RyansBooze

YellowBelly Brewery Southern Shore Foggy Porter Porter at 5.8% ABV | 45 IBU (C$11.03 at YellowBelly Brewery, 1 l, best before 27-Oct-2016, acquired 7-Sep-2016, reviewed 22-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of fluffy light beige head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, dark fruit, banana, nutty and earthy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body tending slightly watery, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and lightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Not your typical porter, by any means. That’s made apparent by the hop character that is still clearly present even though this is a bit past the BB date – and there’s a hint right there that this isn’t a normal porter: the BB date is only a couple of months after it was bottled? Seriously? For a porter? It’s the dry hopping with New World hops that provides the answers: rather than a malt-dominant porter with little in the way of aromatic hopping, and purely noble hops for bittering, this is actually a hop-dominant oddball with lots of pine and citrus elements (in addition to earthy) leading the way over a mild malt base. I was unconvinced with the first few sips, but it grew on me in a big way. It’s not without its flaws – the body is still too thin, in my opinion, and that seems to contribute to sharp astringent note in the finish – but I’m not unhappy I tried it. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Xocoveza American Double / Imperial Stout at 8.1% ABV | 50 IBU (Trade – Bayman 4048, 355 ml, bottle date 21-Dec-2016, acquired 1-Nov-2016, reviewed 22-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, moderate retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chocolate, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg, lactose, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (9/10) Medium-full somewhat creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Probably the best ale made with peppers I’ve ever had, possibly because the peppers are so very mild. There’s a chilli/chipotle note in the aroma that grows as the beer warms, but it never translates into any real heat on the tongue. As a result, the beer stays smooth and balanced, is sweet without becoming overwhelming, and does a masterful job of hiding the fairly beefy ABV. I’d like to see a fuller and creamier body (maybe a nitro tap?) and maybe a hint more smoky chipotle and less green vegetal in the chilli, but excellent as it stands. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Muskoka Brewery Shinnicked Stout American Stout at 5.2% ABV | 19 IBU (C$3.57 at NLC Howley Estates, 473 ml, best before 28-Feb-2017, acquired 19-Nov-2016, reviewed 22-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of fluffy beige head diminishing gradually a to a persistent cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, dark chocolate, roasty malt, dark fruit, light nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Medium-full slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and slightly sweet finish. (4/5)

A pleasant, almost Dry Irish-style stout, except for the hint of coffee and slightly higher caramel-like sweetness in the finish. Quite smooth and pleasant, and at only 5.2% ABV, quite approachable. My biggest beef with it is how understated the coffee is: as it stands, one could easily misinterpret the coffee notes as being attributable to the roasted malt, though they do linger in the finish a bit like an iced latte. In my opinion it could easily have been much more emphatic – I’m not sure it’s got the presence to warm you up after a polar bear plunge – but it’s not bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King Sour / Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV | 12 [?] IBU (C$6.50 at Trade – Cashout, 500 ml, bottle date 20-Oct-2016, acquired 19-Nov-2016, reviewed 20-Nov-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart stone fruit, lemon zest, resiny pine and cedar. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (9/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, short duration tart finish. (4/5)

Ohhh yeah – that’s what I expect from Bellwoods! Massive fuzzy peach sour, with citrus and evergreen notes. The Citra dry-hopping is clearly evident, and (critically) introduces no vegetal onion or cattiness at all. Pretty much nonexistent bitter, but the moderate sweetness is more than adequately tempered by the large but even-handed tartness, and livened by an enthusiastic carbonation. Somewhat surprisingly, given the brewery’s predilections, there’s no funk in this at all – which I guess is indicative of no brettanomyces, and is the reason for the “drink fresh” appellation on the label. A solid and pleasant sour – thanks, Tim! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Gotham Black IPA at 8% ABV | 80 [?] IBU (C$6.50 at Trade – Cashout, 500 ml, bottle date 20-Oct-2016, acquired 19-Nov-2016, reviewed 20-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with three fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, coffee, chocolate, earthy, herbal. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

