Month: December 2022

Almanac Beer Co. Crypta Citra Hazy DIPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.0% ABV (C$7.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Apr-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 13-Dec-2022)

Appearance: particulate-laden hazy pale amber with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet citrus & stone fruit, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Pretty sure this is somewhat the worse for wear after eight months in the can. I really need to start checking date codes in the store, but then again I’m usually in a rush, so… No oxidation (can, duh) but the hops are definitely no longer juicy (assuming they once were). A bit on the sweet side, but that’s sort of balanced by the mild warming. (14/20)

This will be my 5,447th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Great Notion Brewing & Barrel House Over Ripe – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$8.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 13-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, coconut, cereal grains, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish medium-short duration finish. (3/5)

The label says “with mangosteen flavor” – so of course I had to look up what the jeezly hell a mangosteen is. (It’s a tropical fruit. Look it up yourself, what am I, Wikipedia?) I wasn’t sure if it was responsible for the coconut note, or whether that was a function of the hopping. Brewer’s notes say this is hopped with Citra, Motueka, and Azacca, so presumably no coconut from there, and we’re back to the mangosteen. Interesting, though slightly oversweet for my preference. (15/20)

This will be my 5,446th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Situation Brewing Gateway Handshake – American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV | 16 IBU (C$4.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Oct-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 13-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, cereal grains, stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium-short duration lightly tart finish. (4/5)

The label says this is hopped with Citra and Mosaic, with oats and wheat in the malt bill. I’m not getting a lot of oat smoothness in the fairly light body, but there is a hint of wheat tartness in the finish. Not a lot going on here, pleasant without being all that memorable – which is pretty much the standard when it comes to my limited experience (four or so) with this brewer. (14/20)

This will be my 5,445th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Field House Brewing Co. / Twin Sails Brewing Big Triple Cryo Tropical Double IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV | 20 IBU (C$5.67 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Nov-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 12-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of fine white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, coconut, berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: slightly creamy medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly phenolic finish. (4/5)

The label says this is hopped with three Cryo-concentrated experimentals: 472, 630, and 586. I’ve had single-hopped 472 before, and got big barrel and pine notes that are pretty much completely missing here. I’ve not seen a single-hopped 630, and the occasions when I’ve encountered it haven’t caused me to make any particular observations about its character. And as for 586, I can only find one instance where I’ve had it, and found it to be similar to Mosaic, so that’s all to the good. It’s also brewed with Voss kveik yeast, which I think emphasizes the fruit character, but also gives the usual almost phenolic edge that I associate with kveik yeasts. I’ve had more than twice as many Twin Sails offerings (19) as I have Field house (7), but my scoring has given the two brewers a nearly identical average of 7.8, so both are strong contenders. This one doesn’t disappoint, and I could maybe have gone just slightly higher in the scoring, and probably would have but for that weird little note in the finish. (16/20)

This will be my 5,444th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout (2022) – Imperial Stout at 14.3% ABV (C$29.95 at Wine and Beyond, 500 ml, packaged on 7-Jul-2022, best before 7-Jul-2027, acquired 11-Dec-2022, reviewed 11-Dec-2022)

Appearance: clear deep brown with a short fine medium beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bourbon, chocolate, oak, vanilla, red berries. (9/10) Taste: high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering warming finish. (4/5)

I thought I was going to miss out on this year’s version, since I was out of town yesterday, when Wine and Beyond (my sole local distributor) was supposed to drop it. But, they changed their rollout to today, and still had some left after I got back in town. I figured it was a sign, and worth the twenty minute drive to their new location an hour closer to my house. And, well, I guess it was. I mean, gun to my head I’m not sure I could tell the difference between this one and last year’s, but that’s not really a complaint. (17/20)

This will be my 5,443rd unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Charlevoix Brut Ale de Charlevoix – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV | 46 IBU (C$6.16 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Sep-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 6-Dec-2022)

Appearance: crystal clear straw with a short loose white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: funky Belgian esters, pomes. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry short duration finish. (4/5)

I’ve mentioned before how much I love this brewer’s labels, but, damn: I love this brewer’s labels. No, not the goatee-wearing minotaur, the back, where they specify serving temperature, IBUs, OG, FG, LOV, and AA. And! The base of the can has the date in clearly-readable YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format (aka “God’s date format”) as well as lot number. I mean, these guys are clearly so geeky that it just warms my heart.

Too bad the beer sucks.

I kid! I kid!

Sort of.

I mean, come on: this isn’t an American DIPA. It might well be a “Belgian living in Quebec’s interpretation of an American DIPA”, but it’s not an American DIPA. You want to make a Belgian IPA? Great! Call it that. Don’t hop on the Brut bandwagon with a re-tread. This is, by no reasonable interpretation, a “nod to the wave of West Coast IPAs” (yes, some of us dirty Anglos can decipher French), unless you’re going to Belgium the long way ‘round.

Nice beer. Ridiculously badly characterized. (14/20)

This will be my 5,441st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Krampus Christmas Ale Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Eggnog Stout – American Double / Imperial Stout at 11.9% ABV (C$5.49 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 6-Dec-2022)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one finger of fluffy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, moderate droopy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bourbon, roasty malts, nutmeg, cinnamon, oak, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Take Krampus Christmas Ale Imperial Eggnog Stout, add bourbon. I mean, it’s not exactly rocket science – but neither is it a recipe for failure, especially since it’s a fair bit heftier in the ABV department… Don’t get me wrong, it’s still got the weight and carbonation issues of the base version, but it’s also a fairly distinct improvement. (I can’t rule out the possibility that this opinion is because of the ABV. I really needed a fucking drink tonight.) (15/20)

This will be my 5,440th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Barrier Brewing Company / Magnify Brewing Company Jump In The Line – American IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$8.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Oct-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 6-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fat fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, tropical fruit, cereal grains, berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: slightly creamy medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

The label says this is double dry-hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Calypso and Citra lupulin powder. The aroma and flavour profiles are pretty much what you’d expect with those hops, but I guess I was expecting a bit more bright juiciness. The aroma is pleasant, with no off notes at all, but falls a bit short in emphasis. I flip-flopped a little on scoring this one, and initially went a point lower on aroma and overall, for half a point lower in total, but decided that just wasn’t fair to a very decently-made beer. Pushing over the edge is the extremely drinkable nature, which is fairly impressive given the no-foolin’ ABV. (And, by the way, everyone is just calling this an IPA, and not a DIPA? Where exactly are the goalposts these days? Not complaining, just curious…) (16/20)

This will be my 5,439th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Krampus Christmas Ale Imperial Eggnog Stout – American Double / Imperial Stout at 10.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 4-Dec-2022)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one finger of fluffy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

We went to the Once Upon a Christmas breakfast buffet at Heritage Park today, so I’m gonna go ahead and call that the official start of Christmas, making this my first seasonal beer of the year. And, hey, what says “Christmas” more than a demon who beats naughty children? This one is a little odd (beyond the whole eggnog thing, which isn’t actually all that much a departure for the style) in that the body and carbonation are both uncharacteristically light (for the style). I tend to complain a lot about excessive sweetness in a beer, but when it comes to the Imperial Stout style, I’m actually fine with sweetness, as long as it’s balanced by a commensurate bitterness, and built on an appropriately thick body. This doesn’t really do any of that. Despite the forbidding dark colouration, it’s not really all that bitter, and in fact the enthusiastic ABV never really factors either. All in all, there’s nothing really wrong here, but I think it’s trying too hard to be something that it’s not. (14/20)

This will be my 5,438th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Mosaic Four Ways – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Nov-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 4-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, dank pine, tropical fruit, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped as you’d expect given the name: Mosaic, plus Cryo, Incognito, and Spectrum versions of Mosaic. And that’s all to the good, Mosaic being one of my favourite hops, and one that is eminently well-suited to a single-hop treatment. A solid offering from a brewery that excels at IPAs. (16/20)

This will be my 5,437th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com