Month: March 2016

Steamworks Brewing Company Winter White Stout American Stout at 5.1% ABV (C$5.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 15-Mar-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee grounds, cocoa, light citrus. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Strange beer. Definitely doesn’t smell, taste, or feel like a stout, let alone look like one. The bitterness and roastiness are clearly not grain, but coffee grounds. The coffee is emphatic to the point where it overwhelms pretty much everything else. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Alpenglow Winter Ale Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 7.5% ABV (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 6-Jan-2016, reviewed 15-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short loose light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, dark fruit, earthy, spices. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate-low carbonation, malty gently warming finish. (3/5)

Not bad. Kind of splits the difference between a Wee Heavy and a Winter Warmer, in that it’s a malty base ale with mild traditional winter spices. No hop character to speak of, except perhaps a slight earthiness. Certainly not unpleasant, though, with a very well-integrated high-ish ABV. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Blue Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of loose ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy malt, grapefruit, resin, catty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter and boozy finish. (3/5)

Big, boozy, and unsubtle. Malt forward in pretty much exactly the way I was afraid it would be. Think, corn syrup with a dash of turpentine. But in a good way? Well… in an OK way, anyway. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Breakside Brewery Breakside IPA American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$9.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: hazy amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, pale malt, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

Well balanced A/IPA with bright citrusy and piney hops, and just enough pale malt to support, without any suggestion of malt forwardness. Solid and pleasant. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewsters Brewing Company Lanigan’s Irish Ale Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV (C$6.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee malts, light smoke, nutty. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, moderate carbonation, malty slightly metallic finish. (2/5)

“Lanigan’s Irish Ale”, huh? Sounds about as authentic as “Tipsy McStagger”. A fairly uninspiring interpretation of a stye that I find unexciting at best. Thinnish and malty, without much to recommend it. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Bacchus Frambozenbier Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5% ABV (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 375 ml, best before 3-Sep-2016, reviewed 14-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of dense and fluffy light purple head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: sweet tart raspberry, wheat, light malt vinegar. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry tart and astringent finish. (3/5)

A true Belgian with authentic fruit flavour and none of the dreaded cough syrup effect. Not overly complex, and it falls a little short in delivering on the tongue, but pleasant. A little more sweetness than I’d prefer (almost but not quite cloying, presumably from the Stevia) and a fair bit less umame. (15/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery The Stoic (2015) Abt / Quadrupel at 10.9% ABV (C$20.30 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 8-May-2016, reviewed 13-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear slightly orange-tinged pale amber with a short thin light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: complex, pomegranate, raspberry, caramel, oak, vinous, light whiskey, dark fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, malty sweet and warming finish. (3/5)

Pretty well-behaved for a double digit boozy beast, but the flavours are complex, perhaps to the point of being a little overwhelming – the blend of different barrel ageings is a bit challenging, and I’m not completely convinced that vinous oak and whiskey work all that well together. Decent Belg-ish style, but not a home run. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Asahi Breweries Super Dry Pale Lager at 5% ABV (C$2.69 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 13-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: biscuity, corn and rice adjuncts, grassy, light citrus. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (4/10) Palate: light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp lightly bitter and metallic finish. (3/5)

Eh. Standard pale/Euro lager with lots of adjunct character and a slightly metallic finish. Marginally better than a Coors Lite, but that’s not exactly a high bar, is it? (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brickworks Ciderhouse Brickworks Batch 1904 Dry Cider at 5% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brewpub YYZ, reviewed 13-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear bright yellow with a short, short-lived white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet tart apples, light floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, off-dry slightly sweet and sticky finish. (3/5)

Decent dry cider, not too sweet. Interesting truly local product (the apples travel no further than 300km to the cider house) and I approve of the ingredients list (heritage apples). Unfortunately, that pretty much exhausts the list of interesting things about it, and the flavour isn’t on that list. Not unpleasant, but very straightforward and simple. As well, the initially lively carbonation drops off fairly rapidly, making this an awful lot like drinking apple juice. Which, don’t get me wrong, is fine – if you want apple juice. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

YellowBelly Brewery / Top Shed East Coast Cream Ale American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV (C$9.34 at NLC Stavanger, 1 l, best before 14-Apr-2016, reviewed 12-Mar-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, white wine, pale malt, field berries. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Nice. Pacific Gem hops are supposed to have a blackberry aroma, but I’m finding they come through with a white wine vinous character here. Lots of citrus and fruit flavour make this a light and pleasant APA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com