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Microbrasserie Les Trois Mousquetaires IPA Blanche – White IPA at 6% ABV | 48 IBU

Microbrasserie Les Trois Mousquetaires IPA Blanche – White IPA at 6% ABV | 48 IBU (C$4.72 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Apr-2021, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 29-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat and cereal grains, stewed fruits, herbal, tropical fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

The label says this is brewed with Mosaic, Sultana, and Centennial, but I’m not getting a lot of the bright citrus or juicy tropical fruits I like to see from that selection. (And I still think “Sultana” is a stupid name for a hop.) I oscillate between what dominates here: the wheaty cereal grains, a muddled mixture of stewed fruit, or herbal notes. Any way you slice it, it’s not really a traditional White IPA, nor is it a case of letting the American hops shine. Ultimately, there are no real negatives, but it’s just not very interesting. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

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Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King Raspberry & Meyer Lemon – Sour / Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV

Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King Raspberry & Meyer Lemon – Sour / Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$14.25 at Collective, 500 ml, packaged on 31-Mar-2021, acquired 10-Jun-2021, reviewed 27-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy pink with two fingers of loose pale pink head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart raspberry, lemon. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, low bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry short duration tart finish. (4/5)

I think the only variant of this I’ve had where the adjunct actually works with the base character is the Guava. With pretty much every other one, the adjunct becomes the central focus. In most cases, that’s been a little bit of a detraction for me, and I’ve generally preferred the original. And, that’s the case again here, but perhaps not to the extent I was worried it would be: I was thinking that the combination of raspberry and Meyer lemon would result in overwhelming tartness, but it’s merely emphatic. However, fruit does completely dominate the aroma, rendering any underlying hop character undetectable, to its detriment. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

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Medicine Hat Brewing Co. / Valley Brewing Reaper of Death 2.0 Double NEIPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV | 34 IBU

Medicine Hat Brewing Co. / Valley Brewing Reaper of Death 2.0 Double NEIPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV | 34 IBU (C$4.85 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Jun-2021, acquired 25-Jun-2021, reviewed 27-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose off-white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, resiny pine, coconut. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Label notes say this is hopped with Azacca, Eclipse, El Dorado, Idaho 7, Sabro Cryo, and Pink Boots Hop. That’s a bit more complex than the first version of this I had, just over a year ago, which listed only Azacca, Idaho 7, and Sabro Cryo. (This is also the first time I’ve encountered the concept of Pink Boots hops, but apparently there’ve been four such blends to date, with the current one consisting of Cashmere, Ahtanum, Citra, Loral, ​and Sabro.) I really don’t feel like the added complexity is helping here. Specifically, I thought the first one was heavily Idaho 7 dominated, making it some holy shit dank-ass dankitude. This one has got a lot more tropical fruit, and maybe even a little Sabro coconut, cutting the dank and making it feel sweeter. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

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Banded Peak Brewery Mount Crushmore – Pilsner at 4.4% ABV | 26 IBU

Banded Peak Brewery Mount Crushmore – Pilsner at 4.4% ABV | 26 IBU (C$3.79 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Mar-2021, acquired 25-Jun-2021, reviewed 27-Jun-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, pale crackers malt, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, crisp short finish. (4/5)

The brewer notes say this is hopped with Citra, Amarillo, and Summit, but all I’m getting is the normal grassy Pilsner character, with maybe just a hint of citrus. Might’ve been fresher last time I had it, affecting the hop expression? (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

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Collective Arts Brewing IPA No. 17 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV

Collective Arts Brewing IPA No. 17 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.25 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Jun-2021, reviewed 26-Jun-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit zest, stone fruit, faint tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry short duration tart finish. (3/5)

I’m pretty done with kettle sours, so I almost didn’t pick this up. But, it’s Collective, and the can says it’s hopped with Amarillo, Columbus, Ekuanot Cyro, and El Dorado, so I figured, what the hell? I was pleased to note that the aroma was basically all hops, and to the extent any sourness at all was present, it felt like grapefruit zest instead of a kettle lactic. That came through on the tongue as well, particularly through the finish, where it felt almost Radler-like. Overall, however, I don’t think it entirely works. Although it’s not really puckeringly so, the tartness largely overwhelms the other flavours, and the sweetness tends slightly high, resulting in a bit of a disconnect from the pleasantly hoppy aroma. I’m not exactly unhappy with it, and could maybe have graded it just a touch higher, but ultimately it’s not a complete success. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

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Annex Ale Project Focal Shift San Diego Style IPA (Batch 104) – American IPA at 6.5% ABV

Annex Ale Project Focal Shift San Diego Style IPA (Batch 104) – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.25 at Liquorville Legacy, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Jun-2021, reviewed 25-Jun-2021)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky off-white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, floral, caramel, citrus, melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Old-school without feeling too old-fashioned, this is very much a reminder of how the West Coast style used to roll. The label says this is hopped with Simcoe, Centennial, Amarillo, and Chinook, and I’m getting pretty much what you’d hope to from that blend: pine, floral, and citrus on a clean caramel background, and an emphatic lingering bitterness. (The label also says “No gods, no masters”, to which I can add only, “Fuck yeah!” And yes, I’m well aware of how silly it is for a well-off middle-aged white male to be an anarchist, to which I respond “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”) (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze