RyansBooze

Parallel 49 / Category 12 Brewing Comfortably Numb Old Ale at 9% ABV (C$2.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 16-Apr-2016, reviewed 2-Jun-2016)

Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with one finger of fluffy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: vinous, dark and stone fruit, toffee, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, boozy bitter slightly astringent and spicy finish. (4/5)

What’s the difference between an Old Ale and a Traditional Ale, anyway? Because this is an awful lot like Traditionals I’ve had. Regardless, it’s an interesting beer, and drinks surprisingly easy for 9%. The booze is there, certainly, but it’s polite and well-behaved, manifesting more as a warming than anything else. Of course, it may be that you simply don’t notice it, between the spicy rye and the astringent Brettanomyces assaulting your palate. Finishes a tad harsh, with a slightly astringent quality to the bitterness, but otherwise a decent sipper. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Category 12 Brewing Simplicity Ale Saison at 5% ABV (C$8.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 1-Jun-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one finger of short-lived loose white head, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy, yeast, lemon, coriander, floral, citrus, slight catty. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (6/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, dry bitter and mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

Easy drinking but fairly unremarkable. Although there’s not a lot of depth of flavour, it finishes clean and dry, making it a reasonably effective example of the original style, albeit still somewhat high in ABV for something farmhands would drink five litres of per day. I wouldn’t say no to another, but I wouldn’t go looking for one, either. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Old Abbey Ales Dry Hop Saison Saison at 6.5% ABV (C$7.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 1-Jun-2016)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of dense white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, coriander, citrus, yeast, stone fruit, white pepper. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery funk. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter and spicy finish. (3/5)

It’s OK, but nothing thrilling. I’m not getting much, if any, of the alleged dry hopping. The label doesn’t specify what hops were used, though it does say “noble hops” – and I can’t say I think much of the choice of noble hops for dry hopping. A bit muddled and a bit unbalanced, but reasonably refreshing. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij de Molen / Hair of the Dog Adam Traditional Ale at 10% ABV (C$7.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, bottle date 21-Jul-2015, best before 21-Jul-2020, acquired 16-Apr-2016, reviewed 31-May-2016)

Appearance: translucent amber-brown with deep amber margins, one finger of rocky beige head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: rich dark fruit, toffee, figs, leather, nutty, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, boozy bitter finish. (4/5)

Another oddball style description. What’s this “Old World Ale” the label refers to, anyway? This thing is big, boozy, and dark – I’d be inclined to call it an Abt, had I not previously encountered the Traditional Ale style (which is not, as far as I can tell, a BJCP-recognized style – hey, you try searching the BJCP style guide for “traditional” and see how far you get!). Regardless of what you call this, it’s fun – big, boozy fun. It’s similar to, but I think even better than, Traquair Jacobite (which BJCP uses as an example for Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer, I might add), my previous best-ever Traditional. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company Slip Into Darkness (#36) Schwarzbier at 6.4% ABV (C$10.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 31-May-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with just a hint of brown around the margins, one finger of rocky beige head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, roasty malts, citrus and grassy, light herbal. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite a pleasant schwarzbier, with a surprisingly light and easy-drinking character despite its forbidding appearance (and frankly alarming label art). Looks like it should be smoky, and I keep waiting for the ashtray finish, but it never comes. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company Solid! (#30) American Pale Wheat Ale at 6% ABV (C$10.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, best before 3-Mar-2016, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 31-May-2016)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of medium-dense off-white head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: papaya and other tropical fruit, citrus, wheat and pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I like the best before language on this one: “Not as awesome after 03/03/16”. Well, that might be true, but it still lives up to its name almost three months after that: solid. Wish I had gotten it fresh – maybe then it would’ve been Solid!, or even awesome. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Collar Brewing Co. Red Collar White IPA Belgian IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$7.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 30-May-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: herbal/floral, diacetyl, citrus, caramel. (3/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (3/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Woof. Bit of a train wreck. Butter’s got no place in an IPA (or any beer, really). Starts out mediocre and gets worse from there. I was cautiously optimistic about these guys after trying their IPA, but this is just a mess. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Collar Brewing Co. Red Collar IPA India Pale Ale (IPA) at 6.25% ABV (C$6.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 28-May-2016, reviewed 30-May-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, tropical fruit, citrus, earth and grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Definitely an English-style IPA, but decently well done. Funny, it’s my second E/IPA with ANZ hops in two days – is this a thing, now? Because, really, it’s not that impressive a thing, so let’s go back to hop-forward pales, please and thank you, mmmmkay? You can keep the ANZ hops, those I like – just maybe be a little more generous with them? Keep the English ale yeast if you’re absolutely bound and determined to make it an E/IPA, but you could throw some Nelson Sauvin into the mix, maybe dry hop with ‘em. Does “English” really have to be synonymous with “boring”? (Silly question – of course it does.) (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Speakeasy Scarface American Double / Imperial Stout at 9.5% ABV (C$13.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-May-2016, reviewed 29-May-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with brown around the margins, one fat finger of medium dense light beige head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malts, dry cocoa, liquorice, hint of bourbon barrel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, soft carbonation, dry bitter warming finish. (3/5)

Yeah, I know it’s supposed to be spring, but I’ve got too many of these dark things on hand, gotta drink ‘em down. Not all that impressive an imperial stout – tends a bit to the thin side, and the barrel notes are muted, even after warming. On the up side, it’s not heavy, so it’s fairly easy drinking for a nearly double digit ABV. Pleasant enough. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewing West Coast Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 29-May-2016, reviewed 29-May-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel malt, mildly dank pine, faint citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

This is a bit of a strange beast. Yeah, I get the “west coast” dank aspect, though that’s not what I expect from ANZ hops – those, I generally find to have a more vinous character, and I’m getting none of that here. Moreover, in terms of the hop/malt balance, this is more like an English pale, with caramel malt leading the way, and a distinctly earthy character to the hops. English malting, ANZ hops… it’s not a “West Coast Pale”, it’s a “Prison Ship Pale”! It’s not terrible, by any stretch – but it’s a long way from memorable. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com