Month: February 2016

8 Wired Brewing Company Flat White Milk / Sweet Stout at 5.5% ABV (C$10.70 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 10-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, one finger of fluffy light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: espresso, lactose, light chocolate and roasty notes. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly to the watery, lively to moderate carbonation, medium duration building bitter and light tart finish. (3/5)

Not really what I was expecting. Yes, there’s a little lactose milky sweetness in it, but there’s also a surprising tart note – and though I’m a big fan of sours, that just doesn’t belong in this style. The body is also surprisingly light and thing, buoyed by a higher than expected carbonation. And the finish, in addition to being marred by the tart note, is less a hop or roasty malt bitterness, and more an over-extracted espresso bean one. A bit of a mess, at least as far as adherence to the style goes. And to be brutally honest, I’m liking it less as the pint progresses. Not one of their better offerings. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout American Double / Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (US$3.15 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with only the merest hint of relief around the margins, one finger of medium dense light beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, coffee and dark roast malt notes, liquorice, light metallic. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Black? Check. Chocolate? Check. Stout? Check. Well, that’s that, then, isn’t it? Oh, you wanted more? OK, well, it starts off with heavy chocolate and not much else, but eventually that settles down and some dark roasty notes come through. Unfortunately, so does a light metallic tinge, particularly on the tongue. It’s not terrible, by any means, but I’ve definitely had better chocolate stouts. On the up side, the double-digit ABV is barely noticeable and really only presents as a mild warming. (14/20)

My 217th from the 2010 Edition (206th from the 2013 edition), and 228th combining both editions.

7/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lagunitas Brewing Company Brown Shugga American Barleywine at 9.8% ABV (Trade – thanks, Bayman 4048!, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 8-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with one finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: brown sugar, resiny pine, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Not your typical barleywine – the brown sugar is lighter than the caramel or toffee I normally associate with the style, but more importantly there’s a big resiny hop note over top. This is barleywine on steroids, and I like it a lot. (16/20)

My 216th from the 2010 Edition (205th from the 2013 edition), and 227th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Oskar Blues Brewery Death By Coconut American Porter at 6.5% ABV (US$3.99 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2015, reviewed 8-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, one finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coconut, light chocolate and roasty notes. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Yep, that’s pretty much what it says on the label – lots of coconut and not a whole lot else. Good thing I like coconut! Very much a one trick pony, but it does that trick very well indeed. Easy drinking and not too sweet, never gets cloying or overwhelming. If you like Bounty bars, you’ll like this. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stillwater Artisanal As Follows Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 9% ABV (US$3.57 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 1-Oct-2016, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry hay funk, lemon zest, stone fruit, vinous oak. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, dry crisp and lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Another very nice beer from Stillwater. Although they call it a “Belgian Style Golden,” it’s got lots of saison-like notes, dominated by a dry barnyardy Brett funk. Easy drinking, impressively crisp and light given the relatively high ABV. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel-Aged Arrogant Bastard American Strong Ale at 8.1% ABV (Trade – thanks, Bayman 4048!, 355 ml, bottle date 22-Aug-2015, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel/toffee, pine, citrus, oaky bourbon. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, strong bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (5/5)

I’m not entirely convinced by this one. The bourbon barrel ageing is not overwhelming, but it’s definitely present, and it feels to me like it’s blowing out some of the subtler notes I usually associate with Arrogant Bastard, such as vanilla and rye spice, and it’s muddying the aggressive hop/malt one-two punch. It’s still quite good, but it doesn’t feel like an improvement to me. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series Here Gose Nothin’ Gose at 5.2% ABV (US$2.83 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sour lemon, dry hay funk, light brine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high tart, light salt. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (3/5)

Quite an interesting beer, but I’m not sure it’s in-spec for a gose. Don’t get me wrong, I like it quite a bit: there’s lots of wild and funky sourness going on, but perhaps a bit beyond what one might expect in a gose. The sour finish takes a bit of a long time to diminish, and only then is the light saltiness of the gose really revealed. I’d probably rate this slightly higher if it were classified as a Sour or an American Wild. That said, I’d definitely drink this again, and recommend it to anybody who enjoys sours, without hesitation. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Robinsons Brewery Iron Maiden 666 Trooper English Strong Ale at 6.6% ABV (US$6.31 at Specs Main Houston, 500 ml, bottle date 12-Oct-2016, reviewed 6-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of pillowy eggshell head, short retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

No real complaints here – take a typical English Bitter (e.g. Trooper) and dial up the malt bill a little to get a higher ABV. Nothing else seems to have changed much. Plus, there’s a cool picture of Eddy on the label, so there’s that… (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com