Month: July 2017

Moody Ales Sociable Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV | 26 IBU (C$12.49 at Oak & Vine, 946 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 3-Jul-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with three fingers of rocky off-white head, good retention and sticky chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus zest, pale malt, floral, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly watery, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

Well, that 32oz crowler is certainly big enough for one to be sociable with – not that I was, y’unnerstand. (Like the sticker on the the back of my truck says, “Does Not Play Well With Others.” What? Tasting beer is Serious Business, not something one can do when distracted by the necessities of social interaction. I drink alone, baby.) This is a decent Pale, with a pleasant balance between hops and malt, and the low ABV makes it eminently sessionable. My major complaint is that it comes across as slightly thin in the body and soft in the carbonation. This would be a whole bunch more fun if it were livelier and crisper – but it’s not half bad as it stands. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Crazy Mountain Brewing Company Hookiebobb IPA American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 87 IBU (C$4.29 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 3-Jul-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, pine, spent grains, citrus, weeds and grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Gngngngngngng!!! Let’s get one thing straight: labelling your can “fresh” makes every bit as much sense as labelling it “cold” or other such foolishness – which is to say, none whatsoever. If you’re not dating your package, I have no way of knowing whether it’s fresh or not. I appreciate that you’ve got ABV, SRM, and IBU on the can, but how about adding a clear, human-readable packaging date instead of marketing fluff? Now, that said, this isn’t bad, albeit slightly “traditional” in its hop-malt balance. Aside from the magnitude of bitterness, this tends towards an English style IPA. OK, but I wouldn’t bother seeking it out. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bridge Brewing Company Bourbon Blood Orange Wheat Ale American Pale Wheat Ale at 5.5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$2.84 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Apr-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 3-Jul-2017)

Appearance: opaque medium amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange juice, wheat, caramel, hint of bourbon & oak. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (3/5)

Aside from the muddy, unclean appearance, my biggest objection here is giving the bourbon top billing – it’s there, sure, but only very mildly, becoming apparent only partway through the pint. Other than that, no real complaints, although the dirty appearance is certainly nothing to get excited over. Fine thirst quencher with a spicy lunch. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada / Boneyard Beer _Beer Camp Across the World: West Coast-Style DIPA_ American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV | 65 IBU _(US$2.15 at Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, 355 ml, packaged on 26-apt, acquired 21-Jun-2017, reviewed 1-Jul-2017)_

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, tropical fruit, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry slightly boozy and lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Unlike the “East Meets West” from the same collection, this actually makes a specific claim regarding sub-style: West Coast. And then fails to hit that target, in my opinion. Yes, it leads out with pine, but not the dank, resiny note that I associate with true West Coast styles. It’s not bad, by any means, but it’s not really a true West Coast style. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada / Tree House Brewing Company Beer Camp Across the World: East Meets West IPA American IPA at 7% ABV | 40 IBU (US$2.15 at Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, 355 ml, packaged on 28-Apr-2017, acquired 21-Jun-2017, reviewed 1-Jul-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one finger of loose off-white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, crackery pale malt and caramel, floral. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Emphatically more west than east, but enjoyable for all that. To be fair, they never claimed it was supposed to be an NE/IPA, and there actually are hints of Tree House aroma and flavour, so I’m going with, “does what it says on the tin” – and you can’t ask fairer than that. A cynic might point out that halfway between Chico, CA and Monson, MA places you smack in the heart of Salem, SD (pop. 1347), which is hardly known as an IPA hot spot – but this particular halfway point is actually pretty fine. I wouldn’t say no to another. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada / Surly Brewing Beer Camp Across the World: Ginger Lager Ginger Beer at 6.2% ABV | 20 IBU (US$2.15 at Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, 355 ml, packaged on 27-Apr-2017, acquired 21-Jun-2017, reviewed 1-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: ginger, biscuity malt, hint of lemon and wood. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate peppery spice, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter and lingering spicy finish. (4/5)

Not a bad Ginger Beer at all. Yes, it’s dominated by ginger, but that comes with the territory. It does, however, have two things going for it: it’s not too sweet (as is all too often the case with this style) and the spiciness of the ginger is accentuated by their use of cayenne, giving a lingering spicy heat in the finish. I doubt I could have more than one at a go, but that one is not bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Infusion Confusion Chamomile IPA American IPA at 6.3% ABV | 50 IBU (C$5.41 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Jun-2017, reviewed 30-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral/perfume, caramel, black tea, gourd/pumpkin. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter/astringent. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and astringent finish. (3/5)

Well, it’s different, I’ll give it that. Mind you, as I seem to recall one White House staffer was once alleged to have said, “The new and the bold can also be crappy.” (Though that may be slightly unfair, since I’m not sure “crappy” is a fair description. Then again, I’m not completely sure it’s not…) I don’t know that I could identify chamomile to save my life, so I’m assuming that’s the big floral hit on the front end, but the major undertones I’m getting here are black tea and pumpkin – and if that means I’m satisfying the name by being confused by the infusion, then well done, I guess? It definitely comes across as more bitter than the 50 IBU would suggest, due to that astringent black tea in the finish. Not a clear miss or hit. When in doubt, give it a 7, right? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Prophets & Nomads Gose at 4.5% ABV | 12 IBU (Trade – Stephen Shorlin, 473 ml, packaged on 2-May-2017, acquired 28-Jun-2017, reviewed 30-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon-lime, spices, brine, hint of grapefruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light salt. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Decent implementation of the style – light body and ABV combined with a mild saltiness make this a refreshing, almost radler-like brew. Alternatively, I’m getting a margarita character from the citrus and salt. Either way, it works for me.  (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. 5514 Filtered Wheat Ale American Pale Wheat Ale at 4.5% ABV | 20 IBU (Trade – Stephen Shorlin, 341 ml, packaged on 16-May-2017, acquired 28-Jun-2017, reviewed 30-Jun-2017)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet wheat malt, grass, hints of citrus and stone fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (4/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry semi-crisp finish. (3/5)

Starts off smelling not terrible, and that’s pretty much where it stays: not terrible. Not good, either, mind you, but not terrible. It’s almost like a typical adjunct lager, except there’s wheat instead of corn. Whether that represents an improvement is very much up to the drinker to decide: as far as I’m concerned, change is always good – but it doesn’t rescue this thing from the doldrums of mediocrity. On the other hand, it was an easy-to-drink thirst quencher while lighting the barbecue, so there’s that. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com