Month: September 2020

Great Lakes Brewery Burst! – American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$4.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Aug-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 23-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose off-white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

A very nice example of the NE style, with juicy fruit dominating on a clean pale malt background, balanced bitterness on the tongue, and a clean finish that invites the next sip. It’s a particularly impressive flavour profile for such a low ABV beer, that never becomes thin or watery – though that might be because I drank it pretty quickly! In my experience, these guys don’t know how to make a bad beer, and this is a particularly nice one. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ravens Brewing Co. Spaced Out Strata Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.4% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Aug-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 22-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy off-white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice one, and probably the best I’ve had by them to date – though that’s only about half a dozen candidates, so we’re not really talking about a deep field here. I can’t find any confirmation that this is a single-hop, but the aroma profile is certainly consistent with what I’ve detected previously with Strata, which is definitely up there in terms of my favourite hops. This is a nicely balanced combination of tropical fruit, citrus, and light pine. I’d like to see more dank pine here, but as it is, it’s quite pleasant and flavourful for a light(er) Pale. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ravens Brewing Co. Voyagers – American IPA at 6.75% ABV | 65 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Aug-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 21-Sep-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank sweaty pine, grassy weeds, caramel, citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I would’ve expected a Nova Scotia brewer to use the more Francophone “Voyageurs” name, but perhaps that’s a little too New Brunswick? It’s sort of West Coast-ish, I suppose, but in a malty, sweaty kind of way. It’s not bad, but it’s not great, either. (14/20)

Edit: Yes, I know, I was getting my corvids confused. These guys are a BC brewery, while 2 Crows is NS – hard to get further distant while staying in the same country. Consider me suitably chastened.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company Y2Haze Raspberry IPA – American IPA at 5.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$3.92 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Aug-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 21-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy/dirty medium gold with two fingers of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: raspberry, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes give the malts as Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat, and Malted Wheat; hops are Bravo, Ella, and Simcoe. Unfortunately, all I’m really getting is the raspberry adjunct, at least on the nose. There’s a little hop bitterness on the tongue, but not a lot of the citrus I’d expect from Bravo, tropical fruit I’d expect from Ella, or pine I’d expect from Simcoe. It’s not bad, as such, and the raspberry at least doesn’t feel fake, but there’s not a lot else going on here. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Pink Popper – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 38 IBU (C$5.04 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Sep-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 20-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, green chiles, earthy vegetal. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter lingering spicy finish. (4/5)

I’m kind of relieved it’s not actually pink – not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with that, but for me it often feels a bit of a bridge too far regarding adjuncts when you end up with pink beer. I’m also relieved that they got the chile balance right on this one: despite the aroma being fairly emphatic (though to my gringo nose it’s as much green jalapeño, as Aji Amarillo / yellow Peruvian) the spice level is actually quite restrained, and it takes the full pint before it really takes hold. Any more would overwhelm the tropical fruit and base ale, and any less would be firmly in “what’s the point?” territory. It’s not their best, by any means, but it’s a solid effort and an interesting change from the typical. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. Powerhouse Pale Ale – English Pale Ale at 4.7% ABV | 22 IBU (C$3.10 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Jun-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 20-Sep-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate droopy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, caramel, grassy weeds. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

I haven’t had many English Pales for a while now, mostly because I tend to find them malty and, frankly, more than a little boring. This one, on the other hand, is malty, but not boring. And, not gonna lie, the label is badass. Better than I recall it being the last time I had it, a bomber in Fernie more than five years ago. Maybe this one is really exemplifying how the can might be a better package than the bottle? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Medicine Hat Brewing Co. Hoppy Hatter Hazy Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV | 47 IBU (C$4.14 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Sep-2020, acquired 17-Sep-2020, reviewed 18-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, resiny pine, pale crackery malt, grass & floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

Who the fuck tries to make a rabbit look like a badass? Rabbits are, at best, innocent little shits, and at worst, little arseholes who actively try to make you try to crash your car. Except I don’t brake for them – which puts them marginally above gophers, for whom I actually swerve and aim. (Not joking. I’ve owned horses. Gopher holes break horses’ legs. Anybody who has horses has to choose whom they like better: horses or gophers. #teamhorsesalltheway.) The beer, on the other hand, is actually pretty decent. Clean and pale, this is really pleasant and easy to drink. Despite the logo being a rodent whom I personally despise, I actually like this a whole lot. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Southern Star Dragon – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 6-Feb-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2020, reviewed 18-Sep-2020)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grass, citrus, pilsner malt, light pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

A fairly middle-of-the-road Dragon. I’ve not had Southern Star hops much, but I’ve yet to be impressed by them. I’m certainly not getting the big berry and citrus notes the brewer notes suggest, and really this just ends up smelling and tasting like a beefy Pils. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Zero Issue Brewing Elysium (Issue #28) – Hefeweizen at 5.1% ABV (C$4.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Sep-2020, reviewed 16-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, bready wheat, clove, light plastic bandaid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

There’s a slight phenol edge on the front end, but it fades relatively quickly, leaving a banana, bready, and spice note. Fairly easy-drinking, with balanced spice. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Marda Loop Brewing Co. Marda Station – American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 65 IBU (C$4.00 at Crowfoot Liquor Heritage Pointe, 473 ml, packaged on 5-May-2020, acquired 14-Sep-2020, reviewed 16-Sep-2020)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stewed fruits, caramel, doughy yeast, hint of pine and earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish sticky lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Muddled fruits on the front end and a slightly sticky lingering finish. It’s all right, but definitely more “old-fashioned” than “old school”, and not really very West Coast-ish at all. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com