Strange Fellows Brewing Nocturnum Dark I.P.A. – Black IPA at 6.5% ABV | 65 IBU (C$4.54 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Oct-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 21-Dec-2020)
Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, bready yeast, light chocolate, earth, faint pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration moderate bitter finish. (3/5)
This isn’t anything like any Black IPA / CDA I’ve ever had before: it’s as light in aroma and flavour as it is in colour, with very little hop character. In fact, it’s dominated by bready yeast and roast chocolate malt, without a whole lot going on. (13/20)
Zero Issue Brewing IO Habañero Pineapple IPA (Issue #32) – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 20-Dec-2020)
Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of creamy pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy creamy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: green vegetal, citrus, caramel, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate spice, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, building bitter spicy lightly astringent finish. (3/5)
Not a lot of pineapple coming through here, but there’s a definite vegetal hot pepper note in both the aroma and on the tongue. On the up side, despite its definite presence, the peppery heat never actually becomes excessive. I’d like more fruit presence, but on the whole it’s decently well balanced. (14/20)
Brasserie Dunham Black IPA – Black IPA at 5.7% ABV (C$5.94 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Oct-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 18-Dec-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy deep brown with two fingers of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, pine, stone fruit, light citrus. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter ashy moderately astringent finish. (3/5)
A lot going on here, with big roasted malt notes bolstered by resiny pine, stone fruit and citrus. My only real complaint here is that the resiny pine is fine on the front end, but ends up being a bit astringent in the finish, especially in combination with the charred ashy notes. It might benefit by being a bit heavier in the body, but as it is it feels just a little thin and sharp. (16/20)
Bearded Iris Brewing Co. Another Suggestion – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$8.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Oct-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 17-Dec-2020)
Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fingers of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a persistent cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, stone fruit, grape, pale malt, resiny pine, mild green onion. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration warming slightly astringent finish. (3/5)
The label says “nelson, citra, motueka” – so for me that’s a, yes, yes, aaaaand oh my goodness yes. The emphatically juicy aroma is initially dominated by citrus and stone fruit, but as the pint progresses additional layers develop – for example, I initially described a “hint” of pine, but that really grows and develops its dankitude. My only significant objection here is that there is a bit of astringency in the finish. (16/20)
Winterlong Brewing Co. Pingo Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 17-Dec-2020)
Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel, hint of resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly peppery finish. (3/5)
Wasn’t there an arcade game by this name in therapy 80’s? No, wait, that was Pengo. I used to really like that game… Turns out Wikipedia says Pinga is the Inuit goddess of the hunt, fertility and medicine, which would seem to be a more naming likely source than a Sega arcade game. Anyway, right, beer. It’s OK. It might be a bit old (I can’t tell because there’s no packaging date) but maybe that’s why the citrus isn’t all that pronounced. There are no off flavours, but it’s just not very interesting. (14/20)
Craft Beer Commonwealth Landlock Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 16-Dec-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with two fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, resiny pine, pale crackery malt, hint of coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry short duration finish. (4/5)
An interesting idea: it’s brewed using ingredients grown within 10 km of Red Deer, including malt from Red Shed and hops from Hard Hels Hops (Triple Pearl, Idaho 7, Sabro, and Columbus) in collaboration with a whole pile of local breweries. And I’m of course a big fan of Blindman, so it’s hardly surprising that this is quite good: citrusy on the front end, with restrained sweetness and a dry clean finish. I look forward to seeing what else comes out of this collaborative effort, but as far as I’m concerned it’s already a success. (16/20)
Moody Ales Huge Citrus – American Pale Ale at 6.1% ABV | 35 IBU (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Aug-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 15-Dec-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a massive rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus juice and zest, pale crackery malt and cereal grains, tropical fruit, light funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)
Definitely not “Huge” Citrus – heck, it’s barely Large Citrus. Brewer’s notes indicate this is hopped with Cascade and Mosaic late in the brew, and again dry-hopped with the same. It’s also fermented with Sacc Trois yeast, keeping things dry and slightly funky. I’d like to see brighter citrus, but perhaps that’s at least partially due to it being a bit past its BB, at more than 3 months in the can. (15/20)
The Establishment Brewing Company Take Five – Belgian Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Dec-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 15-Dec-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, orange peel, Belgian esters, melon, white pepper, light plastic band-aid. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly spicy finish. (3/5)
Apparently hopped with Pacific Gem and Huell Melon. I’m definitely getting some melon notes, but not a lot of the ANZ-type notes. There’s a hint of not-entirely-welcome plastic band-aid in addition to the Belgian esters, but all in all it’s not badly balanced. (14/20)
Omen Brewing Ltd. Snowy Owl – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV(C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 14-Dec-2020)
Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, doughy cereal grains, citrus, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)
It’s hard to characterize this without sounding dismissive. By which I mean, it’s OK. It’s not great, but it’s definitely not bad. No off flavours, certainly, but it’s also slightly sweet for my preference, and the hop profile is pretty basic. (14/20)
Collective Arts Brewing IPA No. 15 – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV (C$5.89 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Nov-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 13-Dec-2020)
Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, mild pine, lactose, faint coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly warming boozy finish. (4/5)
Going into this, I understood it was supposedly a re-brew of No. 5, and I was of two minds about that concept. On the one hand, as a re-brew, it’s ground we’ve already covered. On the other hand, No. 5 tied with No. 4 and No. 9 as the best in the series in my opinion. (On yet another hand, if you’re going to be doing re-brews, how about re-doing the only two I’ve missed so far, No. 2 and No. 7?) For what it’s worth, though, I’m actually noticing some not insignificant variations between this one and the original. The original was at least two SRM darker, and quite particulate-laden, and I have no record of detecting the slight coconut I’m getting in this one. I’m also finding this one to be slightly boozy, which is hardly surprising for the ABV, but a departure from what I noted in the original. Finally, this one clearly has a lactose addition, and from what I can tell, No. 5 didn’t. All in all, this appears less a “re-brew”, and more a “re-imagining”, and I’d have to say not quite as good as the original despite being quite a bit fresher at the time of tasting. (16/20)
