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Unibroue Éphémère Bleuet – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.5% ABV

Unibroue Éphémère Bleuet Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.5% ABV (C$6.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 31-Mar-2016, acquired 26-Jun-2016, reviewed 13-Jul-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy reddish pale amber with two fingers of pillowy light violet head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: slightly artificial or medicinal blueberry, sweet wheat malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, minimal bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly tart and slightly medicinal finish. (3/5)

Pretty similar to the Canneberge and Cerise, both in terms of flavour (not very impressive and not entirely authentic fruit) and overall experience (just plain not very impressive). This is the fourth of the Éphémère series I’ve tried, and I have to say, the more ephemeral these are, the better. With the exception of the Pomme, which is passable, they really don’t compare to the much more solid Belgian-style offerings where Unibroue really shines. It improves slightly with the second glass, with the lees swirled in the final half inch and poured over the head like a hefeweizen (it is a wheat beer, after all) but that’s pretty much a case of too little, too late. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier – Rauchbier at 5.5% ABV

Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier Rauchbier at 5.5% ABV (C$4.43 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, best before 31-Dec-2016, acquired 9-Jul-2016, reviewed 12-Jul-2016)

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

Mmm… Bacon-y! A very pleasant, easy-drinking Rauchbier, with strong but not overwhelming smokiness. I’m really starting to appreciate Rauchbiers in general and the Aecht Schlenkerla lineup more specifically, and this is quite a nice example. The smokiness in particular is very well implemented, and comes across more as bacon curing (i.e. hardwood) than campfire (i.e. softwood). In fact, this might be an excellent place for neophytes to begin exploring Rauchbiers, given the overall quite mellow character. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. Railside Session Ale – Session IPA at 4.2% ABV

Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. Railside Session Ale Session IPA at 4.2% ABV (C$3.10 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 19-Apr-2016, acquired 19-Jun-2016, reviewed 12-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy malt, grass, honey. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry slightly metallic finish. (3/5)

Well, it’s a pretty-looking beer. And it’s not actually terrible. Yeah, that’s about all I’ve got. I mean, it pretty much smells and tastes like every other Sleeman product. Which, I guess, isn’t the worst possible outcome for a Session Ale – at least it doesn’t taste watered-down. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Picaroons Traditional Ales Melon Head – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 4.5% ABV

Picaroons Traditional Ales  Melon Head Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 4.5% ABV (C$3.87 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jun-2016, reviewed 11-Jul-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: melon, berry, grainy pale malt, wheat. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild tart, low bitter. (5/10) Medium-light slightly syrupy body, lively carbonation, sweet lightly tart finish. (3/5)

I was initially kind of impressed that there was a significant melon presence upon decapping. That faded quickly as it became apparent just how “Watermelon Jolly Ranchers” the aroma and flavour really were. High sweetness is kept from becoming sickly only by the fizzy carbonation. Better than macro crap, but only just. To be honest, the best feature is the label. What’s the story there, anyway? Riders fans are pussies? Yeah, OK, let’s go with that. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Central City Brewers + Distillers Red Racer Super Stellar – American IPA at 6% ABV

Central City Brewers + Distillers Red Racer Super Stellar American IPA at 6% ABV (C$2.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, bottle date 4-Apr-2016, acquired 6-Jul-2016, reviewed 6-Jul-2016)

Appearance: pale amber with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resin, pithy grapefruit, caramel and toffee, light onion. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

An excellent A/IPA. Big but not overwhelming bitter is supported by sweet but not dominant malt. The Mosaic and Citra hops are well-balanced, giving juicy citrus and West Coast dankness without verging into cattiness. There is a slight onion edge coming through that prevents me from ranking this higher, but as it stands it’s definitely worthy of your consideration. Wish I could have had this fresher, and will definitely keep an eye out for the chance to try a newer one. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Central City Brewers + Distillers Red Racer Radler – Radler at 3.5% ABV

