Month: December 2023

Trillium Brewing Company boat under train under car under plane – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$13.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Oct-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 31-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and minimal spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus zest, cereal grains, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, malts are Pilsner, Maris Otter, and White Wheat. I probably had unrealistically high expectations here, but come on, it’s Trillium! (In Alberta, no less! How cool is that?) And that’s to suggest this isn’t damn good – it is – but it’s not, like, next-level great. Though, to be fair, it’s intended as a recovery drink version of PoCoToB (which I’ve not yet had), so the light character would appear to be completely by design. (16/20)

This will be my 5,724th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Double Hopnosis – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV | 70 IBU (C$7.65 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 13-Nov-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 29-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, caramel, light tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

I guess it should come as no surprise that I rated this almost exactly the same as its single (Cold IPA) progenitor that I had back in September. Like that one, there’s s something here that just doesn’t excite me – call it a bit of a plodding, unfocussed nature? It seems like, despite them throwing a whole bunch of hops at this, it still doesn’t really pop. Pretty, though. (15/20)

This will be my 5,723nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Lil’ Helper – American IPA at 6.1% ABV (C$5.26 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Nov-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 29-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation falling off slightly flat through the finish, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

Cute – the label includes removable self-sticky gift tags. I’m not sure what other than that makes this a “festive” IPA, but that’s probably just as well – I was worried there might be peppermint or some such, and I’m completely appreciative that there isn’t. The aroma is good, but the taste slightly fails to follow through, and the finish falls just slightly flat. Decent, sure, but it isn’t one of Cabin’s best, and in fact falls just little short of average for my experience with them (for n=35, μ=7.8 & σ=0.55). (15/20)

This will be my 5,722nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

White Pony Microbirrificio A Wish Full Of Dreams – American Double / Imperial Stout at 11.9% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #24, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 25-Dec-2023)

Appearance: opaque black with one finger of fine beige head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy chocolate, red berries, mild nuts, slight metallic. (8/10) Taste: high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: full slick body falling off slightly in the finish, low carbonation, slightly astringent lingering bitter warming finish. (3/5)

This does some things right, but others not so much. The aroma is promising, but the flavour fails to fully deliver. And despite the fairly full albeit slightly high-ABV slick body, it seems to drop off a little thin in the finish, with a slight metallic note becoming a little astringent. I mean, this isn’t a complete failure, by any means – but it’s also not a complete success. (14/20)

This will be my 5,721st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Surly Brewing Co. Logic Bomb – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #23, 355 ml, best before 31-Dec-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 25-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation falling off fast in the finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Warrior, Centennial, Citra, Talus, and Sabro; malts are 2-Row, Munich, Aromatic, Crystal, Carafoam, and Acidulated. I don’t know if it’s age – thanks for throwing in a beer with a BB of a week from now guys! – or if this is always like this, but it starts off promising and fizzles fast. A bright citrus led the way upon opening, followed quickly by tropical fruits, but both died back relatively rapidly. More importantly, the flavour and carbonation both fell a bit flat pretty quickly, ending up a bit flaccid and uninteresting. If anything, I’m being a little generous on this final score. (14/20)

This will be my 5,720th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Echoes Brewing Company LLC Rauchbier – Rauchbier at 5.0% ABV | 20 IBU (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #22, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 25-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one finger of fine ivory head diminishing gradually to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, chocolate, light clean smoke. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice one. It’s been a minute since I’ve had a Rauchbier, but this one is quire approachable, with only mild smokiness. I’m sure there are folks who would recoil from this in shock and horror, but as Rauchbiers go, this is pretty entry-level, and the smokiness is really a minor addition to what is basically a caramel malty Dunkel. In fact, I suspect I’d find it a bit too sweet were it not for the smoke, so this is pretty well-balanced indeed in my estimation. (15/20)

This will be my 5,719th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Noon Whistle Brewing Co. Leisel Weapon – Hefeweizen at 5.2% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #21, 355 ml, best before 29-Apr-2024, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 24-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of creamy white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, cloves, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

A pretty unremarkable Hefe. (13/20)

This will be my 5,718th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Vocation Brewery Hop, Skip & Juice – American Pale Ale at 5.7% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #20, 330 ml, best before 30-Jun-2024, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 24-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of creamy white head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus zest, cereal grains, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation falling off rapidly, off-dry short duration finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Simcoe and Citra BBC, malts are Extra Pale, wheat malt, and jumbo oats. This one started off promising, with a pleasant aroma of zesty citrus, clean malt, and a hint of pine – pretty much what I’d hope for Simcoe and Citra hopping. However, the flavour didn’t quite deliver on the promise of the aroma, and despite a fairly lively carbonation the finish fell flat fairly quickly. Not bad, but needs some tuning up. (14/20)

This will be my 5,717th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Silver City Brewery Ridgetop Red Ale – Irish Red Ale at 6% ABV | 15 IBU (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #19, 355 ml, packaged on 26-Jul-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 23-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear red-tinged medium amber with a short, short-lived light beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, light floral, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sticky short duration finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say Liberty hops and a whole bunch of malts (NW Pale, Munich, Carafa, Dark Wheat, Light Crystal, Caramel Wheat) – and ,yeah, that’s what it smells like: all malt, with very little hop character, and what there is of it, Noble in variety.   Another deeply boring offering, albeit technically clean and inoffensive. Tough not to score this with a modern palate, but I guess realistically it’s well-executed, and that’s got to be acknowledged. (14/20)

This will be my 5,716th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hutton & Smith Brewing Company Basecamp Blonde – Blond Ale at 4.8% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #18, 355 ml, packaged on 28-Aug-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 23-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold one finger of fine white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cereal grains, grass, honey. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Meh. There’s nothing wrong here, as such, but man, is it boring. (12/20)

This will be my 5,715th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com