Month: January 2021

4th Meridian Brewing Co. Sparky IPA – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$4.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 31-Jan-2021)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, citrus, vanilla, earth, butter, faint pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration lingering building bitter finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes claim this is hopped with Mosaic, Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial. Mind you, they also claim that it’s an American IPA. As far as I can tell, few or none of those statements are true – or, at least, none are apparent. The aroma is dominated by caramel, with muddled notes of citrus, diacetyl, and earthy pine. If one were feeling generous, one could say it’s more English-style than American, but bottom line, it’s a bit of a mess. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Two Evil (Two Roads Brewing / Evil Twin Brewing) 13 Months of Sun – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$6.61 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Oct-2020, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 30-Jan-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, stone fruit, citrus, pale crackery malt, resiny pine, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration earthy spicy finish. (4/5)

In the doldrums of surviving a pandemic in the depths of a Canadian winter, any months of sun is starting to sound pretty good. This one claims to be uniquely Ethiopian, brewed as it is with coffee and teff (a ancient grain). Not only is is a collaboration between Two Roads and Evil Twin, they also involved Omnipollo, so heavyweight names indeed! All that aside, is it any good? Well, yeah, actually, it is. It’s a little different, for sure, and you need to get past that, but once you do, it’s actually solid. In particular, I found the coffee to be omnipresent, but neither aggressive nor overwhelming. I kept waiting for it to turn astringent, but it never did. Layers of complexity continue to develop as it warms, and the coffee and earthy rye-like grain work well with the mild resiny pine, particularly in the finish, turning reminiscent of a Black IPA or CDA. Ultimately, it’s sufficiently different to be worth a try, but also actually pretty good. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company Australians in Idaho – American IPA at 5.5% ABV | 36 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Dec-2020, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 28-Jan-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, melon, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is brewed with both flaked and malted wheat, and dry-hopped with Vic Secret, Ella, and Idaho 7 (thus the name). I waffled a bit on scoring, but ultimately decided that both aroma and taste are either strong 7’s or soft 8’s. For example, the aroma started off pretty decent, but faded quickly and could have been more emphatic even at the outset. Similarly, the initial flavour on the tongue is decent, but here’s a very slight astringency in the finish that isn’t entirely welcome. Pleasant, but not quite there. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Strathcona Beer Company Beautiful Mosaic Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 28-Jan-2021)

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

Well, I dunno about  “beautiful”, but it’s pretty. Definite Mosaic character shines through with tropical fruit and citrus leading the way. It’s not earth-shattering, but there are certainly no negatives. Straightforward and well-made. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Double Fruit Punch – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 100 IBU (C$6.30 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Nov-2020, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 24-Jan-2021)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, zesty citrus, resiny pine, pale crackery malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, low tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Lovely juicy bright aroma comprised of tropical fruit (pineapple) combined with zesty citrus and resiny pine, on a clean pale malt. The taste follows suit and is prettygood, if not quite up to the level of the aroma. In the finish, the sweetness is restrained, and it drinks far less bitter than the huge IBU would suggest. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King Apricot – Sour / Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$12.85 at Collective, 500 ml, packaged on 29-Oct-2020, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 22-Jan-2021)

Appearance: opaque medium gold with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, minimal spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: jammy apricot, tart stone fruit, lemon zest, resiny pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration medium tart finish. (4/5)

One thing (maybe the only thing?) I miss about my transcontinental commute was that flying between Alberta and Newfoundland every couple of weeks gave me the opportunity to drop into Bellwoods a few times a year. On the other hand, these might be twice the price they are at the brewery, but that’s still a lot less pricey than a plane ticket (and a two week quarantine!). For this variant, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison with the original base brew. Both are dry-hopped Citra, Amarillo, and Cascade, but this variant includes apricot purée. The other two variants I’ve had were Plum, which I felt was a bit overwhelming compared to the original, and Guava, which I actually liked just a hair better than the original. This one is a lot more like the Guava than the Plum: that is, the fruit itself has a character that is similar to the base brew, and so augments without dominating. I don’t generally get a lot of funk from these, but during this side-by-side it’s definitely present in the base version, and notable in its absence from the variant. That just reminds me how much I like Bellwoods funk, so I’m a little on the fence as to which I prefer. Luckily, I have both, so don’t have to choose! (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing 2020 Recap – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$8.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 21-Jan-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose white head, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, coconut, pale malt, tropical fruit. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (3/5)

A truly ridiculous name for a beer, given how much better it is than the year for which it’s named. I assume Cashmere or Sabro feature here, but can’t find any brewer notes, so can’t be sure. It smells excellent, tastes not quite as good, and finishes just a touch watery and astringent. You could go a little higher or a little lower on scoring here, but I enjoyed it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing We Named This Beer X Æ A-XII – American IPA at 8% ABV (C$10.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 20-Jan-2021)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, coconut, caramel, citrus, herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter gently warming finish. (4/5)

Almost definitely not worth the price tag, but that’s pretty much par for the course with Jeppe (or, for that matter, the other twin, Mikkel). And, as usual, I’m just going to ignore the stupid name, since it doesn’t mean a damn thing. Looks a bit murky and unimpressive, but definitely smells and tastes a whole lot better. The aroma is dominated by tropical fruit and coconut on an almost toasty or toffee-like caramel malt base, with other hop notes emerging as the pint warms and progresses. (I immediately assumed Cashmere or Sabro featured prominently in here, and sure enough, checking the label I see Citra, Sabro, Wakatu, and Motueka.) Despite its  thick, nectar-like appearance, the sweetness is decently restrained, and the bitterness is almost mild. Pleasant and easy to drink despite the high alcohol content. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 45 IBU (C$5.71 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 2-Dec-2020, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 19-Jan-2021)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bright citrus, tropical fruit, dank pine, biscuity malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Probably one of the biggest brewers that I still consider “craft-y” and hasn’t made its way onto my boycott list. (Yes, I have an actual boycott list. Don’t you? You get on it by being owned by rapacious global corporate assholes, a supporter of that orange shit stain whose name I refuse to utter, or both.) Nothing little about this thing (that’s what she said last night!), packaged as it is as a full “real” pint, and right from the outset, upon cracking the can, it was clear this was gonna be a good one. Bright citrus and tropical fruit leads the way over a slightly old school starts-with-C dank. I keep expecting the malt to come across more old-fashioned sweet and caramel-like, but it remains fairly clean and biscuity throughout, letting the hops take centre stage. Particularly surprising is the restrained bitterness, and the alcohol is hidden very well indeed, resulting in a surprisingly easy to drink behemoth. I could easily have this for a go-to. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Side Eyes – American Pale Ale at 4.6% ABV (C$5.35 at Collective, 330 ml, best before 8-Sep-2021, acquired 15-Jan-2021, reviewed 15-Jan-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, berries, pale crackery malt, melon, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

The aroma is pleasant but just a little mild, and the flavour follows suit. It’s tempting to say that it tends a little thin, but on the other hand, one has to consider that in the context of the low ABV. Nice, but not really next-level. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com