Categories
Reviews

Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Kellerbier Anno 1417 – Kellerbier at 5.5% ABV

Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Kellerbier Anno 1417 Kellerbier at 5.5% ABV (C$4.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, bottle date 24-Jun-2016, best before 24-Mar-2017, acquired 14-Feb-2017, reviewed 14-Feb-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky white head, moderate retention and patchy soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel malt, honey, light apple, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration mild bitter finish. (3/5)

The beer is fine – it’s not as crisp and clean as the Munich Gold, but as a Kellerbier, I wouldn’t have expected it to be. It’s not exciting, but there’s no doubt it’s very well done. But I absolutely love the “Awww yis, gonna get my drunk on” expression of the dude on the label. Been there, dude, been there. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold – Helles Lager at 5.5% ABV

Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold Helles Lager at 5.5% ABV (C$4.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, best before 31-Mar-2017, acquired 14-Feb-2017, reviewed 14-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet grainy pale malt, citrus, berry, grassy hay. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not generally a fan of lagers, and I left any reverence for the Reinheitsgebot behind a long time ago – but this is quite pleasant. No hint of adjunct sickliness, just clean pale malt and aromatic noble hops. As Helles Lagers go, this has got to be near the top of the heap. Now, if only I had a big pretzel to go with it, or maybe a pork hock… (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Mikkeller Tommi’s Beerger Joint – Specialty Grain at 6% ABV

Mikkeller Tommi’s Beerger Joint Specialty Grain at 6% ABV (C$6.00 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 2-Jun-2017, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 13-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, soapy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, green rye, floral, light sour funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, drying mild bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A pleasant ale with a nice balance between zesty citrus and spicy rye. I can see this working well for its intended purpose, of cutting through the fat of a pleasingly greasy burger. Dangit, now I want a greasy burger… (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Broadhead Brewing Company Grindstone – Amber Ale at 5% ABV | 25 IBU

Broadhead Brewing Company Grindstone Amber Ale at 5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$2.90 Gift – thanks, Kath M!, 473 ml, bottle date 23-Aug-2016, acquired 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 13-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of medium-dense ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy caramel, bready, floral. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

It’s really, really hard from to get excited about an amber – and this doesn’t really change my opinion much. Malt-forward, with some floral hoppy character, but not much depth or complexity. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Old Tomorrow Beers Track 85 Lagered Ale – Altbier at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU

Old Tomorrow Beers Track 85 Lagered Ale Altbier at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$2.95 Gift – thanks, Kath M!, 473 ml, bottle date 10-Aug-2016, acquired 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 13-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of medium-dense ivory head, moderate retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bread, honey, grass, apples. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about Alts. The few I’ve tried have always struck me as neither fish nor fowl, and this is no exception – you could describe this as either a slightly-more-robust-than-normal lager, or a slightly-more-watery-than-normal ale. Pleasant enough, but not very memorable. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Orkney Brewery Dark Island Reserve – Old Ale at 10% ABV

Orkney Brewery _Dark Island Reserve_ Old Ale at 10% ABV (C$28.84 at Beer Club Offering #11, 750 ml, bottle date 11-Dec-2013, acquired 24-Sep-2014, reviewed 12-Feb-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with a short, short-lived beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: burnt sugar, black strap molasses, dark chocolate, wood, dried fruit, cardboard. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, low carbonation, lingering moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not quite sure whether this is more properly considered a Scotch Ale, a Wee Heavy, or an Old Ale. In any case, it looks kind of like a stout, but tastes like a cross between a Barley Wine and an Old Ale. Quite a bit thinner than I’d’ve expected based on its appearance. Seems a bit oxidised, so I guess it was a mistake to cellar a flip-top for more than three years. A bit meh, especially for the price. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Western Newfoundland Brewing Company Killdevil Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV | 48 IBU

Western Newfoundland Brewing Company Killdevil Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV | 48 IBU (C$8.00 on tap at Sorrento Corner Brook, reviewed 10-Feb-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with a short, short-lived ivory head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, floral, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit unappealing visually – despite it being on tap, there’s poor head development, no retention to speak of, and no lacing. Combine that with the hazy/cloudy appearance and it’s not much in the way of eye candy. On the other hand, it smells and tastes quite pleasant: there’s some typical starts-with-C notes there, but a bit more floral than I typically find with Centennial and Citra. Speaking of Citra, there’s no hint of the catty/oniony notes that can accompany that hop. A solid performer that could use a bit of aesthetic polish. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Garrison Brewing Company Imperial Chocolate Stout – American Double / Imperial Stout at 10% ABV | 60 IBU

Garrison Brewing Company Imperial Chocolate Stout American Double / Imperial Stout at 10% ABV | 60 IBU (C$8.51 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, bottle date 15-Jan-2015, acquired 16-Feb-2015, reviewed 9-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate nibs, coffee, dark roasty malt, light nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Well, I’m not sure: is this the same recipe as their Wintervention? I don’t think it’s identical, but it sure seems similar. To be fair, this has been aged for two years, compared to the fairly newborn Wintervention I tried yesterday. Certainly, this has none of the wet dog aroma I got from the Wintervention, and the palate is just slightly fuller. That being said, it would benefit from a more robust body and finish. The ageing seems to have mellowed it out somewhat, if nothing else, presenting it in its best possible form. Which is good, but not great. I’ll keep my other one in the cellar for another couplethree years and see what happens. (And yes, the sharp-eyed among you might’ve noticed this is a Beerthief-labelled beer in my Beerthief-logoed glass. Fun, huh?) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

Garrison Brewing Company Wintervention – Imperial Stout at 10.5% ABV | 60 IBU

Garrison Brewing Company Wintervention Imperial Stout at 10.5% ABV | 60 IBU (C$7.71 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 3-Feb-2017, reviewed 8-Feb-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with brown highlights at the margins, medium dense light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate nibs, coffee, dark roasty malt, light nutty, hint of wet dog. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body dropping off to watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

“It’s 20º below, dark at 4 o’clock & the holidays are over… Time for a Wintervention!” Indeed. I honestly don’t know how many more Canadian winters I can stand, but double digit ABVs might hold the key to increasing that number. Marginally. Except, funny thing, even though the ABV for this is well integrated and manifests only as a mild warming, the body is surprisingly thin. Given the somewhat enthusiastic flavours and alcohol load on this one, I’d expect (and prefer) a thicker body, but this almost feels like a (fairly anemic) porter. Warming doesn’t really improve this, either – as I noted above, there’s actually a hint of wet dog that actually starts to come to the fore, once you let this sit for a bit, so I find myself in the fairly unique position of recommending you don’t drink this Imperial Stout too warm. I’m actually surprised this isn’t better than their Martello Stout, but given this is nearly double the price per millilitre, I’d say drink two Martellos instead. On the up side, it’s not too sweet, so there’s that. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Categories
Reviews

YellowBelly Brewery Partridgeberry Apple Cider – Cider at 6.8% ABV

YellowBelly Brewery Partridgeberry Apple Cider Cider at 6.8% ABV (C$6.15 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, best before 24-Mar-2017, acquired 3-Feb-2017, reviewed 7-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear pale to medium gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly (and loudly) to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apple, light tart berry. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp and lingering tart finish. (4/5)

Yes, that’s the Partridge Family bus. (eye roll) It’s not (quite) the only Partridge presence here, though – there’s a lingering tartness along the sides of the tongue, especially in the finish, that feels more berry, than apple. The partridgeberry also brings a slightly musty almost-funkiness in addition to that berry tartness, preventing this from becoming too sweet. It’s hard to make cider all that interesting, but this isn’t bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com