Month: October 2020

Vancouver Island Brewing Misthorn Aurora IPA – American IPA at 6.9% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Aug-2020, acquired 25-Sep-2020, reviewed 5-Oct-2020)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of fluffy amber head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet orange, light cinnamon. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not sure I’d call this an IPA, if I’m honest – it’s almost a Winter Ale, with sweet orange and spice reminiscent of mulling. It’s not exactly seasonal yet, either – I played hooky all afternoon to go for a 3 hour drive with the convertible top down, and am actually a little sunburnt right now! But, even if it were seasonally-appropriate, it’s not much in the way of an IPA. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Analog Brewing Castleva-NEIPA – American IPA at 5.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Sep-2020, reviewed 5-Oct-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: melon, pine, orange, pale malt, vanilla. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Lotus, Galaxy, Azacca, El Dorado. Not great: odd aroma on the front end, thinnish and tending watery, with an astringent finish. I get that it’s showcasing a new hop, so we need to be careful about it not conforming to expectations, but this isn’t just unexpected, but unimpressive too. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Canmore Brewing Company Sulphur Mountain Session Ale – Session IPA at 4% ABV | 35 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Jul-2020, acquired 25-Sep-2020, reviewed 2-Oct-2020)

Appearance: clear slightly brown-tinged pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, citrus, biscuity malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Smells like a Pils. Tastes like… a Pils. Bit disappointing. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rainhard Brewing Daywalker – Session IPA at 3.9% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Aug-2020, acquired 25-Sep-2020, reviewed 2-Oct-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a persistent cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pale crackery malt, tropical fruit, grass/floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I was initially pretty optimistic about this one, based on the aroma, but it eventually became apparent that the malt bill here is just too light to support the overall structure. It ends up falling off just a bit thin and watery, and finishing just a little astringent. It’s not bad, and actually smells pretty darned good, but overall it needs to be tweaked. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Category 12 Brewing Juicy Data – American IPA at 6.1% ABV | 31 IBU (C$5.04 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Jul-2020, acquired 25-Sep-2020, reviewed 1-Oct-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, bready malt, grassy weeds, earthy funk, slight cattiness. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

I waffled a bit on my scoring here because the cattiness (OK, fine, pissiness) certainly grows as the pint warms – I can’t find any indication of what 4 hops they’re using, but I’m guessing at least one of them has to be Simcoe. Despite that, I don’t really find it objectionable, but I could see that some might. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com