RyansBooze

Russell Brewing Company Black Death Porter at 6.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$6.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Feb-2017, reviewed 29-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown with some relief around the margins, one fat finger of fluffy light beige head diminishing gradually to a persistent dense cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild roasted malts, dry cocoa, nuts. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad, just not very interesting. I was sort of surprised that there wasn’t more complexity on the nose or the tongue, but it’s pretty plain-Jane. There’s not a lot of hop character going on (and maybe it’s an old bottle, but who knows, because – you guessed it – THEY DON’T DATE THEIR DAMN BOTTLES) and the malt is pretty mild and mellow, almost to the point of boring. I guess I’d rather have this than a Guinness, for example, but there’s an awful lot more interesting beers out there. On the other hand, it’s not even a little bit peaty, so as Wee Heavies go, it’s pretty darned good. (The brewer calls it a “Wee Heavy Porter”. No, I’ve never heard of such a thing before, either. Far as I can tell, it’s a Porter.) (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Copper Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75+ IBU (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-Mar-2017, reviewed 28-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: white grape must, tropical fruit, caramel malt, hint of green onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

So, I’m assuming this is super fresh, since the formal launch isn’t for another two days… though for all that, though, it’s not what I’d call “bright”. It exhibits the standard Nelson Sauvin characteristics of white wine and tropical fruit, but also a hint of green onion, which I don’t recall having encountered before with this hop. On the other hand, I think this is the first example of a single-hop implementation I’ve tried, so maybe that’s a thing with high concentrations of this hop? Good, particularly if you’re a fan of Nelson Sauvin, but just slightly short of great. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Powell Street Craft Brewery Cheeky Session Ale Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$8.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 28-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, pine, pale malt, hint of berry, very light green onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, clean dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Solid. There’s almost a hint of green onion or cattiness, but it never actually develops to the pint where it’s readily identifiable. I can’t find what this is hopped with, but I’m gonna guess there’s some Citra (or maybe Columbus, or something like it). Well done, especially in the bone dry finish, but slightly thin and, well, not quite bland – but not far off. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central City Brewers + Distillers Red Racer Lemon Groove Golden Ale at 5% ABV (C$6.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, bottle date 15-Feb-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 28-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, vegetal, earth, funk. (5/10) Taste: moderate tart, moderate bitter, moderate-low sweet. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and tart finish. (3/5)

Fairly disappointing offering from a fairly reliable brewer. I don’t know if I’ve ever had Lemondrop hops before, so I can’t comment with any authority that they’re the problem here, but something sure is. The citrus is present, sure, but it’s nearly drowned out by boiled vegetables and earth. There’s a not entirely welcome funk in the mid, until a fairly decent and balanced bitter finish shows up a day late and a dollar short. Not recommended. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company Tartastic Lemon Ginger Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 4.5% ABV | 3 IBU (C$3.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, best before 28-Jan-2018, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 28-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a short white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: lemon, sulphur, ginger, bready yeast. (6/10) Taste: moderate tart, moderate-low sweet, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp tart and mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

Meh. It’s a mildly alcoholic, vaguely beer-flavoured lemonade. No more, no less. Fine as a thirst quencher, definitely OK for a sunny patio on a hot day, and utterly forgettable. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks Ryegar Rye IPA Rye IPA at 6.8% ABV | 68 IBU (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 27-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: spicy rye, grapefruit, dank pine, tropical fruit, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high bitter, moderate sweet & sour, mild spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and moderate spicy finish. (3/5)

Decent example of a style I particularly enjoy. Pithy citrus and tropical fruits slug it out with spicy rye, giving an all-out assault on the senses. Big bitter, marginally less big sweet and sour, big fun. Subtle as a brick, but I’m OK with that. The 2015 BJCP guidelines suggest I shouldn’t put it under “American IPA”, but instead “Rye IPA” – yet RateBeer doesn’t (yet) acknowledge that as a style. Heck with it, I’m going with it as a style. And a darned fun one, at that. (And now do I have to go back through my records and retroactively apply that style? Gah! This makes my OCD itch!) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company High Voltage Winter IPA (#47) American IPA at 5.8% ABV | 65 IBU (C$9.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 27-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, caramel & toffee, toasted bread, citrus, hint of coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Yeah, I’m just gonna go ahead and think about this as an “END of Winter IPA” if it’s all the same to you – because I’m about ready to open a fucking vein if it means not having to live through another goddamned Canadian winter. (Remember, kids, it’s up the highway, not across the street!) Beautiful looking beer, if extremely dark for any IPA (other than a Black/CDA), and having less than perfect definition in the lacing. And it’s not really all that much like an IPA, unless there’s a “Brown IPA” style that’s slipped under my personal radar. I really like the whole “scan the code/container and listen to music” idea, but I have to say, Collective Arts did it better with their Blippar integration. I mean, think about it: you put a QR code on the bottle, so folks are gonna scan it with their iPhones, right? So, what do you think you should link it to? Here’s a hint: a ZIP file probably isn’t the best solution. Any guesses what it links to? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 70 IBU (C$3.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, best before 24-Dec-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 27-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, citrus, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Finishing up the Voodoo Ranger siblings with the biggest one, and the family resemblance continues. It’s not radically different than the APA or IPA, but it’s obviously bigger, thicker, and stronger. (I don’t see any jokes there at all. Nope. not a single one.) I think I prefer this one, marginally, over the others (nope, still no jokes here) but it’s by a pretty slim margin. I’m just gonna rate all three equally, because they really are like three versions of pretty much the same beer. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company Voodoo Ranger IPA American IPA at 7% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, best before 21-Jan-2018, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 27-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, tropical fruit, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, medium duration building bitter finish. (4/5)

Not as pretty as the 8 Hop Pale Ale, nor are the hop aromas as full-spectrum, and the higher ABV is definitely reflected in the heavier body and malt presence. However, there are clearer citrus notes and, especially in the finish, a pleasant tropical fruit presence. Still not exactly bright, perhaps, but verging on juicy for sure. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company Voodoo Ranger 8 Hop Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$3.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, best before 31-Dec-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 27-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, tropical fruit, caramel, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice. I always find using multiple hop varieties to be a bit of a double-edged sword: on the one hand, having multiple flavour profiles mean you get decent complexity and fullness of flavour, without feeling sharp – but on the other hand, you tend to lose brightness and get a slightly muddled effect. That’s what seems to be happening here. There’s nothing wrong with it, as such, but it’s not bright. Definitely a good beer, though, and easy-drinking. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com