Month: September 2020

Collective Arts Brewing IPA No. 14 – American IPA at 7.1% ABV (C$5.67 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Aug-2020, acquired 3-Sep-2020, reviewed 5-Sep-2020)

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

Looks like they dropped the “Collective Project/” from the name – wonder why? Anyway, the can calls this a DDH DIPA, hopped with Citra, Motueka, and Idaho 7. Just by way of background, I just went back and checked my notes, and the only one in the entire series I’ve missed is number 2. Prior to this one, the lowest one I’d rated was number 1, with a “mere” 7.5, and there was a three-way tie, of 9, 5, and 4, at 8.5 – and I think this one comes right down the middle. I waffled a little on score, and might actually have scored it a little too high on appearance, and a little too low on aroma, but ultimately it’s neither radically different, nor clearly better or worse, than any previous attempts – the curse of competence, I suppose. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Good Mood Brewery Every Day IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$2.00 at Crowfoot Liquor Heritage Pointe, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 2-Sep-2020, reviewed 4-Sep-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with a massive rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, pine, grassy weeds. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering building bitter hop burn finish. (3/5)

I guess if you take it in the sense of “typical” or “unremarkable”, you could argue this really is an everyday IPA – as opposed to an IPA you’d want to have every day, if you see the distinction – although, that being said, the bitterness level is pretty emphatic so not really all that typical. It’s a weird combination of almost brutal bitter, yet not really all that interesting overall, probably mostly because the aroma is relatively mild and malt-forward. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Odin Brewing Company Sonic Sea Dragon – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$2.42 at Crowfoot Liquor Heritage Pointe, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 2-Sep-2020, reviewed 3-Sep-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a massive rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, floral, caramel, citrus, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration building bitter finish. (3/5)

Hey, Odin, sorry to point this out but Alley Kat beat you to it on the whole “dragon series” idea. This one’s OK, but not quite as good as Galactic Space Dragon, and definitely not as good as Super Galactic Space Dragon. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

3 Fonteinen Brouwerij Ambachtelijke Geuzestekerij Oude Kriek (17|18) – Kriek at 6.6% ABV (C$18.63 at Collective, 375 ml, packaged on 2-Aug-2018, best before 26-Oct-2038, acquired 22-Sep-2019, reviewed 2-Sep-2020)

Appearance: clear ruby red with a short, short-lived light purple head, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tart cherry, mild oak. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, minimal bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry tart finish. (5/5)

My review of a previous vintage included two relevant comments: “it’s not a Cantillon” and “almost actually worth the price tag”. Well, this one was ten bucks less than the previous, so that pretty much puts to rest the latter comment, and considering I was able to buy it 15 minutes from my house for about the price I’d pay for a Cantillon at Cantillon, the former comment probably carries a lot less weight. (Though, dammit, I’d love to go back to Cantillon. I miss travel. Fuck you, 2020, fuck you right in your stupid fucking face.) I particularly like how it’s tart without being aggressive or sour, fruity without being sweet. A world-class beer at a pretty reasonable price. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com