Month: December 2017

Collective Arts Brewing Collective Project/ Sour Harvest Saison at 5% ABV | 8 IBU (C$3.83 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Nov-2017, reviewed 30-Nov-2017)

Appearance: murky deep gold with a fizzy off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: lactic & citrus sour, pumpkin seeds & flesh, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, burnt rubber / band-aid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, effervescent carbonation, dry tart lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

A bit of a strange beer, that starts out fairly dismal, but distinctly improves – by which I mean, it’s uglier’n hell, and the smell is questionable, but it tastes pretty good and finishes more than halfway decent. Other than the appearance, nothing stands out as particularly offensive, as such (though there is a hint of burnt rubber / band-aid that I could live without) but honestly? I think there are a few too many adjectives here: as a kettle soured pumpkin spiced Saison, it’s just a bit too busy for my preference. This is a bit of a rare swing and a miss from this brewery for me. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tatamagouche Brewing _Philaroma_ Berliner Weisse at 3.8% ABV | 5 IBU _(C$4.13 at Liquid Assets YHZ, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Nov-2017, reviewed 30-Nov-2017)_

Appearance: clear red-tinged pale amber with a fizzy off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin persistent cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready yeast, lactic sour, cherries, hint of sulphur. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, effervescent carbonation, dry crisp tart finish. (4/5)

Definitely a kettle soured Berliner Weisse, with all that implies. Not unpleasant, though the yeast smells distinctly bready, and there’s just a hint of stylistically inappropriate sulphur (DMS). A solid enough brew despite that, with a clean refreshing tart finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com