Month: April 2017

Oskar Blues Brewery Hotbox Coffee Porter American Porter at 6.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 18-Sep-2016, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 18-Apr-2017)

Appearance: near opaque with clear brown relief around the margins, a short beige head settling rapidly to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee, dry cocoa, toffee, dark fruit and red berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-full smooth body, moderate carbonation, drying mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Went into this with high expectations. Was not (greatly) disappointed. It came across just slightly thin and light for my preference, possibly as a result of slightly high carbonation. As well, the red berry tartness, while not entirely unwelcome, became a bit overly-emphatic towards the end. Both of these might well be reflections of a deliberate effort to craft a lighter, easy-drinking Porter, but I think I’d’ve preferred it with a more traditional body. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Ale Apothecary El Cuatro American Wild Ale at 9.72% ABV (C$47.48 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 8-Apr-2016, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 17-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of fizzy off-white head settling to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, white grape must, stone fruit, caramel, oak, malt vinegar, earthy funk. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, low bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, short tart finish. (4/5)

An interesting and elegant beer, reminiscent of a Gueuze or a Flemish Brown in its flavours. The aroma is pleasantly complex, with a combination of fruit, barrel, and vinegar notes. I find it just slightly aggressive on the tongue, with perhaps a hair too much emphasis on the vinegary tartness. Having said that, I suspect I’d find it too sweet if it weren’t quite so tart, so there’s that. Extremely good, and able to stand alongside some of the best – but truly, stupidly, expensive. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery Lukey’s Bock Maibock at 6.5% ABV | 8 IBU (C$7.00 at Mill Street Brew Pub St. John’s, 945 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2017, reviewed 16-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a short, short-lived off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toasty and grainy malt, apples and pears, hint of sulphides. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, short finish. (3/5)

Not a bad implementation of the style: it does exhibit the main characteristic of being essentially a beefy Helles, but the sweetness is in my opinion overly emphatic, as is the carbonation. It’s not bad, but it’s a bit heavy-handed. And no, it’s neither painted green, nor the prettiest Bock I ever seen (ah-ha me boys). (It’s a “Lukey’s Boat” reference, in case you’re not an aficionado of Newfoundland music…) (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery / Port Rexton Brewing Company Clear As Mud Dunkelweizen at 5.2% ABV | 22 IBU (C$7.00 at Mill Street Brew Pub St. John’s, 945 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2017, reviewed 15-Apr-2017)

Appearance: cloudy medium amber with one finger of fine beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, clove, doughy yeast, caramel/brown sugar, hint of vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly tart finish. (4/5)

Yup, that’s clear as mud, all right. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, though I’d like better retention and lacing. Decent example of the style, with reasonably balanced esters and phenols in front of bready yeast and sweet caramel. A bit maltier and sweeter than I’d prefer, though. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Canmore Brewing Company Mineside Stout English Stout at 5% ABV | 21 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: near opaque brown with ruby highlights, a short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasted malts, red berries, dried fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light tart. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly tart finish. (3/5)

A strange stout. Despite its dark colour, the body is at most medium weight, verging on light, assisted by the uncharacteristically high carbonation. There’s little to no coffee or chocolate, but a red berry tartness grows as the pint progresses. I might’ve been more receptive to this if it were called something other than a Stout, but it doesn’t really fit the bill for that style, whether English, Irish, or American. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Ryes Against the Machine Rye Beer at 6.3% ABV | 12 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with a short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, doughy and grainy dark malt, rye, grass, earth. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, low bitter, light tart. (5/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A fairly typical Brown that fails to be rescued from the doldrums of mediocrity by a mild (almost non-existent) spicy rye edge. Clean, well-behaved, and easy to drink – but booooring. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Radiant India Pale Ale American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 60 IBU (C$2.70 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, moderate retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, grainy malt and caramel, tropical fruit, grass, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Hop forward but a touch malt heavy, making it feel like a just slightly old-fashioned (English influenced) middleweight IPA, splitting the difference between A/IPA and DIPA. Slightly astringent vegetal/rind notes detract a little from the finish. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coulee Brew Co. Hoodoo Hops American IPA at 6.3% ABV | 65 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 15-Feb-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, pine, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration resiny bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Surprising emphasis on tropical fruitiness here, especially pineapple – to the point that I halfway wondered if they actually added pineapple juice. The alcohol isn’t aggressive, but it’s just slightly emphatically present for what I consider a moderate ABV – better integration would be nice. Bitterness is pleasantly bold, with a building resiny melon rind character in the finish. Solid brew. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coulee Brew Co. Devil’s Coulee Kölsch Kölsch at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 13-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, apples and pears, bready malt, hint of sulphur. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (4/5)

This is a tough style to make interesting, but it’s a solid implementation. The appearance is a bit out of spec, lacking the brilliant clarity usually associated with the style. Crisp and reasonably clean overall, though, and certainly easy drinking. Decent, if not exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Dark Helmüt Imperious Schwarzbier Schwarzbier at 7.3% ABV | 33 IBU (C$7.30 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, bottle date 10-Nov-2016, best before 10-May-2017, acquired 24-Mar-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with two fat fingers of fluffy beige head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, chunky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cocoa, toasted bread, liquorice, grassy, mild coffee, hint of molasses. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Heckuva lager… malt dominant , but not overly sweet, with a smooth, softly-carbonated body. Probably one of the best of the style I’ve had, if not the best. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com