Month: December 2024

Belching Beaver Brewery Imperial Phantom Bride – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV (C$7.15 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 15-Oct-2024, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 1-Dec-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a massive fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops. Big and bombastic, hop-burny and warming. I like it! (16/20)

This will be my 6,025th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewsters Brewing Company Original Lager – American Pale Lager at 5.0% ABV | 30 IBU (2024 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #1, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 1-Dec-2024)

Appearance: clear pale straw with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: biscuity malt, grass, hint of diacetyl. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Boy, that’s pretty hard to get excited over – a bog standard American Pale Lager. It starts off fine, but gets a little less so as it warms. Overall it’s just OK. Here’s hoping the Advent Calendar improves over time! (12/20)

This will be my 6,024th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Godspeed Brewery Světlý Ležák 12º – Pale Lager at 5.0% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 2-Oct-2024, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 1-Dec-2024)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toasted bread, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

Super clean and simple, and one that I could quite happily drink all day – but another one that I don’t feel overly qualified to evaluate. It’s clean and pleasant, easy to drink, and has no negative characteristics at all, but I’m not sure I could pick it out of a lineup with any number of other well-brewed Lagers. I will, however, point out the one thing of which I am sure: it’s the only beer I’ve had with “Premium” on the label, that actually deserves the description. (15/20)

This will be my 6,023rd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Irrational Brewing Company Exp. Opacity 15 – American IPA at 6.0% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 30-Nov-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived loose off-white head, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, mild dank. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

“DDH Hazy IPA w/ Luminosa”. Only my third (I think) experience with Luminosa, but I seem to pretty consistently enjoy it. This example is bright and juicy, with notes of sweet stone and tropical fruit as well as citrus flesh. The brewer description indicates it to be “almost completely void of the pine/resinous character” (almost as if this were a good thing???) but I’m detecting some not-unwelcome dank on the back end. Very pleasant overall. (16/20)

This will be my 6,022nd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ale Architect Brewing Ltd. Fuzz Phase – American Pale Ale at 5.3% ABV (C$6.00 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 29-Nov-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

“Dry-hopped with Citra and experimental HBC-1019”. Pleasant but not emphatic aroma and flavour. A little sharpness through the mid ends up seeming just a little astringent. (14/20)

This will be my 6,021st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com