Month: April 2021

Ravens Brewing Co. Jackalope – American IPA at 7% ABV | 24 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 22-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of dense pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, apples, melon, stewed fruits, barnyard funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering mildly astringent lightly funky finish. (3/5)

I vigorously dispute that 24 IBU on the label – it drinks more like three or four times that, if you ask me, especially with the slight astringency in the finish. I suppose there might be some Kveik yeast-derived compounds there that don’t show up in the standard chemistry? Brewer notes indicate they used 15 hops in this – which might actually be too much a good thing, in that it seems to have resulted in somewhat a mish-mash of aroma and flavour lacking clear direction. It’s OK, but not one I’d seek out again. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Winterlong Brewing Co. Nightshade – Black IPA at 7% ABV (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 21-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of rocky tan head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toasted malts, pine, citrus, earth, light catty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m not sure about the wisdom of naming your beer after a deadly poison, but, hey, nobody asked me. Solid example of the style, with a fairly harmonious blend of dark malt, earthy pine, and citrus. There’s a hint of cattiness, particularly as it warms, but not to the point of being off-putting. All in all, quite acceptable. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Orbital Tilt – American IPA at 5.9% ABV (C$4.81 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 4-Dec-2020, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 20-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

The label indicates Pilsner malt and malted oats, but doesn’t specify the hops, while the brewer web site simply says “rotating hops”. I think it might be the Citra version, but don’t hold me to that, because the fruit character is a bit muddled. Pleasant, I suppose, but not spectacular. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Revival Brewcade Hypercolour – American IPA at 6% ABV | 70 IBU (C$4.14 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 19-Apr-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fine white head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, citrus, pine, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

The label indicates Citra, Amarillo, and Azacca hops, and I’m sort of getting that, but a bit muddled, rather than bright and clean. Not unlike the slightly murky appearance, in fact, and certainly not to the extent that I’d call it a “Tropical IPA” the way the can does. I suppose it’s possible that it’s just a little old and faded, but I doubt it: it’s a local brewer and it’s rare for me to take more than a couple of weeks between trips to the store to harvest everything new, so I place it at a month or two old, tops. (Unless they’re sending old stock to the retailers, in which case: Bad brewer! No cookie for you!) I suppose, given the somewhat tea-like appearance, it might actually be infected, but I’m not really getting any wet cardboard or the like, so I dunno. Anybody from Revival want to enlighten me? (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Troubled Monk Brewery Adaptation – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Mar-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 18-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, honey, herbal, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

A bit old-fashioned but relatively easy drinking, with only the warming finish to warn of the high ABV. I don’t know what recipe they adapted here, but it’s clear that they didn’t do very much adaptation – this wouldn’t have been out of place or unexpected ten years ago. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Zero Issue Brewing Hitchhiker Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (Issue #42) – Session IPA at 4.2% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Apr-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 17-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, pale malt, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short crisp finish. (4/5)

Look, I get it, OK? It’s Issue #42, so it makes perfect sense to go with 4.2% ABV and reference THHGttG. But the Pan-galactic Gargle Blaster in particular is supposed to be quite a bit more… well… everything! In the books, it’s described having an effect “like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.” This, well, doesn’t. What it is, is light, crisp, and mildly hoppy. (It’s also a pretty great recovery drink after cycling.) You could easily crush this without pausing for breath. (I didn’t, but you could.) It’s a decent little Blonde/SIPA, but that’s about it. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Folding Mountain Brewing Day Away XPA – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 15-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: floral, honey, tropical fruit, light citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Too much emphasis on the malt here, and relatively little on the hops. OK, but nothing great. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Winterlong Brewing Co. HazySexyCool – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 14-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, resiny pine, citrus, caramel, light sweaty funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

A touch aggressively bitter for the style. The edge isn’t harsh, but it’s definitely there, and I’m not entirely sure it belongs. I was vaguely aware of the eponymous album but that’s even less my style, so not a lot to say there. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Puppy Love – Session IPA at 3.0% ABV (C$6.30 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Feb-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 13-Apr-2021)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (4/5)

That’s surprisingly good for something with such a low ABV that it’s basically a breakfast beer. I initially thought the bitterness might be a tad high, but as the pint progressed I re-evaluated that opinion and think it’s just right. The grain bill specifies oats, to which I’m attributing the decent body despite its low ABV, and the hops are Azacca, Mosaic, and Amarillo, so, heck yeah. (And by the way, other brewers? Take note: this is how you do a label. It’s got IBU, ABV, malts, hops, and yeast, with a date code on the bottom. If I were going to get picky I’d suggest you could include OG, FG, and SRM, but I can live with this.) I’m a little surprised by the Tormogarden Kveik yeast, since there’s basically none of the funk I usually expect there. All in all, quite a little brew. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Stronghold Brewing Co. 1907 Session Ale – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 13-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, grass, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (4/5)

I’m kind of surprised that there’s a brewer coming out of Fort Macleod, given that it’s barely a wide spot in the highway, but, hey, more power to them. The label claims a “delicate, topical hop note”, and while I agree it’s fairly delicate, for me it’s more citrus and grassy, almost Pilsner-ish. Clean, crisp and drinkable. I could have gone lower on the score (given that it’s honestly a little boring) or higher (because it’s, well, clean, crisp, and drinkable) so why don’t we just split the difference? (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze