RyansBooze

Canmore Brewing Company Railway Avenue Rye IPA American IPA at 6% ABV | 60 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, bottle date 10-Feb-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 31-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, citrus, spicy rye, caramel malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and spicy finish. (3/5)

Bonus points right off the hop for a brand-new local brewery to be dating their beers! Yay! (And I note that I’ve got lot 0002A – extra bonus points for the sheer chutzpa in thinking they needed a lot numbering system capable of accommodating twenty-six thousand lots. {Yes, I know 9999 times 26 is 259974 – but you could start your numbering at 0000A. So there.})  A friend of mine who lives in Canmore told me he recently picked up some cans at the brewery still labelled “Test Brew”, which gives you some idea of how early in the development curve this thing is. And, it’s not bad. Personally, I prefer a bigger rye bite in a Rye IPA, but there’s something to be said for understated, I guess. The rye does build and linger, giving a finish that grows in spiciness as the pint progresses. Yes, I’ve had better Rye IPAs, but this ain’t ‘arf bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trolley No. 5 Brewpub First Crush White IPA at 6.2% ABV | 36 IBU (C$1.92 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-Mar-2017, reviewed 31-Mar-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thick creamy cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coriander, citrus zest, wheaty malt, tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and spicy finish. (3/5)

This is the first proper review I’ve done of a Trolley 5 beer: I did three (Derailed Pale Ale, High Five IPA, Hey Porter) at the Alberta Craft Beer Charity Festival about six months ago, and graded them from 6/10 to 7/10 – but as they were three among twenty-some-odd, they don’t really stand out. (Six ounce tasters, not pints, I hasten to add!) This, unfortunately, also doesn’t really stand out. Heavy coriander is really the only remarkable aspect of this (and not necessarily in a good way), making it somewhat more appropriate to a Witbier or Hefe, than a White IPA. The hop character is mild to the point of muted, making this a bit muddled and boring. Interestingly, one of the best examples of the style I’ve had is another local brewer, Ribstone Creek, whose Great White Combine is really stellar. This, well, isn’t. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dead Frog Brewery Rocket Man Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 24 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 31-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, citrus, floral, vegetal. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Definitely heading in the wrong direction with tonight’s Pale Ales. The label claims “A crisp and refreshing pale ale with smooth malt flavours and a tropical citrus aroma”. Well… no. There’s malt, sure – but other than that, nah, swing and a miss. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whistler Brewing Co. Function Junction Northwest Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV | 38 IBU (C$3.49 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 31-Mar-2017)

Appearance: initially clear medium gold but subsequent heavy particulate, one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, grapefruit, caramel, herbal. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh. I’m not sure if this is bland by nature, or just elderly – certainly, the heavy particulate at the end of the can suggests age, but there’s no date stamp, so…? In any case, it’s bland now. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lighthouse Brewing Co. Explorer Series Tasman Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.6% ABV | 28 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 31-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, berry, tropical fruit, grassy, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit of a disappointing pale ale, dominated by malt instead of hops. I’m also not getting any of the white wine notes I often associate with ANZ hops, though there is a little berry note. Easy drinking, if a bit thin and bland. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

DuClaw Brewing Company Dirty Little Freak American Brown Ale at 5.8% ABV | 30 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 31-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of dense creamy beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate syrup, coconut, vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry slightly sticky mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, it might be a dirty little freak, but it’s my kind of dirty little freak. Rich chocolate and coconut aromas, but not excessively sweet at all, and in fact it finishes nicely dry. Even-handed on both the sweet and the bitter, with a hint of hops on the back end, making for a nicely balanced beer. Completely different than my usual preference of highly-hopped, highly-attenuated pales, but damn if I don’t like this a whole bunch. Actually, it’s pretty similar to their Sweet Baby Jesus! except with coconut instead of peanut butter – and I like coconut more than peanut butter. I might be just a touch high on my rating here simply because it’s playing so very much to my personal taste, but not by a lot. Solid and recommended. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery Rodeo Monk White IPA at 7% ABV | 55 IBU (C$9.49 at Oak & Vine, 750 ml, bottle date 14-Feb-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 30-Mar-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with one finger of dense creamy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: doughy bread, white vinegar, pears, soap, oranges. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration lightly funky finish. (3/5)

I… don’t know what the hell this is. It’s barely more than a month old, and it’s wax sealed, so I wouldn’t expect it to be spoiled, but it smells like nothing so much as salt & vinegar potato chips. It doesn’t taste terrible, but the aroma is fairly off-putting. I’m getting essentially no hop character, and to the extent there’s any funk at all, it’s not clean. Disappointing. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Pinedrops American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 70 IBU (C$3.99 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, best before 25-May-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 29-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, clean pale and caramel malt, tropical fruit, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp dry bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting here, but this? This’ll do. This’ll do, and then some. Resiny evergreen and citrus lead the way over a solid but unobtrusive malt backbone, followed by pineapple and mango tropical and floral notes. Feels pretty fresh, and the best-by date supports that: Deschutes’ normal guideline for their best-by dates is 120 days for lighter beers (200 for dark) so that suggests a bottling date of 25-Jan-2017 or so, and an age of 64 days right now. I always like to get IPAs as fresh as possible (Belgian and Brett styles excluded, of course), but ninety days is a reasonable time frame to expect a West coast style to retain freshness, so although I’d like to find it fresher (preferably under 30 days) I’m pretty happy with this. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2017 Golden IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.79 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 17-Feb-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 29-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose white head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon and grapefruit, crackery pale malt, pineapple, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Definitely better than the 2016 Tropical IPA Beer Camp.  The acidulated wheat malts work well with the citrus notes, giving a lightly tart, crisp, and dry brew. Despite the relatively high IBU, the bitterness isn’t emphatic, being tempered by the well-balanced malt and tart elements. Doesn’t seem much like an IPA, though – more of an APA, albeit a good one. At just over a month old, this is still bright and fresh, but I don’t see it ageing well, so it’s probably a good one to get sooner rather than later if you can. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Sidecar Orange Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.3% ABV | 35 IBU (C$3.69 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 28-Dec-2016, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 29-Mar-2017)

Appearance: largely clear medium gold with some large particulate, two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: zesty orange, grass, pale malt, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but a bit on the bland side. Along those lines, it smells a fair bit better than it tastes: the orange zest that dominates the nose hardly comes through on the tongue at all, and it ends up tasting like a fairly run-of-the-mill Pale Ale, except for the lingering orange zest oils that remain in the finish. And no, it isn’t particularly Sidecar-ish. Somewhat disappointing from a normally solid brewer. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com