Month: January 2025

Superflux / Bellwoods Brewery Pug – American IPA at 5.6% ABV (C$6.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2025, reviewed 20-Jan-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, bright citrus, resiny pine, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

Wait, a Superflux and Bellwoods collab? I’m sorry, I have unreasonably high expectations here. Aaaand… was not disappointed. Hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Cascade, and Citra Cryo, same as Bellwoods’ WCIPA PIG, but an East Coast reimagining. I gotta say, I think I like this one just slightly more – I think there’s a bit more bright aroma here. (17/20)

This will be my 6,067th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Ecosphere – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$5.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Jan-2025, acquired 15-Jan-2025, reviewed 17-Jan-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, bright citrus, pale malt, hint of resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate  sweet, moderate  bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, clean short duration finish. (4/5)

Oh, that’s so good. Mind you, I am so thirsty, so… No, actually, my thirst has nothing to do with this – it’s just really good. Hopped with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Krush, with Hyperboost (a.k.a. YCH 701 hop oil). I’m going to get a bit picky about nomenclature here, though: this is a really, really good American IPA. But, it’s not really a West Coast IPA: too fruity (for the style, not in general) and far too little pine. So, I’m gonna dock it just a little for straying too far afield from the style – but it’s still damn good. (17/20)

This will be my 6,066th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ale Architect Brewing Ltd. Riff Raff – American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$5.13 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 4-Jan-2025)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pithy citrus, resiny pine, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Centennial and Simcoe. Pretty classic take on WCIPA, with no negatives at all. That being said, it insists upon itself, and there’s no missing the emphatic bittering, so it’s clearly not intended for everyone. It is, however, intended for riff raff like me – which is lucky, seeing how I am riff raff like me. (16/20)

This will be my 6,062nd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Equilibrium Brewery 18 Decillion – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$8.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 3-Jan-2025)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

Quite pleasant, definitely has Omnipollo overtones. Fairly easy to drink for the high ABV. It’s a win for me. (16/20)

This will be my 6,061st unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Godspeed Brewery Chmelová Brigáda: Premiant – India Pale Lager at 5.3% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 23-Oct-2024, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 3-Jan-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, lavender, tea, hint of pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration peppery finish. (4/5)

The brewer calls this a “Hoppy Czech lager” but the choice of more modern (albeit still Czech, and Saaz-derived) Premiant hops makes me agree with the Untappd classification as IPL. I went back and forth on my rating here, and could maybe have gone half a point higher overall. For me, though, it came down to it being a little bit neither fish nor fowl, and slightly confused. (In particular, I found the bittering to be slightly emphatic for the style.) Not unpleasant, but not great either. (15/20)

This will be my 6,060th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com