Author: dpatrickryan

Folding Mountain Brewing Collab Series: Summer Collective IPA #8 – American IPA at 6% ABV | 75 IBU (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Jul-2025, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 28-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, light herbal. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, lingering building bitter warming finish. (3/5)

Slightly aggressive and edgy, combining some facets of the West Coast and Hazy styles. It doesn’t completely work, and in particular I find the lingering bitterness emphasizes the herbal, almost liquorice-like note through the finish. It’s not unpleasant, as such, just maybe not entirely completely balanced. (14/20)

This will be my 6,163rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Eighty-Eight Brewing SPF 88 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.30 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Jun-2025, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 28-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, coconut, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly edgy finish. (3/5)

“HBC 1019 and Sabro hops”. Sabro is of course going to tend to give that coconut character, but once or twice I’ve noted 1019 being associated with coconut when no Sabro was present, so perhaps we’re getting a double whammy. I’ve also previously noted an almost-metallic finish with 1019, and that’s not far off what I’m getting here: nothing excessive, just a little edge that detracts slightly from the overall finish. (15/20)

This will be my 6,162nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Echo Beach – American Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV (C$5.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-May-2025, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 27-Jul-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, citrus pith, faint pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sharp finish. (3/5)

Pleasant enough, I suppose, but milder than I prefer, particularly in the aroma. There’s also a slight sharpness through the finish that seems a little unbalanced. Good, but not up to this brewer’s normal standards. (14/20)

This will be my 6,161st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing Shark Repellent – American IPA at 7.0% ABV | 30 IBU (C$7.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 27-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, dank resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

The label says Citra and Columbus, and that’s pretty much what I get in the flavour profile. Not a lot more to say here: this ticks all the boxes and drinks pretty easy for a fairly emphatic ABV. I suppose you could score it maybe half a point lower overall if you were in a bad mood, but I’ve been doing yard work and needed a beer. (16/20)

This will be my 6,160th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company / Long Hop Brewing Co. Dream Your Life Away – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$6.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Jul-2025, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 27-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, field berries, cereal grains, light dank resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish with mild hop burn. (3/5)

“Featuring Citra, Strata, Freestyle Nectaron”. Quite pleasant on the front end, with juicy citrus and fruit on a clean cereal grain base. There’s a little more hop burn through the finish than I think appropriate for the style, though, which makes it feel a little hotter than it really is. It’s not a miss, but they haven’t really nailed it, either. (15/20)

This will be my 6,159th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Chaise Longue (Wild Things 001) – American Wild Ale at 2.9% ABV (C$4.60 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 25-Nov-2024, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 27-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one finger of fine white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, mild horseblankety funk, floral, hay. (9/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter, moderate tart. (9/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, dry short duration tart finish. (5/5)

Similar to its sibling That’s What Time Does (Wild Things 002) (yes, I had them out of order) but with more of a lemon zest leading the way in the aroma. Another very nice example of the style, with a pleasant restrained Brett funkiness beneath the zesty lemon front end. Light and attenuated, with lively carbonation, making it crisp and refreshing. I actually think I like this one just a bit more than 002, but as with its sibling, I consider this can far too small and think it should be sold by the litre. (18/20)

This will be my 6,158th unique Untappd check-in.

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing Nuke It From Orbit, It’s The Only Way To Be Sure – American IPA at 7.0% ABV | 50 IBU (C$7.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 26-Jul-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, dank resin, tropical & stone fruits, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish mildly warming building bitter finish. (3/5)

An old school dank high gravity WCIPA that references Alien? Talk about being in my wheelhouse! Unfortunately, that means I’m also super picky about it. And although it starts off as a strong contender (and an auspicious first offering from this brewery for me, even though they’re not all that new) it doesn’t finish quite as strongly. Not to say it’s not good overall, but that’s what it is: good, not great. It smells slightly better than it tastes, and it tastes slightly better than it finishes. Which means that, ultimately, it doesn’t quite manage to distinguish itself.(14/20)

This will be my 6,157th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company / Dageraad Brewing Sun Giant Sommerbier – Kellerbier / Zwickelbier at 4.2% ABV (C$5.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Jul-2025, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 26-Jul-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, crackery malt, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration off-dry finish. (4/5)

Neither of these brewers cause me to think “Lager”, let alone “Kellerbier”, but I respect them both, so I had high hopes. And, as I’ve pointed out many times, I don’t consider myself sufficiently sophisticated or well enough-acquainted with the style to be overly confident in my analysis, but what the heck. As I understand it, this “Pale” version of Kellerbier is basically an unfiltered young Helles, and that’s largely what I get: soft malts and mild hops. It’s lighter than I understand it should be, but it’s also intended to be drunk by the litre, so that’s probably fine too. All things considered, it’s not radically different than a Kölsch, albeit with a touch more malt presence and less dry through the finish. Very German, very pleasant. (16/20)

This will be my 6,156th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Kölsch – Kölsch at 4.5% ABV (C$7.75 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 26-Jul-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, grass, mineral/petrichor, faint DMS/sulphur. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, short duration crisp dry finish. (4/5)

I always say I’m not sophisticated enough to truly appreciate subtle Lagers or Lager-like Kölsch, but when it’s one of my favourite Canadian brewers (plus an excuse to trot out my Stange!) I’m going to give it a shot. I had to go re-read the BJCP style guidelines to be certain of my scoring, but the hazy appearance is considered a strike, while the faint DMS is not. All in all, a very easy drinker that I could quite happily spend a long afternoon with on a sunny patio. (Particularly if being served by a buxom Fräulein, but that’s probably a bit outside the style guidelines…) (15/20)

This will be my 6,155th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sapporo Breweries Sapporo Premium Alcohol Free – Non-Alcoholic Beer at 0% ABV (C$1.67 at Save-On-Foods Okotoks, 355 ml, best before 25-Dec-2025, acquired 1-Apr-2025, reviewed 26-Jul-2025)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short, short-lived loose white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: corn, stewed fruit, hint of grass. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration sweetish finish. (3/5)

You know the rule about beers with “Premium” in the name right? They aren’t. Deeply unimpressive, even for a non-alcoholic – you’re looking for an NA light lager, go for a Corona Sunbrew instead. (11/20)

This will be my 6,154th unique Untappd check-in.

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com