Month: March 2023

Cannery Brewing Company Bonsai Hazy IPA – American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Feb-2023, acquired 28-Feb-2023, reviewed 1-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, melon, citrus, bready caramel, toasted rice. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration astringent finish. (3/5)

The label says this is made with toasted rice, and hopped with Sabro, Strata, and Simcoe. The aroma tends to the mild side, with melon and citrus slightly beating out a bready, yeasty note. I might be getting mild toasted rice notes, but I’m not getting any coconut at all from the Sabro. It’s a little edgy, and that carries through into the somewhat astringent finish. At best it’s middle of the road, which is about typical for my previous experience with this brewery (for n=14, μ=7.1 & σ=0.9). (14/20)

This will be my 5,496th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hypha Project Inceptional – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.40 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Oct-2022, acquired 28-Feb-2023, reviewed 28-Feb-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, loose stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, citrus, resiny pine, oats. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration astringent finish. (3/5)

The label says “Featured hops: Vic Secret + Mosaic”. Those hops do come through in the aroma, which is probably this one’s highlight. On the tongue, there’s a bit more aggressive bitterness than is typical for the style, and that carries through into a fairly pronounced astringent bite in the finish. So, yeah… a bit unbalanced, and not very exciting. This is only my fourth by this brewer, making it two 7’s and two 8’s by my reckoning – so I’m not ready to give up on them by any means, but this one just isn’t a great example. (14/20)

This will be my 5,495th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Meta Brewery Wavelength – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 70 IBU (C$5.00 at Econo Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, packaged on 25-Nov-2022, acquired 25-Feb-2023, reviewed 25-Feb-2023)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Hate the brewery name. Beer’s OK – good enough to watch the Flames shit the bed, anyway. A very traditional brew from a brand new brewery, so draw your own conclusions there. Their web site is pretty slick, but I’m not sure they’ve put as much effort into their brewing as their marketing. Cynically, one might argue that that comes through in the beer, since its very best aspect its pretty much perfect appearance, while every other feature is middle-of-the road at best. The label says it gets its 70 IBU from hops “like” Falconer’s Flight, Centennial, and Cascade – so your guess is as good as mine as to whether that’s actually what it’s hopped with, or whether there’s any distinction between what’s used in the boil, or for dry-hopping, whirlpool, etc. To be fair, the aroma is pine (or maybe cedar) dominated, with caramel (toffee) and a hint of citrus in the back end, but at least it’s not that blah stewed fruit that so many bog-standard “craft westies” exhibit. Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with it as such, but it doesn’t excite. (14/20)

This will be my 5,494th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anchorage Brewing Company Year of the Tiger – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV (C$7.74 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 23-Feb-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, grape must, pithy citrus, light earthy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, dry medium duration mildly warming astringent finish. (3/5)

I can’t find any official brewer’s notes, but secondary sources indicate this is brewed with Vic Secret & Mosaic, fermented with Chico, and double dry-hopped with Riwaka & Strata. Not a huge success for me. In particular, there’s a fairly sharp astringency in the finish that seems out of character for any DIPA, but even more so for a Hazy/NE-style one. I won’t say this is a disappointment from Anchorage, because my experience with them has run the gamut from extremely good, to merely acceptable. And that’s fine: good for them for pushing the envelope and not just producing the same thing again and again. It is what it is, and it might work for some, but for me it’s middle of the pack. (14/20)

This will be my 5,493rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Fuzzy Logic – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.7% ABV (C$5.40 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Jan-2023, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 22-Feb-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy stone & tropical fruit, citrus, oats, faint coconut. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with HBC 1019 and Citra. That’s a new and interesting hop for me, and based upon this experience I can see it becoming popular, particularly for dry-hopping in NE-style (I)PA’s. Slightly better than my average experience with this brewery (for n=31, μ=8 & σ=0.53), which puts it in pretty lofty territory. (17/20)

