Month: May 2020

2 Crows Brewing Merida – American IPA at 5.4% ABV | 31 IBU (C$5.80 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Apr-2020, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 26-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, tropical & stone fruit, citrus, caramel, hint of dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Mandarina Bavaria, Huell Melon, and Bru-1 – oh well, one outta three ain’t bad, right? I had high hopes here for one of my favourite NS breweries (next to unfucking filtered, of course, but it’s hard to get growler fills from Halifax) but using two frankly mediocre hops is a hard handicap to overcome. Don’t get me wrong, it’s OK, but it’s not bright and juicy. Though, now that I check my records, I see that the only IPA of theirs I rated higher than this one was Polyanna, at The Stubborn Goat, which I liked because of the wild yeast notes, so maybe bright and juicy IPA’s aren’t really their thing? Oh, well – it’ll do, I guess. But I expect a better effort next time! (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing / Dancing Gnome Brewery Trading Tales – India Pale Lager at 5.1% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Apr-2020, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 26-May-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and  wispy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, dank pine, hint of grass & floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

This one is hopped with Strata (formerly X-331) and Citra, and I was going to say I didn’t think I had had Strata before – until I realized that was the reason for the name of Phantom Beer’s Strata Conflict. I’m slow but I get there eventually, folks. There’s actually very little distinguishing this as a Lager here, with just a hint of the grassiness I usually associate with the style. This actually drinks very much like a West Coast-ish IPA, and yes, as far as I’m concerned, that’s all to the good. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Anyone Have Any Thoughts On What An Empty New Haven Train Car Means? – Pilsner at 5% ABV (C$6.16 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Feb-2020, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 25-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cereal grains, grass, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I have NO idea what the name of this means. Puzzling names aside, this is a decent-ish Pils, if not possessing of the brilliantly clear appearance and crackery malt I look for in the style. Good, but not top-notch as I expect for Evil Twin. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Troubled Monk Brewery Hip to be Square – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 25-May-2020)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, tropical fruit, grapefruit zest. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh. Pretty uninspiring. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery / Tamarack Brewing Company AlumnISA – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 38 IBU (C$3.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Apr-2020, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 25-May-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, tropical & stone fruit, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Slightly disappointing, especially by comparison to the even lighter Muskoka Born This Way I just had. Everything is just a little less in this one, from the less-than-impressive head development and retention, to the mild (but admittedly clean and pleasant) aroma, to the slightly lighter flavours. Inoffensive, certainly, and one that I’d be happy to drink while watching hockey (but to be honest, right about now I’d be happy to drink just about anything while watching hockey). (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Muskoka Brewery Born This Way Nano IPA – Session IPA at 3.8% ABV | 25 IBU (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 30-Aug-2020, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 25-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bright tropical & stone fruit, pale crackery malt, citrus, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty impressive flavour profile (and, actually, body) for such a small beer. It’s light, certainly, but actually doesn’t come across as a watered-down IPA. Hopped with Azacca, Mosaic, and Galaxy hops, and the flavour profile pretty much matches what you’d expect there. No qualifiers required here: it’s pleasant and refreshing, and I’d be more than happy to crush a whole lot of these on a sunny patio. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing Solo House Party! – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.54 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Apr-2020, acquired 14-May-2020, reviewed 24-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, stone & tropical fruit, crackery pale malt, herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I’m a bit amused by the way the label notes make drinking alone seem like something exceptional, considering the vast majority of my thousands of reviews have been authored while I drank alone. I generally like where this one is going with its dry citrusy Kveik notes, but in my opinion it’s just a little too attenuated, making for a slightly astringent finish. I guess the obvious solution there is, drink more – and it’s light enough that you can do that, especially if you’re already staying at home. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Red Hart Brewing Co. American Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 6.0% ABV | 30.1 IBU (C$4.59 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-May-2020, reviewed 24-May-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: earth, pine, caramel, citrus, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter earthy finish. (3/5)

Does… the red hart have Trump hair? Is that supposed to be a riff on it being an American Pale Ale? Anyway, the beer: the label says Azacca and El Dorado hops, but I’m really not getting any of the tropical fruit I’d expect from either of these, at least when they’re used in dry-hopping. Instead, I’m getting earth, pine, and leafy notes, along with a little citrus, and a caramel backbone. Ultimately, this comes across as a very traditional APA, in the sense of being a lot like an EPA except hopped with American hops (and traditional, noble-like hops, at that). There’s nothing really wrong here, but it’s old-fashioned to the point of boring, left behind as the state of the art moved on. (I love the hand-lettered flag on the label, though.) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Folding Mountain Brewing Sunwade Hazy IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$4.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-May-2020, acquired 14-May-2020, reviewed 23-May-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, pale crackery malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, dry bitter finish. (4/5)

I can’t say I’ve had a lot by these guys (I think this one might be number four) but in my experience they pretty consistently produce a quality product. I particularly like how this one leads with a dry resiny pine, backstopped with a grapefruit-like citrus, and carries through with a clean dry finish. Not a lot of elements here, but very well done. I could drink a lot of these. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Great Lakes BreweryMeanwhile… Down in Moxee – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 65 IBU (C$4.68 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-May-2020, reviewed 23-May-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with three fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, grapefruit, tropical & stone fruit, doughy caramel, melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration moderate lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I was initially a bit puzzled by the rating on the can here, because it really didn’t taste bitter enough to be 65 IBU, but it does eventually come through in the finish, where it lingers and builds. I don’t think it’s single-hopped, but the almost-eponymous El Dorado hops (Moxee is the home of El Dorado) do feature strongly. Well, sort of strongly: the aroma in general really isn’t strong, but what aroma there is, is dominated by El Dorado. Which isn’t a bad thing, by any means! It’s not really all that much an NEIPA, but it’s a decent IPA. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com