Month: September 2021

Île Sauvage Brewing Ouest – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$4.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 9-Sep-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a massive rocky off-white head, excellent retention and moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Decent WC-style IPA with resiny pine front and centre, but not overwhelming. I was a bit concerned that the massive head indicated an infection, but I didn’t get any off notes in the aroma or flavour. I’m not getting any of the coconut I usually associate with Sabro, but otherwise there’s a decent balance of citrus and pine. (14/20)

This will be my 5,051st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coronado Brewing Company Mango Farm Hazy IPA – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 29-Jun-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 8-Sep-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet tropical & citrus, lactose. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, sweet sticky medium bitter finish. (3/5)

More a “milkshake” style than a “hazy”, in my opinion, with everything that implies. Sweet, with a creamy sticky finish. OK for a change from the typical, but a definite one-and-done. (14/20)

This will be my 5,050th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Last Best Brewing and Distilling Firebird Hazy IPA Encore – American IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Jul-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 7-Sep-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, caramel, citrus, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter warming finish. (3/5)

Malty and boozy with tropical fruits dominant on the front end. Muddled and lacking direction. And not exactly “hazy”, either. (13/20)

This will be my 5,049th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Church Brewing Co. Session Ale – Session IPA at 4.2% ABV | 33 IBU (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Aug-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 7-Sep-2021)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fat fingers of growing rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, herbal/grass, caramel, light resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I try not to criticize a Session for being a Session, and this one certainly has respectable aroma and flavour, particularly for the style. However, the body, while not inappropriately thin, still has a tendency to fall off a little watery, and that seems to be contributing to a slightly astringent touch in the finish. Moreover, a key characteristic of a Session would presumably be, would you like another? – and I’m not entirely sure I would. (14/20)

This will be my 5,048th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Coronado Brewing Company 25th Anniversary IPA – American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$5.26 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Jul-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 5-Sep-2021)

Appearance: clear pale straw with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, berries, herbal, citrus, light dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

I dunno – I suppose Coronado would know better than I do, but this doesn’t feel all that San Diego-ish to me. The aroma is mild and not particularly dank or piney, and herbal or berry notes are more emphatic than any citrus. It’s OK, but I’m not particularly thrilled by it, and certainly don’t consider it a worthy 25th anniversary effort. (14/20)

This will be my 5,047th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mountains Walking Brewery Cloud Curtain Galaxy – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$7.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Feb-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 5-Sep-2021)

Appearance: hazy opaque straw with two fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muddled tropical fruit, cereal grains, citrus, lactose. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium-thick body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry warming finish. (3/5)

I feel a little bad rating this this way because of the age, but it is what it is, so… I dunno, if I see a newer one, I’ll rate it again? The aroma and flavour are muddled, and the  oatiness of the body combined with the low(er) carbonation make it a bit thick and syrupy. It’s OK, but nothing great. (14/20)

This will be my 5,046th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

High River Brewing Co. Lounging Bulldog – Session IPA at 3.5% ABV (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 5-Sep-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with three fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grass, pilsner malt, citrus, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

Grass and Pilsner-ish malt dominate the aroma and flavour here. However, it’s pleasant, and surprisingly flavourful for such a very low ABV. (15/20)

This will be my 5,045th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mountains Walking Brewery Tin Sky DDH – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$9.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Feb-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 3-Sep-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of creamy dense pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruits, oats & bready malt, citrus, hint of resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter warming finish. (4/5)

The slightly muddy appearance is mirrored in the slightly muddy aroma. I’m not getting the bright hoppiness I like to see for Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy, or Mosaic hops (all favourites of mine), but I wonder whether that might be due to it really being too old. (I’ve sort of stopped checking dates when I’m hauling things out of the cooler, because my go-to shop – Collective – is generally pretty good about only stocking fresh, but they dropped the ball little here. It’s also more than a little puzzling that this thing apparently took 7 months to make the 7 hour drive from Bozeman.) (15/20)

This will be my 5,044th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com