This will be my 5,492nd unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Great Notion Brewing & Barrel House Wiggle – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$7.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Dec-2022, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 20-Feb-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit & citrus, oats, faint herbal/pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, clean medium duration finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe, Citra, & Citra Cryo. The aroma doesn’t give much in the way of vinous notes from the Nelson Sauvin, but there’s also no cattiness from the Simcoe, so all in all it’s decent enough. There’s a mild fruit sweetness through the middle, but it ends cleanly and without any residual stickiness. I haven’t had extensive experience with this brewer, but this one is completely in keeping with what I’ve seen thus far (for n=7, μ=7.9 & σ=0.35). Solid and easy-drinking, with no indication of the high(er) ABV. (16/20)

This will be my 5,491st unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

DuClaw Brewing Company Hop Tarts Strawberry Milkshake IPA – American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 25 IBU (C$6.07 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Oct-2022, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 18-Feb-2023)

Appearance: cloudy particulate-laden medium gold with two fingers of creamy pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-developed soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet strawberry, cream, oats, citrus, faint resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration mildly warming tart astringent finish. (4/5)

I’ve kind of stopped bothering with the milkshake-style IPAs, but I figured if anybody could do it right, it would be DuClaw, given their extensive experience doing some really fun sweet pastry-style beers. And sure enough, it smells exactly like a strawberry milkshake, so it’s off to a good start. (Well, once you get past the not-so-pleasant appearance, anyway.) The brewer notes say this is hopped with Chinook, Mosaic, and Azacca, and indicate malted oats in the grain bill. I’m getting a little hop character in addition to the strawberry adjunct, and even detecting a little dankly resinous pine as the pine progresses and warms. Still, though, it’s dominated by the adjunct, making it somewhat less an “IPA” in my book, and more a “flavoured malt liquor”. It’s not bad overall, but I really prefer “real” beer. (14/20)

This will be my 5,490th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Double Monogamy: Simcoe – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$8.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Dec-2022, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 15-Feb-2023)

Appearance: hazy opaque pale amber with one fat finger of creamy pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-developed soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, melon, citrus, oats, faint cattiness & dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, slightly sticky mildly warming lightly astringent finish. (4/5)

Isn’t that an oxymoron? (Shouldn’t it be called “Bigamy”?) Anyway, as usual I’m pleased as hell to be able to get Bellwoods products locally. This is the single-hopped Simcoe version, and I was initially impressed with the complete absence of the cattiness that often accompanies this hop. As it warmed, however, a little of that did come out, confirming that, yep, this is Simcoe all right. Not a lot, though, and not in an offensive way. Similarly, there’s a little sharp astringency that develops through the finish. I was exactly correct in predicting this would be right around a 4.2 on Untappd, and I suppose I could have rated it that highly, but for me it comes in just a little below that point. (Probably because they’ve set the bar so high in my fairly extensive experience with them: for n=45, μ=8.1 & σ=0.57.) Another solid performer from one of Canada’s best brewers. (16/20)

This will be my 5,489th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dorchester Brewing Co. Forever OFD – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.7% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 15-May-2023, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 14-Feb-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy particulate-laden pale gold with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate droopy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, caramel, grass, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sticky mildly warming finish. (3/5)

I guess “OFD” is “Originally From Dorchester”, presumably said with the broadest possible New England drawl while channelling your best Good Will Hunting Matt Damon. The label says this is hopped with Mosaic & Galaxy, but it’s dominated by older-style stone/stewed fruit on a sweet caramel base. The pour started clear but cloudiness and particulate appeared at around 75%. I don’t think I would have been all that impressed by this even back in the pre-haze craze days, and am even less so now. Just OK. (13/20)

This will be my 5,488th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dandy Brewing Company Wilder People – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.6% ABV (C$5.65 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Feb-2023, reviewed 13-Feb-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of creamy white head, good retention and moderate fine lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank cannabinoids, melon, pineapple, gooseberry. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

The label says this is hopped with Ekuanot Incognito, Mosaic Cryo, Nelson Sauvin and Rakau. It also talks about fruit flavours, which I get, but completely omits what I consider to be the dominant aroma, of dank cannabis. That definitely makes this an atypical example of a hazy, but is certainly a valid flavour component, especially for a DIPA. All in all, I think this one works very well indeed, and is probably the best effort I’ve seen from this brewery. (17/20)

This will be my 5,487th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com