Month: April 2017

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Ee Tah! American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$3.59 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, floral, pale malt, passionfruit, lemon zest, hint of cat/onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly peppery finish. (3/5)

Decently well-done, if nothing overly special. It’s hop-forward, with a clean pale malt backbone providing appropriate support, but the hop character overall is a little… well, “muddled” might be overly harsh – let’s just say there’s no clear direction here. The brewer’s notes indicate it’s hopped with Citra, Chinook, and Amarillo, and not to be overly critical, but at least one of the starts-with-C-hops is feeling a mite too big for its britches, yielding just a hint of cattiness or green onion. But, all in all, it’s a solid A/IPA that plays nicely despite its fair-to-middlin’ ABV, and I have no real complaints. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anderson Valley Brewing Company G & T Gose Gose at 4.2% ABV (C$3.59 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon-lime, juniper, brine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, light brine, very low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, off-dry tart and slightly salty finish. (4/5)

Decent. There are botanical hints appropriate to the name, but they’re not overwhelming. I’m not getting any of the grains of paradise / peppery notes the ingredients suggest, but the brine is reasonably well-balanced. It’s typical of an American Gose, perhaps – which is to say, arguably too emphatic on just about every metric – but pleasant enough. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Shmaltz Brewing Company Star Trek Klingon Imperial Porter Imperial Porter at 7.3% ABV | 60 IBU (C$3.85 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 13-Jan-2017, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 11-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short, short-lived loose beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, nutty, red berry, hint of chocolate. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body tending watery, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish short duration slightly boozy finish. (3/5)

Malty, sweet, and slightly boozy, though somewhat thin in the body. Pretty weak sauce for a Klingon, if you ask me. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Red Shirt Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 6% ABV | 30 IBU (C$6.27 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2017, reviewed 11-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear red-tinged amber with two fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, caramel, floral, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I was more than halfway hoping I’d get to make a joke about this being spelled with one too many R’s, but it’s actually not bad. The hopping stops short of being aggressive but is certainly present, though more on the tongue than the nose. A bit more emphasis on dry hopping would push this into world-class territory pretty handily – which, for a Red, is no mean feat. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Collective Project / Papaya Saison Saison at 6% ABV | 27 IBU (C$2.70 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, bottle date 3-Aug-2016, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 9-Apr-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head settling rapidly to a think skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit rind, wheat, stone fruit, light earthy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high bitter, moderate tart, moderate sweet, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, drying short duration astringent and lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

I was pretty leery of this, but the fact that it was Collective Arts meant I was willing to take a flyer on it – and, oh my goodness, no regrets. Pretty darned solid in general, but for the price? Might be unbeatable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect: in particular, there’s a mild astringent edge (I attribute it to the papaya) that, though not entirely unwelcome, is almost vegetal or gourd rind in character, making it taste much more bitter than the IBU rating would suggest. Still and all, very approachable and enjoyable. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Les Trois Mousquetaires Hors Série Saison Brett Saison at 7% ABV | 35 IBU (C$14.00 at Zyn, 750 ml, bottle date 14-Jul-2016, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 9-Apr-2017)

Appearance: opaque deep gold with one finger of fizzy white head settling rapidly to a think skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, leather, barnyard, wood, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, drying moderate duration tart and lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Really nice, almost Gueuze-like in the funky tartness. Aromas are just very slightly muted and would in my humble opinion be more fun if allowed to be a bit more aggressive. The ABV is definitely on the high side for the style as well, but doesn’t intrude on the flavours or my enjoyment. I’m impressed with the sweetness, which initially seems like it’s going to be high because of the intense stone fruit (peaches and apricots) flavours, but it’s well-moderated by the lively carbonation and balanced tartness, and ends up finishing nearly bone dry and just slightly peppery. I could drink a whole lot of this! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

8 Wired Brewing Company Rendition Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7.5% ABV (C$13.94 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, bottle date 4-Jun-2016, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 6-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear pale  amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head settling to a persistent thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, caramel malt, stone fruit, hint of tobacco and coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (3/5)

Pleasant, but not the kind of stonking good ale I’ve come to expect from 8 Wired. (I’ve had ten others by them, of which six were 8/10 or better.) A little too muted on the nose, and a bit malty for my preference. The Brettanomyces is present, but extremely sedate, manifesting only as a hint of tobacco and coffee towards the back. Dial up the hops and the Brett, and dial back the malt, and you might have something here. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Le Castor Le Moine Féral Abbey Tripel at 8% ABV (C$10.59 at Oak & Vine, 500 ml, bottle date 2-Feb-2016, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 6-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear (first glass) to opaque (second glass) medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head settling to a persistent thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, leather, floral, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Very nice implementation of Brett yeast – there’s enough to give some barnyardy funk, but it’s even-handed and never gets out of control. There’s complexity there, but not to the point of distraction. The finish is bone dry, but not astringent, and the high ABV never intrudes. This is only the second beer I’ve had by this brewery, but I definitely regret not taking a side trip to Rigaud when I drove from Ottawa to Montreal last summer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Bruery The Order Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 10.6% ABV | 30 IBU (C$16.99 at Oak & Vine, 750 ml, bottle date 12-Jan-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 5-Apr-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, moderate retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: Demerara sugar, dates, dark fruit and red berries, light bubblegum, hint of coriander. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

Oh yeah – with the name, and the label’s stained glass effect, when I first smelled this? It was some Ozzy Centre of Eternity shit. Surprisingly light in the body, and for that matter, in colour (the brewery claims 30 SRM but there’s no way that’s true). Decent depth and complexity of flavour, and little to no hint of the double digit ABV, until it puts you on your ass. I’m not entirely sure whether this is best characterized as a BSDA or an Abbey Dubbel (or maybe even an Abt/ Quad), but either way it’s my kind of monster. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Four Winds Brewing Co. La Maison Wild Saison Saison at 4.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$8.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 10-Mar-2017, reviewed 5-Apr-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit and lemon, pineapple, pale grainy malt, stone fruit, white pepper, light earthy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly funky and lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Another solid one from Four Winds. Lots of complexity and flavour despite the really low ABV. I’m nowhere near Vegas, but this house is winning. This is how you do a Saison. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com