Month: September 2015

Farnham Ale & Lager Summer Pale Ale 42 American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV (C$3.45 at Bishop’s Cellar, 473 ml, packing date 27-Jul-2015)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived white head and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: light citrus, grassy, pale grainy malt, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, lingering moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Pleasant but a little unbalanced – despite the relatively light aromas, it ends up a little aggressively bitter on the finish. OK, but I wouldn’t necessarily go looking for another one. And, hey, I discovered my hotel room has a balcony! (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Farnham Ale & Lager India Pale Ale 64 American IPA at 6% ABV (C$3.45 at Bishop’s Cellar, 473 ml, packing date 22-Jul-2015)

Appearance: clear medium amber with a short, short-lived light tan head and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, mild pine, grassy/floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Pretty unremarkable, malt-dominant IPA – really more an English IPA than the American IPA the label claims. Maybe even an ESB, really. Not something I’d recommend. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Les Trois Mousquetaires Hors Série Berliner Weiss Berliner Weisse at 3% ABV (C$3.83 at Bishop’s Cellar, 341 ml, bottle date 18-Jun-2015)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with a short, short-lived white head and no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, citrus, lactic. (7/10) Taste: moderate sour, mild-moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-low carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

Decent example of the style – nice and tart, nearly lemonade-like. Almost a vinous, white grape character. Fun the way it is, but I’m going to have to find a source for woodruff syrup somewhere, to try this style the traditional way. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Lil’ B Imperial Porter at 11.5% ABV (C$3.83 at Bishop’s Cellar, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: opaque black with one finger of dense mocha head demising gradually to a thin skim, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy dark fruit, liquorice, coffee, burnt sugar. (7/10) Taste: moderately strong sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: full slightly oily body, low carbonation, warming bitter finish. (4/5)

A little hot initially, but it mellows nicely as the taste buds numb. OK, that may be a little unfair – it’s actually a pretty smooth imperial porter, but the ABV presence is certainly emphatic, verging on solvent. Decent complexity of flavours on the nose and the tongue. Definitely not subtle. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anchor Brewing Company Summer Wheat Wheat Ale at 4.5% ABV (C$2.66 at Bishop’s Cellar, 355 ml, no packing date or best before)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral/herbal, pale malt, light wheat, light citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp finish. (3/5)

Not a lot of hefe/wheat character in this. Definitely a thirst-quenching, hot weather summer-style beer. Fine for what it is, as long as you don’t go into it expecting to be challenged. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Hipster Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$3.45 at Bishop’s Cellar, 355 ml, packing date 9-Jul-2015)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of rocky ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, grassy, herbal/floral, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

A little bit disappointing, in that I was expecting to like this more than I did. And no, I’m not turned off by the “hipster” label – I concluded quite some time ago that I’m a beer hipster and have made my peace with that. Don’t get me wrong: there’s absolutely nothing negative about this beer, but it’s just not as interesting as I was expecting or hoping for. Age wouldn’t appear to be a factor, either. I was expecting bright and punchy hops, but they just aren’t there. That’s the problem with having high hopes, I guess? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Molotov Lite American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$4.42 at Bishop’s Cellar, 473 ml, packing date 28-Apr-2015)

Appearance: cloudy medium gold with lots of particulate, one finger of fluffy off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon zest, caramel malt, tropical fruit, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, intense bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Molotov “Lite”, huh? Isn’t that sort of like Arnold promising to kill you last? At the end of the day, it’s still a bit like having your brains smashed in by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. And what’s up with that particulate – another high IBU brew with pure alpha acids in suspension? (Not that that’s a bad thing.) Though, y’know, I think I like this just a little better than the full-on Molotov Cocktail – the balance might be just a shade better, allowing a little more fullness of flavour to come through. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing / 7venth Sun Brewery Citra Sunshine Slacker Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.42 at Bishop’s Cellar, 473 ml, packing date 28-Apr-2015)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one finger of creamy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy citrus, earth, stone fruit, tropical and floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

Excellent Session IPA. The Citra is clearly present, with lots of citrus and tropical fruit, but essentially none of the cattiness that is so often associated with that hop. And, in a can with a Julian date? Nicely done. Even though this is five months old, it’s retaining its hop character quite well. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Hop Yard Pale American Pale Ale at 5.3% ABV (C$2.10 at Café 101 Holiday Inn Harbourview Dartmouth, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy citrus, dank, pine, floral, caramel malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

A pretty good APA. Slight West Coast dank, and a pleasant dry-hopped nose. Definitely one of Garrison’s stronger offerings. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Kronenbourg (Carlsberg) 1664 Blanc Witbier at 5.0% ABV (C$2.10 at NLC Stavanger, 330 ml, best before 06.16)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of dense creamy white head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet orange, raspberry, caramel, wheat, coriander. (5/10) Taste: moderately strong sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (4/10) Palate: light body, moderate-low carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

This starts off fairly inoffensive, but the glucose and fruit flavour get to be a bit sickly after a while. Not terrible, but not great, either. I’d feel a bit annoyed at having bought a six-pack of this, were it not for the fact that a) it’s not bad on a the patio on a warm day, and b) She Who Must Be Obeyed sorta likes it. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com