Month: July 2020

Iron Rock Brewing Co. Overburden – Oatmeal Stout at 4.9% ABV | 32 IBU (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 31-Jul-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep cola red with one fat finger of rocky light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, minimal soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chocolate, red berries, roasty malts, oats. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium smooth slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Yep, that’s an Oatmeal Stout, all right. The initial aroma contains a fairly significant red berry character, and it tends slightly sweet on the tongue consistent with that. There’s some nice smoothness in the body, presumably courtesy of the oats, but I find the carbonation a touch high for the style. Also, though it’s fairly decent on the front end, it finishes just slightly astringent. All in all, an OK effort but nothing very memorable. Glad I’m getting to try some beers from The Big Land, though! (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

2 Crows Brewing Bedlam Bridge – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 68 IBU (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Apr-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 30-Jul-2020)

Appearance: slightly muddy opaque deep gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, short retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, pine, oats. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium smooth slightly creamy body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

No negatives at all here. Unfortunately, there are also not a lot of positives. Come right down to it, there’s just not a lot happening here: although it’s refreshing and easy to drink, the aroma and flavour are surprisingly mild. I guess it’s no mean feat that the high ABV drinks like water, but some character would be nice, y’know? I strongly suspect I’m being unfair here, and that age is the problem: at more than three months in the can, I think this poor thing went and faded away. I suspect that fresh, this would score at least one full point higher overall, if not more. Oh, well – best I can do is promise to try it again if the opportunity presents. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Church Brewing Co. Sanctuary Enkel – Patersbier / Singel / Enkel at 3.8% ABV | 17 IBU (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Feb-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 30-Jul-2020)

Appearance: clear straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and minimal spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, spice, lemon, honey, crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

They call this an Enkel, which should be essentially the same as a Patersbier, Singel, or Trappist Single, and a style I’ve had very infrequently. It’s got a bit of a mongrel character, with flashes of Pilsner, Belgian Table Beer, and other Trappist styles. Decent without being memorable, refreshing and crisp, but with a slightly unbalanced spiciness that lingers and grows a little. Good, not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Port Rexton Brewing Company All Together – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Jun-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 30-Jul-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, pine, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Port Rexton’s version of a worldwide collaboration hosted by Other Half in support of hospitality personnel. Not quite as good as the Town Square version, perhaps, but far, far better than Russell’s version. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trailway Brewing Co. Sultana’s of Swing – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 29-Jul-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of loose white head, short retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pineapple, stone fruit, mild dank resiny pine, hint of oats, light vegetal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Props for the Dire Straits reference (even if the citation isn’t anywhere near their best album or song – those would be Brothers in Arms and Love over Gold, respectively, and I’ll fight anyone who says differently) but you lose those points again for the improper punctuation: an apostrophe is used for contraction or possession, never pluralization. As far as the beer itself goes, it’s a bit rough around the edges and definitely not one of their best. This appears to be single-hopped with Sultana (a.k.a. X06277 a.k.a. Denali) and while I appreciate that in a “science project” kind of way, I’m not sure this hop has the breadth of character to pull it off. (Not to mention, I hate that name for a hop. Sultanas are raisins or grapes, FFS, and the hop has no such characteristics.) It’s not bad – and, after trying half a dozen of theirs now, I’m not sure they can do a bad beer – but it’s merely good, not great. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trailway Brewing Co. Golden Repair – American IPA at 6.6% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Jun-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 29-Jul-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of loose white head, short retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, citrus, oats. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, juicy moderately bitter finish. (4/5)

I generally appreciate the NEIPA/hazy/juice bomb style of IPA, but one thing that I really miss in that style is the Cascade/Centennial/Columbus sticky-icky good good green resiny dank – which for me is the quintessential “West Coast” character. This one has that in spades. I’m still getting a strong family resemblance to other bigger IPAs by the same brewery, especially the smooth creaminess of (I think) oats, but that’s fine by me: as far as I’m concerned you can keep the same malt bill and play with the hops all day long, and it’ll be a good long while before I get bored. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trailway Brewing Co. Dunder – Session IPA at 4.8% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 28-Jul-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of loose white head, short retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pineapple, citrus, oats, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, juicy moderately bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Impressive intensity of aroma and flavour for such a low ABV beer, but the malt bill seems to be just a bit too light to support it, leading to a little astringency in the finish. It’s good, just a little unbalanced. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trailway Brewing Co. Ooz – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Jun-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 27-Jul-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, coconut, vanilla, oats, dank pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, juicy moderately bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

OK, I’m seeing a strong family resemblance here – which is perfectly fine, especially when they’re this good. However, being the geek I am, I’d love to see some brewer notes on these things. For example, I strongly suspect this one has a very similar malt bill to Sensible Nonsense, but a different hop profile – specifically a heavy Sabro component, given the coconut presence. I do love me some Sabro, though, so I’m going to go ahead and give this another excellent score. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trailway Brewing Co. Sensible Nonsense – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 13-May-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 27-Jul-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, short retention and moderate chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, dank pine, oats. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, juicy moderately bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Pretty similar in appearance to the single IPA I just had, but with less well-developed head, retention, and lacing. Also pretty similar in aroma and taste, but with an added hint of dank pine. The higher ABV is not really emphasized, but is definitely present as a mild warming in the finish, reminding you that this one is not to be taken lightly. I really like the added pine note here, which pushes it to a slightly higher score in my opinion. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trailway Brewing Co. Good Weather – American IPA at 6% ABV (Trade – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Jun-2020, acquired 28-Jul-2020, reviewed 27-Jul-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, oats. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, juicy moderately bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s a hell of an opening salvo across the bow as my first exposure to this brewery. (Well, almost – I had their Across the Nation Collaboration with Central City, and if I recall correctly that one was the best out of the entire dozen case.) It’s a fairly standard approach to a modern (read: juice bomb) AIPA, but very well done, in particular with a pleasantly emphatic bitter finish that’s a little more than is typical for the style. I think the addition of oats works well in this context, providing a smooth body that contributes to the overall juice bomb character. It’s definitely world-class and I’m now eager to try some of the beefier offerings. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com