Author: dpatrickryan

Scuttlebutt Brewing Company Mosaic IPA American IPA at 8% ABV | 73 IBU (C$2.56 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 25-Sep-2019, acquired 15-Jan-2019, reviewed 18-Jan-2019)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, bready caramel, melon. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sticky lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty heavy-duty for a plain old IPA, and probably better characterized as a DIPA (in addition to being DDH) in both ABV and IBUs. Kind of bridges the gap between old-skool and new hotness, what with its unfiltered haziness and ANZ hop selection offset by its big malty caramel. It’s not without its charms, but no more is it an unqualified success. At the end of the day, what I can say is: it’ll do. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Snake Lake Brewing Company Norglenwold American IPA at 7% ABV | 60 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2019, reviewed 17-Jan-2019)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, sweet caramel, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Really solid NEIPA. The emphatic fruitiness keeps threatening to tend too sweet, but never actually does. My second from this brewery, and the second eight out of ten. I’m going to have to go to their taproom the next time I’m in the neighbourhood of Sylvan Lake! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hi-Wire Brewing Lo-Pitch Juicy IPA American IPA at 4.9% ABV | 35 IBU (C$4.54 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Jan-2019, reviewed 15-Jan-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, crackery malt, slightly dank pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit bandwagon-ish, I think. It’s not particularly “juicy”, coming across as a fairly standard AIPA. (It’s certainly not an NEIPA, by any means.) It might simply be that it’s a bit elderly and has faded, but the bottle isn’t dated, so I have little choice but to assume it was intended to be like this. All in all, not bad, but not memorable, and not one I’d seek out. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Borg Brugghús / Cigar City Brewing Aycayia Nr. C4 American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$2.70 at Collective, 330 ml, packaged on 10-Jun-2018, acquired 15-Jan-2019, reviewed 15-Jan-2019)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet vanilla, zesty citrus, tropical fruit, pale crackery malt, stone fruit, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly resinous bitter finish. (4/5)

Solid. Lots of fruit on the front end, with an almost milkshake-like lactose sweetness, smoothly transitioning to a slightly resiny pine in the finish. Citra and Mosaic in particular exhibit very well here. Despite being six months in the can, this is bright, fruity, and enjoyable.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Irish-ish Coffee American Double / Imperial Stout at 10.3% ABV (C$10.67 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 13-Jan-2019)

Appearance: nearly opaque brown with amber-brown highlights, one fat finger of rocky tan head, excellent retention and moderate clingy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: coffee, vanilla, liquorice, whiskey, spices. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: full body, soft carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

A much bigger and boozier example than the previous Evil Twin Stout I had tonight, but of course this is an Imperial, and every inch of that. It’s not particularly “Irish” in the sense of a strong whiskey presence – if anything it’s more coffee, than whiskey – but it’s definitely there, particularly in the finish. Seasonal spices, predominantly nutmeg, are also emphatically present throughout.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing No Hero (Batch #005) American Stout at 7% ABV (C$5.36 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 13-Jan-2019)

Appearance: nearly opaque brown with minimal highlights, two fingers of rocky tan head, excellent retention and moderate clingy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: cocoa, molasses, anise, oats, smoky ash, red berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly full, soft carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

A well-balanced Stout that benefits from the smoothness of oats. The roastiness is emphatic and verges on smokey, but is mediated by anise and red berries. Additional depth and complexity becomes evident as it warms, and an initial slight metallic thinness dissipates. Definitely one that shouldn’t be drunk too cold. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anchor Brewing Company Merry Christmas & Happy New Year (Our Special Ale) (2018) Christmas / Winter Specialty Spiced Beer at 6.9% ABV (C$2.50 at Okotoks Co-Op, 355 ml, best before 1-Jul-2021, acquired 7-Jan-2019, reviewed 8-Jan-2019)

Appearance: clear brown with ruby highlights, one finger of rocky tan head, good retention and moderate clingy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, dark chocolate, banana bread, spices. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Best vintage I’ve had to date, I think, by a fair margin. Unlike previous years, there’s a pungent resiny pine at the forefront, and it’s both less sweet and crisper than previous recipes. I deliberately started this one a bit on the cold side, sipping as it warmed up to explore the full gamut, and it’s pretty well-behaved through the full temperature range. Definitely more about pine and hops than previous incarnations, and much less an old-fashioned fruitcake in a glass. Given the amount hop character here (though, don’t get me wrong, it’s still malt forward) I wonder how well this one will age. Guess we’ll find out in a year or two… (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brauerei Fahr Fahr Out Pilsner Pilsener at 5% ABV (C$4.99 at Okotoks Co-Op, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Jan-2019, reviewed 7-Jan-2019)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready malt, pome fruit, grass, hint of hydrocarbon/solvent. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration spicy finish. (4/5)

I initially though this was under-carbed upon first decapping, but soon realized the anemic hiss was due to there being almost no head space. Oh, well, at least it didn’t explode in my car… or fridge… or hand! As far as the beer goes, it’s a fairly unremarkable example of a fairly unremarkable style. As usual, I feel like I’m doing a bit of a disservice to the review because I’m not sophisticated enough to appreciate anything other than big bombastic beers, but try as I might I can’t work up much enthusiasm for a Pils. This one is marred slightly by a hint of fuel-like hydrocarbon – fusels, I suppose – that isn’t uncommon in the style, but never overly welcome in my mind. OK, but certainly not one I’d seek out again. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Bison Brewery Flight Path American Brown Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$6.99 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 650 ml, packaged on 21-Oct-2018, acquired 7-Jan-2019, reviewed 7-Jan-2019)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of fine beige head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, cocoa, nuts. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

If I were flying, this is exactly the kind of flight path I’d want: smooth and level, with no surprises. But, since I’m drinking, not flying, I wouldn’t mind a little turbulence. Pleasant, and certainly well made, but a bit unremarkable. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Bison Brewery Party Pants American Pale Ale at 4.3% ABV (C$6.99 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 650 ml, packaged on 30-Aug-2019, acquired 7-Jan-2019, reviewed 7-Jan-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus juice & zest, tropical fruit, grainy malt, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

“Party Pants” – hah! Everybody knows there ain’t no party like a no pants party! And, given the low ABV, you’d have to drink an awful lot of these for things to get to that point. So, well done, I guess? Generally, this drinks as a much bigger beer, with loads of juicy hop aroma and generally pleasant flavour. Although the body tends somewhat light, it doesn’t drop off to watery and tends to hold its own. There is a hint of astringency in the finish that betrays the light malt bill, but it’s pretty mild. All in all, a pleasant enough offering. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com