Month: May 2021

Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Cursed Double Divine – American Double / Imperial Stout at 8.5% ABV (C$5.89 at Collective, 341 ml, packaged on 21-Jan-2021, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 8-May-2021)

Appearance: clear deep brown with two fat fingers of rocky beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: raspberries, dark chocolate, dark fruit, coffee. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body dropping off slightly thin, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter lightly tart mildly warming finish. (4/5)

It’s not typical of my experience for the list of malts to be longer than that of the hops, but that’s the case here: Pale Ale, Chocolate, Crystal, Dark Chocolate, Flaked Wheat, Roasted Barley, Flaked Barley, Chocolate Wheat, Flaked Oats, and Carafa Special III; compared with German Magnum, Nugget, and Centennial. However, for all that, the malts don’t really carry the day here. Bright jammy raspberries dominate on the front end, but it’s not as sweet as might be expected. Like its Blessed colleague, though, it smells a bit better than it tastes. On the up side, the elevated ABV is very well integrated and doesn’t intrude at all. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Parallel 49 Snap Crackle Hop Imperial Rice IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.3% ABV | 70 [?] IBU (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-Mar-2021, best before 20-Mar-2022, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 6-May-2021)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fat fingers of loose pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange juice, tropical fruit, rice, light resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

I definitely got the rice sweetness right away, reminiscent of a macro adjunct lager – albeit one on steroids. I couldn’t find any proper brewer’s notes, but secondary sources suggest 70 IBU and Motueka hops, both of which I believe. This has a lot of the characteristics you’d associate with such a high ABV, such as the slick feel and the higher sweetness, but all in all it’s not done badly at all. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Sea Change Brewing Co. Gold Knuckle West Coast IPA – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 5-May-2021)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, pale malt, floral / herbal, resiny pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

Secondary sources claim Simcoe and Citra hops, Alberta pale ale malt, Maris Otter, and spelt. Drinks fairly clean and easy, but the aroma is a little muddled, and there’s an herbal peppery note that overwhelms any of the pine that I’d want to see showcased for a WCIPA. Not unpleasant, but not really very West Coast. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Belly Hop Brewing (/ Red Shed Malting / Red Hart Brewing / Undercurrent Brewing) Ryes Beyond Kveik IPA – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$4.55 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 5-May-2021)

Appearance: hazy brownish deep gold with two fingers of fine off-white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, spicy rye, funky wet cardboard. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funky tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter slightly astringent funky finish. (3/5)

Might be a little oxidized, given the slight tea-like tinge in the colouring.  To be honest, it can sometimes be hard to tell with Kveik yeast, and there’s no packaging date. Either way, as it stands it’s definitely not what I expect for an Alberta Beer Awards gold medal winner, so to quote The Joker, you get what you fucking deserve.  (12/20)

6/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

R & B Brewing Company Hipster Haze – American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Mar-2021, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 4-May-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel & cereal grains, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, lingering building bitter finish. (3/5)

That’s a bit on the nose, innit? (And for the record, I’ve shaved off my beard, and never had a nose ring or gauged ears.) Not bad, but a bit muddled, with a slightly unbalanced lingering bitterness. I get the impression they’re trying to blend NE and WC styles, but it’s not a complete success. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Bent Stick Brewing Co. Throwin’ Shade – Black IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 3-May-2021)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fat fingers of fine tan head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, toasted malt, dark chocolate, hint of cat piss. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

So, lemme get this straight: the label throws shade (hey, they say they’re doing it) on people who call this a “Black IPA” because “BLACK India PALE Ale” doesn’t make sense.

Uh huh.

So, how many barrels of this are you shipping to the Raj by schooner?

That’s what I thought.

‘Snot bad, though. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Imperial City Brew House Milkshake IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV | 36 IBU (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Mar-2021, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 3-May-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet mango, vanilla, coconut. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

Surprisingly good for what it is. I mean, yeah, it’s gonna cause purists to have seizures, but it’s actually not excessively sweet despite the aroma. I’m not sure I’d call this an IPA… or hell, a beer… but it’s not bad at all for a ridiculous abomination of a style! (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

2 Crows Brewing Starflight – Saison at 4.4% ABV | 28 IBU (C$5.89 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Dec-2020, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 2-May-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of foamy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing , no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: oak, stone fruit, barnyard funk, floral, phenols. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate funky tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, enthusiastic carbonation, dry funky tart finish. (3/5)

The label says “FUNKY PRICKLY DRY” and that’s a fair assessment. The worst you can say about this one is that it’s not pretty. Well, that and the taste isn’t quite as good as the aroma. Don’t get me wrong, I like a nice horseblankety funk as much as the next guy, but there’s a little phenol edge on the back end that reminds me of plastic solvent. It’s not strong, but it’s there, particularly on the tongue, and it drags down the scores for taste and palate. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Superflux Beer Company Easy Tiger – American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 2-May-2021)

Appearance: opaque straw with one fat finger of loose off-white head, good retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy and pithy grapefruit, wheat malt, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Very nice – lots of aroma and flavour despite the lighter body and ABV, to the point where no qualifiers are needed and this could stand on its own against bigger beers. Bright pithy juice dominates, but there’s a little dank pine on the back end, especially as the pint warms. All in all, a very pleasant lunch beer. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Belching Beaver Brewery No Worries – American IPA at 6.2% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Apr-2021, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 1-May-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, mixed fruits, cereal grains, grass, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes say hopped with Strata, Galaxy, Mosaic, Citra, and Amarillo, but none of the expected characteristics are particularly well-defined. Nothing special and probably one of the least interesting BB brews I’ve ever had. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze