Month: April 2020

Annex Ale Project / 2 Crows Brewing Bad Boy’s Club – Saison at 8.2% ABV (C$20.80 at Collective, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 18-Apr-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, apples, woody oak, light barnyard funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate funky tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Not a lot of Brett character here, making me wonder if I should have let it age a few months (years?) to let the Brett really dig in. Not a lot to really distinguish this at this point, except for the mixed blessing of the ABV: it’s much higher than I normally like to see for this style, and as a result really isn’t all that refreshing (a core characteristic) but on the other hand it’s pretty well integrated and unobtrusive. All in all, a decent enough beer, but if you consider the price it’s really not worth it. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Chocolate Stout Nitro – American Stout at 5.8% ABV | 69 IBU (C$5.26 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Feb-2020, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 17-Apr-2020)

Appearance: near opaque black with the merest hints of brown around the margins, one fat finger of dense light brown head, excellent retention and minimal spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, roasty malt, mild coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

No real surprises here: it smells and tastes pretty much exactly like the non-nitro version, but with the additional creaminess you’d expect from a nitro widget. Maybe just slightly muted aroma by comparison to the non-nitro version? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Piston Broke Brewing SMKSTCK – Black IPA at 6.5% ABV | 71 IBU (C$3.25 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 17-Apr-2020)

Appearance: nearly opaque clear ruby brown with two fingers of rocky beige head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, resiny pine, citrus, ash. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter slightly smoky finish. (4/5)

Nice balance of roasty malt and resiny pine makes this a nice example of the CDA style. It does end up slightly aggressive in the finish, with resiny hops and smoky malts battling it out to the end, but still balanced. I like it. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Piston Broke Brewing PARTS – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.25 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 17-Apr-2020)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, grass, light citrus and fruits. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

I love the design motif they’ve gone with here, reminiscent of old licence plates – and the beer itself is pretty as well. I was initially a little put off by the aroma, which is malt emphatic if not utterly dominated, but aside from being slightly old-fashioned it’s actually not bad. It tastes a bit better again, with a nice balance of malt and mellow bitterness. All in all, it’s a pleasant example of a classic style. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whistler Brewing Co. Mighty 90 – American Pale Ale at 4% ABV | 43 IBU (C$2.85 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 16-Apr-2020)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: malty caramel, light buttery diacetyl. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body falling off thin, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration slightly metallic finish. (2/5)

Meh. It’s not terrible. For a low-cal beer. But that’s about it. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brauerei Fahr Hoppy Hefe – Hefeweizen at 5.3% ABV (C$3.06 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 16-Apr-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, bubblegum, citrus, wheat. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly tart finish. (4/5)

Pretty traditional Hefe. I’m not really surprised that the hopping is relatively mild, because Fahr is always emphatically traditional – his Fahr Out Pilsner, for example, really isn’t far out. But, as I’ve noted before, I’m probably not sophisticated enough to really appreciate the finer points of traditional styles. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Co. Okami Kasu – Specialty Grain at 5% ABV (C$3.25 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 27-Mar-2020, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 16-Apr-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: rice, bread dough, very light plastic band-aid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Easy-drinking but not very interesting – like a fairly typical Japanese rice lager. Can’t say I got a lot of the sake notes promised by the label. I’m sure it would be fine as an accompaniment to food, but on its own it’s pretty boring. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Town Square Brewing I/O – American Pale Ale at 5.7% ABV (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Mar-2020, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 15-Apr-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pithy citrus, stone fruit, pale malt, floral, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but tends a bit thin, particularly in the finish. There’s some ANZ hop character there, but not a lot. Not as good as their Cornerstone or Megawatt, in my opinion. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Port Brewing Co. Wipeout IPA – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$11.33 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 15-Apr-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus pith and zest, resiny pine, bready malt, stone fruit, tropical fruit, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

Fairly classic West Coast IPA. I’ve been known to accuse examples of this style of being old-fashioned, but this one manages to come across as solidly classic instead of boring. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Postmark Brewing Mountain Haze IPA Batch N. 18 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Mar-2020, acquired 15-Apr-2020, reviewed 15-Apr-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, resiny pine, pale biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration lingering mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Very nice. A decent hit of West Coast influenced hops, dominated by citrus but with some rainy pine on the back end, but restrained (though growing) bitterness. Easy to drink and nicely refreshing. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com