Month: August 2020

Great Lakes Brewery HazeMama – American IPA at 7% ABV | 35 IBU (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Jun-2020, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 15-Aug-2020)

Appearance: opaque deep gold with two fingers of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, bready malt, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Solid hazy IPA with a smooth, slightly sweet milkshake-like body. I might be a bit enthusiastic on the scoring here, because it actually ends up a little thick and sweet, but, it’s been a rough day so let’s just go with it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company The Optimist – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV | 60 IBU (C$8.05 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Jun-2020, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 14-Aug-2020)

Appearance: opaque deep gold with two fingers of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vinous white grape, citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Definitely different, but not in a bad way. Largely dominated by a not-entirely-out-of-place vinous white grape without losing malt and hops character, making this a lot like some of the beer-wine hybrids out there. Reasonably smooth and easy to drink for the relatively high ABV. The only reason I might decline a second one is that it does tend a little on the sweet side. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Valley Brewing, Inc. Virtue Juicy Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Jun-2020, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 14-Aug-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, stone fruit, pale malt, tropical fruit, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite pleasant: bright juiciness and mild bitterness make this very refreshing and easy to drink. Sort of similar to their Namesake, but not quite as bombastic and emphatic. To be honest, I’d crush Namesake on a patio any time, but I can see this one’s lighter character being appealing under some circumstances. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Dilettante – Session IPA at 3.5% ABV (C$5.98 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-May-2020, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 14-Aug-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, herbal, pale malt, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m generally a big fan of Dunham, so maybe I had unrealistically high expectations here, but at the end of the day this is not a particularly stellar example of the style. The aroma, what there is of it, is fine, but could stand to be brighter, and the flavours in general are mild. The body is light, if not actually watery, and the mild bitter finish is almost, but not quite, lightly astringent. Good, I suppose, but definitely not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Analog Brewing Ready Paler Two – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 13-Aug-2020)

Appearance: clear brown-tinged pale gold with two fingers of loose white head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pale malt, oats, grassy weeds, cardboard. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Not as good as Ready Paler One, and in fact that slight tea coloration and hint of cardboard makes me think it’s oxidized. But, no package date, so who know? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Soul Squeeze – Session IPA at 4% ABV (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 13-Aug-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, light citrus, pale malts, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Pleasant enough, but mild almost to the point of forgettable. Not the most egregious example of the style – it’s not watery or astringent, for example – but not as flavourful as some. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. SMaSH Session – Session IPA at 3.9% ABV | 20 IBU (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Jun-2020, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 13-Aug-2020)

Appearance: bright clear pale straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, bready honey, fruit, grass, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body tending thin and watery, moderate-lively carbonation, crisp slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I always enjoy trying SMaSH efforts, since going with a single malt and a single hop generally allows for a very focussed exploration of their particular characteristics (in this case, 2-row barley and Simcoe) without added elements confusing things. This one, though, is so very light that it falls into the trap of tasting watered-down, in particular the thin finish leading to a slight astringency. In fact, even though it’s an ale, it comes across as a macro “lite” lager. I mean, yeah, there’s none of the negatives you can sometimes get with Simcoe, and at this ABV you could literally drink these things all day long (and maybe that’s the answer to the less-than-impressive finish: don’t stop?) but it really isn’t very interesting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tailgunner Brewing Company Red Magil Pilot – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Jul-2020, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 12-Aug-2020)

Appearance: opaque muddy deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (2/5) Aroma: caramel, citrus, coffee, earth. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Bit of a train wreck. I don’t think it can be oxidized, since the can had good pressure and it’s only month old, but it may well be infected. Regardless, the muddy dirty appearance leads the way to a muddy, earthy aroma, accompanied by a distinct coffee note. I’d try this again if I saw it on tap and could see that it was completely different in appearance, but otherwise I’d have to say don’t bother, nearing sink pour territory. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Howe Sound Brewing Hopraiser – American IPA at 6.0% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.60 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 12-Aug-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of dense pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Solid West Coast-style IPA, albeit a little old-fashioned: the malty caramel isn’t dominant, but it’s at the forefront, and the citrus is definitely bringing up the rear. I’d like to see a bunch of little tweaks: if it were brighter, dryer, crisper, and some hop-derived tropical fruit notes, you’d really have something. That, and with a bit more sticky-icky in the pine notes. Yes, I know that sounds like I’m criticizing everything, but that’s really not my intent – it’s quite pleasant as-is, but definitely has room for improvement. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Annihilation of the Wicked – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7% ABV | 80 IBU (C$4.63 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Aug-2020, reviewed 11-Aug-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus and nonspecific fruits, caramel, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Given the beefy ABV and the high IBUs, I’m pretty sure this is more than capable of annihilating the wicked and the just equally well. I’m a little disappointed in the aroma and taste, though – it’s not quite as bright and juicy as I’d like to see, and the malt, though not dominant, gives the hops a run for their money.  (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com