Month: March 2023

Slackwater Brewing Intruder – American IPA at 6% ABV | 62 IBU (C$5.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Dec-2022, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 13-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, caramel, hints of grassy hay & pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

“With Idaho 7 and Citra hops.” I’m seeing more and more returns to tradition like this one, which stops just short of being crystal clear (well, after the slight chill haze dissipated) and possessing of a very non-NE bitterness. Of course, although Citra has been around since 2007, Idaho 7 is considerably newer, dating from 2015, and so the hopping is most certainly not “traditional”. Good, but I’d’ve preferred a more aggressive aroma profile. (15/20)

This will be my 5,516th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beer Tree Brew Fresh Wax – American IPA at 7.1% ABV (C$7.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Nov-2022, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 12-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus & stone fruit, doughy caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, slightly sticky medium bitter finish. (4/5)

The aroma has a bit more doughy yeast than I prefer for this style – not e.g. Council Brewing levels, by any means, but enough that it’s clearly present alongside the juicy fruit aroma. It’s also a little sweeter than I prefer, so all in all I’d like this to be more about the hops, and less about the malt and yeast, than it actually is. (14/20)

This will be my 5,515th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Magnify Brewing Company Dunk Contest – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$9.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 10-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, caramel, floral, light solvent. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry slightly warming finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra, Nelson, Mosaic, Citra Cryo, and Mosaic Cryo. A little alcohol edge makes this just a bit solvently, both in the aroma and in the finish. Decent, but definitely short of great. (15/20)

This will be my 5,514th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Viva Forever – American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV (C$5.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Mar-2023, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 10-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, vinous, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body dropping off slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly tart finish. (3/5)

This isn’t unpleasant, what there is of it. It does, however, strike me as being unnecessarily light – across the board, in aroma, flavour, and body – given the not-insubstantial ABV. Ultimately it’s one of those APA’s that seems like a watered-down IPA, instead of its own thing. (14/20)

This will be my 5,513th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Black Gold Cascadian Dark – Black IPA at 6.0% ABV | 50 IBU (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 16-Jul-2023, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 10-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear deep cola red with two fat fingers of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and moderate sheet lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toffee, toasted malts, coffee/chocolate, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

So, did the tempest in a teapot over the trademarked “Cascadian” name just go away? I haven’t heard a peep since a flurry of articles ten years ago. Anyway, regardless of whether you call this a CDA or a Black IPA, it’s a very good example of the style, with a good balance between the toasty coffee/chocolate notes and the hoppy pine. There’s always a tendency for that dark malt and hop bitterness to overwhelm and become astringent, but this doesn’t. (16/20)

This will be my 5,512th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Irrational Brewing Company Symmetry Is Bliss – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$4.77 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Feb-2023, reviewed 9-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of fluffy off-white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: short-lived brightly juicy tropical fruit & citrus, cereal grains, hint of stone fruit, solvent. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

This started off with an amazing aroma during the pour, reminiscent of Tree or Trillium. No lie, I thought this was going to be my highest-scored beer in a long, long time. However, that aroma faded pretty much in synchrony with the quickly-receding head, leaving behind a weird, solvent-like note. The label says this is brewed with 2-row, malted oats & wheat, chit malt, and Verdant yeast, hopped with Citra, Cryo Pop, and HBC-586. I dunno – I’ve reported a slightly phenolic edge in the finish on a 586-brewed beer in the past, so maybe that’s part of what’s going on here, perhaps combined with over-reliance on Cryo Pop? Either way, this tumbled a long way in my estimation as the pint warmed, ending up as an unremarkable, barely-acceptable mess. (13/20)

This will be my 5,511th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Electric Reaper – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Jan-2023, acquired 28-Feb-2023, reviewed 9-Mar-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy brown-tinged pale gold with two fingers of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, stone & tropical fruit, cereal grains, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

I don’t think this is oxidized – it’s a can, after all – but the fact is the appearance is slightly brownish-tinged and the aroma is surprisingly mild. Pretty unremarkable for their “flagship”, though it is dead average for my experience with this brewery (for n=17, μ=7 & σ=0.54) so I suppose it’s fairly representative of their product. Just not exciting at all. (14/20)

This will be my 5,510th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Zero Issue Brewing Wellspring (Issue #81) – American Amber / Red Ale at 5.0% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 9-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one finger of fine beige head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, toasted bread, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sightly sticky medium duration lightly metallic finish. (3/5)

A pretty straightforward Red, dominated by rich caramel, with mild toasted bread and a hint of pine on the back end. Marred slightly by a metallic hint in the slightly sticky finish. (14/20)

This will be my 5,509th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anchorage Brewing Company Road Trip – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$7.80 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 13-Nov-2022, acquired 28-Feb-2023, reviewed 8-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived loose off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, vinous grape must, tropical fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

The label says this is brewed with El Dorado Incognito and thiol-boosting yeast, DDH with Strata & Nelson Sauvin. The aroma is initially dominated by doughy yeast, but after that settles down the vinous notes take over. It’s not bad, but it suffers by comparison to, for example, The Establishment’s Trick to Happy, which has the same basic concept of thiol yeast and Nelson Sauvin. Top marks for the gorily amusing cover art, though. (14/20)

This will be my 5,508th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Image Brewing Coriolis Effect – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$7.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Dec-2022, acquired 28-Feb-2023, reviewed 8-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: slightly mild, tropical & stone fruit, melon, cereal grains, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes seem to indicate this is hopped with Motueka and Citra, then dry-hopped with Columbus. Interesting choice: personally I’d’ve thought that Columbus and Citra in the boil with a Motueka dry-hop would be a better choice to showcase NZ hops, but what do I know? I flip-flopped a bit on scoring aroma and flavour here, and could have gone a point higher on either or both, giving up to an additional half point overall. Ultimately it’s just a bit mild on the nose, and just a bit sweet on the tongue, so I think this is the right score: just a bit short of world-class. (15/20)

This will be my 5,507th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com