Month: March 2015

Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg GmbH Goldbräu (Stiegl Beer) Märzen / Oktoberfest at 4.9% ABV (C$3.39 at South Trail Co-Op, 500 ml, can date 27-Feb-2015)

Pours clear pale straw with one finger loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is crackery pale malt, toast, grassy, faint fruit. (4/10) Taste is mild to moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light bodied, moderate carbonation, crisp abrupt finish. (3/5)

Pretty straightforward lager from the “cold, wet, and thirst-quenching” family. Mildly flavoured and mildly sweet, low bitter. Nothing unremarkable. (10/20)

My 151st from the 2010 Edition (144th from the 2013 edition), and 161st combining both editions.

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saugatuck Brewing Company Neapolitan Milk Stout Sweet Stout at 6.0% ABV (C$8.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear brown with one finger of loose beige head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is strawberry milkshake, roasty chocolate malt, mild vanilla and coffee. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Doesn’t entirely work for me – the strawberry is intrusive and not all that authentic. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

8 Wired Brewing Company Rewired Brown Ale at 5.7% ABV (C$9.90 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear amber brown with one finger of loose light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is toffee, earthy and piney hops, slight bitter chocolate. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

An interesting variation on the brown ale theme, but I’m not entirely sold on the combination of the traditional brown maltiness and piney hops. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Howe Sound Brewing Super Jupiter American IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$10.90 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 1 l, bottle date 12-Feb-2015)

Pours clear pale to medium amber with one finger of pillowy off-white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is citrus dominated by pithy grapefruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium bodied, lively to moderate carbonation, mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Quite a decent session IPA – lots of bright hops flavour (yes, the grapefruit is definitely there) in the nose and on the tongue, with a fairly low ABV. Glad I got this within a reasonable time frame after bottling, but I’d still like to try it even fresher, mind you. The swing top cap on the big boy bottle isn’t a bad idea, though it’s so easy to drink this that I suspect it’s unnecessary in most cases. (14/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cameron’s Brewing Company Rye Bock Maibock at 6.3% ABV (C$7.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky light tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is muted, grainy malt, mild tropical fruit and earth. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. (3/5)

Pretty plain. Not a lot of rye presence, actually, though it eventually comes through in the finish. Regardless of whether you call it a Maibock or a Heller, ultimately it’s a lager, and yet again, it’s so hard to make a lager interesting I keep wondering, why bother? (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cameron’s Brewing Company Deviator Dopplebock Dopplebock at 8.6% ABV (C$11.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear brown with amber-brown highlights, one finger of dense light tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark roasty malt, cocoa and chocolate, mildly boozy fruit, bourbon tones. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium bodied, low carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

A solid dopple. The bourbon booziness is a little aggressive, but not unpleasant. I’d like a heavier body and thicker texture, though. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cameron’s Brewing Company RPA Rye Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 6.6% ABV (C$8.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours hazy to cloudy pale amber with two fingers of pillowy light tan head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Nose is sharp rye, pithy citrus, pine resin, caramel malt, mild tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

A very tasty rye pale ale. The rye sharpness works well with the hop bitterness, with just enough sweet caramelly malt to stop it from getting out of hand. The moderately high ABV is completely absent. Yep, I like a good rye pale, and this is a good rye pale. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yukon Brewing Company Secret Service American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV (C$7.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear straw with a fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and moderate lacing. (3/5) Nose is pine, tropical fruit, caramel malt, mild citrus. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied, medium carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not a remarkable DIPA, but not bad. Ultimately it ends up being a bit on the thin and sharp side for the style, but on the up side it does an excellent job of integrating the ABV. Decent, without being exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Old Yale Brewing Co. Outta Whack Mango Wheat Wheat Ale at 5.0% ABV (C$5.29 at Quarry Park Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours hazy pale straw with three fingers rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and sparse lacing. (3/5) Nose is sour mango, wheat, pale malt. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter, moderate sour. (6/10) Light bodied, high carbonation, crisp tart finish. (3/5)

Well, that’s different. Nothing too subtle, but I’m a sucker for a sour, so I’m not gonna slam it. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Samuel Smith Old Brewery  _Imperial Stout_ Russian Imperial Stout at 7.0% ABV (C$6.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 550 ml, bottle date 20-May-2014)

Pours nearly opaque deep brown with amber-brown highlights, three fingers of pillowy tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is roasty malt coffee and chocolate, red berries, vanilla and citrus. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild sour. (7/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, sticky texture and lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Surprisingly light in both body and ABV for a RIS. Really quite similar to their Oatmeal. Though, the higher ABV and more syrupy texture does a better job of disguising what I’ve concluded must be a high metal content in the Tadcaster water. Ultimately, though, I’ve had better Russians. (15/20)

My 150th from the 2010 Edition (143rd from the 2013 edition), and 160th combining both editions.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com