Month: April 2018

Parallel 49 Trifecta Hopfenweisse at 5% ABV (C$7.80 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 30-Apr-2018)

Appearance: opaque straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: banana, floral, grass, hint of white pepper. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Uh, guys? You called this a Hopfenweisse. And, you claimed to have added a “trifecta of hops”. Well, if you did, they must’ve been something along the lines of Styrian Goldings, Tettnang, and Hallertau – because the most hop character I’m getting from this is a limp, weedy grass. Now, banana? Hell yes. Huge banana, and a quite nice Weissbier appearance and overall character. But that’s not what the label says, now is it? No. Who’s been a bad brewer? You have. No cookie for you. Now you go feel shame about what you’ve done. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company Free Fall American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 83 IBU (C$8.60 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 29-Apr-2018)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, bready yeast, citrus, floral, pine, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish building and lingering bitter, mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Somewhat pale for a DIPA, and the aroma and flavour are also a bit on the light side. The balance also tends somewhat more to malty and doughy caramel, than to bright hops, making it a bit more old-fashioned in its character. The carbonation is slightly low, making the body feel just slightly flat and slick. It’s not my intention to trot out a laundry list of failures, and ultimately this is OK – but it’s not much better than that. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Modern Times Beer Havnor New Wave IPA American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 60 IBU (C$13.30 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 28-Apr-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, floral, pine, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Made with “immoderate amounts of Mosaic, Chinook, Simcoe, and Nugget hops” – and it shows. Mosaic’s one of my favourites, and Chinook’s pretty high up there too, when there’s no cattiness or onion in evidence – and there’s not, in this one. The “New Wave” description and the low pine presence on the nose invite the conclusion that this is going to be something along the lines of an NEIPA, but in fact it’s not very hazy, and fairly emphatically bitter, so it’s pretty clearly not. (Neither is it West Coast, since there’s basically no dankness here.) All in all, it’s just a well-done, fruity/floral American IPA. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Cyclope Bêta American IPA at 5.7% ABV | 75 IBU (C$19.95 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 946 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 25-Apr-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, citrus flesh and pith, tropical fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

“So, what do you have on the growler fill station?”
“Well, we’ve got this Dunham…”
“SOLD”
No regrets. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Session Mosaic Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$5.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 18-May-2018, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 25-Apr-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, pine, crackery and pale malts, citrus, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

Well, it’s sessionable, that’s for sure: I banged that off like a glass of lemonade on a hot day. Not that there’s a lot of lemony citrus there – if anything, it’s more tropical and crackery, with hints of an almost herbal grassiness. It’s not NOT Mosaic, but it’s not the typical character I’d associate with that hop. Good, if a little forgettable – but I guess that’s almost a core characteristic for a Session IPA, isn’t it? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij de Molen Morellen Berliner Weisse at 6% ABV | 15 IBU (C$3.15 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 330 ml, packaged on 22-Sep-2015, best before 22-Sep-2017, acquired 14-Mar-2018, reviewed 23-Apr-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with some brown particulate, two fat fingers of loose slightly pinkish head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: red berries, brown apple, prunes, moderate funk. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, minimal bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, medium duration tart and funky finish. (3/5)

Yeah… this might’ve been a bit of an error on my part. I figured, if it’s good for 24 months, it’s probably fine for 30 – but might’ve oxidized. That, or it’s just straight-up the worst De Molen beer I’ve ever had. Slightly spoiled fruit and slightly cheesy funk make this less than entirely pleasant. Not a particularly good Berliner Weisse. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cascade Brewing Sang Noir (2015) Sour / Wild Ale at 9.9% ABV (C$27.66 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Sep-2017, reviewed 22-Apr-2018)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of fluffy brown head diminishing rapidly and loudly to a thin skim and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dark cherries, oak, leather, red wine, acetic and lactic sour. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, minimal bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration tart and tannic finish. (4/5)

Complex on the nose and aggressive on the tongue, but never harsh. Despite the “Noir” appellation, it’s not particularly dark – at most, it’s a clear amber-brown. The most surprising thing about this, though, is probably the complete absence of any alcohol character despite it being within a hair of double-digit ABV territory. Overall it’s quite good, but probably not worth the price tag if I’m being honest – which is pretty much par for the course with this brewery. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

E9 Brewery _Amour Aux Myrtilles (Batch No. 1)_ Saison at 6.3% ABV _(C$11.23 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Feb-2018, reviewed 21-Apr-2018)_

Appearance: clear light purple with one finger of dense violet head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, berry, oak, light funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, short duration mildly tart finish. (4/5)

Quite pleasant vinous notes, mildly tart and lightly funky. Very much like a mild blueberry wine, in fact. Very nice. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Perepllut (Переплут) Barley Wine at 9.5% ABV | 45 IBU (C$5.08 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, packaged on 27-Feb-2018, acquired 17-Apr-2018, reviewed 20-Apr-2018)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of loose beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, dark fruit, caramel, berry tartness. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-low carbonation, boozy warming lingering finish. (4/5)

So, a brewery based in Red Deer, AB… is doing a Barleywine style… named after a Slavic god – of alcohol and rivers… whose translated name means either “rogue” or “blessed”… in cans? … sure, fuck it, why not? Why does anything need to make sense any more? (I’ll tell you one thing, though: I’m not ageing this. I might’ve come around to the idea of cans as a superior transport mechanism for light fastness and air tightness, but I’m not going to drink beer that’s spent an extended time exposed to BPA liners. I’ll drink ‘em fresh or not at all.) I spent a lot of time smelling this, both before and after letting it warm, and have to say, it’s surprisingly mild. The tase generally follows suit, but with a mild rye spiciness in the finish. Decent overall, sure, but for a brewery with their track record? A bit of a swing and a miss, pretty much at the bottom of their range. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Corsendonk Pater Abbey Dubbel at 6.5% ABV (C$3.26 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 30-Nov-2019, acquired 11-Apr-2018, reviewed 20-Apr-2018)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of loose beige head diminishing gradually to a thick skim and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: brown sugar, dried dark fruit, liquorice, mild spice. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Bit confused by this: I thought Patersbiers were supposed to be Enkel / Singel? Yet, the BJCP style guidelines give this as a reference for the Dubbel style. Yes, I know, picky picky, but on such seemingly irrelevant minutiae are passions defined! Labels aside, it definitely tends to the light side for a Dubbel, so the “Pater” label makes more sense – although the light body and carbonation belie the respectable ABV. (It might seem odd to call such a forbidding-looking beer “light”, but there you go: and if you’d had its big brother Christmas Ale, you’d definitely understand where I’m coming from. Which reminds me, I’ve got five more of those bad boys to drink yet!) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com