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Russell Brewing Company Twig & Berries Juniper Berry Kolsh – Kölsch at 5% ABV | 20 IBU

Russell Brewing Company Twig & Berries Juniper Berry Kolsh Kölsch at 5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$5.68 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 18-Aug-2016, reviewed 23-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head, moderate retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, herbal, faint juniper. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium finish. (3/5)

Yep, a lager-y ale, just like the label says. Which is to say, a boring ale. I was expecting gin and tonic flavours here, but instead got… well… not much of anything. This is really, really light in aroma and flavour, with only the faintest hint of juniper berries. Nothing actually off, but very much “what’s the point?” territory. Plus, the label’s just dumb: the “twig and berries” analogy doesn’t jive very well with the (presumably) “girl” berry being flustered by the size of the “guy” berry’s twig. And, they misspelled Kölsch. Dumb and pointless, there’s a rave review for you. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Yukon Brewing Company You’d Be Surprised – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.4% ABV

Yukon Brewing Company You’d Be Surprised Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.4% ABV (C$8.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2016, reviewed 23-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: raspberry, wheat, light citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (5/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly tart finish. (3/5)

Yeah, I woulda been surprised – but I wasn’t. Nothing all that special. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Lao Brewery Company Beerlao Lager – Euro Pale Lager at 5% ABV

Lao Brewery Company Beerlao Lager Euro Pale Lager at 5% ABV (C$2.60 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 330 ml, best before 15-Jul-2016, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 23-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of medium white head diminishing rapidly a thin cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: corn syrup, rice, grass. (4/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (3/10) Medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky finish. (2/5)

Maybe not quite “terrible,” but not far off it. Naw, let’s go with “terrible.” A sickly sweet adjunct mess. Drank half, sink poured the rest. Life’s too short to waste on beer like this.(8/20)

My 234th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 223rd from the 2013 edition, and 246th combining both editions.

3/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom IRA – India Red Ale at 6.5% ABV | 60 IBU

Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom IRA India Red Ale at 6.5% ABV | 60 IBU (C$7.55 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 500 ml, bottle date 10-Dec-2015, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 22-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head diminishing quickly to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, pithy grapefruit and orange peel, cedar, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A little elderly, perhaps, but the slightly higher ABV seems to have provided some measure of protection. The intention here is pretty clear: marry the characteristics of sweet malty red ales with those of IPAs. The execution is… slightly less clear. Although bitter and sweet are not necessarily antagonistic, they can be tough to balance – one or the other seems to always win out. In this case, malt is clearly dominant. On the plus side, the SImcoe hops don’t taste skunky or catty, so there’s that. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Firestone Walker Brewing Company Luponic DIstortion (Revolution No. 003) – American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 59 IBU

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Luponic DIstortion (Revolution No. 003) American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 59 IBU (C$3.50 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 28-Aug-2016, acquired 22-Sep-2016, reviewed 22-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with three fingers of loose white head diminishing quickly to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, tropical fruit, pale malt, light dank. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Similar to No. 002, but with a slightly different hop balance. A light and sessionable A/IPA that could easily be classified as an APA or S/IPA. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Arrowhead Brewing Loud Mouth Soup – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 93 IBU

Arrowhead Brewing Loud Mouth Soup_ American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 93 IBU (C$7.60 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 650 ml, bottle date 22-Sep-2015, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 21-Sep-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, caramel and toffee, bready, stone fruit, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering heavily bitter finish. (3/5)

To be fair, I suspected this was likely to be something of a shelf turd when I bought it, but the label and the name were just too much fun to pass up – especially since I have, on occasion, been accused of being a somewhat loudmouthed drunk myself. But, you know what? The high ABV seems to have protected this to some degree, so that it still has some appreciable hop character. Big, heavy, malty, hot, and somewhat unbalanced, but still sort of enjoyable. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Le Trou du Diable / Brasserie De La Senne Schieve Tabarnak – Belgian Pale Ale at 5% ABV

Le Trou du Diable / Brasserie De La Senne Schieve Tabarnak Belgian Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$7.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 21-Sep-2016)

Appearance: hazy straw with three fingers (and growing!) of fluffy white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, pale malt, light horseblankety funk. (8/10) Taste: mild sweet, moderate bitter, light funk. (8/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp dry and lightly funky bitter finish. (4/5)

An excellent Belgian Pale – crisp, bone dry, and lightly funky. Definitely reminiscent of the other three or four Brasserie De La Senne beers I’ve had. I was going to say that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Trou du Diable character coming through here, but then that got me thinking about what (if any) defining characteristics that brewery has, and all I could come up with was: excellence. I must have had nearly twenty of their beers by now, and I don’t think I’ve rated a single one under 7/10, and they’ve reached 9/10. In particular, they excel at Belgian styles, making this collaboration particularly apt. Really good, and the rude swear word name only makes me like it more. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Wild Rose Brewery AF23 Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV | 45 IBU

Wild Rose Brewery AF23 Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV | 45 IBU (C$7.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 15-Sep-2016, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 21-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright pithy citrus, vinous, biscuity pale malt, tropical and stone fruit, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, short mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

This starts off quite promising, with bright fruity hop aromas dominating upon decapping. The flavours don’t quite deliver on that, though, and the body tends slightly to the watery. This remains the case through the entire pint: the aromas stay bright and promising, but it stays just a little light on the tongue. Ultimately, it sort of comes across as a somewhat watered-down IPA (albeit a really good IPA). The APA style has always struck me as being a bit of a challenge, and this beer definitely characterizes that. I enjoyed it, but kept feeling it could have been better. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Lighthouse Brewing Co. Numbskull – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.1% ABV | 103 IBU

Lighthouse Brewing Co. Numbskull American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.1% ABV | 103 IBU (C$8.90 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 24-Aug-2016, reviewed 20-Sep-2016)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing rapidly to  thin cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, hot fusils, caramel malt, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

I respect and appreciate a beer with no restraint whatsoever – and this is, in fact, a beer with no restraint whatsoever. Not only is the ABV nearing double digits, but the IBU rating is approaching “irrelevant” levels. (By which I mean, it’s so high that it maxes out most people’s ability to discern bitterness.) It’s not unlike “having your brains smashed in by a slice of lemon hops wrapped round a large gold brick.” Yet for all that, it drinks easier than it should. I wouldn’t say no to another. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Gigantic Brewing Company Vivid (#43) – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV | 80 IBU

Gigantic Brewing Company Vivid (#43) American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV | 80 IBU (C$11.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 20-Sep-2016)

Appearance: cloudy and opaque pale amber with one finger of creamy ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, pine, buttery, grapefruit, light tropical fruit and floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, medium-long duration bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Dunno if I’ve had Kohatu hops before, but I’m pretty sure I’ve had Wai-Iti. (Now that I think about it, it was a local brewery – Big Rock – who did a Wai-Iti wheat ale, and it was probably one of the best things they’ve ever done. And yes, better than this.) I’m actually a little disappointed by this, since Gigantic generally does a fairly good job of things. This, however, doesn’t exhibit any of the bright melon, tropical fruit, or vinous character I associate with ANZ hops. It’s a somewhat stodgy, heavy, and malt-forward DIPA, all of which I could almost forgive, were it not for the buttery/butterscotch diacetyl notes suggesting all manner of clumsiness. Still and all, it’s a pleasant enough beer, but I can’t shake the feeling it could (should?) have been much more. And sorry, it’s not “vivid.” (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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