Month: November 2015

BrewDog Libertine Black Ale Black IPA at 7.2% ABV (C$3.50 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 5-May-2016)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of fluffy tan head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, floral, roasty malt, bitter cocoa. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet and moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, smooth but lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Very nice example of the style. Leads out with pine and citrusy hops that are strong but not overwhelming. Malting is quite smooth, with character but no astringency from the roasted malt. Dangerously easy-drinking for a 7%-er. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Pilsner Doehnel Pilsener at 5% ABV (C$6.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, grassy, biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste: medium-light sweet and medium bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, crisp and light bitter finish. (4/5)

Dunno whether this adheres all that closely to the style, but it’s definitely a lot of fun: quite bright and citrusy, with a clean crisp finish. Far more interesting than a more typical pilsener. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Green Reaper Fresh Hop IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$7.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mint, melon, citrus, pale malt, pine, grass. (7/10) Taste: medium sweet and medium-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter dank finish. (3/5)

Well, hell, that’s something. There’s a whole kitchen sink of hops in that – just about every typical hop character you can think of is there. Lots of fun, if a little bit of a handful. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Clementine Witbier at 8% ABV (C$4.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Jul-2014)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of dense white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange peel, wheat, coriander. (7/10) Taste: medium sweet, mild bitter, mild peppery spice, light tart. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry peppery finish. (4/5)

Well, I was a little perturbed when this “white ale” poured crystal clear – in other words, it’d been shelved long enough that all the fines settled out. But, I swirled around the last little bit and poured it in, turning it white. And, y’know, not bad at all: nicely balanced between the Clementine sweetness, and the citrus peel and hop bitterness. Spiciness builds but never becomes overwhelming. A summery beer, but the orange peel and spice could also go well with your midwinter celebration of choice, too. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Crooked Coast Altbier Altbier at 5.1% ABV (C$6.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with two fingers of rocky tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, bready malt, grass, earth. (7/10) Taste: medium-light sweet, medium bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

Not malt-forward on the nose as such, but certainly malt-emphatic. The maltiness and the hops play off each other well, with neither clearly dominating the profile. However, the taste has much less sweetness than the nose would suggest, and the overall feel is surprisingly dry. Very well done, if ultimately somewhat light for my tastes. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Category 12 Brewing Disruption Black IPA Black IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$8.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear brown with two fingers of fluffy tan head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, roasty malt, bitter cocoa, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet and moderately strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration building bitter finish. (3/5)

Not a bad example of the style: despite the dark colour, citrus and floral hops lead the way, with roasty malts playing a supporting role. The finish, while not precisely smoky, has a burnt toast astringency that works well with the moderately strong hop bitterness. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Enjoy By 10.31.15 American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.4% ABV (C$14.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 24-Sep-2015)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mango, pine resin, grapefruit, pale and caramel malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet and moderately strong bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body and moderate carbonation, with an off-dry building bitter finish and a gentle warming. (5/5)

As usual, a seriously top-notch brew. Tending somewhat to the maltier for the series, like the April. I prefer the brighter variations, but this is still pretty darned good. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Harvest Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$6.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale amber, one fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: biscuity pale malt, caramel, honey, grassy hops. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (3/5)

Initially I was going to castigate this for not being very representative of the APA style – and it’s not. In fact, at first it smells and tastes very much like any number of their standard offering, particularly their Honey Brown. However, the hop bitter, which seems so unassuming at the front end, gradually builds in the finish, becoming almost interesting. Still a fairly uninspired offering, however – the over-filtered bright colour sort of tells the whole story: pretty, but insubstantial. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central City Brewers + Distillers White Ale Witbier at 5% ABV (Gift – thanks, DougB!, 355 ml, packaging date 7-Jul-2015)

Appearance: cloudy straw, short, short-lived off-white head with no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: doughy wheat, coriander, light orange zest. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (5/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A fairly mediocre wit. Retention and lacing are bad, and the nose is reminiscent of old lady soap. Nothing terrible stands out, but that’s about as good as it gets, unfortunately. A surprising swing and a miss for a brewery that can usually be relied upon for a solid performance. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com