Month: January 2015

Shmaltz Brewing Company He’Brew / Cathedral Square St. Lenny’s American Double / Imperial IPA at 10% ABV ($9.40 from Star Liquor & Wine, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear medium amber with two fingers of light tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, excellent lacing. (5/5) Nose is caramel malt, light pine and citrus, some bubblegum and mixed boozy fruit. (7/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, moderately strong bitter, moderate sour. (8/10) Medium body, prickly to moderate sustained carbonation, off-dry smooth and bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite interesting – lots of malt, but not to the point that it overwhelms. The hop bitterness and the rye sharpness come into play very quickly after the initial caramel sweetness, and though it’s not a hop bomb, there’s lots of it. Malt-forward, perhaps, but not malt-dominated.Tastes a little better than it smells, I’d say, with a nice rye note coming through in the finish. The higher carbonation works well here, too, and the high ABV is very well integrated. Sort of reminiscent of Arrogant Bastard, but a rye version. L’Chaim indeed! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

St. Austell Brewery Admiral’s Ale English Pale Ale at 5% ABV ($5.99 from Sobeys Liquor Silverado, 500ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear amber with a short ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel and biscuity malt, leafy/grassy hops, some spicy fruit. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Solid medium body, moderate to low sustained carbonation, off-dry smooth and bitter finish. (4/5)

A pleasant pint. Malty without being excessively so, decent hopping giving a tea-like flavour, and a little spicy zestiness. Fairly sessionable. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Nut Brown English Brown Ale at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium to deep amber with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel and chocolate malt, some roasty tones and faint nuttiness. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Light to medium body, moderate sustained carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Decent enough Brown Ale – not all that memorable, and I wouldn’t make a special effort to find it again, but it’s worth having if you happen to find it on tap. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Boont Amber Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 5.8% ABV ($7.20 from Sherbrooke Liquor, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear medium amber with a fat finger of off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, light spotty lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel malt, spruce needles, floral and herbal hops. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

One of the better amber ales I’ve tried – probably because it smells fairly highly-hopped. Seems like it’s predominantly dry-hopping, though, since it dominates the nose but is pretty mild on the tongue. Not overly challenging, but mild and pleasant without being boring. (14/20)

My 129th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 123rd by the 2013 Edition, and 135th combining both editions.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Raspberry Wheat Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium gold with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is artificial raspberry syrup, light wheat, faint grassy hops. (4/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (3/10) Light body, low sustained carbonation. (3/5)

Maybe an OK thirst quencher on a hot day. …Then again, maybe not, given the fairly fake raspberry aftertaste. This is getting down into mediocre macrobrew territory – don’t bother. (7/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Tall Ship American Amber Ale at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear pale gold with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is pale biscuity malt, faint leafy hops. (4/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light body, low sustained carbonation. (3/5)

Gotta be the palest “amber” I’ve ever had, and I think they filtered out all the flavour along with the colour. Pretty bland stuff. (8/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Irish Red Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear red-tinted medium amber with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, bready yeast, maybe slight nuttiness. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, lingering sticky toffee and bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty straightforward red – not a lot to say about it. Had it, move on. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij De Ranke Père Noël Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7% ABV ($9.99 from South Trail Co-Op, 750ml, best before 08/2018)

Pours clear to cloudy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is fruity Belgian yeast, caramel malt, slight spice. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Medium body, moderate sustained carbonation, slightly sticky and off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice departure from the more normal dark and heavily-spiced Christmas beers. Lots of Belgian character with a pleasant festive dessert feel. Lingering bitter finish and an almost-but-not-quite funky horseblankety tang. I like this a lot. (18/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Mummer’s Brew (2014) American Amber / Red Ale at 5% ABV ($2.63 from NLC Kelsey Drive, 341ml, bottle date 13-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium amber with a short finger of off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is mild caramel malt, some roasted tones, minimal hops. (5/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Light to medium body, moderate to low sustained carbonation, fairly rapid mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Despite the name (a reference to an old Newfoundland Christmas tradition of visiting neighbours and performing while in disguise) this doesn’t have any of the traditional “winter warmer” characteristics or spices. Pretty standard amber ale – nothing offensive, and nothing special. (10/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Route des Épices Spice/Herb/Vegetable at 8% ABV ($2.95 via Beer Club Offering #14, 341ml, bottle date 17-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium amber with a short finger of off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is muted, spicy peppercorns, rye, pale malt. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter, moderate pepper. (7/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, mildly peppery finish. (4/5)

A little odd but quite drinkable – certainly better than some of the chile beers I’ve tried. The spiciness comes across as mild peppercorns, giving a gentle heat in combination with the rye sharpness and hop bitter. Not a beer for everyone, certainly, but I enjoyed it. Perhaps a little better than the sum of its parts. (16/20)

My 128th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 122nd by the 2013 Edition, and 134th combining both editions.

7.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com