Month: May 2015

Birra Flea Serra Santa Birra Cruda Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 5.9% ABV (€3.89 at Todis Trastavere, 750 ml, best before 25-Aug-2016)

Pours hazy pale gold with a fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is stewed apples, caramel and toffee, a little Belgian yeast and spice. (5/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (4/10) Medium bodied, soft carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not terrible, for a cheap supermarket beer. I mean, not good, either – but not terrible. The finish in particular is not particularly well done, and the lingering bitterness turns a little astringent. The fruit is also a bit brown apple-ish. All in all, though, I’ve had much worse. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Martens Willianbräu Pils Pilsener at 4.6% ABV (€0.59 at Todis Trastavere, 500 ml, best before 20-Feb-2016)

Pours clear pale hold with no head or lacing. (2/5) Nose is grainy pale malt, corn, apple, faint weedy hops. (4/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light bodied, moderate carbonation, crisp off dry finish. (3/5)

OK, to be honest, I just bought this out of morbid curiosity, to see how terrible a fifty nine (euro) cent beer could be. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t do anything crazy like drink the whole thing – but the fact is, if I were thirsty, I’d take this over Bud Light any day. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ottakringer Brauerei AG Helles Bier Helles Lager at 5.2% ABV (Austrian Air Flight OS352, 330 ml, best before 01/16

Pours clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Nose is grainy pale malt, faint grassy hops. (4/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly typical Helles – decent enough as a thirst quencher, with a moderately dry and crisp finish. Middle of the road and inoffensive. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gösser Brauerei Gösser Märzen Märzen at 5.2% ABV (Austrian Airlines Flight OS501, 330 ml, best before 01/16)

Pours clear pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is grainy pale malt, faint weedy hops. (4/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light bodied, moderate carbonation, crisp off dry finish. (3/5)

Well, it’s better than a North American mass market beer – if only barely. “Österreichs bestes bier”? I sincerely hope not. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Birra Peroni Industriale (SABMiller) Peroni Forte Strong Pale Lager at 8% ABV (la Piazzetta de Trastevere, 330 ml, best before 12/15)

Pours clear pale amber with a short, short-lived head, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is grainy caramel malt, faint weedy hops. (4/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Medium bodied, slightly syrupy and sweetly boozy finish. (3/5)

About the only thing this has going for it is the 8% ABV. Which is actually not all that well integrated in the finish – I hesitate to call it “harsh,” but it’s not “smooth”. Gets the job done, though. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

La Brasserie de St.-Sylvestre 3 Monts Bière de Garde at 6.4% ABV (€3.32 at Casino Shop Issy Les Moulineaux, 750 ml, best before 11-Mar-2016)

Pours clear pale straw with three fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is sweet pale malt, green apple, doughy yeast, grassy hops, slightly dusty. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter, slight tart and funk. (7/10) Medium bodied, slightly oily, moderate carbonation, dry vinous bitter and boozy finish. (4/5)

Not as sweet as some other Bières de Garde, with a dry vinous character. There’s also a little funk and tart to keep things interesting, and the hops are relatively pronounced – lots of Belgian character from both the yeast and the hops, actually. A French style made with Belgian (Flanders) hops, and it shows characteristics of both lineages. The ABV is definitely present, but largely in the finish, and is actually fairly subdued for the weight. I prefer this type of interpretation of the style over the sweeter, maltier ones. (15/20)

My 163rd from the 2010 Edition (154th from the 2013 edition), and 173rd combining both editions.

7.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Castelain Ch’ti Blonde Bière de Garde at 6.4% ABV (€2.97 at Casino Shop Issy Les Moulineaux, 750 ml, best before 17-Mar-2016)

Pours clear pale gold with a fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, light flowery and grassy hops. (6/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter, slight tart. (5/10) Medium bodied, lively to moderate carbonation, mild bitter and slightly boozy finish. (3/5)

Another pretty sweet Bière de Garde. Really not a lot of character beyond the caramel malt – the hops are very far in the background, and don’t play a lot of a role here. On the up side, the higher ABV also doesn’t play much of a role. Ultimately, not very interesting. (10/20)

My 162nd from the 2010 Edition (153rd from the 2013 edition), and 172nd combining both editions.

5.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

InBev Belgium Leffe Ruby Fruit Beer / Radler at 6.0% ABV (€2.47 from Franprix Issy Val de Seine, 500 ml, best before 17-Aug-2016)

Pours clear red amber with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderately heavy lacing. (4/5) Nose is sweet artificial red berries. (3/10) Taste is strong sweet, very mild bitter, very slight tart. (3/10) Light body, lively to moderate carbonation, cloying sweet finish. (2/5)

“Leffe Ruby is a red, refreshing beer born of the unique combination of the typical flavours of the abbey beer and the delicate notes of red forest fruits.” Yeah… no. Try, “Leffe Ruby is a red, cloying beer born of the questionable combination of the marginal flavours of the abbey beer and the artificial notes of red forest fruits.” This really is not a good beer. If you must try it out of a sense of morbid curiosity, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This might’ve cured me of my weakness for radlers. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Duyck Jenlain Ambrée Bière de Garde at 7.5% ABV (C$14.46 at Zyn, 750 ml, best before 24-Aug-2015)

Pours clear slightly copper-tined pale amber with two fingers of rocky light tan head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel, mild dark fruit, light grassy hops. (6/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied, lively to moderate carbonation, building bitter and mildly boozy finish. (4/5)

Not bad and certainly quite enjoyable with some cheese and sausage from the same convenience/grocery store. (12/20)

My 161st from the 2010 Edition (152nd from the 2013 edition), and 171st combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central City Brewers + Distillers Detective Saison Saison at 6.0% ABV (C$6.53 from NLC Howley Estates, 650 ml, bottle date 13-Feb-2015)

Pours clear to hazy pale straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderately heavy lacing. (4/5) Nose is wheat, citrus, mild bubble gum, banana and coriander, peppercorn. (7/10) Taste is mild to moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild spicy, very slight tart. (7/10) Light body, lively carbonation, dry mildly bitter and spicy finish. (4/5)

Y’know, not bad. Pretty similar to their other attempts at Belgian styles e.g. the Bolg Tripel, or maybe a hefeweizen, but really quite drinkable. A bit too sweet for the style, not challenging, and ultimately not a lot of saison character, but not unpleasant by any means. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com