Month: December 2024

Anchorage Brewing Company Greed – Triple IPA at 10% ABV (C$13.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 28-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy tropical & stone fruit, honey, citrus. (7/10) Taste: high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweet warming finish. (4/5)

To be clear, this predates “DENY DEFEND DEPOSE” (and probably hearkens back to the execution of Aquillius by Mithridates, with a twist on the use of honey in this brew) – but it kinda works, dunnit? A big boozy bastard, with some interesting flavour undertones, but not as emphatic as I would like. Not bad, but I expected more. (15/20)

This will be my 6,059th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Camp Beer Co. Survival Camp – Triple IPA at 9.5% ABV (C$6.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Sep-2024, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 28-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy stone & tropical fruit, citrus, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish warming finish. (4/5)

Not without its appeal, and all things considered fairly balanced. That’s not to say it’s not a sweet boozy monster, because it is, but the lively-tending carbonation lifts that a little. The aroma is not as bright as I’d like, and I guess it’s pretty unavoidable that there’d be a strong malt component there, but all in all it’s not bad. (15/20)

This will be my 6,058th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Micronova – Session IPA at 4.7% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 25-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, white grape must, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

New Zealand hops: Motueka, Nectaron, and Riwaka. Flavourful but still light and crushable. No qualifiers required. (16/20)

This will be my 6,057th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Gorilla Mode Juice Wizard – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.5% ABV (C$5.95 at Collective, 568 ml, best before 6-May-2025, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 24-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange juice, tropical & stone fruit, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sticky sweet medium duration mildly warming finish. (3/5)

I flip-flopped a little on scoring here, as this is ultimately a little bit of a train wreck, and certainly lacking in anything resembling subtlety. On the other hand, who would expect subtlety from something called “Gorilla Mode”? They’ve obviously gone heavy on adjuncts to temper the impact of the high ABV, which makes me wonder about the intended audience here – is this supposed to be a kiddie alco-pop? – but ultimately it’s pretty drinkable and enjoyable, so I guess I let other folks worry about their own kids. (15/20)

This will be my 6,056th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Mis-Heard Lyric – American IPA at 7% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #24, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 24-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

So the Advent Calendar finally gets one that’s in my wheelhouse, and it’s a duplicate from a couple of years ago. Oh, well. Fact is, I like this one a fair bit better than the last time I had it – both the appearance and flavour are more style-appropriate. Last time, I accused it of being a misheard malt bill or maybe a misheard hop order, and said it was just OK, but this time it’s decent. (15/20)

This will not be a unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Spearhead Brewing Company Festbier Copper Lager – Festbier at 5.2% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #23, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Jul-2024, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 23-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, excellent retention and  moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready caramel, light floral, hint of red berries. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

There are some all-malt styles that I actually enjoy, and Festbier is one of them. And, this isn’t a bad example of the style. Not to mention, it’s actually halfway seasonal. I guess I have to call this OK and move on. (14/20)

This will be my 6,055th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

AleSmith Brewing Company Tropical Party Tricks – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$5.31 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Sep-2024, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 22-Dec-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet pineapple and tropical fruit, cream, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

With Citra, El Dorado, Strata, Mango, and Pineapple. Very much dominated by the pineapple and mango tropical adjuncts, but it doesn’t not work. I’m not sure I could drink very many of these, but I wouldn’t actually say no to another one, and that’s pretty much the acid test, right? (16/20)

This will be my 6,054th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blood Brothers Brewing Blood 5.0 – Traditional Ale at 5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #22, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 22-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bready caramel, mixed fruits, mild grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Hah! When I pulled the can out of the Advent Calendar, my immediate thought was “Labatt 50??!?!” so it wasn’t actually a surprise to read the brewer description of taking ingredients from one of their “nostalgic go-to beers.” It’s certainly reminiscent of that, although with a bit more character. Not bad, and certainly deserving of a bit more than “It’s wet.”. (14/20)

This will be my 6,053rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Skeleton Park Brewery Proper – Premium Bitter / ESB at 4.5% ABV | 28 IBU (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #21, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Jul-2024, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 21-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, light floral, hints of grape must. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweetish short duration finish. (4/5)

Fairly traditional English Bitter from a new-to-me brewery. Props for using a locally-rediscovered hop that was apparently imported to the region a couple of centuries ago. I actually don’t mind the carbonation being just slightly high for the style, but purists might quibble. Not bad overall. (14/20)

This will be my 6,052nd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

2 Crows Brewing Badabing! – Pilsner at 5.5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #20, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 20-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of pillowy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grass/herbal, honey, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sweetish short duration finish. (4/5)

A bit sad to say, but I actually started to get my hopes up when I saw the colour scheme, thinking it might actually be seasonal. Yeah. As if. That being said, it’s a decent pilsner, so it would be unfair to the brewer to complain about that aspect of it. Pleasant flavour and fairly crushable, but just a bit too sweet for my preference. (15/20)

This will be my 6,051st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com