Central City Brewers + Distillers Red Racer Radler Radler at 3.5% ABV (C$2.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, bottle date 21-Mar-2016, acquired 6-Jul-2016, reviewed 6-Jul-2016)

Appearance: opaque pinkish pale amber with a short white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit, grass, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, mild tart finish. (4/5)

Yes, I’m still a sucker for radlers – I apologise for nothing. And this one’s actually halfway interesting. Yes, there’s lots of grapefruit, but it’s not all grapefruit: there’s actually some hop and malt character coming through, reminding you that this does in fact contain beer. (Which is more than can be said for a lot of radlers.) The sweetness is nicely restrained, too, unlike a lot of railers or shandy. Pleasant and refreshing, but don’t let it warm up – I was starting to detect a little burnt rubber towards the end. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Russell Brewing Company Russell The Kettle Sour – Sour / Wild Ale at 5% ABV

Russell Brewing Company Russell The Kettle Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 5% ABV (C$6.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Jul-2016, reviewed 5-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lactic sour, lemon zest, grainy malt, stone fruit, vinous. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, mild tart finish. (3/5)

Meh – I knew going in that it was a kettle sour, so, really, how interesting could it be? So, I really can’t say it’s disappointing. Fairly one-dimensional lactic sour dominates. It’s almost like a Berliner weiss, actually, so it’s not terrible or anything – but it’s a long way from interesting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Townsite Brewing Inc. / 4 Pines Brewing Company / Tool Shed Brewing Soulless Cedar – Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5.8% ABV

Townsite Brewing Inc. / 4 Pines Brewing Company / Tool Shed Brewing Soulless Cedar Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5.8% ABV (C$10.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Jul-2016, reviewed 5-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear red-tinged pale amber, one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: cedar, lemon zest, floral, caramel, earth. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, spicy finish. (3/5)

The bottle calls this a “red belgian ale” (yes, capitalized like that). Now, to the best of my knowledge, “Belgian red” typically means “Flanders red”, which means “sour”. This ain’t that. I’m not aware of any other interpretations, so I’m left a bit rudderless here in terms of reviewing this… thing. I wouldn’t know lemon myrtle or pepper berry if they bit me, but Spanish cedar? Yeah, it smells and tastes like Spanish cedar. I guess I should be thankful that there’s no big pissy Citra or Simcoe in there to really round out the “drinking a hamster cage” vibe? Pretty beer, though – but I always was a sucker for a ginger, soulless though they may be. I guess it’s not a bad example of… whatever the hell it is – though the cedar really gets a bit aggressive after a while. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

DPR_1593-3

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Russell Brewing Company / Doan’s Craft Brewing Company New Style Pacific NW Pilsner – Pilsener at 6.5% ABV

Russell Brewing Company / Doan’s Craft Brewing Company New Style Pacific NW Pilsner Pilsener at 6.5% ABV (C$6.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Jul-2016, reviewed 5-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold, one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cereal grains, floral, citrus, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish crisp and lightly peppery finish. (3/5)

In order to review this beer, it is first necessary to ignore the painfully – and I do mean painfully – ugly label. I mean, seriously, it’s not even up to the standards of nineties-era desktop publishing. I’m not getting a lot of the PNW hops coming through here, but it’s decently crisp and quaffable, if slightly on the sweet side for the style. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Tofino Brewing Co. Spruce Tree Ale – Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 6.5% ABV

Tofino Brewing Co. Spruce Tree Ale Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 6.5% ABV (C$8.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Jun-2016, reviewed 4-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber, two fingers of fluffy off-white head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, spruce, caramel malt, honey, berry/fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, sweet mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not quite sure what to make of this. I was… well, not “terrified” of this – if I had been, I wouldn’t have bought it – but… “deeply suspicious”, shall we say? After Garrison’s Spruce Beer, which was like baked beans stirred with a spruce bough, I was a little gun shy of spruce beers. This… well, it isn’t that. I’m not quite sure what it is, mind you. It’s a bit strange, but not unpleasant. Too sweet, though. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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