Month: November 2020

The Establishment Brewing Company Strange Powers – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Nov-2020, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 30-Nov-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, green onion, caramel, oats, tropical fruit, earth. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

The Imperial NEIPA is a bit of a tricky beast, in that you need to try and balance juiciness and reduced bitterness with emphatic ABV. This… well, to be honest, doesn’t completely succeed in that regard. For example, there’s a pronounced green onion / catty note (Simcoe, perhaps? The brewer notes don’t specify the hops, other than “Yes.” – helpful, that.) that isn’t necessarily out of place in a DIPA, but might not be completely appropriate to the NEIPA style. I like it a lot, but it’s very much a personal preference with which others might not agree. Powerful, absolutely, and yeah, maybe a little strange. So what? Go get it. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boréale (Les Brasseurs du Nord) Pale Ale des Bois – American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV | 38 IBU (C$5.40 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 31-Jan-2021, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 30-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, cereal grains, grass, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry lingering  bitter finish. (3/5)

“Boring” might be a tad harsh to describe this, but “unremarkable” might well be appropriate, or perhaps “middle of the road” is nearer the mark. it starts off a little more promising, perhaps, with a pleasant citrus somewhat dominant over cereal grain, but it doesn’t take long before an herbal grassy note moves to the forefront. It’s not exactly downhill from there, but it is a trip down the middle of the road. Ultimately, it’s OK, and inoffensive, but that’s it. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Royal Fresh – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 70 IBU (C$4.81 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 27-Oct-2020, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 29-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, oranges, white grape, caramel, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes indicated hopped with Cascade, Citra, Mosaic, Centennial, Amarillo, El Dorado, and Cashmere – so, basically, throw everything at the wall and see what sticks? Not surprisingly, it’s a lot like Fresh-Squeezed, and nothing like Chasin’ Freshies or Fresh Haze. More to the point, this is a real pint: a true UK pint, with an emphatic ABV. The big drawback is the sweetness level, as both the aroma and flavour are slightly too high for my preference. Good, and definitely solid, but not great. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery The Mutants Are Revolting – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 38 IBU (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 28-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruits, citrus, light pine, pale crackery malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, moderate tart and bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say hopped with Cascade, Idaho-7, Sabro, and Saaz, dry-hopped with Sabro, Idaho-7, and Ekuanot. Nice Session with impressive flavour for such a low ABV, and doesn’t feel watered-down. The mutants might be revolting, but the beer isn’t. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing My Own Summer Passionfruit IPA – American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 50 [?] IBU (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 27-Nov-2020)

Appearance: opaque medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: passionfruit & tropical fruits, citrus, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, moderate tart and bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m not able to find any proper brewer’s notes, but secondary sources indicate it to be Haze Lord wort using Sach Trois yeast and dry-hopped with Citra, Azacca and El Dorado. And yeah, I get some of that. But mostly what I get, is a passionfruit in the face at high velocity. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I suppose, but it’s a little bit of a one-trick pony. And subtle, it isn’t. Nor is it particularly refreshing. But, it is a bit of fun. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Milkshake IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 21-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 25-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a massive loose pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet lactose, vanilla, oranges, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter mildly tart finish. (4/5)

I know that Milkshake IPAs take their flavour from lactose addition, and there’s no reason for them to be opaque, but I always find it viscerally odd when examples of the style are clear or nearly so. That’s not a criticism of this one by any means, because it’s probably among the best examples of the style I’ve had, with maybe three or four ranked higher and a small handful at the same score. I find the trick with this style to be balancing the sweet lactose with a reasonable level of bitterness so that the final product doesn’t end up cloying. This pushes up to the line, and certainly has an emphatic sweetness on the nose, but is rescued by a balanced hop bitterness that’s almost spicy in the finish. It’s not exactly clean or refreshing, but it is fun. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Hop Orange – American IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 12-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 24-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange juice, caramel, sweaty stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, moderate bitter mildly tart finish. (4/5)

My immediate question was, why is this cheaper than their SIPA? But, maybe to be perceived as being a bit harsh, it’s actually not as good, so maybe that’s merited. I’m a bit surprised, actually, in that the flavour here is a bit muddled, and nowhere near as bright or clean as the SIPA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Session Fruit Punch IPA – Session IPA at 4.4% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.75 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 11-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 24-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy pineapple, grapefruit, pale crackery malt, stone fruit, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration lightly tart finish. (4/5)

My first from this Quebec brewer, and I’m fairly impressed. Lots of adjunct fruit flavour, of course, but it blends well with the underlying hop character, and is well supported by a clean malt base. The fruit is flavourful without being excessively sweet, and despite the light malt bill expected for such a low ABV, the body never comes across as excessively thin. Light, bright, and refreshing. Wait, there’s a DIPA version of this? I need it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Co. Melody West Coast IPA (Release 05) – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$3.45 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Nov-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 22-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with short, short-lived loose pale ivory head, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, grapefruit, caramel & toffee, stone fruit, light melon. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes indicate Simcoe and Amarillo hops. I’d prefer a bit brighter and lighter, but it’s a solid classic WCIPA, cleanly implemented. Better than their NEIPA, and probably my high water mark from this brewer so far. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

4th Meridian Brewing Co. Pig Launcher – American Pale Ale at 6.1% ABV (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 21-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with short, short-lived loose ivory head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, grassy weeds, hint of citrus & stone fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Right off the hop, this isn’t even close to being an APA or AIPA: it’s completely English, malt-dominant with very little hop character. Definitely not doing it for me, but not even a particularly good example of an EIPA. Meh-tastic. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com