Month: October 2019

Phantom Beer Co. Remembering Tomorrow – Session IPA at 4.0% ABV (C$3.60 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Oct-2019, acquired 31-Oct-2019, reviewed 31-Oct-2019)

Appearance: opaque straw with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Is it a SIPA? An NEIPA? (An NESIPA?) Who knows? More importantly, who cares? I guess you could complain about it being pretty light, but considering the ABV that would probably be a fairly silly thing to complain about. It’s pleasant and easy-drinking, with no off characteristics. Drink one if you have to drive, and if you don’t have to drive, drink something bigger and more emphatic. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Collective Project/ IPA No. 11 – American IPA at 5.8% ABV (C$4.99 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, packaged on 13-Sep-2019, acquired 26-Oct-2019, reviewed 30-Oct-2019)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, sweet lactose, resiny pine, citrus, pale malt, stone fruit, black tea. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly tannic finish. (4/5)

Mosaic and Idaho 7? Two of my favourite hops? Sign me up! But, does it work? Hells yes. Lots of tropical fruit and lactose on the nose, but restrained sweetness on the tongue, with a hint of black tea tannic in the finish. Almost but not quite the flavour profile of the Firecracker Popsicle in the artwork. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Manimal Sasquatch IPL – India Pale Lager at 5.5% ABV (C$2.97 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Aug-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 26-Oct-2019)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grainy caramel, sulphur, floral, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (3/5)

Jesus Christ boys, it’s a Samsquanch! So that’s Canada’s first domestic hop, huh? Can’t say I’m overly impressed. This is brewed with a Pilsner malt I’m not familiar with (Francion), so I don’t know exactly how much of the flavour profile is coming from the hops, but it’s certainly very Old World in its earthy/floral/phenolic character, and near complete absence of citrus and tropical fruit (or, really, any of the more recent hop characteristics). I can’t see this displacing many American hops for local brewers any time soon. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Apex Predator Brewing (formerly Bench Creek Brewing) Pale Horseman – American Pale Ale at 5.8% ABV (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Aug-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 26-Oct-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, bready caramel, earth & grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Flavourful and well balanced. I initially thought it was a bit too mild, but it actually opens up a bit as the pint progresses and it warms, revealing additional depth. As well, the bitter finish lingers and builds, finishing emphatic but not overwhelming. All in all, a pleasant pint. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yukon Brewing Company Hop On For The Rye – Rye IPA at 6.4% ABV | 45 IBU (C$3.69 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 24-Oct-2019)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a short white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, sour rye, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly spicy astringent finish. (3/5)

Pretty forgettable stuff, with almost no hop character to speak of. Meh. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Superflux / Dageraad Superaad – Belgian IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Aug-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 23-Oct-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with an immense growing fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate droopy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: Belgian funk, tropical fruit, wheat, floral, hint of stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funk. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry medium bitter lightly funky finish. (4/5)

One of their better kicks at the Belgian IPA style – certainly better than their Blonde IPA or Best of All Possible Worlds. That might very well be the selection of Vic Secret hops, which bring a pleasant tropical fruit character that meshes well with the lightly funky Belgian farmhouse aspect. Dry, crisp, and refreshing. I like it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yellowhead Brewery Blue Review Forbidden Fruit Grapefruit Brut IPA – American IPA at 6.9% ABV| 34 IBU (C$4.14 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 22-Oct-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy and particulate-laden pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: band-aid, grapefruit, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

The label says this “pairs well with: brunch, amateur porn festivals, and the grapefruit technique.” Considering it’s called “Forbidden Fruit”, I’m not sure I want to know exactly what kind of porn they’re screening, or, more importantly, what “the grapefruit technique” involves. Questionable origin stories aside, this is just OK. Its appearance is fairly unappealing, but more problematically there’s a plastic-y phenol note getting in the way of the underlying grapefruit aroma. It improves on the tongue, though, with a decent balance of restrained attenuated sweetness, moderate bitter, and mild tart, and the finish is pleasantly dry. It’s brut-ish, which I suspect is tricky to accomplish when using actual fruit adjuncts, so well done there I guess? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Apex Predator Brewing / Zero Issue Brewing The Huntress – American Pale Ale at 5.9% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Sep-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 21-Oct-2019)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, citrus, floral, pine, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Super high hopes here for a collaboration between two local (-ish) breweries who’ve had a pretty decent track record with me – and the neat-o keen Boris Vallejo-ish can art wasn’t hurting, either. But, as is so often the case, the higher the hopes, the greater the disappointment. Ok, I’m exaggerating a little – it’s actually not bad – but I am a bit disappointed. The slightly murky appearance is the first strike, followed by the mild (although pleasant) aroma. The taste is actually pretty decent, though, and the finish is pleasantly balanced. Overall, it’s OK. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Revival Brewcade Mana Beast – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$4.68 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Aug-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 21-Oct-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical and stone fruits, citrus, pale crackery malt, hint of vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Citra, Amarillo, and Mosaic hops? Yes, please! Not quite an NEIPA style, but juicy and refreshing, with a pleasant bitterness transitioning smoothly to an off-dry mildly warming finish. I’m going to have to prioritize going to the brewery and dumping a bunch of money into classic arcade games while drinking beer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery / Wild Life Distillery Barrel Aged High Harvest Gin Joint – Imperial / Double IPA at 8.4% ABV (C$11.56 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 1-Sep-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 20-Oct-2019)

Appearance: slightly muddy deep gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juniper, oak, vanilla, caramel, hint of dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Well, I certainly like the booziness quotient in this one, that’s for sure. The dank sticky icky is pretty mild in this iteration, or perhaps it’s just completely overwhelmed by the emphatic gin barrel aspects, but either way it’s a completely different beast than its ancestor. I’m not sure why it ended up looking so muddy compared to the base version, but that’s really the only reason I’ve marked it down. Otherwise, the aroma and flavour variations are just that: variations, no better, no worse. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com