RyansBooze

Polyrhythm Brewing Slapaphone – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$5.31 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 21-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap and ring, well-developed soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: . (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly bitter finish. (4/5)

Hot Side Hops: Mosaic Incognito, Sultana Dry Hops: Rakau, Motueka, Citra, Amplifire Riwaka (Hop Oil). (Is “hop oil” anything like “hash oil”?) This does indeed slap hard. I mean, I’m admittedly working with a pretty small sample size for this brewery (n=4) but as of now I think they have the best average score (μ=8) and smallest standard deviation (σ=0.41) of any local brewery I’ve ever rated. Colour me impressed. (17/20)

This will be my 5,891st unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. (Born Colorado Brewing) Early Dawn – American Pale Ale at 6% ABV (C$5.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Jul-2024, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 21-Jul-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bergamot, sweet tea, citrus, vanilla, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m usually pretty harsh on adjunct-heavy brews, but damn, I like this. I quite like Earl Grey, so that sort of makes sense. This is also my third tea-infused beer in as many days, so maybe the shock has worn off a little and I can judge this a bit more on its merits? It might not be everyone’s cup of tea (pun very much intended) but it works for me. (16/20)

This will be my 5,889th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Polyrhythm Brewing Mixtape – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$5.04 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-May-2024, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 21-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with a short creamy white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resin, citrus, cereal grains, berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, mildly sweet and bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Simcoe, Strata, Ariana, and Azacca. Nice balance of dank resin and fruit tones on clean malt. Not much more to say here, gonna go watch football now. (15/20)

This will be my 5,888th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie 4 Origines Ice Thé de Montréal – American Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$5.31 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 24-Apr-2024, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 21-Jul-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet tea, citrus, caramel, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body falling off slightly thin, moderate-soft carbonation, mildly sweet and bitter finish. (3/5)

I was a bit worried this would be too sweet, but it’s actually decently restrained. I’m also way more triggered than I should be by the butchered Franglish name – I know that’s fairly common in Montréal, but why wouldn’t you call this “Thé Glacée de Montréal”? My biggest complaint, though, is the low-tending carbonation that falls off fairly quickly, resulting in a slightly flat and thin overall mouthfeel. I like it, especially as a thirst quencher on a hot day, but I don’t love it. (14/20)

This will be my 5,887th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Banished Brewing Ltd. Jim Time – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$7.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 19-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, lactose, cereal grains, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweet building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

“This juicy Double IPA will leave you wondering who Jim is” Gwan, b’y, everybody knows Jim from around shore. And apparently Jim brews a mean NEDIPA: lots of juicy flavour on the front end, smooth body with soft carbonation, and a little hop burn and boozy warming in the finish. She’s best kind b’y. (16/20)

This will be my 5,885th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. (Born Colorado Brewing) Food Court – American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Jun-2024, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 19-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy straw with a massive fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, cloves, orange juice, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter lightly tart finish. (4/5)

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but this is exactly like a Belgian Witbier. The label says tangerine, banana, and vanilla, but I can’t say I’m getting any vanilla, and I am getting clove. For that matter, I want to say I’m getting wheat, though I can’t find a malt bill to confirm it. Deeply weird, but I don’t dislike it. (15/20)

This will be my 5,884th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Town Square Brewing Easy Tiger Earl Grey IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 19-Jul-2024)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet tea, floral, stone fruit, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter finish. (3/5)

The brewer notes call this a fusion of WCIPA and Earl Grey, but to be honest I’m not getting a whole lot of WCIPA notes here. There’s essentially no pine, for example, and the citrus comes in behind what I’m interpreting as floral and stone fruit notes. It’s definitely different, though, and that counts for a lot in my book. I quite like Earl Grey too, so this is very much in my wheelhouse. My only real complaint here is that I find it just a touch too sweet, but even that balances out a bit as the pint progresses. I don’t know that you’d want to have a whole lot of these, but it’s an interesting one to try. (14/20)

This will be my 5,883rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Banished Brewing Ltd. Little Jim – Session IPA at 4% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 19-Jul-2024)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, melon flesh & rind, tropical fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

It’s not bad, especially for the light weight, but it’s not a complete success for me either. The aroma is a little on the mild side, which is not uncommon for the style, but there’s also a slightly green vegetal melon note that isn’t completely welcome. Also fairly typical for the style, the body falls off a little thin, leading to a slight astringency in the finish. (14/20)

This will be my 5,882nd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Dragon Hazy 3.0 – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 50 IBU (C$5.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Jun-2024, acquired 10-Jul-2024, reviewed 17-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, stone & tropical fruit, melon, hint of mint. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: slightly slick medium body, moderate carbonation, building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

I swear, I’ve been trying Alley Kat Dragons for more than a decade now, with well over two dozen iterations – maybe three or four. This one apparently uses three new hops: Elani, Alora, and Zamba – previously known as YQH-1320, HS17701, and HS1214, respectively. I think Elani and Zamba are completely new to me, and I had Alora (to which I’m attributing the melon notes) for the first time yesterday. Solid performer overall. (16/20)

This will be my 5,881st unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Chromesthesia – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Jun-2024, acquired 10-Jul-2024, reviewed 17-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, dank pine, citrus, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (9/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say “three distinct lots of Nelson Sauvin hops and experimental Mosaic 701 flowable”. I don’t think I’ve encountered Mosaic 701 before, but there’s definitely a strong Mosaic character in this one. Can’t really say the same about the Nelson Sauvin, because the single biggest element I associate with that hop is vinous grape, and that just isn’t how I’d describe this. Which isn’t a criticism, by any means: this is a serious banger, as are so many of The Establishment’s white labels. (17/20)

This will be my 5,880th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com