RyansBooze

Dageraad Brewing 10º (2016 Edition) Abt / Quadrupel at 10.5% ABV (C$10.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 4-Aug-2016)

Appearance: hazy deep amber with two fingers of growing rocky beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: burnt candi sugar, toffee, darkish boozy fruit, yeast. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming and slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

To be honest, I was expecting a little more… “presence”? “depth”? It isn’t unpleasant, by any means, but it’s not the smooth Belgian-style Quad I was expecting. The aromas start off promisingly, with burnt sugar dominating. Boozy fruit follows shortly behind, and things are looking pretty good for a while. However, shortly thereafter, the aromas seem to thin somewhat, leaving behind a medicinal booziness but not a lot of depth or character. Things aren’t a total write-off, though, because it continues to taste somewhat better than it smells, reminiscent of a crème brûlée. I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed by this, exactly, and it doesn’t necessarily make me re-evaluate my opinion of Dageraad, but it doesn’t really affirm my prior opinion, either. Not a strikeout, perhaps, but not a home run, either. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Victory Brewing Company Red Thunder Baltic Porter at 8.5% ABV (US$8.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 3-Aug-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of rocky beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vinous grape, coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, dark fruit, woody. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming and lightly tart, tannic and drying vinous finish. (4/5)

I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite like this before. It’s sweetish, like one would expect for a Baltic Porter, but the wine barrel ageing gives it a vinous tart character that cuts the sweetness and even makes the body seem a bit on the light side. I’d like to try the base (Baltic Thunder) for comparison, but there’s still a fairly strong coffee presence, particularly in the finish, that I think gives me a pretty good idea of where it started before the big barrel presence came to play. It’s not subtle, but it’s interesting, and that counts for a lot in my book. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Raspberry Tart Saison Saison at 4.5% ABV (C$19.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Jul-2016, reviewed 3-Aug-2016)

Appearance: hazy pinkish pale amber with two fingers of growing fluffy light pink head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, tart raspberry, horseblankety funk, lemon, light oak. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart. (7/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp lightly tart and funky finish. (4/5)

Upon decapping, I was greeted by the now-familiar (well, if you’ve tried Council beers before) doughy aroma of baker’s yeast, underneath which lurked a tart raspberry and light funk. I was then treated to one of the most bizarre beer displays I’ve ever seen, in which the fluffy light pink head receded upward from the fluid meniscus first, leaving the top layer of foam completely intact across the glass, as its interior eroded in ever-larger caverns. I was so enthralled I forgot to photograph it, and by the time I thought to grab my camera it was gone, replaced by a persistent thin cap. It’s not an unpleasant example of the style, and the raspberry seems pretty authentic, but I’m finding it hard to get behind that yeast. I really think a yeast with a cleaner character would improve these beers immensely. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery Caribou Cream Ale Cream Ale at 5% ABV (C$8.00 at Mill Street Brew Pub St. John’s, 945 ml, bottle date 28-Jul-2016, acquired 28-Jul-2016, reviewed 29-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, honey, biscuity pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate-soft carbonation, crisp smooth finish. (3/5)

Not bad, actually! I’m not generally a huge fan of Cream Ales, but this is decently done – clean grassy hops, with just a hint more sweetness and subtle creaminess in the mouthfeel to distinguish from a Pale Lager or Pilsner. And I have to say, I’m a huge fan of being able to do growler fills of locally brewed beer. That alone would dispose me kindly towards this, but the fact is, it’s a not bad brew in its own right. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Rise ‘n’ Stein Hefeweizen at 5.5% ABV (C$5.36 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Jul-2016, reviewed 27-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, cloves, pepper, wheat. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

That’s actually quite pleasant. A very authentic Hefeweizen that was pouring fairly transparent until I did the little “hefe swirl” near the end to pick up the yeast, and the colour developed appropriately. Typical banana and cloves on the front end, with an off-dry, slightly peppery finish. Straightforward implementation of a light-ish, pleasant style. Exciting? Nope. Refreshing? Yup. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock at 8% ABV (C$5.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 31-Aug-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 26-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium amber with one finger of creamy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: hardwood smoke, dark fruit, caramel malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate smoke, moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry smoky finish. (4/5)

A couple of weeks ago, I said that the Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier might be an excellent place for neophytes to begin exploring Rauchbiers, given its overall quite mellow character. Well, that’s still true, but this one might be an even better first Rauchbier. The oak smoke seems milder than the beech smoke, and it’s also slightly less evocative of smoked-cured meat. Not radically different than the Fastenbier, but just as good – and, interestingly, the much higher ABV is really not any more apparent than the much lower (5.5%) of the Fastenbier. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing American Brown Ale American Brown Ale at 5.8% ABV (C$3.87 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 26-Jul-2016)

Appearance: cloudy deep amber with two fingers of loose beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, coffee, caramel/toffee. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad at all. Interesting back story on the can, how they accidentally added four times the intended dark malt to a red IPA, ending up with something like a Cascading dark, before cutting it with a bunch of their session ale and a little IPA. I’m not unhappy with the result at all: there’s a distinct coffee presence, but overall the flavours are dominated by the citrusy hops. Even though they list Simcoe (and some others) there’s none of the cattiness that hop can sometimes bring. It looks a bit ugly, sure, but flavour-wise it’s definitely passable. (And for those of you who aren’t familiar with Alberta geography, “Blindman” is a local river, whose name might or might not derive from the number of twists and turns it describes.) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Entangled Hopfenweisse at 7% ABV (C$7.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 25-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, pithy citrus, resiny pine, pale malt, clove, banana. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Woo! That’s how you do a wheat beer. I’ve had the original Hopfenweisse – the G. Schneider & Sohn / Brooklyn Brewery collab – as well as Les Trois Mousquetaires’ kick at it, and even the surprisingly good Creemore Springs (Molson) rendition. To varying degrees, they all do the same thing: blend hefeweizen banana and cloves with forward American hops. This? Well, it does that… sort of. By which I mean, it nukes your nose and tongue with huge PNW hops, then the few surviving taste buds report a little banana and clove in the finish. It ain’t pretty, and it’s subtle as a brick. So, of course, I love it. (And another gorgeous Driftwood label, too!) If you’re a hophead like me, run, don’t walk, to your local yadda yadda yadda. And to be crystal clear: if you’re rating this as a hefeweizen, you’re missing the point. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cannery Brewing Company Drupaceous Apricot Wheat Ale Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5% ABV (C$5.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 25-Jul-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with two fingers of loose off-white head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apricot, wheat malt, lemongrass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly tart and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

“Drupaceous,” huh? I think there’s a pill for that… a little blue one… (Yes, I know it refers to stone fruit – maybe you even knew that apricots, peaches and cherries are all drupes. But did you know coffee is too?) I guess it’s pretty much what it says on the label – apricot and wheat, and that’s pretty much it, without much complexity to speak of. A little bit plain and a little bit astringent, but not unpleasant. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Petit Détour Belgian IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.00 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 22-Apr-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 25-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose off-white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, dry hay, horseblankety funk, tropical and stone fruit, pale malt, Belgian yeast. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funk and tart. (9/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp bitter and spicy funky finish. (4/5)

Yep – that’s how you do a Belgian IPA. Not quite “bright” because of the funkiness, and there’s a spiciness that builds towards the end of the glass, but still crisp and refreshing. A really good example of one of my favourite styles. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com