RyansBooze

Cabin Brewing Company Daydream – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 13-Aug-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 18-Oct-2026)

Appearance: hazy particulate-laden pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet tropical fruit, berry, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

“Olicana, Superdelic, Ekuanot and Dolcita”. Yes, I know the chunky bits aren’t a flavour problem, but they’re an aesthetic one. Docked marks. Move on. A solid albeit not particularly memorable effort. I’m trying hard not to mark it down for the Monkees earworm it’s given me, and you can thank me for that. (15/20)

This will be my 6,555th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Scenic Pass (IPA 34) – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$6.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 29-Jun-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 18-Oct-2026)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, earthy pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (3/5)

“HBC 522, Simcoe Hyperboost, Columbus Cryo, Simcoe”. Not one of their best. I get that they’re going for a WC-style here, so the earthy pine is just fine, but it doesn’t completely work with the tropical and stone fruit notes. If anything, it ends up being somewhat reminiscent of bruised or overripe fruit.  It’s fine, but hardly at the top of their game. (13/20)

This will be my 6,554th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Winter Saturation – American IPA at 5% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Sep-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 18-Oct-2026)

Appearance: hazy light peachy pink with two fat fingers of fluffy pale pink head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cranberry, citrus, light metallic. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly tart finish falling off slightly thin. (3/5)

Citra and Mosaic, pomegranate, Cara Cara orange, and cranberry. Meh. The fruit adjunct is largely overwhelming the underlying beer character here, and even worse it comes across as a little tinny. The light tartness is fairly balanced overall, but it seems to make the relatively light body feel even thinner through the finish. (13/20)

This will be my 6,553rd unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Something You Can’t See – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$6.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Aug-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 13-Oct-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and thickly sheeted lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical & stone fruit, light dank resin. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly creamy finish with a slight edge. (3/5)

“Peacharine, Simcoe, and Mosaic Cryo” Well, it might be something you can’t see (through) but it’s sure something you can smell. I’m not entirely sure whether the taste and finish necessarily deserve the score I’ve given them, or whether the aroma is just so much better that they suffer by comparison. In any case, it’s an excellent offering, if perhaps not exactly legendary. (16/20)

This will be my 6,552nd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ale Architect Brewing Ltd. Dream Work – Blond Ale at 5.8% ABV (C$6.00 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 7-Oct-2026)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, pineapple, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sweetish finish. (3/5)

“Dry-hopped with Dolcita” but doesn’t specify that it’s single-hopped. Nice bright aroma at the start, but it fades fairly quickly. The flavours follow the aroma, but tend just a little sweet and sticky for my preference. Good, but not quite as good as I thought it was going to be when I first poured it. (15/20)

This will be my 6,551st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Afterglow – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Sep-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 4-Oct-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, field berries, citrus, resiny pine, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

“Anchovy, Olicana, Mosaic, and Citra hops”. I thought the first two were new to me, but it turns out I’ve had Olicana once before – somewhat surprisingly, in Fuller’s Vintage Ale. Unlike Anchovy, which is a Yakima hop, Olicana is British, although not Noble. The Olicana appears to be the fruitier of the two, while Anchovy is known for berry and pine. So, yeah, I’d expect them to work well with Mosaic and Citra, and they do. (16/20)

This will be my 6,550th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Snake Lake Brewing Company Dockside Daydream – American Pale Ale at 4.1% ABV | 22 IBU (C$5.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Jun-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 4-Oct-2026)

Appearance: very slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical and stone fruit, cereal grains, faint pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

They call it a Pale, but to my mind anything within a shout of four percent is a Session. And I think that makes a little bit of a difference: I consider the flavour profile to be excellent for a Session, but a little less impressive for a Pale. I’m kind of splitting the difference in my ranking here, and you could probably go a quarter point one way or the other on the overall, based on personal preference and pedantry. (15/20)

This will be my 6,549th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Got Any Grapes? – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 6.8% ABV (C$21.65 at Collective, 750 ml, packaged on 1-Jan-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 3-Oct-2026)

Appearance: slightly hazy purplish red with one finger of fine violet head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: red grapes, funky oak, strawberry jam, lemon zest, hint of black pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry building tart finish. (3/5)

Reminiscent of a fruited lambic, this one is dominated by grape bolstered by oaky barrel funk. Underneath that is jammy fruit, citrus zest, and, yes, some black pepper. The flavour follows suit with equal parts sweetness and tartness, but very little hoppy bitterness. The tartness builds and gets a little overwhelmingly acidic through the finish, though, slightly reducing the overall score. (15/20)

This will be my 6,548th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company / Eighty-Eight Brewing Face To Face – Session IPA at 3.5% ABV (C$6.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Aug-2026, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 3-Oct-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, lactose, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, lightly tart lingering finish. (3/5)

“Mosaic Cryo and Citra Quantum, in addition to Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Riwaka” I don’t dislike it, and at the outset I thought it would be a straight-up winner. But, as it progressed, the light malt bill evidenced more and more as light tartness tending to unintentional sharpness. It’s fine. For a Session. (14/20)

This will be my 6,547th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing Fleshy-Headed Mutant Are You Friendly? – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$7.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Sep-2026, reviewed 30-Sep-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, sweet citrus, mild dank resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

“This Hazy IPA was fermentation dry hopped with Rakau, Riwaka and our selected Citra.” Could stand to be a little prettier, but smells and tastes pretty danged good. (15/20)

This will be my 6,546th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com