RyansBooze

Canmore Brewing Company Mineside Stout English Stout at 5% ABV | 21 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: near opaque brown with ruby highlights, a short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasted malts, red berries, dried fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light tart. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly tart finish. (3/5)

A strange stout. Despite its dark colour, the body is at most medium weight, verging on light, assisted by the uncharacteristically high carbonation. There’s little to no coffee or chocolate, but a red berry tartness grows as the pint progresses. I might’ve been more receptive to this if it were called something other than a Stout, but it doesn’t really fit the bill for that style, whether English, Irish, or American. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Ryes Against the Machine Rye Beer at 6.3% ABV | 12 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with a short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, doughy and grainy dark malt, rye, grass, earth. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, low bitter, light tart. (5/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A fairly typical Brown that fails to be rescued from the doldrums of mediocrity by a mild (almost non-existent) spicy rye edge. Clean, well-behaved, and easy to drink – but booooring. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Radiant India Pale Ale American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 60 IBU (C$2.70 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, moderate retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, grainy malt and caramel, tropical fruit, grass, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Hop forward but a touch malt heavy, making it feel like a just slightly old-fashioned (English influenced) middleweight IPA, splitting the difference between A/IPA and DIPA. Slightly astringent vegetal/rind notes detract a little from the finish. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coulee Brew Co. Hoodoo Hops American IPA at 6.3% ABV | 65 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 15-Feb-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, pine, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration resiny bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Surprising emphasis on tropical fruitiness here, especially pineapple – to the point that I halfway wondered if they actually added pineapple juice. The alcohol isn’t aggressive, but it’s just slightly emphatically present for what I consider a moderate ABV – better integration would be nice. Bitterness is pleasantly bold, with a building resiny melon rind character in the finish. Solid brew. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coulee Brew Co. Devil’s Coulee Kölsch Kölsch at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, apples and pears, bready malt, hint of sulphur. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (4/5)

This is a tough style to make interesting, but it’s a solid implementation. The appearance is a bit out of spec, lacking the brilliant clarity usually associated with the style. Crisp and reasonably clean overall, though, and certainly easy drinking. Decent, if not exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Dark Helmüt Imperious Schwarzbier Schwarzbier at 7.3% ABV | 33 IBU (C$7.30 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, bottle date 10-Nov-2016, best before 10-May-2017, acquired 24-Mar-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with two fat fingers of fluffy beige head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, chunky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cocoa, toasted bread, liquorice, grassy, mild coffee, hint of molasses. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Heckuva lager… malt dominant , but not overly sweet, with a smooth, softly-carbonated body. Probably one of the best of the style I’ve had, if not the best. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Ee Tah! American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$3.59 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, floral, pale malt, passionfruit, lemon zest, hint of cat/onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly peppery finish. (3/5)

Decently well-done, if nothing overly special. It’s hop-forward, with a clean pale malt backbone providing appropriate support, but the hop character overall is a little… well, “muddled” might be overly harsh – let’s just say there’s no clear direction here. The brewer’s notes indicate it’s hopped with Citra, Chinook, and Amarillo, and not to be overly critical, but at least one of the starts-with-C-hops is feeling a mite too big for its britches, yielding just a hint of cattiness or green onion. But, all in all, it’s a solid A/IPA that plays nicely despite its fair-to-middlin’ ABV, and I have no real complaints. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anderson Valley Brewing Company G & T Gose Gose at 4.2% ABV (C$3.59 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon-lime, juniper, brine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, light brine, very low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, off-dry tart and slightly salty finish. (4/5)

Decent. There are botanical hints appropriate to the name, but they’re not overwhelming. I’m not getting any of the grains of paradise / peppery notes the ingredients suggest, but the brine is reasonably well-balanced. It’s typical of an American Gose, perhaps – which is to say, arguably too emphatic on just about every metric – but pleasant enough. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Shmaltz Brewing Company Star Trek Klingon Imperial Porter Imperial Porter at 7.3% ABV | 60 IBU (C$3.85 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 13-Jan-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 11-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short, short-lived loose beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, nutty, red berry, hint of chocolate. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body tending watery, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish short duration slightly boozy finish. (3/5)

Malty, sweet, and slightly boozy, though somewhat thin in the body. Pretty weak sauce for a Klingon, if you ask me. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Red Shirt Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 6% ABV | 30 IBU (C$6.27 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2017, reviewed 11-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear red-tinged amber with two fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, caramel, floral, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I was more than halfway hoping I’d get to make a joke about this being spelled with one too many R’s, but it’s actually not bad. The hopping stops short of being aggressive but is certainly present, though more on the tongue than the nose. A bit more emphasis on dry hopping would push this into world-class territory pretty handily – which, for a Red, is no mean feat. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com