Village Brewery Nomad – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 19-Oct-2019)
Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fat fingesr of rocky white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)
A very straightforward implementation of the NEIPA style: juicy and aromatic, without too much accompanying bitterness. Quite refreshing – but seeing how it was after yet another Saturday spent working, that might not be completely the beer… (15/20)
Banded Peak Brewery Fall Line Kveik – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.9% ABV | 74 IBU (C$5.04 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Sep-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 18-Oct-2019)
Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: solvent, resiny pine, tropical fruit, caramel. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter warming slightly astringent finish. (3/5)
The brewer’s notes say this is “fermented hot and fast”, and I’m getting a solvent edge consistent with that. A bit unbalanced, and certainly not great, but not completely without appeal. (13/20)
Bench Brewing Company Short Hills IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.78 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Sep-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 18-Oct-2019)
Appearance: opaque medium gold with one finger of fine white head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, green onion, tropical fruit, caramel. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)
Full disclosure: I have to admit to a certain amount of hostility towards this brewery because of their clash with Alberta-based Apex Predator Brewing (formerly Bench Creek Brewing). And, to be fair, I was a little confused when I first entered this can into my database, because I was convinced I had “Bench Brewing” in my brewer list, but didn’t – so maybe they weren’t so far off the mark in their infringement argument. On the other hand, it’s a bit hard to side against local Alberta boys, with a Toronto investment banker, who despite being in business for a shorter period of time was first to register the trade mark. However, fair is fair, I suppose, and rules is rules.
In the final analysis, the beer itself is serviceable if slightly onion-y. I was going to guess Simcoe hops, since that’s a common source for that particular sin, but a quick trip to their web site indicates it’s probably the Citra. Not bad overall, but not quite as clean and juicy a profile as I like to see for the style. (13/20)
Muskoka Brewery Window of Hopportunity – India Pale Lager at 6% ABV (C$4.00 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 21-Jan-2020, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 18-Oct-2019)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, crackery pale malt, grass, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish medium bitter finish. (3/5)
Light and bright, lively and easy-drinking, with a pleasant hop character. Its biggest drawback is probably the Lager-ish sweetness in the finish, preventing it from being really crisp. Other than that, if you have to drink a Lager, you might as well make it an IPL, right? (14/20)
Cabin Brewing Company / Wild Rose Brewery Runaway DIPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Oct-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 16-Oct-2019)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, bready caramel, citrus, floral, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)
Slightly muddy appearance, slightly muddled flavours. Despite the fairly big bitter, it’s a bit middle of the road in terms of flavour profile, with a fairly typical pine/caramel/citrus profile. The big beefy finish is probably its strongest point, with a well-balanced emphatic bitterness that’s probably in 80 IBU territory, combined with a pleasant warming. I could easily have gone lower on the overall score to the tune of half a point, or even a full point, but there’s nothing actually wrong with this – it’s just not breaking any new ground. It would be a great beer if it were ten years ago, but now it’s just another West Coast DIPA. (15/20)
Fernie Brewing Company Off Axis Double IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 30-Mar-2020, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 15-Oct-2019)
Appearance: bright clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, tropical fruit, lemon-lime, oats, resiny pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, off-dry medium bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)
Brewer’s notes say this is a DDH DIPA with Cascade, Galaxy, and Cashmere. Well, maybe. But if the aroma is anything to go by, it wasn’t a whole lot of any of them. I was hoping for a bright blast of hops, but it’s actually surprisingly mild, especially for a DIPA. The same could be said of the body, with carbonation verging on lively and only a mild warming. It’s drinkable, sure, but not very exciting. (14/20)
Central City Brewers + Distillers Red Racer Street Legal IPA – Non-Alcoholic Beer at 0.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$2.56 at Collective, 500 ml, packaged on 17-Jun-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 15-Oct-2019)
Appearance: bright clear pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, grainy malt, citrus, grass, hint of black tea. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)
Well, it’s not the best beer I’ve ever had. But it’s not the worst, either, not by a long shot. To be honest, in a blind tasting, it might have taken me a while to figure out this was non-alcoholic. I mean, yeah, it smells very mild,verging on boring, and yeah, the bitterness feels a bit sharp, tending astringent in the finish – but neither of those characteristics are outside the norm for “real” beers. I could actually choose to drink this – and, really, can you ask more than that? (Well… yes. Yes, you can. But you know what I mean.) (13/20)
Burdock Brewing July – Saison at 6.1% ABV (C$11.99 at Oak & Vine, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 14-Oct-2019)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready yeast, white grape, lightly funky wheat, faint black pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (3/5)
This one was initially dominated by an emphatic bready yeast reminiscent of low-quality home-brew. Although that settled down, there wasn’t a whole lot more going on behind it, except for a very mild lightly funky generalized fruit. A bit sweeter than I prefer, too. Overall, just meh. (13/20)
Hell’s Basement Brewing He Ain’t Hefe – Hefeweizen at 5% ABV (C$2.65 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-Sep-2019, reviewed 14-Oct-2019)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, sweet grainy wheat, light citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (3/5)
Well, despite the name, it’s Hefe-ish… sorta. The brewer claims Belgian yeast and Motueka hops, but neither of those really seem to be playing a major role here. As fas as I’m concerned, it’s banana and wheat, with a bit of citrus as an afterthought. Drinks easy, finishes OK. (14/20)
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Effortless IPA Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 16-Jul-2020, acquired 22-Sep-2019, reviewed 8-Oct-2019)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet grapefruit, caramel, floral, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)
You gotta think it’s a bad sign when the brewer’s web site is locked. The beer, though, is OK. Despite the almost candy-like grapefruit aroma, the sweetness on the tongue is restrained and it doesn’t end up sticky. It definitely drinks heavier than it is, though, and the aroma verges on one-dimensional. Personally, I prefer a SIPA to be a bit brighter on the nose and more attenuated on the tongue. Ultimately, though, it’s a lot like a Radler, so of course I’m going to give it a decent score. (14/20)
