Month: June 2021

The Establishment Brewing Company We Are Floating In Space – Triple IPA at 10.5% ABV (C$6.00 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Jun-2021, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 23-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, white grape, oats and pale malts. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium pillowy body, moderate carbonation, building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Never hurts to be reminded of our place in the universe… Lots of different malts here (Origin Malting Pilsner, 2 Row, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat, Malted Wheat, and Cara-Pils) but only two hops, albeit one in three different forms (Citra, Citra Incognito, Citra Cryo, and Nelson Sauvin), and of course Foggy London yeast. There’s no missing the emphatic alcohol content, but it never becomes harsh. Similarly, there are emphatic sweetness and bitterness on the tongue, but well balanced and tempered by the soft body. All in all, a beast – but an easy-drinking one. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Collective Arts Brewing Matter of Fact – Blond Ale at 4.8% ABV (C$4.50 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Apr-2021, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 23-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: oily citrus zest, floral, pale malt, light melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp short duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with Ella, Centennial, and Citra, making for interesting dry-hop aromatics on a clean base Blond. Impressively flavourful for a relatively light beer. They’ve been here before – Saint of Circumstance comes to mind – but I think this is done slightly better. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Banded Peak Brewery Tail Wave – American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.49 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 10-May-2021, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 22-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy off-white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus zest, tropical & stone fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, short duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

In quick succession I drank both this “East Coast” ale by Banded Peak, and their “West Coast” ale. They’re nearly identically the same ABV, but this one drinks far softer and easier, though not really sweeter. That’s not to denigrate the West Coast brother from another mother, just to underscore how differences in style can give rise to dramatically different profiles quite independently of ABV. This one is also slightly prettier, with better head retention and lacing. Advantage: East Coast. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Banded Peak Brewery Mount Columbia – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 72 IBU (C$4.74 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Feb-2021, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 22-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, citrus, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, it ain’t pretty, that’s for sure. But, it’s a decent example of the style, with emphatic dank resiny pine and citrus over top of appropriate-weight caramel. I drank several of these while running my Father’s Day smoker, and didn’t get bored of them, and that’s not nothing. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Lazer Lager – American Pale Lager at 4.3% ABV (C$5.00 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 13-Apr-2021, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 20-Jun-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with two fingers of pillowy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, floral, grass, crackery cereal grains, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

The label says this is hopped with Ariana, which I’ve found to have interesting complexity in some applications. Here, however, it’s sort of bridging a fairly typical Pilsner-like noble hop profile with some hints of American-style citrus hops. It’s not unpleasant by any means, and pretty decent for a low-ABV Lager. Also a good one to start my day of running the smoker! (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Trolley No. 5 Brewpub Lil’ Haze – Session IPA at 3.9% ABV (C$3.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 19-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose off-white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: oily lemon zest, gritty cereal grains, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short duration lightly astringent finish. (4/5)

Similar in a lot of ways to their very excellent Uptown Haze, which at the time felt like an anomaly to me based upon my prior (limited) experience with this brewer. This isn’t quite as good, but has a lot of the same aromatics going on, albeit on a much lighter, almost watery body. In my scoring, I try not to penalize a SIPA for being light, but ultimately although this is quite good in both aroma and taste, it just doesn’t have the same oomph as its heavier brother. It’s close, and it’s pretty good for what it is, but at the end of the day it’s just a little bit too much what it is, for me to score it higher. On the other hand, to be at roughly 90% of the performance at less than half (!) the ABV is no mean feat at all, and this is definitely one you could literally drink all day long. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Bent Stick Brewing Co. Thank You, Next. – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 17-Jun-2021)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, grass, mild dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter warming slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

The label says this is hopped with Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin. Well, maybe, but I’m not getting a lot of what I consider to be typical ANZ hop character. What I do get, is a fairly typical strong DIPA, with a somewhat edgy bitter mouth feel whose astringency is only slightly tempered by the boozy heat. Maybe not quite the way they meant it, but: yes, thank you, next. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Fireworks & Karate – American IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-May-2021, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 17-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky off-white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lime, light brine, faint coconut. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light tart, light salt. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with African Queen, Southern Passion, Cashmere, and Sabro. There are further adulterations adjuncts of lime juice, orange juice concentrate, agave syrup, and kosher salt, presumably in pursuit of that “margarita IPA” profile. Well, let’s just see if it delivers on that OH MY GOD IT’S A MARGARITA IPA. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s an abomination, but given its low ABV, lively carbonation, and tart briny finish, you could drink these on a sunny patio all day long.  I’m not getting much (if any) hop character, and the aroma could stand to be brighter and/or not just briny lime – though, I think I started to get just a hint of coconut towards the end. It’s not going to change your life or anything, but for what it is, it’s good fun. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Zero Issue Brewing Muspelheim IPA (Issue #46) – India Red Ale at 5.9% ABV (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 16-Jun-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy red-tinged medium amber with two fingers of rocky light tan head, excellent retention and moderate chunky soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: sweet caramel, grass, light pine, faint citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Muspelheim is, of course, one of the Nine Realms, the home of the Fire Giants, guarded by Surtr (“Surt”). The brewer calls this “a Red IPA with a hop profile that pays homage to the west coast varietals. A delicious offering we can imagine even Surt might enjoy.” Well, I can’t speak to what a giant fire being might or might not enjoy, but I personally don’t see a whole lot of West Coast influence here. It’s malt-dominant, with some slightly muddled hops playing second fiddle to grassy slightly piney hops. (Yes, I know it’s Muspelheim, not The Devil Went Down to Georgia!) Checking my records, I see that this is a style I neither frequently have, nor enjoy all that much: for n=10, μ=7 & σ=0.62. Zero Issue , on the other hand, I’ve had more frequently, and generally enjoy: for n=22, μ=7.4 & σ=0.51. So, I dunno – better than average for the style, but worse than average for the brewer? Yeah, that sounds about right. (And, by the way, with Midgard, this is the second of the Nine Realms now represented. I assume we’ll be seeing Asgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Niflheim, and Alfheim in due course?) (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

The Establishment Brewing Company Food For Clouds – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-May-2021, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 16-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, hint of pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mild bitter lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I’m getting a bit tired of saying this about The Establishment’s products, but this is a nice beer. (No I’m not – keep ‘em coming!) Interestingly, the brewer notes specifies the malts (2Row, Golden Promise, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat, Malted Wheat, Cara-Pils) and yeast (Escarpment Labs Foggy London), and also specify a double drop of dry-hopping, yet say the actual hops are “secret”. (I don’t suppose they mean “Vic Secret”?) It might not be quite as good as some of the Sky Rocket series, but dammit, it’s close, and at or above the middle of the pack for a reliably good brewer (for n=17, μ=8 & σ=0.51). In fact, I’ve detected a little green vegetal note in a few of the Sky Rocket series, but that’s completely absent here, whether from variations in hop selection or the brewing process, so that’s all to the good. (17/20)

8.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze