Month: October 2021

S.Y.C. Brewing Co. Check-In – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Sep-2021, acquired 1-Oct-2021, reviewed 4-Oct-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright zesty citrus, stone fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Dry-hopped with Galaxy and Citra. I usually find S.Y.C. to be excellent (or better) but one area in particular where I’ve found them lacking is with their Sessions, which have been sub-par in my experience. (I found Mu to be too lean, verging on astringent, and I just didn’t like the wild hop flavours of Afternoon Hoot.) This time, though, they nail it, with a bright, refreshing Session that needs no apologies or qualifiers despite its training wheels ABV. (16/20)

This will be my 5,075th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fremont Brewing Lush IPA – American IPA at 7.0% ABV | 80 IBU (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Aug-2021, acquired 1-Oct-2021, reviewed 3-Oct-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with three fingers of fluffy off-white head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: melon, tropical fruit, toasted biscuity malt, citrus, floral, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Citra Cryo. Rather than the bright and juicy citrus notes I hope to see with those hops, though, I’m getting melon leading the way, with a toasted biscuit note not far behind. Not unpleasant, certainly, but not where I’d like the balance to be. (15/20)

This will be my 5,074th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Wet & Dry Hop – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Sep-2021, acquired 1-Oct-2021, reviewed 1-Oct-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, resiny pine, cereal grains, leafy greens. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Well, the label’s useless: it rambles about hopping, but doesn’t specify the hop varietals, and give the IBU as “???”. Minor annoyances aside, this is nice: citrus and pine leading over top of clean slightly sweet cereal grains, with hints of leafy greens on the back end. The finish is slightly sweet and sticky, with a solid bitter and mild warming. The ABV isn’t entirely absent, but the warming is mild and pleasant. This is another one in what appears to me to be a return to more traditional (i.e. non-NE, non-hazy) types of beers, which for me is particularly appropriate for DIPAs. Nice effort from a solid brewery. (16/20)

This will be my 5,073rd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lighthouse Brewing Co. Numbskull (Rotator #7) – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.1% ABV | 70 IBU (C$8.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Jul-2021, acquired 3-Sep-2021, reviewed 30-Sep-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with three fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, emphatic lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

The label describes a “heavy backbone of Vienna and Pale malts”, and “an onslaught of Columbus, Simcoe, and Azacca” – but before that, it describes “lacking logic, caution, or restraint”. This version has a slightly different malt bill than the version I had six years ago (no Caramel malt in this version) and a different hop profile (this one has Simcoe instead of Centennial). Despite the different malt bill, it seems structurally pretty similar, albeit with a slightly different aroma and flavour profile. (15/20)

This will be my 5,072nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com