Author: dpatrickryan

Spearhead Brewing Company Moroccan Brown American Brown Ale at 6% ABV | 35 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #17, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 17-Dec-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with two fingers of pillowy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toffee & brown sugar, dark dried fruits, cinnamon, light metallic. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, medium duration lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A light metallic note mars an otherwise interesting aroma profile reminiscent of much heavier styles. It largely pulls off punching above its weight despite the relatively light ABV, with the exception of the aforementioned metallic note in both the aroma and finish. Not a bad beer overall, but I can’t help thinking it would be better off in a bottle than a can. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Persephone Brewing Company Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 85 IBU (C$13.10 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 16-Dec-2018)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pine, grainy caramel, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Traditional West Coast-ish old school DIPA. Big malt is nonetheless barely sufficient to support even bigger hops, making for beefy good fun. The aromas and flavours aren’t particularly bright, which might be age but it’s hard to tell because, you guessed it, no bottle date. Still and all, I’d have it again. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Neighbour Canadian Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV | 26 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #16, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Jul-2018, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 16-Dec-2018)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, pine, herbal, citrus pith. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

I’ve classified this as an American Pale Ale, but I guess if you take their (non-existent) classification of “Canadian Pale Ale” at face value, it should perhaps be considered a hybrid of American and English. Certainly it’s more English than American, with malt dominating over woody herbal hops and relatively little citrus. It’s all right, but not exactly exciting. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rig Brewery Big Rig Premium Pilsner Pilsener at 5.2% ABV (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #15, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Jul-2018, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 15-Dec-2018)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, grainy pale malt, grass, hint of honey/corn syrup. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, clean crisp finish. (4/5)

Wait, what? It’s a Pilsener, and it says “Premium” on the can – and it’s good? I mean, yeah, I just spent 3 hours driving with two kids and a dog, but still – this is solid. I would actually drink this again. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Canmore Brewing Company Chocolate Maple Porter American Porter at 5.3% ABV (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #14, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Jul-2018, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 14-Dec-2018)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of rocky beige head diminishing fairly rapidly to a thin cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chocolate, roasty malts, smoke, light maple sugar & metallic. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, sticky moderate bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

On the up side, at least it’s more seasonal than the majority of the calendar offerings so far. In my opinion, though, the body is really too thin for the high sweetness and roasted/ashy notes. Despite elevated sweetness that’s presumably attributable to the maple, there’s very little maple in the aroma, which is dominated by roasted malt verging on burnt. There’s also a slight metallic that’s not entirely welcome. It’s OK, but I wouldn’t go looking for it again. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Prince Edward Island Brewing Company Rogue’s Roost IPA English IPA at 6% ABV (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #13, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 13-Dec-2018)

Appearance: hazy and particulate-laden pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy growing ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grainy caramel malt, grassy, floral, citrus, brown sugar, light pine, light cheese/butyric. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m officially pizened with the calendar. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Odin Brewing Company Baldr the Brut American IPA at 8.1% ABV | 28 [?] IBU (C$8.42 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 24-Aug-2018, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 12-Dec-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with three fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, floral/herbal, grainy caramel, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Hey, I’m bald(e)r and a bit of a brut(e), so this is my beer! This might be the beefiest Brut I’ve tried so far (well, excluding a couple of European Bières de Champagne, but I don’t think they use enzymes to achieve their higher attenuation) and it definitely shows, with the boozy finish the bottle promises. I’m going to blame the choice of Motueka and Lemondrop hops for the mild aroma here: the one’s an ANZ hop but more like a Super Saaz than anything, and I’ve yet to find an implementation of Lemondrop that actually had big citrus flavour. Pleasant enough, I suppose, but not really next-level. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Grasshopper Kristallweizen at 5% ABV | 16 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #12, 473 ml, best before 1-Mar-2019, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 12-Dec-2018)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy and doughy malt, light banana and clove. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp short finish. (3/5)

I actually swore out loud when I saw today’s offering. Not, you understand, that it’s a bad beer for what it is, but merely that it’s such a very pedestrian beer. (In addition to being older than dirt. Seriously, the most innovative thing about this beer – and they did it years ago – is the big mouth lid. Although, when you’re emphasizing how clear your beer is by calling it a Kristallweizen, enabling people to drink from the can seems a bit counterproductive.) This feels a lot like the straw that broke the camel’s back for me, and I honestly don’t think I’ll bother with the calendar again next year. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belching Beaver Brewery Deftones Swerve City POG IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 55 IBU (C$12.87 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 6-Sep-2018, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 12-Dec-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, dank pine, citrus, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Yes, I’m up late. Got all jacked up on coffee because I had to bring She Who Must Be Obeyed to the airport for her red-eye, and now I need to come back down to sleep. Life’s all about dosage control, innit? And yes, I listened to Deftones’ Swerve City while drinking this. I’m not sure it particularly enhanced my enjoyment, but it certainly didn’t detract. Similarly, the big fruit juice adjuncts may or may not be strictly necessary, but certainly added a lot of character without making it excessively sweet. There’s also obviously big hop character melded with the fruit, since the dank pine would otherwise suggest adjuncts that aren’t (yet) legal in this jurisdiction… All in all, a very well-implemented A/IPA with heavy West Coast influences. One teeny nitpicky issue, though: the carbonation started off fairly ridiculously enthusiastic, but dropped off dramatically by the end of the bomber – smaller servings might be the best bet here, so find a friend or two to share with, or smaller containers. Or, y’know, drink faster than I do. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. Begbie Cream Ale Cream Ale at 4.7% ABV | 12 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #11, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 11-Dec-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, mixed orchard and stone fruits, honey, bread. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry clean moderately crisp finish. (4/5)

Another style that I generally find to be less than impressive, but this is a decent implementation: malt forward without being excessively sweet, with a clean finish. Quite refreshing after a thirsty day working. Speaking of which, what do you mean I’ve got a whole ‘nuther week to go before Xmas vacation? Son of a… (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com