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Melvin Brewing Melvin IPA – American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 80 IBU

Melvin Brewing Melvin IPA American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 80 IBU (C$4.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 22-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a large fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, tropical fruit, caramel and pale malt, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration sticky bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite similar to their Hubert MPA (APA), except with a slightly more emphatic hop presence, and a beefier malt backbone. These guys don’t mess around – their APA is beefier than some IPAs, and their IPA is bigger than some DIPAs. I’m almost scared to try their DIPA… (No, not really.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Melvin Brewing Hubert MPA – American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 65 IBU

Melvin Brewing Hubert MPA American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 65 IBU (C$4.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 22-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy orange and grapefruit, pineapple, pale malt, pine, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly sticky bitter finish. (4/5)

My absolute biggest complaint about this? The lack of any kind of container date. I mean, this is lovely and bright, so I assume it’s fresh – but maybe it’s not, and it could be even better! How am I to know? Really quite good, even if it is pretty beefy for an APA – and despite the fact that Hubert’s clearly a hipster. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Smashbomb Atomic IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV | 72 IBU

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Smashbomb Atomic IPA American IPA at 6% ABV | 72 IBU (C$3.39 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, best before 28-Feb-2017, acquired 17-Mar-2017, reviewed 22-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, pine, caramel malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Probably one of the first true craft beers I ever tried – so perhaps it’s at least partly to blame for my current hop obsession? This one’s a bit past its BB date, but that hasn’t harmed it overly much – perhaps a tad less citrus on the nose than I remember, but still a solid performer. I certainly don’t regret snagging a couple to have while working on the basement. Interesting that the first time I rated it, I was sufficiently confused and intrigued by the high hops that I called it “at least a 6/10, perhaps more after I’ve gotten used to it.” Yeah, well, I’m used to it, and it’s more. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Ballast Point Brewing Company Mango Even Keel – Session IPA at 3.8% ABV | 40 IBU

Ballast Point Brewing Company Mango Even Keel Session IPA at 3.8% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.99 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 30-Dec-2016, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a large rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Somewhat surprisingly, because I usually don’t prefer varietals, I think I prefer this to the base version. I rather suspect there’s a couple of things contributing to that preference: the mango flavour fills out the bottom end, making the finish less thin or sharp than the base version, but also the overall bitterness is somewhat less (40 IBU for this, compared with 51 for the regular version). As importantly, perhaps, the fruit notes come across as sweet and juicy, but not saccharine or artificial. Generally speaking, more hops is better hops, obviously – but when you’re dealing with such a light malt bill, perhaps discretion might be the better part of valour. This time. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Ballast Point Brewing Company Even Keel – Session IPA at 3.8% ABV | 51 IBU

Ballast Point Brewing Company Even Keel Session IPA at 3.8% ABV | 51 IBU (C$3.99 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 29-Dec-2016, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of medium-dense ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp dry moderate bitter slightly sharp finish. (3/5)

Quite nice, which makes the fact that there will be my last two from these guys for the foreseeable future all the more painful. (I’ve decided I have to boycott them because of the political activities of the parent corporation, Constellation. So, I’ll drink the ones I have left, and that’s it.) Bright citrusy hops lead the way over a very clean, almost non-existent malt backbone. Overall, the hop presence is impressive for such a light malt bill, and remains generally enjoyable until the tail end of the finish, which comes across as slightly thin, sharp, or astringent. Which, I guess, is an excuse to drink more… oh, right… (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Avery Brewing Co. Maharaja – American Double / Imperial IPA at 10% ABV | 102 IBU

Avery Brewing Co. Maharaja American Double / Imperial IPA at 10% ABV | 102 IBU (US$3.77 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 18-Jan-2017, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel, pine, stone fruit, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Yeah, to some extent that was pretty much the malty big bastard I was expecting. Nothing wrong with it, as such, but very much an old-fashioned DIPA, tending slightly heavy, oily, and ponderous. Might not actually be malt-forward, but it’s certainly malt-heavy. Initially, the hops are so besieged by the malt that despite the massive 102 IBU I would’ve guessed it was fairly old, had the bottle not been dated. But, as the glass progressed, it really grew on me, and a juicy citrus began to become apparent. The high ABV is also fairly well integrated – there’s no getting away from it, of course, but it’s not overwhelming or unpleasantly hot. Having finished the first one, I wouldn’t mind having another, which I guess is the acid test when you come right down to it. (15/20)

My 236th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 225th from the 2013 edition, and 248th combining both editions.

7.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Saint Arnold Brewing Company Art Car IPA – American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 55 IBU

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Art Car IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 55 IBU (US$1.17 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 15-Feb-2017, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a large fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a patchy skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pine, pale malt, hint of stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp dry moderate bitter and spicy finish. (4/5)

Lovely. Bright fruity hops lead the way over a clean malt backbone. Hops aren’t particularly aggressive at the front, but are sufficiently pronounced in the finish to actually be spicy. Very pleasant and extremely drinkable. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Old Yale Brewing Co. Off Trail Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 35 IBU

Old Yale Brewing Co. Off Trail Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with two fingers of loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a patchy skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and cereal malts, grass and pine, hint of melon. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

A bit malt-forward, especially for a relatively light-bodied APA. The hopping is mild, verging on bland (or stale) and not very interesting. Might be age, but I can’t tell, because – you guessed it – they don’t DATE THEIR DAMN CONTAINERS. So, I have to assume this is supposed to taste like wet cardboard, and rate it accordingly. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Tallgrass Brewing Company 8 Bit Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV | 46 IBU

Tallgrass Brewing Company 8 Bit Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV  | 46 IBU (US$2.99 at Specs Main Houston, 473 ml, best before 28-Apr-2017, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a patchy skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon and grapefruit zest, pineapple, grainy pale malt, melon, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry lingering emphatic bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty darned close to a hop forward A/IPA, if you ask me. There’s a hint of Galaxy hops in there, coming through as melon behind the citrus zest and tropical fruit notes, but overall hops emphatically dominate over malt. The real surprise, though, is the lingering bitter finish, far more emphatic than one might normally expect given the at most middling-high IBU rating. Subtle? No, but good fun. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Deschutes Brewery Sagefight Imperial IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 75 IBU

Deschutes Brewery Sagefight Imperial IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 75 IBU (US$2.69 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, best before 29-Apr-2017, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 21-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: herbal sage, juniper berries, resiny pine, caramel malt, citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, dry building bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Well, it’s certainly not refreshing, light, or crisp – but that’s not to say it doesn’t have its own attractions. Sage and juniper battle for first place, and both are clearly distinct from a resiny pine note – but all combine to provide a deeply dank overall character. There’s actually so much resiny spice that there’s a bit of retronasal burn, and the citrus is a long way behind the more savoury notes. However, the dryness of the finish goes a long way towards preventing it from being heavy or ponderous. This would go great with turkey dinner, in fact. Interesting, well-made, and reasonably well-balanced for what it is. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com