Month: March 2018

NOLA Brewing Co. Hopitoulas American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 48 IBU (US$3.15 at Specs Main Houston, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 8-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber, two fingers of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, building and lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Pretty as heck, but otherwise not all that impressive. I wouldn’t say all sizzle and no steak, but certainly more sizzle than steak. Well-implemented, without being overly memorable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Community Beer Co. Mosaic IPA American IPA at 8.6% ABV | 85 IBU (US$2.73 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 25-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 9-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and stringy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel & toffee, tropical fruit, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Pours darker than expected for an IPA, and the flavour follows suit to some extent. It’s certainly not an E/IPA, but the way they’ve balanced the big bitter makes the malt presence greater than one might expect for a modern A/IPA. Mind you, given the massive ABV and bitterness, I don’t know why this wouldn’t be considered a DIPA. Think old-school DIPA made with modern (Mosaic) hops and you’re probably not far off the mark. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 60 IBU (US$2.31 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 6-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick creamy cap, stringy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, pine resin, caramel, pale malt, stone fruit, light floral, earth. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

No packaging date, but “Spring Seasonal”, so it should be fairly fresh. The finishing hops (which I assume includes the described “lupulin dust”) are pretty much all the starts-with-C hops (Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, and Crystal) in addition to Magnum. I usually see positives and negatives to a multiple hop approach, and this one is no different: there are absolutely none of the negative “over-extraction” style characters one might expect from a single-hop approach, but it’s also not particularly bright. Lots of fruit character, but blended, if you will – so, not orange juice, but Tang™. (And seriously easy-drinking for a beefy ABV DIPA.) Really good stuff overall, though I think it could’ve been better with a more focussed hop philosophy. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boulevard Brewing Co. Tasting Room Dry-Hopped Helles Helles Lager at 5.6% ABV | 35 IBU (US$2.08 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 22-Jan-2018, best before 21-Jun-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 6-Mar-2018)

Appearance: crystal clear pale straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: crackery malt, grass, citrus & floral, light burnt rubber/band-aid. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp mild bitter finish. (4/5)

I went with (arguably) the wrong glassware here, partly because the label said it was dry-hopped, so I decided to maximize aroma retention. Checking the brewer’s web site tells me it’s dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria, and although it’s not as citrus-forward as I might like, it definitely becomes apparent as the glass progresses. I generally find Helles Lagers to be pretty boring, but the dry-hopping actually threatens to make this halfway interesting… until the burnt rubber/band-aid aroma starts to manifest upon warming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not overwhelming or anything, but it certainly tempered my enthusiasm. Still and all, a good example of the style. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dogfish Head Brewery Romantic Chemistry IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 40 IBU (US$3.67 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 3-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 5-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: ginger, tropical & stone fruit, caramel, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I wouldn’t call this a complete success: it’s got exactly the character the label notes would imply (mango, apricot, and ginger) but I’m left wondering why. The ginger is fairly dominant on the nose, and the overall impression is one of cedar or a similar aromatic wood, which isn’t exactly the first thing one would think to try for in an IPA. It’s well-implemented overall, I guess, but is just not a flavour profile that works especially well for me. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Exalted IPA American IPA at 7% ABV | 68 IBU (US$2.09 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 4-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, resiny pine, light caramel, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice. Solid example of Citra hops, with a light floral backing that I’m attributing to the Loral hops. (I’m not overly familiar with Loral, so that’s a bit of speculation on my part.) Nothing earth-shattering, but decent enough. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boulevard Brewing Co. Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.4% ABV | 30 IBU (US$2.08 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 5-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 4-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick creamy cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, citrus, floral perfume, light earthy pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Very old-fashioned, with a mild caramel malt barely leading the way over pleasant citrus and light floral/earthy notes. Maybe “old-fashioned” gives the wrong impression, though: perhaps better to go with something along the lines of “classic”. No real negatives here at all – just well-balanced and pleasant, without being bright or flashy. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Victory Brewing Company 4 Front American IPA at 5.5% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, best before 16-May-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 4-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, earthy pine, crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

It might be a bit harsh to call this “bland”, but one could go with “easy-drinking”, “mild”, “pleasant”, or any other number of middle-of-the-road adjectives that really amount to the same thing: damning with faint praise. It’s OK. I was thirsty. Now I’m not. Result, I guess? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lone Pint Brewery Yellow Rose American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 62 IBU (C$5.96 at Specs Main Houston, 500 ml, packaged on 30-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 3-Mar-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pineapple, pine, biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

So, this has been touted as the best IPA from Texas. Yeah, all right then – I can buy that. Nice balance of bright happy aroma and bitterness on the tongue, supported by appropriate clean malt. (And there’s that magic 10:1 IBU:ABV ratio again. Well… almost.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sixpoint Craft Ales Hi-Res American Double / Imperial IPA at 11.1% ABV | 111 IBU (C$5.42 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 3-Mar-2018)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, grapefruit peel, tropical fruit, caramel. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium oily body, moderate carbonation, sticky off-dry lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Literally twice the price of Resin, but only 2% higher in ABV? And, let’s be honest, does 111 IBU really make that much of a difference over 103, when you can’t taste more than 100 or so? (Except for the fact that there appears to be a lupulin haze present. And, hey, look at that, IBU = 10 X ABV again!)

Well… yes. In fact, it does make quite a difference. This is hugely bigger, hotter, stickier – let’s face it, just more everything – than Resin. Elements of this are quite surprising, like the utter lack of booze on the nose, but any way you slice it, it’s lots of very good fun. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com