Month: February 2024

Stone Brewing Company ///Fear.Movie.Lions – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV | 60 IBU (568 ml, packaged on 24-Aug-2023, best before 22-Dec-2023, acquired 3-Feb-2024, reviewed 29-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical & muddled fruit, bready malts. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

In case it’s not obvious, the name is a WhatThreeWords location for a 3m grid square in their the middle of their Richmond Virginia brewery. (I guess it sounds better than “privately.cable.onion” a couple squares over, or “discouraged.stones.visit” in their tap room?) If you ask me, there’s something very apropos about Stone using W3W for naming: they both seemed poised to be game-changers a few years ago, before everyone kinda went “Wait, how is this even a thing?” And yeah, to be fair, they both work – sorta. But they’re both also kind of up their own asses. And yes, I was an unabashed fanboy with Arrogant Bastard and Enjoy By and some other offerings, but then they kinda jumped the shark with the Stochastity project, and Berlin, and any number of other swings and misses, and I was more than a little over them. Which leaves me here, older, wiser, crankier, balder, fatter… ahem. Anyway, it’s not that bad: I sort of get the stated intent of merging WCIPA with NEIPA, but I also sort of feel like this is a day late and a dollar short effort to hop on a bandwagon. It does a good job of making a fairly high ABV quite palatable, but other than that, it’s merely OK. (14/20)

This will be my 5,748th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Wandering Star – American Porter at 5.8% ABV (C$4.50 at Safeway Liquor D’Arcy Crossing, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Nov-2023, acquired 23-Jan-2024, reviewed 29-Jan-2024)

Appearance: clear cola brown with one finger of loose beige head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dark chocolate, coffee, toasted bread, caramel, floral, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

The hell? It’s just a name change? Lame. What happened, they get hate mail from Fat Sherpas? Anyway, my opinion on this hasn’t changed: it’s fine. Which, for this brewery, is damnation with faint praise. (14/20)

This will apparently not be a unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lagabière Brasserie Artisanale Ta Meilleure – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$5.20 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Nov-2023, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 26-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: melon, tropical fruit, bready malts, citrus, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

I dunno whose best (“meilleure”) this is, but it’s certainly not the best example of the style I’ve had. Hell, it’s not the best I’ve had this week. That’s not to say it isn’t good – it is – but it doesn’t really stand out all that much in a very crowded field. (15/20)

This will be my 5,746th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Refined Fool Brewing Co. Party Sharks Foggy IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$6.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Oct-2023, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 25-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of loose pale ivory head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, bready malts. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

A fairly middle of the road offering with little to differentiate it in a very crowded field. (14/20)

This will be my 5,745th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Surly Brewing Co. Axe Man – American IPA at 7.2% ABV (C$8.25 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 3-Dec-2023, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 24-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, warming lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra and Mosaic. I had Amager Bryghus original iteration of this, Todd the Axe Man, about five years ago. Like that one, the appearance could use work. However, I think this one’s age has affected the flavour profile, making it slightly less enjoyable for me. To be fair, I did make a point of checking dates during my last trip to the store, so I have no explanation why I bought this one after its BB date, but there you go. I’m going to have to make an effort to find a fresher copy of this to give it a fairer review, but for now this is how it shakes out. (16/20)

This will be my 5,744th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project Waste Land – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$5.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Nov-2023, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 24-Jan-2024)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s gotta take the record for the most sanctimonious label notes ever, but the beer isn’t quite as bitter, so it’s all good. The brewer notes indicate this is hopped with Chinook, Simcoe, Galena, Citra, Galaxy, and Spectrum Citra. There’s not quite as much hop presence in the aroma as I like there to be, but overall it’s a solid example of the WCIPA style, and a definite pre-haze-craze throwback with a classic bitter finish. (16/20)

This will be my 5,743rd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. Snowshoe Hare – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$5.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Nov-2023, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 23-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: stone fruit, cereal grains, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

It’s probably a bit better than “meh” – but not a whole lot. For me, the aroma is a bit muddled, and neither it nor the flavour are where I want them to be for this style. The appearance is good, but that’s the highlight. (14/20)

This will be my 5,742nd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Superflux Beer Company Semigloss – American IPA at 6.0% ABV (C$6.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Dec-2023, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 22-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, stone fruit, cereal grains, tropical fruit, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly astringent finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is dry hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Idaho 7 Cryo. Overall a bright, cheerful, and approachable NEIPA. I flip-flopped a little on whether the slight sharpness in the finish was a negative or not, and ultimately decided it wasn’t significant enough to affect the final scoring. Can’t say I love a name that reminds me of being balls-deep in home renos, but I guess I can’t mark them down for that. (16/20)

This will be my 5,741st unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Chapter 5 – Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV (C$24.85 at Collective, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 21-Jan-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apple brandy, white grape, Belgian esters, oak. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

I mean, I don’t dislike this, but it’s pretty near the middle of the pack for my experience with both the style and the brewer. I found the aroma to be lacking in complexity and it tended a little sweet, even for the style. The finish was decent, and overall it was OK, but certainly not a world-class offering. (14/20)

This will be my 5,740th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. Ranger Summit – Rye IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 16-Jan-2024, reviewed 17-Jan-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, spicy rye, earth, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice one, but not quite as emphatic as I like the style to be – which is to say, I didn’t call the aroma “mild”, but almost did. All the elements are there, but it doesn’t make it to next-level territory. In fact, not to be overly harsh, but that seems to be pretty typical of my experience with this brewery: prior to this one, for n=12, μ=7.6 & σ=0.57. Still and all, I think I’d place them in the top three of local breweries (even though one of theirs was actually in my bottom ten of 2023) with only The Establishment and Cabin doing better overall. (15/20)

This will be my 5,739th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com