Month: December 2019

S.Y.C. Brewing Co Curiosity Killed the Cat – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$4.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-Nov-2019, acquired 29-Nov-2019, reviewed 11-Dec-2019)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, melon, caramel, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: off-dry medium body, moderate carbonation, building and lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

The brewer notes aren’t very specific about the hop choice here, saying only it’s an “extraordinary application of choice new-age hop varieties”. I’m guessing ANZAC hops, but in any case, good choice. Bold flavour and very easy-drinking for the beefy ABV. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Crazy Mountain Brewing Company Crazy Mountain Amber Ale – Amber Ale at 5.25% ABV | 25 IBU (2019 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #10, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-Nov-2019, reviewed 10-Dec-2019)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of dense pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready caramel, floral, citrus, earthy pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild peppery spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

It’s an Amber. Whee. The brewer says “We load this beer with a ridiculous and obscene amount of West Coast hops that are added late in the boil, resulting in a hoppy beer without any bitterness.” Uhhh… no. Well, I mean maybe you do, but it doesn’t result in that. It results in an Amber. Malt dominant, with some floral hops, and some other hop character as a bit of an afterthought. Again I say, whee. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Marda Loop Brewing Co. Passchendaele Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV | 42 IBU (C$3.78 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-Nov-2019, reviewed 10-Dec-2019)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thick persistent cap, moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, citrus, tropical fruit, earthy pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: off-dry medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (3/5)

Without naming names, I’ve had experience another brewer with a military connection (and a similarly named beer) whose patriotism, to be polite, vastly exceeded their brewing ability. I suppose that could also be the case here, but at the very least it would speak somewhat better of their patriotism. This one’s OK, with no real flaws (other than the gusher upon cracking the can) but no real high points either. Definitely more an APA than EPA, but with hints of the latter, and lacking any bright character of the former. Decently punchy bitter on the tongue is probably the high point for this one. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tiny Rebel Brewing Paper Planes – Belgian IPA at 7.4% ABV (2019 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #9, 330 ml, best before 22-Jul-2020, acquired 22-Nov-2019, reviewed 9-Dec-2019)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with three fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dry hay, orange zest, Belgian yeast, white pepper, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter spicy finish. (3/5)

This one is described as a mashup of Belgian and West Coast IPAs. By a Welsh brewery. As part of an Advent collection. Sure, why should anything make sense? More Belg-ish than West Coast in my opinion, with hay and Belgian esters dominating over citrus and resiny pine. OK, but it’s not getting me excited. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company / Bale Breaker Brewing Company By the Numbers – American IPA at 7.1% ABV | 60 IBU (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Nov-2019, acquired 29-Nov-2019, reviewed 9-Dec-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruits, resiny pine, citrus, caramel, earth. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: off-dry medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

In the past year, I’ve watched Cabin get better and better, both alone and in collaboration, and this is no exception. This one is brewed with experimental hops HBC 630 & 692 courtesy of Bale Breaker, in addition to Amarillo, Comet, Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic. It would be nice to know what percentages of each we’re dealing with here, but overall the balance is much what I would have expected, with a lot of fruit, pine, and citrus on a clean caramel background. There’s not much I’d change here: perhaps a hint more dank resin and bright citrus on the nose, and slightly less lingering bitterness in the finish, which ends up having just a bit of an edge, but these are minor quibbles when you recall they’re only a year old. Throughly enjoyable. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewhouse Karbo Blanka – Witbier at 6% ABV | 24 IBU (2019 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #8, 330 ml, best before 17-Jun-2022, acquired 22-Nov-2019, reviewed 8-Dec-2019)

Appearance: muddy opaque medium gold with one fat finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (2/5) Aroma: wheat, orange peel, floral, spices. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, moderate-low tart, mild peppery spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration lightly tart and spicy finish. (3/5)

A muddy unclean appearance is mirrored by the mishmash of floral and spice notes on the nose. Nothing very interesting or exciting going on here. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Valduc-Thor Valduc Thor – Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.5% ABV (2019 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #7, 330 ml, best before 21-Feb-2021, acquired 22-Nov-2019, reviewed 7-Dec-2019)

Appearance: hazy reddish amber-brown with two fat fingers of fluffy light beige head, excellent retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: peat, bready yeast, chocolate, dark fruit, burnt sugar. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

The near-on gusher upon decapping might catch those less experienced by surprise, but this ain’t my first rodeo so it all made it into my glass with nary a drop spilt. A Rauch-like smoke plays heavily, with strong peaty malt dominating, especially upon warming. Not necessarily a negative – I quite like Rauches – but this is quite a bit different than most BSDA’s. On the other hand, it drinks very easily for a relatively high ABV. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Liquid Gold – Belgian Pale Ale at 6.5% ABV | 15 IBU (2019 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #6, 355 ml, packaged on 9-Jul-2019, acquired 22-Nov-2019, reviewed 6-Dec-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pillowy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready cereal grains, citrus, white pepper, coriander, hint of apple & banana. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

My feeling is this would be better with a bit less spice. Initially it’s not all that overwhelming, but it grows until it tends to dominate, particularly as the pint warms. Needing to drink it fast so it doesn’t warm is a characteristic of crappy American beers, not good Belgian ones, so that’s a definite strike right there. It’s not terrible by any means, and I quite like the dry, slightly effervescent finish, but that unbalanced spice gets in the way of rating this higher. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belgian Original Maltbakery & Brewery Triporteur From Hell – Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 6.6% ABV (2019 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #5, 330 ml, best before 16-Apr-2021, acquired 22-Nov-2019, reviewed 5-Dec-2019)

Appearance: deep near-opaque cola red with a massive rocky beige head, excellent retention and  moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, liquorice, toasted bread, light nuts, hint of dark fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sticky mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

The label says this is a “Dubbel Porter” so I assume that means it’s supposed to be a hybrid of those two styles? The closest standard style I could compare it to is a BSDA, though it’s not all that strong. Similar to a chocolate Porter, but much lighter in the body and livelier in carbonation than that would imply. I’m a bit surprised at how high the score ended up here, but really there’s not much to complain about. Ultimately it’s not very complex, but it sure is smooth and easy to drink, and certainly seasonal. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Travois Ale Works IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$2.92 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 12-Nov-2019, acquired 29-Nov-2019, reviewed 5-Dec-2019)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruits, citrus, pine, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

Yet another new-to-me local(ish) brewery, this time out of Medicine Hat (home of Hell’s Basement Brewing, who’ve been getting better after a shaky start with me). These guys, though, pretty much hit the ground running. Label notes say Northwest hops on Canadian and English malt, and that’s pretty much what I’m getting. This doesn’t particularly stand out in an extremely crowded field, but it’s certainly a solid example that compares favourably to most. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com