Author: dpatrickryan

Spectrum Beer Co. Melon Haze Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$2.47 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 9-May-2018, acquired 19-Oct-2018, reviewed 23-Oct-2018)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy clingy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: very mild melon & floral, with a hint of lemon. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

No real off notes, but light almost to the point of non-existence. The light body tends almost watery, making the mild bitterness taste a little more emphatic, nearly astringent. OK, certainly refreshing and crushable, but I think I’d like it better if there were more going on. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company 22 Anniversary Anni Matter American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.1% ABV | 81 IBU (US$8.99 at Brix Bottleshop, 650 ml, packaged on 24-Jul-2018, acquired 22-Oct-2018, reviewed 22-Oct-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and heavy clingy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: floral, caramel, melon, dank pine resin, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter sticky warming finish. (4/5)

I might be scoring this just slightly lower than it originally deserved, because it’s not as fresh as it maybe should be – though to be fair it’s still under 90 days. I’m actually slightly bored with Stone these days, and the douchey label notes (“the no haze double IPA”, “perfectly filtered”) kind of underscore this, portraying them as grumpy old men threatened by new styles. Philosophical differences aside, this is a solid traditional DIPA, and probably would’ve blown my mind even five years ago, but right now just strikes me as old-fashioned and slightly dated. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bent Stick Brewing Co. Electric Boogaloo Double Dry Hopped IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$7.51 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Oct-2018, reviewed 20-Oct-2018)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank pine, tropical fruit, caramel, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (3/5)

Probably my best Bent Stick to date, and actually a bit better (and danker) than yesterday’s super-rare one-off offering. Decently balanced, with pronounced but not overwhelming hop bitterness backing up the nicely fragrant aroma. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bent Stick Brewing Co. Art Teacher’s Office Diggity Dank IPA American IPA at 7% ABV (C$7.47 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Oct-2018, reviewed 19-Oct-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, citrus, earthy pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (3/5)

No packaging date, but has to be super fresh: it’s brewed in honour of Alberta Beer Week (starting today) and marijuana legalization in Canada (two days ago). Hey, at least as far as euphemisms for “smells like pot”, this one’s funny – and a Simpson’s reference, to boot. This also has to be the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody deliberately using light struck hop tea to get skunkiness. Unfortunately, after all the build-up, it’s just not all that dank – I’ve had examples of the West Coast style that were far more cannabinoid than this. Fruit and malt dominate this (think sweet pineapple) far more than dank pine. On the other hand, I’m always appreciative of a hop bomb. It’s OK, but no better than that. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Founders Brewing Company Dankwood American Double / Imperial IPA at 12.2% ABV | 65 IBU (C$7.99 at Oak & Vine, 330 ml, packaged on 10-Apr-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 18-Oct-2018)

Appearance: clear reddish-tinged amber-brown with three fingers of fine ivory head, excellent retention and heavy droopy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: sweet caramel, vanilla, bourbon, dank resin, red berries. (8/10) Taste: high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sticky lingering and building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Woof. Huge barrel notes and boozy warmth nearly overwhelm everything else. Not a criticism, but it definitely tastes every bit of its double-barrelled ABV. Considering the barrel notes and weight, the sweetness might not be inappropriate, as such, but it’s still higher than I’d like it to be. If sticky and dessert-like is your thing, you’ll enjoy this. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Common Crown Brewing Co. Experimental Series X-Batch #002 American IPA at 7% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.00 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Oct-2018, acquired 15-Oct-2018, reviewed 17-Oct-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate clingy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel & biscuity malt, floral, herbal, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Nothing very “experimental” here – just a run-of-the-mill old-fashioned malt-heavy English-leaning IPA, with no “West Coast” character I can identify. I’m not sure where they thought it would come from, actually, with Warrior, Willamette, and Ella hops – the first two of which are bittering hops, and the third typically associated with floral, fruity aromas. This seems to be a matter of slinging a bunch of hops into the boil and hoping the the resulting hop bomb is interesting. I’m sorry to say, it isn’t. It’s pretty, sure, and well structured, with a good hop bitterness, but it’s not breaking any new ground. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Outcast Brewing Best-ish IPA American IPA at 6% ABV | 20 IBU (C$4.25 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Sep-2018, acquired 15-Oct-2018, reviewed 16-Oct-2018)

Appearance: opaque deep gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, vanilla, pale grainy malt, light pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry clean finish. (5/5)

I like the combination of self-deprecation and realism inherent in this name: “Is this the best IPA?” “Well, it’s the best… ish…?” But, you know what I like better? The beer itself. Yeah, OK, maybe it’s not actually the best IPA I’ve ever had – but, dammit, it’s best-ish! I’m not exaggerating when I say Patrick Schnarr might be another Mikkeller in the making, nor that this is one of the best NEIPAs I’ve ever had. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s Citra hopped in the chiller, then double dry-hopped with Mosaic and Bru-1. This might not be quite at the level of Trillium / Tree House / Alchemist – but it’s not far off. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company Happy Little Brut American IPA at 7% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.12 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Sep-2018, acquired 15-Oct-2018, reviewed 16-Oct-2018)

Appearance: opaque medium gold with two fat fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus zest, pale grainy malt, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, dry short finish. (4/5)

Now that’s a good example of the sub-style. Bright, light, fruity and hoppy, without being overly thin, sweet, bitter, or astringent. The flavour profile and low bitterness are very reminiscent of a good NEIPA, but slightly less juice-like, with higher carbonation and a drier finish. I’d have to go back and do a proper analysis to verify this, but a cursory review of my notes tells me that not only is this among the best Russell’s ever done, it’s a culmination of a long, steady improvement. (The one exception being the high point blip that was their 19th Anniversary IP G’Day!) Sac-Trois yeast and Vic Secret hops are definitely part of the secret sauce here, and all to the good. I think Russell are really getting the hang of the dry-hopped hazy IPAs, and heartily approve. (Oh, and a warning, but definitely not a criticism: this thing drinks far too easily for 7%. There’s zero indication of its near-Imperial weight. “Happy”, absolutely, but “Little”, not even maybe. I advise treating it with respect, rather than crushing six on the patio in the recent autumn heat the way I’m tempted to.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ravens Brewing Co. / Moody Ales Collaboration Brut IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV | 5 IBU (C$8.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 8-Aug-2018, acquired 15-Oct-2018, reviewed 15-Oct-2018)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus zest, pale crackery malt, tropical fruit, light pine, mild earthy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry crisp slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Not a bad interpretation of the sub-style, but not without its flaws. Definitely tends a little thin, with a slight astringency in the finish that grows as the pint progresses. That astringency makes it taste slightly more bitter than  you might expect from a claimed 5 IBU, but it’s not unpleasant overall – not entirely unlike a traditional Saison, actually, although much less funky than is typical for that style. Might be appropriate as a table beer. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Troll Juice Kveik DIPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$3.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Sep-2018, acquired 29-Sep-2018, reviewed 14-Oct-2018)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bright juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter slightly warming and astringent finish. (3/5)

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: what the hell’s a Kveik, right? Well, it’s a new hotness traditional Norwegian yeast, big on citrus character, with great temperature stability and high attenuation. Which, by the way, makes this fairly beefy brew drink like something from a much lower weight class, with little noticeable alcohol presence (although with a little bit of an astringent edge). All in all, I think I’ve got a new favourite yeast! Now you know. Just don’t ask me which of a troll’s orifices juice comes out of… or do you juice them whole? (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com