At the start , I was a bit on the fence about this one. It was mild and mellow, almost to the point of losing the thread. But after a bit, it opened up, and developed some interesting depth. Grading this as a Bellwoods IPA, it’s not great – I’d rather have a Witchshark, Jutsu, or Roman Candle, if that’s what I was looking for. But as a subtle, dark malt-present specialty, it’s pretty interesting. Thanks, Tim! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Pumpkin Patch Ale Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 6.1% ABV | 25 IBU (C$14.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 17-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with a thin beige head that retains poorly, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cinnamon, nutmeg, vegetal pumpkin, caramel and brown sugar. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, slightly sweet medium duration finish. (3/5)

Yeah, yeah – another punkin ale. Hey, I figured that since I love to hate on both the brewery and the style, it’s win-win either way: either I get to complain about one or the other (or both), or I get a good beer. And, it’s actually (sorta kinda) a good beer. So, I guess I’m vaguely disappointed that I don’t get to complain. Can I complain about that? Seriously, not bad – definitely as much vegetal pumpkin as spice character, and although it’s sweet it’s at least somewhat balanced by the bittering. I’ve had a lot worse examples of the style, and not many better. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Howe Sound Brewing _ Christmas / Winter Specialty Spiced Beer at 5.5% ABV | 18 IBU (C$11.35 at NLC Stavanger, 1 l, no bottle date or best before, acquired 31-Oct-2016, reviewed 17-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with a thin beige head that retains poorly, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, cloves, molasses, brown sugar, dark fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild astringent. (6/10) Medium body tending thin, lively to moderate carbonation, nutty and astringent finish ending watery. (3/5)

The spice blend for this might be intended to be “Christmas” or “winter” but is in fact reminiscent of any number of typical pumpkin ales – which, I guess, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not a particularly interesting thing. It definitely tastes as sweet as it smells, with relatively little bitterness in the middle. The body tends thinnish, though, so the astringency in the finish tends to be a bit sharp. I think I’d like this more with a bit more body and a bit less spice. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Fresh Roast American Brown Ale at 5.7% ABV | 37 IBU (C$9.89 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 15-Nov-2016, reviewed 16-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear amber brown with two fat fingers of fluffy beige head, moderate retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chocolate, coffee, caramel, dark fruit, hint of liquorice and citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light astringent. (7/10) Medium body, mild to moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter nutty and lightly astringent finish. (4/5)

Interesting. Both the brewer and the style are, in my opinion and experience, as likely to disappoint as not – but this is actually all right. Roasty malt sweetness is somewhat high but well balanced against a moderate hop bitterness augmented by a light coffee astringency, with hints of liquorice and citrus. Overall, pretty mellow and pleasant. I think this would be particularly good on a nitro tap. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Promise Gone Aw-Rye IPA American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75 IBU (C$9.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 15-Nov-2016, reviewed 15-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fat fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sour rye, pine, bready malt, caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter, mild tart and peppery spice. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and lightly tart and spicy finish. (3/5)

One of the better Rogue products I’ve had – but then I’m always a sucker for a Rye IPA. And this is actually a pretty decent example of the style: a well-balanced blend of spicy and tart/sour rye with citrusy and piney hop built on enough bready and caramel malt to provide support without becoming intrusive. This particular promise didn’t go awry – not bad! (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Knee Deep Brewing Co. Citra Extra Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 7% ABV | 45 IBU (C$11.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 13-Jul-2016, acquired 15-Nov-2016, reviewed 15-Nov-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, resiny pine, tropical fruit, slight vegetal/onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry clean bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s all right. Single-Hopped with Citra, with all the concomitant plusses and minuses. On the up side, there’s a decent pithy grapefruit citrus leading the way, with some pleasant, almost dank resiny pine, and pineapple-y tropical fruit tones. The down side is the all-too-common green oniony note that Citra can impart. It’s not strong, but it’s definitely there, and it prevents this from crossing over into world-class territory. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com