Month: March 2015

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV Maredsous 8 Bruin Abbey Dubbel at 5.2% ABV (C$4.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before Jun-2015)

Pours clear deep amber with one finger of dense tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap and moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is mildly boozy raisins and stone fruit, sweet dark malt, light floral. (8/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium bodied, soft carbonation, slightly oily and sticky finish. (4/5)

A very pleasant abbey dubbel. Surprisingly mild, light, and easy drinking given the fairly beefy ABV. (16/20)

My 154th from the 2010 Edition (retired from the 2013 edition), and 164th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Badger (Hall & Woodhouse) Blandford Flyer Premium Bitter/ESB at 5.2% ABV (C$4.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before Jun-2015)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of soapy off-white head, good retention and excellent lacing. (4/5) Nose is ginger and not much else. (4/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild peppery spice. (3/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, sticky finish. (2/5)

A bit of a sticky mess. Basically ginger beer, and certainly not an ESB. And not very good. Drank half, got bored, turfed it – there’s too much good beer out there to struggle through something like this. (8/20)

My 153rd from the 2010 Edition (retired from the 2013 edition), and 163rd combining both editions.

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Chainbreaker Belgian IPA at 5.6% ABV (C$3.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, best before 5-Jun-2015)

Pours opaque straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is orange peel, bready yeast, coriander, mild banana. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweetness, mild bitter, mild peppery spice. (6/10) Medium bodied, lively carbonation, dry and mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

A pleasant enough beer but really more like a witbier than an IPA in my opinion. Definitely one for a shady patio on a hot summer day. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beer Here Hopfix American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.00 at Zyn, 330 ml, best before 15-Apr-2015)

Pours clear amber-brown with three fingers of rocky tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is pine resin, grapefruit, tropical fruit, caramel malt, (7/10) Taste is moderate sweetness, strong bitter. (7/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Bit of a hop bomb, but pleasant for all that. Never gets too over the top, and finishes reasonably clean. That said, I’m not sure this – or any of these Beer Here brews I’ve tried so far – are worth the premium. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beer Here Nordic Rye Ale Roggenbier at 8% ABV (C$11.20 at Zyn, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear amber-brown with three fingers of pillowy tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is molasses, green spruce tips, bready caramel malt, floral. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter, slight spiciness. (6/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Feels very nordic – the combination of spicy rye, green wood, and dark malt feels like something that would be very appropriate to drink in the nordic darkness waiting for spring to arrive… He said, drinking in the nordic darkness, waiting for spring to arrive. Definitely an old-fashioned, hearty brew. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beer Here Pale Hops American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$9.00 at Zyn, 500 ml, best before 28-Feb-2015)

Pours clear pale amber with two fat fingers of pillowy tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel and bready malt, pine and citrus. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, slightly oily finish. (4/5)

A somewhat malt forward APA that might be suffering slightly from a slight dimming of the hops as a result of being a little after its best-by. Nothing too dramatic or interesting, but solid. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller / To Øl Betelgeuze Geuze at 5.5% ABV (C16.90 at Sherbrooke Liquor  375 ml, best before 27-Feb-2024)

Pours hazy pale gold with a short-lived finger of white champagne-like head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is funky horse blanket, tart citrus, pineapple, woody and herbal. (9/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate tart, very mild bitter. (9/10) Light bodied, prickly carbonation, clean finish. (4/5)

Very little hop character, but that’s not a negative for this style as far as I’m concerned. Tart and funky, with a crisp highly carbonated texture. A pleasant gueuze, if not particularly complex. I’d drink this any time it was offered. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Upright Brewing Company Six Rye Saison at 6.7% ABV (C$11.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours hazy deep amber with three fat fingers of pillowy beige head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel malt, black pepper, dark chocolate, wood, stone fruit, horseblanket. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, clean finish. (4/5)

Well, it’s different – and different is always good. I’ve literally never had – or even heard of – a rye saison before. I can see the rye and saison characters, but the interesting thing is, together they almost come across as a dubbel. It’s one heck of an interesting beer: sweet, deep and complex, with just a little sour funk. Hellishly difficult to pour, though! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Elysian Brewing Company Savant IPA American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$9.29 at South Trail Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 5-Jan-2015)

Pours clear pale amber with three fingers of pillowy light beige head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is pineapple, grapefruit, caramel, malt, mild floral and pine. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (7/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

A middle of the pack effort for Elysian: Better than Loser, similar to Superfuzz, not as good as Space Dust or Avatar Jasmine. (And, holy hell, how many Elysian IPA’s have I tried?) A solid, pleasant hop-forward IPA with a nice amount of bitterness. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com