Township 24 Brewery Left of the Lake Kveik – American IPA at 5.5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$3.99 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Jun-2020, acquired 29-Aug-2020, reviewed 31-Aug-2020)
Appearance: hazy straw with three fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coriander, barnyardy funk, citrus, bready malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild funky spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish spicy mildly funky finish. (3/5)
More like a Saison than an IPA (or a Pale, for that matter), with spice and funk notes as well as a slightly higher than normal sweetness profile. OK, but not one I’d make an effort to find. (13/20)
Marda Loop Brewing Co. Jenkins Grapefruit Ale – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.0% ABV (C$3.25 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Jun-2020, acquired 29-Aug-2020, reviewed 30-Aug-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, grapefruit, grassy weeds. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry clean finish. (4/5)
It’s a little bit one-dimensional, almost completely dominated by grapefruit. I’d like a little more ale character beyond the faint grassy weeds, but actually, it’s pretty clean and refreshing as-is. Not to mention, I’m always a sucker for a Radler, and this is pretty darned close to that. I don’t regret having made the on-the-fly decision to support local and go with the four pack. (15/20)
Howe Sound Brewing Super Jupiter Mango ISA – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$3.79 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-Aug-2020, reviewed 30-Aug-2020)
Appearance: hazy deep gold with three fat fingers of loose pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, mango and tropical fruits, bready malt, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
I dunno, maybe it’s just too long in the can (though I can’t know that, can I, without a date!) but it feels a bit faded and lacklustre. It’s not bad, I suppose, but on the other hand it’s not really much of anything at all. (13/20)
E9 Brewery 2+2=IPA – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2020, reviewed 27-Aug-2020)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, stone fruit, floral, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
I’m not thrilled by this one, but it’s a bit hard to put my finger on precisely why. I guess although it’s got all the elements, it’s a bit heavy and plodding, weighed down by a surprisingly emphatic bready caramel malt note. Not a swing and a miss, as such – I don’t think this brewery knows how to do that – but ultimately just not very exciting. (14/20)
Annex Ale Project Original Echoes – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Aug-2020, acquired 19-Aug-2020, reviewed 26-Aug-2020)
Appearance: near-opaque pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pine, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)
“Triple hopped with Cryo Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic”. I guess the use of “triple” as the number of hops isn’t necessarily wrong as such, but it’s definitely a different context than when the word “double” is used with “dry hopped”, since then it refers to the number of times hop additions occur. As long as we’re clear on that. But yeah, this is nice. All the characteristics you’d expect from three of my favourite hops, nicely balanced. I think this is another contender in the 9- or 10-way tie for first place as my best Annex product to date – and a whole lot better than their Echo Chamber, which is dead last. (And it’s not lost upon me they’ve previously used “echo” in their naming, so how is this “original”? But I’m inclined to forgive that, given how good this beer is.) (16/20)
2 Crows Brewing Dreamworld – Saison at 5.6% ABV | 14 IBU (C$5.89 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-Nov-2019, acquired 19-Aug-2020, reviewed 26-Aug-2020)
Appearance: near-opaque pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit, white grape must, melon, woody funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry mildly tart lightly funky finish. (4/5)
“Foedre-aged hoppy wild saison with spelt”. Yep, that’s pretty much it. There’s a distinct hop presence side-by-side with the vinous white grape notes – almost a blend of radler and white wine spritzer, with a little wild funk on top. I like it. (16/20)
S.Y.C. Brewing Co. Afternoon Hoot – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Aug-2020, acquired 19-Aug-2020, reviewed 25-Aug-2020)
Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, grass, caramel, herbal, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (3/5)
Not bad. On the up side, I particularly like how this is made with local malt and a wild local hop. I also like that there are fairly emphatic flavours despite the low ABV, and it never tends thin or watery. I’m not so thrilled with the actual flavours themselves, which verge on heavy and old-fashioned. The ultimate test for a Session Ale is, of course, whether you’d have another, and although I could, I probably wouldn’t. (14/20)
Collective Arts Brewing / Aslin Beer CompanyCollective Project/ IPA No. 12 – American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$4.77 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Dec-2020, acquired 24-Jan-2020, reviewed 27-Jan-2020)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, resiny pine, grass, pale malt, melon, hint of mint. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly spicy finish. (4/5)
“DIPA w/ Strata, Zappa & Comet” – yes, please. A rare-ish collaboration and I believe the first in the numbered series (I’ve never heard of Aslin Beer) and a new-to-me hop (which I automatically like, because, come on, Zappa). There’s a lot going on here, but it doesn’t come across as “busy” – more, “layered”. I like how they call this a “classic double IPA”: for most brewers that would mean a boring plodding caramel mess, but for them the only thing traditional about it is that it’s pretty nearly literally a double (yet it doesn’t drink that way, until the pint is gone and you wonder why your face feels flushed). It’s not really earth-shattering, I suppose, but it’s certainly able to hold its own as an excellent example of the style. The prior one in the series caused me to comment that I probably wouldn’t complain too bitterly if the numbered series were the only beers I were ever able to drink again, and this one isn’t about to make me change my mind. In fact, I hear the next in the series is already out, so I’ll need to get on that… strictly for research purposes, of course… (16/20)
The Growlery Beer Company Vega West Coast IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$4.27 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2020, reviewed 23-Aug-2020)
Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, caramel, citrus, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration lingering building bitter finish. (3/5)
Meh. It’s West Coast-ish, I suppose, but definitely malt-heavy. Old-style, but more “old-fashioned” than “old skool”. Pretty as all git-out, but other than that pretty unremarkable. (13/20)
Town Square Brewing Market Series IPA #003 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Aug-2020, reviewed 23-Aug-2020)
Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright, resiny pine, tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)
Hopped with Strata, formerly known as X-331 (which has marketing notes of “passion fruit + strawberry + grapefruit + wafting cannabis”). This is far better than #002, which was fine but nowhere near as good as #001, which I described as a reference for the WC style. I initially thought this one was maybe not quite as good as #001, but after much thought (though, unfortunately, only the one pint) I conclude it’s probably just as good, though not quite as dank and traditional WC. In fact, there might be an argument that, brighter and juicier as it is, it’s a bit of a modernization and spiritual successor to the WC lineage. Philosophical meanderings aside, I like this a lot. (16/20)
