RyansBooze

Driftwood Brewery Twenty Pounder American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV (C$8.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 7-Apr-2016, acquired 22-Apr-2016, reviewed 24-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, dank pine, caramel malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium oily body, moderate carbonation, sticky and warming bitter finish. (4/5)

Massive across the board, but balanced. I wouldn’t call the hops “bright”, exactly, but they’re certainly fresh – only a couple of weeks old. It’s got to be at least 75-80 IBU, and that amount of bitterness requires a significant supporting malt presence. So, it’s sweet, sure, but not inappropriately so. Drinks pretty easy, with the high ABV manifesting only as a mild warming.  An excellent example of the style. (And don’t you just love the new label?) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fuller, Smith & Turner PBC Fuller’s Imperial Stout Russian Imperial Stout at 10.7% ABV (C$9.00 at Solo Liquor, 500 ml, best before 31-Dec-2024, reviewed 23-Apr-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with just a hint of clear brown at the margins, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cocoa, lactose, liquorice, red berries, floral, metallic. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (5/10) Palate: full body, soft carbonation, big boozy bitter finish. (3/5)

Oof. Big, hot, heavy, and slightly metallic. Holy hell, I’ve had this sitting for over a year, and it’s still hot and metallic? Clearly this thing ain’t gonna settle down any time in the foreseeable future. Aggressive and unbalanced, but on the other hand it’s boozy as hell, which is frankly never a bad thing. Plus, there’s the big bitter finish, so it’s not a total wash. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coronado Brewing Company Barrel Aged Old Scallywag (2015) English Barleywine at 11.4% ABV (C$16.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 375 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 23-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one finger of fine light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: woody, toffee, bourbon, dark boozy fruit, light citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, boozy slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

That’s a nice barleywine. Malt and alcohol definitely dominate over a moderate hop bitter that comes through predominantly in the finish, but it never gets cloying. In my experience, the style is a hard one to get right, but this is nice: rich and smooth, yet not too sweet. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lagunitas Brewing Company CitruSinensis (2016) American Pale Ale at 7.9% ABV (C$3.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 15-Feb-2016, reviewed 23-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, dank pine resin, pale malt, catty/garlic. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering slightly sticky bitter finish. (4/5)

Dunno what this is hopped with – my Google-fu fails on that count – but whether it’s Citra, Simcoe, or whatever, I’m getting a touch more cattiness (garlic/onion/vegetal) than I prefer. Not a whole lot, but enough that I can’t rate this any higher. Other than that, a solid brew. I’ve called it an APA here, since the label just calls it a Pale, but it bridges styes with A/IPA: the colour and body are APA-ish, but the ABV and flavour are definitely beefy enough to be considered an A/IPA. Then again, despite the higher ABV, it drinks like a session ale. I guess, call it a Pale and have done with it? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company / Whistler Brewing Co. Spring Shred Red Session Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 4.7% ABV (C$6.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 22-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, caramel malt, grassy and weedy, earthy, faint citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending to the watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Dudes, there’s more to “session” than “low ABV”. The label claims 50 IBU of Cascade and Chinook hops, but I can’t say I’m really getting it – the bitterness feels at most moderate, perhaps because the low ABV and watery body aren’t providing the necessary support to allow the bitterness to really pop. Faded and watery aren’t exactly a recipe for success in my book. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whistler Brewing Co. Cheakamus Chai-Maple Ale Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5% ABV (C$7.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 22-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with two fingers of fluffy light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chai tea, maple syrup, chocolate. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly to the watery, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Bizarre. Yes, it smells exactly like chai tea and maple syrup. And not a little bit: take a cup of chai tea, and dump in a few tablespoons of maple syrup. But, somewhat surprisingly, it’s not too sweet. Would probably work better as a dessert than as a beer, though – maybe over a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Strange Fellows Brewing People Are Strange Saison at 6.5% ABV (C$2.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 21-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale straw with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, apple, herbal, pepper, light citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funk. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-high carbonation, dry funky finish. (3/5)

Can’t say I would have guessed there was any rye in there. Not all that hoppy, either. Still, those quibbles aside it’s a pleasant enough saison. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Rare Flemish Stout (2015) Sour Stout at 6.2% ABV (C$12.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 21-Apr-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with brown highlights, a short light beige head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lactic sour, vinous red berries, dry cocoa and dark toasted malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, moderate-high tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (3/5)

An OK sour, but not a lot of stout character. The lactic sourness is a bit unbalanced, dominating over a not very pronounced dry chocolate and toasted malt. The dry finish is decent, though. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Moses and the Misfits Cream Ale at 9.1% ABV (C$14.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 19-Apr-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cacao nibs, vanilla, sweet malt, fruity esters. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium creamy body, soft carbonation, lingering bitter and boozy finish. (3/5)

A very strange beer, but it kind of grows on you. The vanilla and cacao nibs are dominant, making for a completely different experience than a normal cream ale. If you go into this expecting just a high-gravity rendition of a cream ale, you’re in for a bit of a shock. As a whole, though, this beast kind of works. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Sour Note Sax in the Dark Sour / Wild Ale at 5% ABV (C$7.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 19-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of dense light beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grape must, bready yeast, balsamic vinegar, caramel malt. (3/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (3/10) Palate: medium body, medium carbonation, medium duration lightly tart finish. (2/5)

I generally like Phillips. I love sours. Thus it follows that I should like this Phillips sour, right? Wrong. Oh, so very wrong. “Sour note” indeed. This smells just like the grape must you get in winemaking kits, with a sharp vinegary edge. An unbalanced, unsavoury mess. Sink pour. (6/20)

3.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com