RyansBooze

Red Truck Beer Company Chilly Willys – Cold IPA at 7.0% ABV | 60 IBU (C$3.36 at Ace Liquor Okotoks, 355 ml, packaged on 5-Jun-2024, acquired 20-Sep-2024, reviewed 21-Sep-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration sweetish finish. (3/5)

I mean, it’s a little better than their Down Under, but it’s still pretty firmly in “meh” territory. (13/20)

This will be my 5,968th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Truck Beer Company Down Under Aussie IPA – American IPA at 5.0% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.36 at Ace Liquor Okotoks, 355 ml, packaged on 13-Jun-2024, acquired 20-Sep-2024, reviewed 21-Sep-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration sweetish finish. (3/5)

No idea what makes this an “Aussie” IPA, because I’m certainly not detecting any ANZ hops. Or, if we’re honest, many hops at all. Malty, grassy, and meh-tastic. (12/20)

This will be my 5,966th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Truck Beer Company Monster Jam Juicy IPA – American IPA at 6.0% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.36 at Ace Liquor Okotoks, 355 ml, packaged on 10-Jun-2024, acquired 20-Sep-2024, reviewed 21-Sep-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with large fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Pleasant enough, no negatives. Maybe not quite “juicy”, but not bad. (14/20)

This will be my 5,965th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Arcobräu Moos Mooser Liesl – Helles Lager at 5.3% ABV (€0.99 at Spar Unterer Stadtplatz Kufstein, 500 ml, packaged on 22-Aug-2024, acquired 12-Sep-2024, reviewed 13-Sep-2024)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of creamy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toasted bread, honey, herbal, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly light, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

These Helles lagers are really starting to grow on me – quite possibly because they’re all super fresh and made nearby? In any case, I enjoyed this. Clean and easy. (14/20)

This will be my 5,945th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Augustiner-Bräu Oktoberfestbier – Festbier at 6.3% ABV (€1.29 at Spar Unterer Stadtplatz Kufstein, 500 ml, best before 1-Jan-2025, acquired 12-Sep-2024, reviewed 13-Sep-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toasted bread, light herbal/floral, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

Yep, I can see why this is a standard reference for the style. Clean malt dominates, with mild hops providing balanced bitterness. As lagers go, this is pretty good stuff, that doesn’t resort to tricks like bombastic New World hopping. Not that I’ve got a problem with bombastic New World hopping, but this very emphatically isn’t that, doesn’t need to be that, and pretty much stands as the antithesis of that. (16/20)

This will be my 5,943rd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gösser Brauerei Biostoff – Helles Lager at 4.8% ABV (€1.19 at Spar Unterer Stadtplatz Kufstein, 330 ml, packaged on 1-Sep-2024, acquired 12-Sep-2024, reviewed 12-Sep-2024)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head gradually diminishing to a thin cap, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, grass, herbal/floral, light DMS. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

The aroma is fine, if slightly less than exciting. The style guide says that light DMS is not out of spec for the style, so I’m not penalizing for that. Fairly straightforward and enjoyable. (14/20)

This will be my 5,941st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Luppolo Brewing Co. Birds of a Feather – Session IPA at 4% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Aug-2024, acquired 23-Aug-2024, reviewed 10-Sep-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, light resiny dank. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly thin, moderate-soft carbonation, short duration very slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

That’s pretty good, especially for its low weight. Brightly juicy and zesty citrus leads the way over tropical, clean malt, and a hint of rank resin. The low weight does catch up with it, though, resulting in it finishing just a touch thin and very slightly astringent. It’s a pretty good effort, easy-drinking and crushable – but it does ultimately sort of need the dreaded “for the style” qualifier. (15/20)

This will be my 5,937th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Eighty-Eight Brewing Summer Slam – Triple IPA at 10.1% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Aug-2024, acquired 23-Aug-2024, reviewed 9-Sep-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, cereal grains, hint of coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Nice one. Juicy and approachable, with very little indication of the double digit happy juice. Hah – and I just checked the brewer web site, and they describe it as having “a lighter haze that creates an illusion that this beer is approachable and light drinking.” Indeed. I’d be quite happy to slam a few of these from the top rope, until I hit the mat. (16/20)

This will be my 5,936th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Small Gods Brewing Co. Otis! – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Aug-2024, reviewed 9-Sep-2024)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of fine white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, stone fruit, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish tending very slightly sharp. (3/5)

1019 and El Dorado hops. Pleasant enough on the front end, but there’s a little something through the mid and finish that I’m just not completely sold on – almost melon rind-like, or a hint of tartness that doesn’t quite belong. Better than just OK, but a bit shy of great. (15/20)

This will be my 5,935th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Deceptive Creature Nectaron NEIPA (IPA No. 28) – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$5.26 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 29-Jul-2024, acquired 23-Aug-2024, reviewed 7-Sep-2024)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, floral, grass, hint of onion. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish tending very slightly sharp. (4/5)

Hopped with Nectaron, Nectaron Cryo, Citra. I have to admit that despite my fairly long history with this brewer (for n=58, μ=7.7 & σ=0.54) they’ve kind of fallen off my radar a bit lately – probably because there are just so many local brewers doing such a good job here in Alberta, that I’m disinclined to go looking further afield. There’s also the fact that they seem to be, if not in decline, resting on their laurels a little. This one exemplifies that: it’s fine? y’know? but it doesn’t really excite me. And while I’m not actually offended by the slight hint of onion in the flavour profile, it’s not helping raise this to next-level territory.(15/20)

This will be my 5,934th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com