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Reviews

Mikkeller MAD3 ’92 Dream Team – Pilsener at 5% ABV

Mikkeller MAD3 ’92 Dream Team Pilsener at 5% ABV (C$4.59 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 330 ml, best before 6-Aug-2015, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 26-Sep-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grainy pale malt, weedy hay, light pine. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

I bought this knowing full well it was a dusty shelf turd, but I figured if anybody had the ability to produce a beer that magically transcended best before dates, it’s Mikkeller. I’m not convinced I was completely wrong about this, since what I’m getting doesn’t seem dramatically different than reviews from two years ago. Still fairly pleasant, and actually poured quite a bit clearer until the final half inch of the bottle. Ultimately, though, it’s a Pilsener, so it’s going to be tough to make exciting, but it might’ve been better when fresh. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Sound Brewery Mortal Kombat X Raiden – Imperial Saison at 8% ABV

Sound Brewery Mortal Kombat X Raiden Imperial Saison at 8% ABV (C$10.19 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 18-Aug-2016, reviewed 25-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cloves/coriander, apples and pears, bubblegum, citrus, wheat? (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Look, I know railing against high ABV Saisons is something of a hobby horse of mine, but seriously, doesn’t an Imperial Saison make about as much sense as an Imperial Kölsch, or an Imperial Pale Lager? … aaaand of course a quick search reveals that there are lunatics out there making both. All right, fine, I give: go ahead and swig 8% beer as a thirst quencher while working in the hot sun. I’m sure those furrows don’t actually need to be straight. And, yeah, the fact is, this is actually good – a little heavy-hand, perhaps, but still quite good. To the point where I’m actually looking forward to the Imperial Stout from the lineup – but I’m not about to crack that just yet. I’m still working up my courage for the inevitable onslaught of oktoberfest and pumpkin spice beers that the next four to six weeks will bring. Come talk to me about Imperial Stouts in November. And December. And January, March, and April, actually. Assuming I haven’t actually eaten my gun in response to the iron grey skies and sideways sleet by then, I mean… :/ (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Russell Brewing Company Luck of the Irish – Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV | 30 IBU

Russell Brewing Company Luck of the Irish Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$7.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2016, reviewed 25-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel/toffee, brown sugar, floral, earthy, light nutty. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body tending somewhat watery, moderate carbonation, sweet mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Well fiddle-dee-dee potatoes! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv3exCOkJNo) Why do people keep making these boring-ass beer styles anyway? Is there really that much demand for characterless plonk invented by bogtrotters who should’ve stuck to poitín? … dammit, now I want poitín. Anyway, yeah, this is an Irish Red. It’s not a bad one. Get it if you like them, I guess? (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Tofino Brewing Co. Blonde Ale – Blond Ale at 5.5% ABV

Tofino Brewing Co. Blonde Ale Blond Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$8.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 25-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy light ivory head diminishing moderately quickly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet cereal malt, honey, vegetal. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, short duration lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

“Blonde” ale? More like bland ale, amiright? Inoffensive but frankly boring. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Categories
Miscellaneous

2016 Craft Beer Advent Calendar

Well, I’m ready for December 1! Looking forward to another year’s advent calendar starting in less than 10 weeks. For reference, here are the origins and strengths for the 2016 calendar:

2016-advent-calendar-origin-and-strength

And as soon as I saw that there might be IPAs and lagers in there, I tore it open and stuck ’em all in the beer fridge. Didn’t look at any, though: I put ’em in a box with labels for 1-24 without looking – I like my daily surprises. However, a cardboard IPA that’s been sitting at room temperature for three months isn’t the kind of surprise I like!

#ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Pivovar Vysoký Chlumec (Pivovary Lobkowicz) Baron Bohemian Czech Dark Lager – Dunkel at 5.2% ABV | 22 IBU

Pivovar Vysoký Chlumec (Pivovary Lobkowicz) Baron Bohemian Czech Dark Lager Dunkel at 5.2% ABV | 22 IBU (C$2.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 12-Jan-2017, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 25-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, caramel, milk chocolate, liquorice. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, short duration lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly easy-drinking Dunkel. Nothing too interesting or exciting, but fine with lunch. A tad sweet for my preference, but not excessively so. I was going to express doubt about the “craft brewed” claim on the label, but apparently it’s legit – from their (seemingly now defunct) site: “The Lobkowicz brewmaster starts with pure water from the brewery’s artesian wells and bohemian barley, which is turned into malt in their own malt house. He brews the lagers in traditional copper brewing vats, adding aromatic Saaz hops by hand.” (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Opal Farmhouse – Saison at 7.5% ABV | 35 IBU

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Opal Farmhouse Saison at 7.5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$12.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 21-Jul-2016, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 24-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky light ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus zest, white grape must, hay, white pepper, light barnyardy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter and peppery spice, light funk. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter and lightly funky finish. (4/5)

A nice Saison, even if it is really too high in ABV to be considered “in-spec.” And it’s a touch sweet, but all in all, it’s pretty decent. Light, clean, and pleasant to drink. I wouldn’t serve it too cold, though – straight out of the fridge, this would be pretty mild, maybe to the point of blandness, but it opens up nicely as it warms. Then the 7.5% ABV comes along and whacks you in the back of the head with a baseball bat. So, all good, right? (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Wag the Wolf – Hopfenweisse at 6.8% ABV | 20 IBU

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Wag the Wolf Hopfenweisse at 6.8% ABV | 20 IBU (C$10.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, bottle date 21-Jun-2016, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 24-Sep-2016)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, melon, tropical fruit, wheat malt, clove and floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter and lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Aww yeah – hops you can smell from across the room upon decapping. That’s how you do a wheat beer! Lovely bright NZ hops impart fruity and almost vinous notes on a light, nearly crisp wheat base. I’d love to get this fresher, actually, even though it doesn’t seem particularly faded. (It would be sheerest niggling pedantry to point out that, yet again, their labelling appears questionable: “Wild Oats” series, for a beer with no oats in it? Really?) Anyway, another nice example of the Hopfenweisse style, right up there with Driftwood’s Entangled, and really worth trying if you find it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Beunos Dias Gruit – Gruit at 4.5% ABV | 10 IBU

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Beunos Dias Gruit Ale Gruit at 4.5% ABV | 10 IBU (C$7.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, bottle date 14-Jul-2016, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 24-Sep-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lime and citrus zest, herbal, crackery malt, light brine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter, light salt. (6/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lightly salty finish. (3/5)

An odd little beer, more like a Gose than a Gruit. Though, I’m not sure how this is a Gruit at all, since it’s actually hopped, instead of bittered with herbs. I’m actually halfway tempted to conclude they just made a mistake in the naming, and they meant to call it a Gose. Regardless, not without its merits, even if it’s not quite the margarita profile they claim. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Reviews

Karlsbräu (Karlsberg) Licorne Black – Dunkel at 6% ABV

Karlsbräu (Karlsberg) Licorne Black Dunkel at 6% ABV (C$3.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, bottle date 17-Apr-2016, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 24-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of rocky beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, coffee, cola, liquorice. (4/10) Taste: high sweet, mild bitter. (3/10) Medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, sweet and sticky finish. (2/5)

The first sip is shockingly sweet. After the initial shock wears off, it’s still sweet, but some other flavour starts to become apparent. It’s like liquorice dissolved in cola, and way too sweet for me to finish. Might be some folks’ cup of tea – folks who take six sugars in their tea, maybe – but not mine. Sink pour. (7/20)

3.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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