Author: dpatrickryan

Coronado Brewing Company Art Series Marine Dream IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 50 IBU (C$4.29 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, packaged on 25-May-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 20-Jul-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with light particulate, one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, dank pine, oats, floral, weeds and grass. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Y’know, if I were a cynical sort, I’d think that maybe Coronado was taking a page from Collective Arts’ book here. I’d also point out how interesting it is that the word “Coronado” appears only in very fine print along the side of the can. Good thing I’m not that cynical, huh? Conspiracy theories aside, this is, honestly, just lovely. I mean, seriously, Citra, Mosaic, and Vic Secret? With oats for smoothness? Have you been reading my diary? I dunno what’s “marine” about this, since the NE(-style) is presumably no more intrinsically “marine” than the NW… Though, it occurs to me that in the label notes they specify a “New England-style appearance”, but not “aroma” or “flavour”, so maybe it’s intended to be a pan-continental/bi-coastal “marine”? But, whatever – this is a bloody good beer. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Banded Peak Brewery Microburst Hazy IPA American IPA at 6.1% ABV | 55 IBU (C$4.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Jun-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 20-Jul-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (8/5)

I had pretty high hopes here. I haven’t had a lot by these guys, but what I have has indicated a good degree of competence. And, yeah, OK, it’s technically a “hazy IPA”, but not in the “juicy opaque NE-style” way that moniker normally implies. (And I should have realized that, given the “55 IBU” right on the label, but as I’ve already previously established, I can be a bit of a dumbass, especially in beer stores.) Is it good? Yes, absolutely. Not what I expected, but a solid, enjoyable A/IPA, heavily hopped with New World hops. Still and all, I was kinda hoping for more of a juice bomb… (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Moody Ales Mixed Forecast: Shorts Weather Session IPA at 4.8% ABV | 47[?] IBU (C$4.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Mar-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 20-Jul-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus rind and flesh, grainy pale malt, light pine, hard water minerals. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

This is as “shorts weather” as it gets up here in the Great White North, so get it down your necks, I say. (Me? Oh, lord no, I don’t wear shorts. Nobody needs to see that.) This is getting a little elderly for the style, but overall I don’t think that’s the issue here – it’s more one of how the light body tends slightly watery. It’s all right, but it’s not going to get you excited. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Medicine Hat Brewing Co. Burnside Blood Orange Ale Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 4.5% ABV | 15 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 20-Jul-2018)

Appearance: opaque deep gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: citrus, grainy malt, band-aid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly tart finish. (3/5)

Zero expectations here. I’ve had competence from these guys, but nothing great. The unpleasantly murky appearance and rapid descent of the head did little to improve my expectations. Add the slight band-aid note upon first sniffing, and, well, things start looking pretty grim. And yet, it’s not entirely without merit. Despite the rapid loss of the head, the carbonation remains sufficient throughout, and the finish is reasonably crisp and pleasantly tart. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company East Coast IPA American IPA at 6% ABV | 53 IBU (C$4.29 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Jun-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 19-Jul-2018)

Appearance: cloudy, sediment-filled pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (2/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, doughy malt, melon, dank earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Starts off looking fairly hideous, and although it claws its way up from there, it doesn’t ever fully recover. I can’t quite put my finger on the wrong note in the aroma here: it’s not quite an off-flavour, but it’s not entirely welcome, either – call it a combination of doughy yeast and overripe melon, maybe? It’s also not really completely in-spec for what I’d call an NE-style. It’s got the juiciness going on, sure, but the hop character is more traditional A/IPA, or West Coast IPA, especially with that slight dankness, and a heavier bitterness on the tongue than is desirable for the style. It’s a decent beer, but like so many of Russell’s offerings, it falls somewhat short. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

O.T. Brewing Company 5 Hundie Hazy IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 50[?] IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, packaged on 13-Jun-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 19-Jul-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy orange, tropical fruit, caramel, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Very similar to, and yet a distinct improvement over its baby brother APA, with boldly juicy aroma and flavour. Despite being brand new, these guys clearly know what they’re doing. (And, hey, look at that! They date their cans! Why does that seem so difficult for other brewers to figure out?) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

O.T. Brewing Company Flagstick Hazy Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV | 40[?] IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, packaged on 29-Jun-2018, acquired 19-Jul-2018, reviewed 19-Jul-2018)

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

Yet another new (brand-new – they haven’t even opened their tasting room doors yet!) Calgary brewery. Not complaining – I love the craft beer explosion taking place in the province! Nor am I unhappy with the way everybody and their dog is doing hazy juice bombs these days – keep ‘em coming! And this beer in particular is a decent interpretation of the hazy style, albeit as an APA, instead of an IPA. To the extent I have any complaints, it’s 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. It’s not at all bad, but I do wish it were a bit more emphatic. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Levidrome Imperial Regal Lager American Double / Imperial Pilsner at 7% ABV | 20 IBU (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 21-Jun-2018, reviewed 18-Jul-2018)

Appearance: very slightly hazy pale straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: herbal, crackery malt, grass, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter lightly warming finish. (4/5)

Yes, I know what a levidrome is. Yes, I knew what it was before buying this beer. And yes, going with a geeky name and a high ABV is a pretty reliable way to positively predispose me towards a Lager. (Though, I must admit, I have no clue what the _Don Quixote_ label symbolism is in aid of.) Did it work? Well, put it this way: the only other Imperial Lagers I’ve rated this highly are Evil Twin and Lagunitas. Heady company, indeed. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Moody Ales Sublime Pineapple Hefe Weizen Hefeweizen at 4.8% ABV | 16 IBU (C$8.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 24-Apr-2018, acquired 21-Jun-2018, reviewed 18-Jul-2018)

Appearance: opaque straw with a massive rocky white head, excellent retention and clingy, soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pineapple, wheat, banana, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short mild bitter finish. (3/5)

“Sublime” might be gilding the lily just a tad. Let’s worry about “adequate” first, OK guys? Because I’m not sure you’ve mastered that, yet. On the nose, this is dominated by the pineapple adjunct, which carries through with the tart flavour (though, thankfully, the sweetness remains restrained). I don’t dislike pineapple, but this seems to be a bit of a one trick pony in that regard, and the base Hefe is very much mailing it in. On the other hand, I sorta like the fact that this thing ends up dryer than your average Hefe, and the tart mouth feel leans this more to the Hopfenweisse side of things, albeit without a whole lotta hop character. Dunno – I’d like to like this more than I do… but I don’t. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Vancouver Island Brewing Tidal Series: Grapefruit Agave Gose Gose at 5% ABV (C$7.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 18-May-2018, acquired 21-Jun-2018, reviewed 18-Jul-2018)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: wheat, grapefruit, melon, sulphur, brine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild salt, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly salty finish. (4/5)

Pretty disappointing, overall. I guess the agave is the melon-like aroma I’m getting, which is interesting, but is also a little bit “too little, too late”. The mouthfeel is the clear winner here, and it ends up being refreshing despite the drawbacks in aroma and flavour. But those drawbacks certainly exist, particularly in the lightly sulphurous edge on the aroma. (And speaking as one who grew up on the water, the name ain’t helping much – when I hear “tidal”, I think “stinky shit left behind on the beach”.) (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com