Month: April 2017

Parallel 49 Wobbly Pop American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$2.75 at J. Webb Wine Merchant, 341 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 30-Apr-2017, reviewed 30-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, grassy/herbal, hint of pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Pretty straightforward classic APA despite the label notes’ description of Pale Ale having come a long way since your father’s time. Pales in general have. This one, not so much. Malt dominant over largely noble hop character. About the only non-classical characteristic is the fairly emphatic bitter in the finish, but even that’s fairly blunt and unremarkable. OK, but no better. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Le Castor Sanctuaire Abbey Tripel at 9.3% ABV (C$11.04 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, bottle date 12-Sep-2016, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: red wine, oak, candi sugar. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry warming finish. (4/5)

Lots of red wine character here, completely dominating over the base Tripel character. Not a complaint, just an observation. Well-balanced overall, and pleasantly warming. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Lindemans Cassis Lambic Lambic at 3.5% ABV (C$8.09 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep ruby with one finger of fluffy pink/purple head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: intense black currant, light earth, hint of oak. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high tart, minimal bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

That’s a lot of fun if you like black currants: the fruit completely dominates the base lambic, but tastes very authentic, with a hint of that earthy note you get from the berry skins. The tartness mediates the high sweetness so that the final product is balanced, with neither feeling excessive. It’s almost as sweet as Faro, for example, but much more palatable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ritterguts Gose GmbH / Brauerei Reichenbrand Ritterguts Gose Gose at 4.7% ABV | 11 IBU (C$7.99 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, best before 31-Oct-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with a short-lived fizzy white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, lemon, brine, wheat, coriander. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, minimal bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp tart and lightly salty finish. (4/5)

Not bad, but not particularly interesting. I wonder if it’s a little elderly, because the head was short and short-lived, and the carbonation fell off rapidly. Bottom line, could stand to be a little brighter. (12/20)

My 237th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 226th from the 2013 edition, and 249th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Hop On Drink’In Berliner Berliner Weisse at 2.8% ABV (C$5.50 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 24-Nov-2017, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 29-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a short loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, sugary lemon, some yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high tart, minimal bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

At some point I’ll need to compare this to the non-dry-hopped version to be certain, but I can’t say I’m getting a whole lot of the dry hopping in this. Tastes kinda like a lemon Jolly Rancher – and doesn’t have much more alcohol content than one. That’s not really a fair comparison, though, because the sweetness here is really quite restrained, and never becomes cloying. Definitely the kind of thing you could drink all day on a hot patio – and still be stone cold sober at the end of it. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery High Harvest Hemp IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 55 IBU (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 20-Apr-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt, tart berry. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (4/5)

(sigh) There’s not much more juvenile than the pot jokes surrounding hops. Yes, we get it, they’re related. We also know you aren’t actually putting any THC in your brew (yet?), so why bother with the lame puns? That said, this really is a nicely dank West Coast style IPA. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Iron Shirt Oak-Aged Vidal Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 6.8% ABV | 40 IBU (C$8.08 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600 ml, bottle date 1-Feb-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, white grape must, citrus, hint of vodka. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter slightly tart finish. (4/5)

I’ll say this for Beau’s: although they’re not a brewery for whom I can assume I’ll love everything they do, they always go hard. When they go down, they go down swinging for the fences. This? This isn’t a grand slam, but it’s not a strikeout either. Hell, it might be an in-the-park homer. Well… a triple, anyway. Definitely different, and that’s always a good thing. An interesting combination of unconventional flavours, with white wine and vodka in the mix. (Which I guess makes it a skinny white girl drink, but I’m actually OK with that. Been married close on a quarter century, with two kids, so I got nothin’ to prove to nobody. I’ll be just as fabulous as I like!) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hoyne Brewing Co. Down Easy Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$6.79 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy caramel, weedy and grassy hops, earth. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, that’s disappointing. Deeply so: a malty mess with minimal hop character. I dunno how the brewer thinks this qualifies as a “Pacific Northwest Ale”, but this is an EPA at best, and actually more like an ESB. “Down Easy?” I’ll say: I actually considered sink pouring this. But the fact is, it’s not actually nasty, just not what it claims to be. Bad brewer! No cookie for you! (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company Western Promises West Coast Pilsner Pilsener at 5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$5.69 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: crystal clear straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grassy/herbal, crackery pale malt, apples and pears, lemon zest. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Pilseners aren’t my favourite style, and yeah, I know: “Why do you drink them, then?” Well, partly because I’m getting to the point where there’s not a whole lot of the low-hanging fruit left – if I limit myself to only the styles I love, chances are I’m gonna run out of new things soon. But, then there’s the possibility of getting something that’s well-done, and expanding my horizons a little. This isn’t great, not by any means, but it just might contribute a little to me appreciating this style a little bit more. Not to wax too philosophical, because at the end of the day it’s beer, but isn’t that kind of personal development what life’s all about? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

To Øl Sur Amarillo Sour / Wild Ale at 7.5% ABV | 62 IBU (C$8.40 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 15-Jun-2017, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 28-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, pineapple, stone fruit, citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and puckering tart gently warming finish. (4/5)

I suspect this might be a touch on the elderly side, although I’m almost two months short of the BB date (no idea when it was born, though). The description says this was heavily dry-hopped with Amarillo, but I can’t say I’m getting a lot of that. If anything, the nose is dominated roughly equally by a caramel, almost toffee-like malt, and pineapple-y tropical fruit. There is some citrus, but it’s a long way back, behind some stone fruit. All in all, I’m a bit disappointed by the aroma, but otherwise find it to be a pleasant, puckeringly tart Wild that finishes off-dry and invites the next sip. The moderate ABV is nearly completely absent on the front end, manifesting only as a mild warming. Quite nice, and probably worth trying again fresh. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com