iron Shirt Oak-Aged Vidal Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 6.8% ABV | 40 IBU

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Iron Shirt Oak-Aged Vidal Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 6.8% ABV | 40 IBU (C$8.08 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, bottle date 1-Feb-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, white grape must, citrus, hint of vodka. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter slightly tart finish. (4/5)

I’ll say this for Beau’s: although they’re not a brewery for whom I can assume I’ll love everything they do, they always go hard. When they go down, they go down swinging for the fences. This? This isn’t a grand slam, but it’s not a strikeout either. Hell, it might be an in-the-park homer. Well… a triple, anyway. Definitely different, and that’s always a good thing. An interesting combination of unconventional flavours, with white wine and vodka in the mix. (Which I guess makes it a skinny white girl drink, but I’m actually OK with that. Been married close on a quarter century, with two kids, so I got nothin’ to prove to nobody. I’ll be just as fabulous as I like!) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Hoyne Brewing Co. Down Easy Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV

Hoyne Brewing Co. Down Easy Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$6.79 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy caramel, weedy and grassy hops, earth. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, that’s disappointing. Deeply so: a malty mess with minimal hop character. I dunno how the brewer thinks this qualifies as a “Pacific Northwest Ale”, but this is an EPA at best, and actually more like an ESB. “Down Easy?” I’ll say: I actually considered sink pouring this. But the fact is, it’s not actually nasty, just not what it claims to be. Bad brewer! No cookie for you! (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Russell Brewing Company Western Promises West Coast Pilsner – Pilsener at 5% ABV | 35 IBU

Russell Brewing Company Western Promises West Coast Pilsner Pilsener at 5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$5.69 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: crystal clear straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grassy/herbal, crackery pale malt, apples and pears, lemon zest. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Pilseners aren’t my favourite style, and yeah, I know: “Why do you drink them, then?” Well, partly because I’m getting to the point where there’s not a whole lot of the low-hanging fruit left – if I limit myself to only the styles I love, chances are I’m gonna run out of new things soon. But, then there’s the possibility of getting something that’s well-done, and expanding my horizons a little. This isn’t great, not by any means, but it just might contribute a little to me appreciating this style a little bit more. Not to wax too philosophical, because at the end of the day it’s beer, but isn’t that kind of personal development what life’s all about? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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To Øl Sur Amarillo – Sour / Wild Ale at 7.5% ABV | 62 IBU

To Øl Sur Amarillo Sour / Wild Ale at 7.5% ABV | 62 IBU (C$8.40 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 15-Jun-2017, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, pineapple, stone fruit, citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and puckering tart gently warming finish. (4/5)

I suspect this might be a touch on the elderly side, although I’m almost two months short of the BB date (no idea when it was born, though). The description says this was heavily dry-hopped with Amarillo, but I can’t say I’m getting a lot of that. If anything, the nose is dominated roughly equally by a caramel, almost toffee-like malt, and pineapple-y tropical fruit. There is some citrus, but it’s a long way back, behind some stone fruit. All in all, I’m a bit disappointed by the aroma, but otherwise find it to be a pleasant, puckeringly tart Wild that finishes off-dry and invites the next sip. The moderate ABV is nearly completely absent on the front end, manifesting only as a mild warming. Quite nice, and probably worth trying again fresh. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Modern Times Beer City of the Dead – Foreign / Export Stout at 7.5% ABV | 30 IBU

Modern Times Beer City of the Dead Foreign / Export Stout at 7.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$12.74 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 27-Apr-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with no relief, one fat finger of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee, toasted malts, dark chocolate, bourbon, oak, vanilla. (10/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: full body, soft carbonation, dry bitter finish. (5/5)

Barrel… aged… coffee…? To quote Cartman, that whole concept has “warped my fragile little mind,” and may well necessitate a fundamental change to breakfast as I know it. (Apparently they sell the coffee through their web site? Ordered!) Huge coffee notes dominate over dark chocolate and oaky bourbon, but neither come across as harsh or overwhelming. Visually impressive, this thing is as utterly black as a politician’s heart, with no relief at all around the margins. (The label claims 45 SRM, and I believe it. I thought the Standard Reference Method scale topped out at 40, but this is definitely the inkiest black brew I’ve ever seen.) And yet, surprisingly smooth and mild, with very restrained bitterness. Do what you gotta do to lay hands on this. It’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Modern Times Beer Orderville IPA – American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 75 IBU

Modern Times Beer Orderville IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 75 IBU (C$11.04 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, bottle date 7-Mar-2017, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 27-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy (first pour) to near opaque particulate-laden (second pour) deep gold with two fingers of dense ivory head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt, floral, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry bitter finish. (4/5)

This is the problem with finding your white whales, innit? Like they say, never meet your idols. That’s not to say this isn’t good, it surely is – hell, it’s world-class – but it’s not legendary. What it is, is a very well-done, slightly Belgian-ish A/IPA verging on DIPA. I knew going into this I had unrealistically high expectations, so it was almost guaranteed to be a letdown, but in its defence, it isn’t much of a letdown. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom Sweet Jane IPA – American IPA at 7.4% ABV | 85 IBU

Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom Sweet Jane IPA American IPA at 7.4% ABV | 85 IBU (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, bottle date 15-Mar-2017, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 27-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, tropical fruit, toffee and caramel, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter, moderate peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter and spicy finish. (4/5)

Distinctly not what I was expecting: with a name (and a label) like that, you gotta realize people are gonna expect you to bring the dank sticky icky. And, while this is good, it’s not dank. Hoppy, yes – to the point where there’s a spicy, almost chili-like burn all the way down into the belly – but dank, no. On the other hand, now I’ve got Cowboy Junkies in my head, so it’s not a dead loss. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Firestone Walker Brewing Company Easy Jack – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 47 IBU

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Easy Jack Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 47 IBU (C$3.39 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 29-Mar-2017, best before 29-Mar-2018, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 27-Apr-2017)

Appearance: crystal clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, pale malt, pine, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly thin, moderate to soft carbonation, off-dry short duration bitter slightly sharp finish. (3/5)

Initially this seems like it’s going to be awesome: there’s lots of bright citrus hops on the pour, and the lush white head provides a great contrast to the brilliant gold body. Then – well, it doesn’t fall apart, as such, but it gets less awesome. Those bright hops fade almost immediately, the lovely head flattens to a cap and then a skim, and the carbonation falls away. More distressingly, the brew starts to feel slightly thin in the body, and finishes with a hint of sharpness. In short, it falls into the trap that so many Session IPAs seem unable to avoid: of having too light a malt bill and too thin a body to support the hop flavours. Now, that being said, it’s not my intention to be overly harsh with this – it’s a perfectly serviceable light ale, and would be perfectly fine to have with lunch on a sunny patio. It’s just not the lovely hop bomb it starts off smelling like. (And a one-year BB date? I don’t think so. I got to it in under 30 days and the hops are already precarious. This will taste like a macro lager in a year.)  (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com