Month: August 2014

Bières de Chimay S.A. Chimay Spéciale Cent Cinquante Tripel at 10.0% ABV

Pours a clear gold (some lees in the bottle) with a fat finger of fluffy white head, great retention, and chunky head. Nose is muted, candi sugar, Belgian yeast, faint floral hops and dark fruit. Taste follows suit, sweet and complex. Medium to light body, with a somewhat fluffy texture aided by the sustained moderate carbonation, and a lingering, sticky, boozy finish.

I’m a little torn here – it’s a decent enough tripel, albeit a touch on the sticky side, and missing the dry, floral aspect I tend to prefer in a tripel – but I feel like it would cellar really well. There’s a hint of dark fruit that I think would integrate very well with the booziness to make something partway between a tripel and a quad. As it stands, it’s a little exuberant and naïve. At the end of the day, though, it’s a Chimay, and if they do anything wrong, I haven’t seen it.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Honey Brown American Amber / Red Lager at 5.0% ABV

Pours a clear deep gold to pale amber with a short white head dissipating rapidly to a thin ring and no lacing. Nose is honey, light grain and malt, slightly floral. Taste is caramel and biscuity malt with hint of honey. Medium body and smooth, with moderate to prickly sustained carbonation.

Well, it’s not brown, but it’s sorta honey. (I’ll be generous there, since it’s local, and assume it’s more “honey” and less “corn syrup”.) I’ve of course had a great many of these over the years, but really the best one can say about it is, it gets the job done. Eventually. If “the job” is “quench thirst” and/or “impair judgement”. It’s better than an adjunct lager… barely. Fairly mediocre, overall.

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bulmers Cider (Heineken UK) Foundry Golden Cider Cider at 4.5% ABV

Pours a clear medium amber with a fluffy one finger white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim. Nose is sweet apples, some grape and skins, slightly spicy. Taste follows suit, mildly sweet and finishing tart. Mouth feel is medium-bodied, with moderate sustained carbonation and decently dry.

Surprisingly decent for an industrial cider. Certainly better than the Magners that Bulmers also makes – certainly the Foundry is not as sweet, and is missing the slightly metallic note I didn’t like in the Magners. That being said, it is what it is, and suffers badly by comparison to artisanal ciders like the Domaine de la Minotière Cidre Fermier Bio Brut Normandy Cider I reviewed a few months ago.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Alchemist Heady Topper American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.0% ABV

Pours… Well, doesn’t. I decided to follow the recommendation and drink from the can. (Hard to get used to!) Nose is hoppy and fruity, citrus, pine, and dank. Taste follows suit, with tropical fruit and citrus, pine resin, fruity and floral against light sweet malt. Medium light body with very little alcohol presence and a sticky finish.

Well, damn. Ain’t that some shit! Next one I get my hands on is gonna have to go in a glass so I can evaluate appearance as well, but other than the inability to evaluate appearance, this is perfect DIPA. And since DIPA’s are pretty much my favourite style, I guess I officially have a new favourite beer ever.

10/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Allagash Brewing Company Allagash White Witbier at 5.1% ABV

Pours a cloudy but bright straw yellow with a short white head settling down rapidly to a thin cap and minimal lacing. Nose is muted wheat, coriander, yeast, banana, and orange peel. Taste is predominantly light sweet wheat on the front end, finishing with a mild spice. Medium to full body and sustained slightly prickly carbonation, with a clean, off-dry, slightly tart finish.

Decent witbier, definitely a good one for a summer evening on the patio. I haven’t had the greatest of success with witbiers, making this one the best so far out of an admittedly mediocre lot.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Founders Brewing Company Founders Double Trouble Imperial/Double IPA at 9.4% ABV

Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with a very short head giving way immediately to a thin skim and no lacing. Nose is pine resin, mango, pineapple, citrus, light malt. Taste is pine resin and orange zest on light biscuity malt, giving way quickly to medium bitter. Medium bodied with low sustained carbonation and a pleasant warming.

Very nice DIPA, with a pretty sneaky ABV apparent only as a gradual warming on the finish. Pleasant fruity and piney hops with just enough malt to balance it out while maintaining a nicely bitter finish. I like this a lot, even accounting for the fact that DIPA’s tend to be among my favourites.

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Cantillon Cantillon Gueuze Gueuze at 5.0% ABV

Pours a slightly cloudy golden amber with a short head diminishing immediately to a thin skim, no lacing. Nose is slight barnyard funk, woody notes, apple and citrus. Taste is tart and sour, funk, and citrus. Medium body and low but sustained carbonation, puckering and dry finish.

Bloody marvellous. Tangy and tart, with a pleasant funk. The standard by which gueuze is measured, and with good reason. I don’t see how this can be given anything but full marks.

My 96th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 90th by the 2013 Edition, and 99th overall.

10/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV St. Bernardus Tripel Tripel at 8.0% ABV

Pours a cloudy, slightly greenish pale amber with one finger of white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and moderate lacing. Nose is light malt, yeasty, orange peel, slight alcohol. Taste is sweet and yeasty, clove and pepper, finishing bitter. Mouth feel is medium bodied but sticky, with mild warming.

My 91st from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 86th by the 2013 Edition, and 94th overall.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com