Month: April 2021

Big Spruce Brewing Hotel Alpha Zulu Echo – American Pale Ale at 5.8% ABV | 57 IBU (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Feb-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 12-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a massive fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, oily citrus, light earthy funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

The brewer web site calls this a “Kveik Session IPA”, and being an Atlantic Canadian myself I agree that a nigh-on six percenter can indeed be a Session – but most folks might disagree. Not bad at all, but I find the bitterness just slightly aggressive for the style. (But Whisky Tango Foxtrot is up with that head?) (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Mountains Walking Brewery Seasonal Series Opaque Thoughts Pineapple – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$10.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Feb-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 10-Apr-2021)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pineapple, lactose, stone fruit, vanilla, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Look, I know that this is the kind of beer that brewers sneer at, OK? But a lot used to (and still do, I suppose) sneer at NEIPAs too, so what does that mean? And, yes, I used to sneer at adjuncts too, and I don’t often rate “Milkshake” IPA’s very highly, usually because I find them too sweet. All of that aside, this is actually fun to drink, and not too sweet. It’s like a blender drink, actually, with lots of pineapple, sweet cream, and vanilla. It actually reminds me of drinking jug after jug (hey, she said she’d make ‘em as long as we drank ‘em, so I did my bit) of Painkillers on a catamaran after skin diving in the Caribbean. (Sigh… I miss skin diving in the Caribbean) Anyway, one of the better milkshake-style IPAs I’ve had. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Eighty-Eight Brewing Hammer Pants – American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV | 35 IBU (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Apr-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 10-Apr-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical and stone fruit, citrus, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, drying crisp slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I made a great many questionable decisions in my youth, but for good or bad, hammer pants weren’t one of them. This is neither good nor bad – it just is. No real problems, other than a slight astringency in the finish, but not a lot going on, either. The clean crackery malt is almost Pilsner-ish, but far enough behind the fruity, almost floral hops that there’s no risk of mistaking it for one. The brewer web site suggests this is the third revision for this one, and mentions Ella hops, but doesn’t specify if that’s the only hopping in the DDH. I suppose I could have rated this half a point to a point higher, but ultimately it’s just a little boring, so I didn’t. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Brewery Bhavana Yield – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.95 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 20-May-2020, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 9-Apr-2021)

Appearance: murky opaque pale gold with a massive foamy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, zesty grapefruit, sweet cereal grains, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

I had instant regret when I finally found the date code, which wasn’t much put to rest when I got nearly overflowing foam upon cracking the can, and a huge loose head that grew while the pour became steadily murkier. Then I smelled it, and thought it might not be so bad. After tasting it, I concluded it really wasn’t so bad at all, with lots of flavour for a very mild ABV. Now I have regret that it might have been so much better when fresh. Oh, well – my regret is at least somewhat tempered by the fact that it’s beer o’clock on a Friday afternoon…  (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Briney Melon Gose – Gose at 4.2% ABV (C$4.25 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 8-Apr-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: watermelon Jolly Ranchers, wheat, light brine. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, light brine, very low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry tart and slightly salty finish. (3/5)

Pretty much what it says on the label: melon, briny. Unfortunately, however, the melon is not overly authentic, reminiscent more of artificially flavoured candies than the actual fruit, especially in the finish. An OK thirst quencher at best. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Anchorage Brewing Company / Gigantic Brewing Company An Eternity (Batch #2) – Saison at 8% ABV (C$14.25 at Collective, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 7-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear (except for the lees) ruby red with a short-lived pale pink head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart berries and pome, bready yeast, oak, balsamic, dry hay funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

Sort of similar to Anchorage’s Love Buzz, in that it’s a lot more like a Wild or Mixed Fermentation than a Saison, and also an enjoyable slow sipper that misses the mark on just about every metric for Saison. No idea what a Marionberry is, but this is dominated by tart field berries and sour green apples. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Brasserie Dunham Borvo – White IPA at 5.6% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Jan-2021, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 6-Apr-2021)

Appearance: opaque straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, white pepper, grapefruit, bready yeast. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate-low peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry slightly peppery finish. (4/5)

Not quite what I was expecting, but interesting regardless. In the more traditional versions, this style typically has an emphasis on spices and Belg-ish phenols, with relatively little fruit character. This turns that relationship on its head, emphasizing the fruit, and having very little spice presence (and essentially no phenols). (Weird name, too – sounds like a kitchen product you’d find in a French supermarket, doesn’t it?) (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Cabin Brewing Company Star Burst – Triple IPA at 9.5% ABV | 60 IBU (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Mar-2021, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 5-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: juicy sweet tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, oats, light melon. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

The label says this is a “Triple IPA with Galaxy hops”, and checking the brewer web site confirms this is in fact the single hop. The aroma is pretty much what I’d expect from that hop, one of my favourites, so it’s small surprise that I’m rating it so highly. On the tongue, though, it’s just a shade too sweet. I understand the challenge of keeping a beast like this on a leash, but I’d prefer it to be a bit more juicy and a bit less sweet. That sweetness carries through into the slightly sticky finish, which also starts to get a little less “orange juice” and a little more “melon rind” (perhaps what the brewer refers to as “lychee”) as it warms. These are all minor quibbles, though, and in all I consider this a top contender (in a three-way tie for first) from a brewery that I tend to rate quite highly (μ=7.7, σ=0.6 for n=18). (17/20)

8.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King Raspberry & Blackberry – Sour / Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$14.35 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 17-Feb-2021, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 4-Apr-2021)

Appearance: slightly muddy purplish-red with one fat finger of fluffy pink head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: jammy raspberry & field berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, tart finish. (4/5)

Similar to the Plum variant, in that the fruit adjunct overwhelms everything else. Actually, I think this one does that even more, to the extent that there’s really nothing else detectable. That’s not a complaint, because the fruit is lovely, bright and juicy, and the sweetness isn’t overwhelming. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Evil Twin Brewing IPA Is Not A Problem To Be Solved, But A Reality To Be Experienced – American IPA at 10% ABV (C$11.30 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 1-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical & stone fruit, cereal grains, citrus, resiny pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Wow, that title is almost unbearably pretentious, innit? (But then, when aren’t Evil Twin’s names unbearably pretentious?) Good beer though. As usual I can’t find any proper brewer’s notes from Jeppe, but secondary sources say it’s DDH’d with Waimea, Citra, and Wakatu. Surprisingly easy drinking for a double digit ABV, with just a mild alcohol spiciness and warming in the finish. Crushable, until you fall over. (17/20)

8.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze