Author: dpatrickryan

Omnipollo / Evil Twin Brewing Coffenade American IPA at 7% ABV (C$6.99 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 30-May-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with short, short-lived white head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee grounds, lemonade. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate tart finish. (3/5)

I was pretty leery of this – every time I hear “coffee” and “IPA”, all I can think of is that horribly bad Molto Bella by Tree Brewing. I’ve had more palatable attempts since, but that’s what sticks with me. (Funny how a single bad experience can ruin something forever, huh? Remind me to tell you my tequila story sometime…) And adding “lemonade” to the mix didn’t seem likely to be all that redemptive. And, to be brutally honest, it wasn’t. It smells like over-extracted coffee grounds, and tastes like lemonade mixed with coffee. No twist, no surprise outcome: does mixing coffee and lemonade sound good to you? Then you’ll like this. I didn’t, much. The best I can say is, it tastes better than it smells, and it got better as it progressed – but that’s not saying much in either case. I love Omnipollo and I love Evil Twin – and I almost sink poured this (but grimly held on to the end). If you’re a fan of these breweries, you might be tempted to try this, thinking it can’t be as bad as all that. I emphatically recommend you do not. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Omnipollo / Evil Twin Brewing Rainbownade American IPA at 7% ABV (C$7.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 30-May-2018)

Appearance: muddy opaque pink-tinged pale amber with one finger of creamy light head, good retention and sticky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: raspberry, blueberry, tropical fruits, citrus, light grainy malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter light tart finish. (4/5)

No idea what “pop culture symbol of female emancipation” the label is referring to – unless it’s the rainbow, but I thought that was LGBT? Anyhoo, this is… interesting. Surprisingly easy drinking for 7%, surprisingly refreshing for something that looks and smells like a field berry purée. Purely out of cantankerousness, though, I will complain that it doesn’t look, smell, or taste much like a beer, certainly much less an IPA, not even an NEIPA. That said, it’s fragrant, tasty, and refreshing, so I can’t exactly complain too bitterly, now can I? (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Straight Outta Newport… Oregon American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.7% ABV | 73 IBU (C$5.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Dec-2017, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 28-May-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, resiny pine, caramel, toasted bread. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Knew I’d like this before I even tasted it, just from the aroma alone. Wish I’d gotten it fresher, but even at nearly six months old, it’s a straight-up old-school West Coast hop-covered-brick to the teeth. This is what, less than a point off the ABV of their XS? yet a quarter the price, and far better. I will definitely get this again if I see a newer can. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery High Harvest Hemp SPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 55 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Apr-2018, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 28-May-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers and growing of rocky white head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (4/5)

Totally different than when I reviewed this a year ago, because now it’s called “High Harvest Hemp SPA” instead of “High Harvest Hemp IPA”… oh! and the creepy anthropomorphic goat is new! (sigh) And yes, I’m still of the opinion that there’s not much more juvenile than the pot jokes surrounding hops. (Maybe next year, when pot is legal – assuming the Senate doesn’t block it till then – there’ll actually be a THC content?) And yes, I still think this really is a nicely dank West Coast style IPA. Pairs well with Doritos. (Yes, now I’m making lame pot jokes – but it’s actually true.) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Half Pints Brewing Co. Little Scrapper IPA American IPA at 6% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 341 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 28-May-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with a short rocky ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin persistent cap and ring, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, pine, grapefruit, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

I actually had this on tap just over three years ago, but only did a brief Untappd review at the time, so I figured I’d do a detailed one. Unfortunately, it actually falls slightly short of my previously rating. I mean, it’s not bad, or anything, but I’m not getting a lot of the citrus hop aroma the label promises – certainly not enough to call it a “scrapper”. I guess it would be a perfectly serviceable English IPA, if that’s what you were going for (though the bitterness would be a bit out of spec there). Not the greatest thing I’ve had by this brewery, if I’m honest. Dunno – old bottle? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Knee Deep Brewing Co. N/E Auburn American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$6.49 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 27-May-2018)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, pale crackery malt, citrus zest, melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, dry lingering bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I was honestly expecting an auburn-coloured ale, so I was more than a little surprised by the colour. Not that I’m complaining about the colour – but the fact is, it’s consistent with the body, which tends slightly thin with a slightly astringent bite. That imbalance makes me think that magic 10:1 IBU:ABV relationship starts to break down at low ABVs. (I’m also not entirely sure what makes this “NE”, since it’s not juicy or hazy, but is quite bitter.) Decent, but lacking depth and roundness to make it great. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing The Yard Strawberry Milkshake IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 27-May-2018)

Appearance: opaque particulate-laden medium gold with one finger of rocky ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, strawberry jam, bready caramel, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Just as chunky, but marginally less ugly than the last version of this I tried (the blackberry one). (Still no packaging or BB dates, but it’s semi-local and the shop’s pretty good about shelf turds, so again I’m forced to assume that this is the way the brewer intended it to be.) That said, it’s far better than its sister brew, and I’m not unhappy I ignored that little voice telling me not to buy it. Still wish they’d date their damn product, though. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Ponderosa Gose Gose at 3.5% ABV (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Apr-2018, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 27-May-2018)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with one finger of dense white head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick creamy cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, wheat, light brine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart lightly salty finish. (4/5)

Well, it’s absolutely what it says on the label: a tropical Gose. Tropical fruit (pineapple, specifically, though perhaps passionfruit or mango as well) leads the way on the nose, with nearly as much citrus (lemon-lime) before wheat malt and light brine. Tart, zesty, and refreshing, and very much a hot weather beer. I like this a whole lot more than I expected to! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company 6IX American IPA at 6% ABV | 69 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, best before 2-Sep-2018, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 26-May-2018)

Appearance: hazy particulate-laden pale gold with a short-lived loose off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, caramel, tropical fruit, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Total palate-wrecker hop bomb, even exceeding that magic 10:1 IBU:ABV ratio. (Apparently – I can’t find confirmation on the brewer web site that that IBU rating is correct, but it certainly feels right to me.) So much lupulin that there’s free-floating chunks and the head can’t retain. In other words, my kind of beer! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Tiger Shark Citra Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.7% ABV (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, best before 30-Sep-2018, acquired 25-May-2018, reviewed 26-May-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of loose white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Not bad – it manages to extract tropical fruit and citrus without getting the pissy edge that Citra sometimes delivers – but it’s also got that sort of watery and astringent feel that APA’s sometimes do. Appearance and aroma are pretty good, but it goes downhill a little on the tongue and in the finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com