Month: December 2023

Madtree Brewing Company Happy Amber – Amber Ale at 6% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #17, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 23-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, bready caramel, citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say hopped with Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial. According to the can, “If it weren’t for autocorrect you’d be drinking hoppy amber”. I feel that – if I had a nickel for every time autocorrect changed “hoppy” in my reviews… Anyway, amber? Check. Hoppy? Meh… sorta – more so on the tongue, certainly, than on the nose. Moving on. (14/20)

This will be my 5,714th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tiny Rebel Brewing Five Dollar Shake – American IPA at 4.5% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #16, 330 ml, best before 9-Jun-2024, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 22-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, zesty grapefruit, lactose, cereal grains, mild resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

“Creamy Citra IPA” – yup. Much better than the last one of theirs I had, and very much my speed despite the surprisingly low ABV. I could pound quite a few of these while watching the game on TV. (16/20)

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8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Florida Avenue Brewing Co. You’re My Boy, Blue! – Wheat Ale at 5.3% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #15, 355 ml, packaged on 15-Aug-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 22-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy tea-tinged pale gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: blueberry, bready wheat. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

An initial surprisingly emphatic blueberry aroma upon opening falls back rapidly but never disappears, and might even make a bit of a return as the pint warms. Hopped with Warrior, but I can’t say that I’m getting much actual hop character. I haven’t really had great experiences with fruited ales in general, or blueberry ones in particular, but overall this isn’t bad at all. (14/20)

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7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Vocation Brewery Life & Death – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #14, 330 ml, best before 30-Jun-2024, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 21-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, bready malt, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra and Mosaic, malts are Extra Pale, Caramalt, Jumbo Oats, Wheatmalt. Smells promising at first, but the malting comes through more bready than I’d like for the style. Not quite “bad home-brew” levels, but certainly more “bread dough” than “clean cereal grains”. This is definitely a British take on an American style – as in, I see what you’re going for, but there’s definitely something being lost in translation. (15/20)

This will be my 5,711st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Madtree Brewing Company Legendary Lager – American Pale Lager at 4.2% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #13, 355 ml, packaged on 11-Aug-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 21-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pale malt, corn, crackery yeast, grass, hint of apple. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, short duration crisp finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes indicate this is hopped with Loral and Czech Saaz, and it’s a Pale Lager operating in “training wheels ABV” territory, so expectations were tempered. I’m slightly put off by what smells like a sweet corn or rice adjunct element, which to me really strongly suggests industrial macro lagers. On the other hand, it’s light, crisp, and clean, so it’s not actually bad by any means. (14/20)

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7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Earth Rider Brewery North Tower – American Stout at 6% ABV | 28 IBU (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #12, 330 ml, best before 5-Jan-2024, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 19-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear deep cola red with one finger of fine beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, cocoa, red berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, drying medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice one. I’ve noted “moderate” carbonation, but it’s probably a bit more than what that might normally mean for the style. However, if anything that seems to help the drinkability, particularly in light of the higher-than-typical ABV. All in all, a tidy, approachable package. (16/20)

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8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Silver City Brewery Tropic Haze – American IPA at 5.4% ABV | 50 IBU (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #11, 355 ml, packaged on 8-Aug-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 18-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy and particulate-laden pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and spotty chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Strata, Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7. Nice one – well-balanced with a pleasant aroma and flavour. I might be just a touch high on scoring here, but at the end of the day this is easy to drink with no real negatives (expect possibly for the chunky-style particulate). (16/20)

This will be my 5,708th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Noon Whistle Brewing Co. Bruski – Czech Pilsner at 4.6% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #10, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 18-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and spotty chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel and toasted malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending high, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sticky short duration finish. (3/5)

I was ready to be pretty dismissive of this, figuring it would be right up there with “Beer” beer. But, for what it is, it’s not bad. It’s all about the toasty malt notes, with only a mild grassy hoppiness (Saaz?) but it’s a reasonably well-balanced implementation. A definite lawnmower beer, but sometimes that fits the bill. (14/20)

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7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

White Pony Microbirrificio Altruism – Golden Ale at 6.5% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #9, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 17-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and spotty chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, floral, herbal, coriander. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending high, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration finish. (3/5)

Meh. Barely a Golden, not a lot of Belgian notes. Nothing really wrong here, but certainly not memorable. (13/20)

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6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hutton & Smith Brewing Company The Promenade – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #8, 355 ml, packaged on 23-Aug-2023, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 16-Dec-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy and particulate-laden deep gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and spotty chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, grass, stone fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending high, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, short slightly flaccid finish. (3/5)

An NEIPA from Chattanooga, TN – that tracks, right? After the first sip, I started to think I had been a bit too quick to judge, but through the finish I quickly realized I had not. It looks carby as hell, but on the tongue it goes flat fairly quickly – thus my comment about a flaccid finish – and that lack of loft makes it seem bit sweeter than I’d like. I don’t know what four hops they’re using, but I’d like to see more emphasis on citrus and less on Noble, grassy notes. I dunno – at the end of the day, this just doesn’t work all that well for me. (14/20)

This will be my 5,705th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com