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Cabin Brewing Company Chapter 5 – Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV

Cabin Brewing Company Chapter 5 – Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV (C$24.85 at Collective, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 21-Jan-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apple brandy, white grape, Belgian esters, oak. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

I mean, I don’t dislike this, but it’s pretty near the middle of the pack for my experience with both the style and the brewer. I found the aroma to be lacking in complexity and it tended a little sweet, even for the style. The finish was decent, and overall it was OK, but certainly not a world-class offering. (14/20)

This will be my 5,740th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Born Brewing Co. Ranger Summit – Rye IPA at 6.2% ABV

Born Brewing Co. Ranger Summit – Rye IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 17-Jan-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, spicy rye, earth, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice one, but not quite as emphatic as I like the style to be – which is to say, I didn’t call the aroma “mild”, but almost did. All the elements are there, but it doesn’t make it to next-level territory. In fact, not to be overly harsh, but that seems to be pretty typical of my experience with this brewery: prior to this one, for n=12, μ=7.6 & σ=0.57. Still and all, I think I’d place them in the top three of local breweries (even though one of theirs was actually in my bottom ten of 2023) with only The Establishment and Cabin doing better overall. (15/20)

This will be my 5,739th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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The Establishment Brewing Company Sky Rocket – American IPA at 6.5% ABV

The Establishment Brewing Company Sky Rocket – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.09 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Nov-2023, acquired 13-Jan-2024, reviewed 13-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, stone fruit, oats, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body tending slightly full, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

I wasn’t clear how unique this one was, or what The Establishment was doing with their naming: I first had Sky Rocket II back in 2019, and since then have had III though VI, so how is it this one isn’t numbered? Their web site clarifies, though: “we’ve walked back the numerical to make the final iteration of our Sky Rocket series stand alone and unquantified.” Fair enough. This one is single-hopped with Citra, and they say more highly hopped than VI. Mind you, I thought II, IV, and V were better than VI (or than III, for that matter). And, I think that’s where this one ends up – damn good, but probably not my favourite of the evolution. Maybe I’ll change my mind if I find this fresher some time, but for now we’ll call it maybe the third best in the series. (16/20)

This will be my 5,738th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Anchorage Brewing Company Better This Way – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV

Anchorage Brewing Company Better This Way – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV (C$9.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Oct-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 12-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: melon, tropical & stone fruit, pale malt, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Everything here is fine, but just about every category could have been rated a point or so less. For example, the aroma is almost-but-not-quite mild, the taste is just ever-so-slightly unbalanced sweet, and the finish is almost-but-not-quite sticky. All in all, for me it’s just a little less than the sum of its parts, but realistically I can’t go any lower than this. (14/20)

This will be my 5,737th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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The Establishment Brewing Company Sometimes Always – American IPA at 7.0% ABV

The Establishment Brewing Company Sometimes Always – American IPA at 7.0% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Dec-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 11-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, stone fruit, cereal grains, resiny pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body falling off slightly watery, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly metallic finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with Strata, Citra, and HBC 1019. I’m definitely starting to see more of HBC 1019, most recently just a couple of days ago in Irrational Brewing’s Turbidity, and I’m starting to think I might be on the way to a new favourite. I love the way this one smells overall, but was a bit disappointed that  it doesn’t seem to carry through the same with the flavour. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on there, other than to say that there’s an almost metallic note in the finish. Still a fine beer, but it doesn’t quite deliver on the promise of that first bright zesty aroma. (16/20)

This will be my 5,736th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Irrational Brewing Company Turbidity – American IPA at 7.0% ABV

Irrational Brewing Company Turbidity – American IPA at 7.0% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 9-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, sweet cream, tropical & stone fruit, clean malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

The label says this is hopped with HBC 1019, Idaho 7, and Nectaron. I’ve had limited but generally good experience with 1019, and in particular found The Establishment’s Fuzzy Logic to be very good indeed. And, this one is pretty danged good as well. It’s easy to go too sweet with lactose, but this definitely strikes the right balance, resulting in a fruity creamsicle-like character rather than an overly sweet one. Combine that with a clean malt and you’ve got a winner in my book. (16/20)

This will be my 5,735th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Meep Morp – American IPA at 6.7% ABV

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Meep Morp – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Nov-2024, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 8-Jan-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pine, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Ekuanot Cryo-Hops, Idaho 7, El Dorado, Citra, Mosaic, and Incognito; dry-hopped with El Dorado, Mosaic, and Citra. For all those hops, it’s still not all that punchy in aroma or flavour. What there is of it is fine, but I’d like a bit more bombast, especially given the ABV. I definitely have a soft spot for one of my first ever craft breweries, but this is good, not great. (15/20)

This will be my 5,733rd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Born Brewing Co. Stargaze – American IPA at 6.7% ABV

Born Brewing Co. Stargaze – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$5.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 24-Oct-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 8-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: red berries, melon, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly tart finish. (4/5)

Label says “with guava” and the web site refers to Mosaic and El Dorado hops (but doesn’t specify that those are the only hops). No hint of pink in the pour, but loads of pink sediment/residue when I rinsed my can. (Yes, I rinse my cans, don’t you? I don’t like the smell of stale beer, sue me.) Obviously the dominant character here is guava, but I probably never would have identified that beyond the description I’ve given, of berries, melon, and tropical fruit. I mean, the aroma and flavour are sort of interesting, sure, but I’ve got to moderate my scoring just a little because there’s very little going on other than the fruit adjunct. (15/20)

This will be my 5,734th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Tripping Animals Brewing Ever Haze – American IPA at 7% ABV

Tripping Animals Brewing Ever Haze – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$10.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Sep-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 6-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, cereal grains, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Never heard of this brewer, but this is a very solid effort. A pretty dead-nuts-on modern hazy IPA interpretation – it doesn’t actually stand out, as such, but it very much does the job right. I approve. (16/20)

This will be my 5,732nd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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Evil Twin Brewing / Other Half Brewing Co. Crème de la Crème de la Crème – Triple IPA at 10% ABV

Evil Twin Brewing / Other Half Brewing Co. Crème de la Crème de la Crème – Triple IPA at 10% ABV (C$11.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Sep-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 5-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin persistent cap, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: melon, citrus, tropical fruit, oats. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra, Citra Cryo, Mosaic, Mosaic Cryo, and Galaxy. Surprisingly mild for both the triple dry-hopping and the high ABV – and not in an entirely good way. It’s good, yeah, but I’d like more bombast here. (15/20)

This will be my 5,731st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com