Author: dpatrickryan

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Alley Jane Hemp Ale American Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV | 41 IBU (C$7.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 16-Jan-2019, acquired 7-Sep-2018, reviewed 12-Sep-2018)

Appearance: bright clear pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toasted malt, biscuity and grainy caramel, dank resiny pine, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (3/5)

“Alley Jane”, huh? Could be worse, I suppose, it could be “Smaragdine Dragon”. (Yes, it is so a word – look it up. Although, now that I think about it, that’s a good one, considering it means “emerald”, and could be considered reminiscent of that most famous of dragons, Smaug. Alley Kat, if you actually use *this* colour name, I want a case of the first ones off the line couriered to my house. I didn’t get paid for “Periwinkle”!) And no, despite the name, no THC in this. (I rather suspect that’ll be a long time coming, actually, if ever… unless I brew my own…) Definitely toasty and “lager-y” as described on their web site, although with a little less dank you-know-what-ishness than the name might suggest. It’s there, but takes a bit of a back seat to the toasty notes. Decent enough, I suppose. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Breakside Brewery Tall Guy American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 57 IBU (C$10.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Sep-2018, reviewed 12-Sep-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: dank pine, caramel, citrus, tropical fruit, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter slightly astringent finish. (4/5)

A little pricier than their Thirst Trap, yet not quite as good, in my opinion. (And I say that in response to this “ode to the tropical Citra hop” as someone who really likes Citra hops.) The funny thing is, even though it’s got lower IBUs (at the same ABV) as Thirst Trap, it comes across as slightly more bitter in the finish, and even just a little astringent. I’m wondering if it’s a slightly thinner body doing that? Adding to my nit-picking, it seems like I’m getting dank resiny pine dominating over the citrus I’d normally expect from Citra – which wouldn’t necessarily be a complaint, were I not expecting citrus to be more present than it is. In any case, still a solid A/IPA, if suffering slightly from sibling rivalry. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Troubled Monk Brewery Resting Beach Face Session IPA at 5% ABV (C$2.48 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 25-Jul-2018, acquired 11-Sep-2018, reviewed 11-Sep-2018)

Appearance: clear straw with a short, short-lived loose white head and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pale malt, pithy grapefruit, grass and weeds. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter slightly oily astringent finish. (3/5)

Somewhat disappointing, and certainly exhibiting the “thin and watery” characteristic to which this style can sometimes be prone. The thinness of the body seems to contribute to the moderate bitterness finishing somewhat astringent. That slightly oily astringency is also the single biggest grapefruit characteristic of the beer, which otherwise I could believe derived its citrus character from hops. Yeah, I guess you could crush these at the beach, but why? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Breakside Brewery Thirst Trap American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 69 IBU (C$9.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Sep-2018, reviewed 10-Sep-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: dank pine, citrus, bready caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

I guess this doesn’t actually claim to be an NEIPA, so I can’t criticize it for not adhering to the spec for that style. And it does pour slightly hazy, it’s definitely an IPA, and the hops are at least slightly savage, so it does in fact deliver precisely what it promises on the label. Anyway, enough of what it’s not: what it is, is a fairly modern West Coast IPA with dank pine and bright citrus on a clean malt background, and really good stuff. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Bench Creek Brewing THEM Black IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$3.50 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Jul-2018, acquired 3-Sep-2018, reviewed 9-Sep-2018)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: roasty malts, stone fruit, citrus, chocolate, coffee, smoke. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I had a brief but intense fling with this style, now somewhat embarrassing to recall – as is so often the case in such situations, the flame that burns brightest burns shortest. Every now and then, though, I find a well-executed example of the style that reminds me of why I fell in love in the first place. It’s fairly unsurprising that Bench Creek is involved in such a discovery, since I’ve found them to be generally on point, with flashes of brilliance. This doesn’t quite qualify as a flash of brilliance, but it’s certainly a respectable effort, with no significant flaws. Last one of the “Craft Cousins” 4-pack of Parallel 49 collaborations with Alberta breweries, and a solid finish. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

O.T. Brewing Company Flagstick Galaxy Hazy Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV | 45 [?] IBU (C$3.00 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, packaged on 18-Aug-2018, acquired 7-Sep-2018, reviewed 7-Sep-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, juicy orange, pale malt, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Very similar to their base Flagstick, but with Galaxy hop character – and given my attitude towards Galaxy hops, this is most definitely not a complaint. Like the base beer, I still find that the aroma and flavour are both on the light side, making this behave somewhat like a watered-down IPA, instead of a highly flavourful low(er) ABV beer. That’s somewhat ameliorated by the more flavourful aroma of Galaxy hops, but I still wish it were a bit more emphatic. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Blindman Brewing Zombies Ate My Brewery! American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$3.50 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Jul-2018, acquired 3-Sep-2018, reviewed 6-Sep-2018)

Appearance: cloudy deep gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, grainy malt, oats, grassy weeds, herbal, faint pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation tending slightly low, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

I had high hopes here, but it didn’t quite live up to them. It’s not bad, or anything, but it’s just not quite where I was hoping it’d be. It actually seems like it might be at first, but there’s a slight change as it warms, and the juicy citrus fades slightly as a vegetal herbal note becomes more pronounced. I initially rated both aroma and flavour more highly, but I think the current score is more accurate. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Tool Shed Brewing Company The Dangerous Wolfman Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 6.5% ABV (C$3.50 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Jul-2018, acquired 3-Sep-2018, reviewed 6-Sep-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with a short ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy and bready caramel, orchard fruit, floral, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

Deeply disappointing. They call this a “Lemon Square Ale”, but any lemon is strictly incidental, coming through as a hint of tartness on the tongue but with very little presence on the nose. (Not to mention, what the serious fudge do lemon squares have to do with the Wolfman?) Muddled and unremarkable, and entirely forgettable. Part of the “Craft Cousins” 4-pack of Parallel 49 collaborations with Alberta breweries. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 / Last Best Brewing and Distilling It Came From the Mash Tun! Saison at 5.1% ABV (C$3.50 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Jul-2018, acquired 3-Sep-2018, reviewed 5-Sep-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one finger of creamy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pale crackery malt, floral, lemon zest, coriander, white pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, prickly carbonation, dry mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Not very “wild”, but pretty drinkable and reasonably refreshing. A fairly authentic interpretation of the style, in my opinion. Part of the “Craft Cousins” 4-pack of Parallel 49 collaborations with Alberta breweries. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ribstone Creek Brewery Keeper’s Point American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV (C$3.25 at Sobeys Liquor Okotoks, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Sep-2018, reviewed 4-Sep-2018)

Appearance: cloudy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and ring, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, pale malt, floral, tropical fruit, hint of pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off dry mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Another solid performer from Ribstone Creek. I wasn’t all that thrilled with their basic American IPA and APA that I tried a couple of years ago, but then more recently they blew me away with their White IPA and DIPA, and this continues that track record. Pretty much ticks all the boxes for the style, fruity and mild and easy to drink – and with a fairly restrained ABV, you can drink several if you’re so inclined! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com