Month: January 2026

Eighty-Eight Brewing Give Me The Night – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV (C$6.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Dec-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 18-Jan-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter warming finish. (4/5)

A fairly classic West Coast-leaning DIPA with the emphasis on dank pine. I won’t say the aroma is mild, but it’s not as hop forward as I’d like it to be. The dry finish leaves nowhere for the bitter to hide, but it’s not overwhelming. (16/20)

This will be my 6,337th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. Park Pass 008 – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV (C$5.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Dec-2026, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 18-Jan-2026)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel malt, pithy citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, bitter warming finish. (4/5)

An old(er)-fashioned West Coast-leaning DIPA with significant malt character. Big and bitter, but not to the point of being unbalanced, with an appropriate mild warming. (15/20)

This will be my 6,336th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Polyrhythm Brewing Batter Head – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Dec-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 17-Jan-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, resiny pine, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, bitter warming finish. (4/5)

“Dry hops: Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Strata Hyperboost” Not bad, but falls just a little short: the aroma’s not quite bright enough and the flavour tends just a little bitter. It’s not overly bitter or boozy, but it definitely communicates both. (15/20)

This will be my 6,335th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Propeller Brewery Peanut Butter Cup Dessert Stout – American Stout at 5.8% ABV (C$6.85 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 17-Jan-2026)

Appearance: clear deep brown with a short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, moderate sheet lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet chocolate, nuts, oats and toasted grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly thin finish. (3/5)

Nicely done – I could easily have been convinced there were actual peanut butter cups in the brew on this one. More impressively, perhaps, is the restrained sweetness. My only real complaint is that I found it to be just a touch thin, and think that a heavier, creamier body would fit the flavour profile a little better. (15/20)

This will be my 6,334th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blood Brothers Brewing Echo Vine – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$7.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Dec-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 16-Jan-2026)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sweetish finish. (3/5)

“w/ Superdelic & Citra” Not quite as bright and hoppy as I like to see the style, but pleasant enough on the tongue. Finishes a little sweet. (15/20)

This will be my 6,333rd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. Lift Pass – American IPA at 7.0% ABV (C$5.75 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 16-Jan-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, cereal grains, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration sweetish mildly warming finish with a slight edge. (3/5)

I don’t dislike it, but the sweetness through the mid falls off sort of suddenly to finish with just a little edginess not entirely offset by the slight ABV warming. It’s almost a case of not being able to make up its mind whether it’s a Hazy or not. Still and all, not bad. (15/20)

This will be my 6,332nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Shine A Light – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Dec-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 14-Jan-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and minimal stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, dank pine resin, berry. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, bitter finish. (4/5)

Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Nelson Hop Kief. Released nearly simultaneously with Kool Thing, but a diametrically opposite approach to the whole “IPA” thing, being clear, dank, and bitter. Still really good stuff. (16/20)

This will be my 6,330th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Kool Thing – American IPA at 6.6% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Dec-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 13-Jan-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, lactose, tropical fruit, hint of white grape. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: creamy medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Rakau, Riwaka, Motueka, Nectaron. Ho hum, another world-class hazy from The Est. Much like many of their other offerings, although this one combines a slightly creamy citrus with an ANZ grape character, without getting excessively sweet. Really good stuff. (16/20)

This will be my 6,329th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

No, I don’t know why it’s blurry. Blame it on the booze.

Deschutes Brewery Symphonic Chronic – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 50 IBU (C$7.55 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 30-Sep-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 9-Jan-2026)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet pulpy citrus, tropical fruit, dank pine, herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, building bitter warming finish. (3/5)

Nugget, Chinook, Zeus, Mosaic, Idaho, Simcoe. I suppose I shouldn’t be buying American beer – because, seriously, fuck those guys – but I must confess to a soft spot for some south of the border brewers, and this is one. And, I gotta say, this isn’t bad overall – bright and juicy, if somewhat unbalanced through the mid and into a building bitter finish only slightly moderated by the boozy warming. I see what they’re doing here – mashing up WC dank with Hazy juicy – but I’m not completely convinced that’s a combination that should exist. I like it, but I don’t love it. (14/20)

This will be my 6,327th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.5% ABV | 34 IBU (C$6.75 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 10-Oct-2025, acquired 5-Jan-2026, reviewed 5-Jan-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet juicy citrus, faint melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium  body, moderate carbonation, sweetish warming slightly boozy finish. (3/5)

Citra, Comet, El Dorado, Mosaic. Sweet juicy citrus aroma dominates the front end to good effect, but that sweetness carries through on the tongue and through the finish. Overall, just a bit too sweet for me, and the slightly emphatic booziness doesn’t salvage that. (14/20)

This will be my 6,326th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com