Author: dpatrickryan

Bellwoods Brewery Lost River Baltic Porter at 7.6% ABV | 22 IBU (C$6.50 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, packaged on 2-Apr-2015, acquired 2-Apr-2015, reviewed 10-May-2018)

Appearance: clear deep ruby-brown with one finger of creamy beige head diminishing gradually to a thin persistent cap, stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: milk chocolate, roasty malts, hints of dried fruit, faint smoke. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full creamy body, moderate carbonation, mild slightly ashy finish. (4/5)

You might wonder, why’m I cracking this now, after cellaring it for three years. I dunno, because it’s Thursday? Actually, I’m staring down the barrel of a potentially permanent house move, so I gotta start drinking down my cellar. And this is so good I might almost regret opening it for no reason, except for the fact that it’s so smooth and mild right now that I suspect it’s hit its peak. Oh, well, like the sticker says, life’s short, drink good beer. I’ll definitely get more of these when life permits! (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Cuvée 2016 Reserve Ale Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 10% ABV | 37 IBU (C$16.99 at Oak & Vine, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 10-May-2018)

Appearance: clear ruby-tinged brown with a fat fluffy beige head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tart vinous, raisins, orange zest, bourbon, vanilla, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming spicy finish. (4/5)

Smells a lot like a Flemish Brown, albeit with an overlay of bourbon and vanilla (which isn’t a criticism, by any means). Complex but nowhere near as dark as you might think based on the appearance, and surprisingly easy-drinking, especially given the ABV. Good stuff. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Postmark Brewing Belgian Red Belgian Ale at 5.8% ABV | 23 IBU (C$6.50 at NLC Howley Estates, 650 ml, packaged on 1-Mar-2018, acquired 28-Mar-2018, reviewed 9-May-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy reddish amber with thick fluffy beige head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, banana, bready yeast, spice, light funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

Serviceable, I suppose, but nothing all that exciting. Of course, that’s hardly hardly surprising, considering about half of the dozen or so beers I’ve had from this brewery have gotten exactly this score. Mediocrity appears to be the name of the game here. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Mad Mike’s Big Bad Belgian Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 8.4% ABV (C$2.37 at NLC Howley Estates, 341 ml, packaged on 14-Feb-2018, acquired 28-Mar-2018, reviewed 8-May-2018)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with one finger of loose beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dark malt, dark fruit, chocolate, spices, spruce, molasses. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (3/5)

If this had been the first of the new lineup I’d tried (after the dust settled on their long-lived-and-now-finally-finished legal fracas) I might be a little… well… “perturbed” might be too strong a word. Let’s go with “nonplussed”. It’s not bad, as such, but it’s a long way from impressive. Mind you, this is a niche occupied by some of the best beers in the world, so I guess being “not bad” here is a pretty good achievement. I might let a couple cellar for a bit and see what happens, out of idle curiosity. This isn’t the first – or, even, the second – beer I’ve had where I actually know the guy on the label, but for the record I like him more than this beer. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boulevard Brewing Co. Smokestack Series The Sixth Glass Abt / Quadrupel at 10.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$17.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 750 ml, best before 1-Mar-2017, acquired 25-Aug-2015, reviewed 7-May-2018)

Appearance: clear ruby-tinged medium amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, raisins, nuts, spices. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

“The sixth glass! Yes, in that glass sits a demon, in the form of a little, well dressed, attractive and very fascinating man, who thoroughly understands you, agrees with you in everything, and becomes quite a second self to you.” Sure, why not? Six glasses of this ought to be enough to make you see any number of demons. And, fact is, given the low presence of the huge ABV, one might well be forgiven for doing just that. Although the aroma is malt forward with a creme brûlée burnt sugar note, the sweetness is quite tempered on the tongue, giving big malt character without any becoming cloying. Well-balanced example of the style. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Trifecta Hopfenweisse at 5% ABV (C$7.80 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 30-Apr-2018)

Appearance: opaque straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: banana, floral, grass, hint of white pepper. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Uh, guys? You called this a Hopfenweisse. And, you claimed to have added a “trifecta of hops”. Well, if you did, they must’ve been something along the lines of Styrian Goldings, Tettnang, and Hallertau – because the most hop character I’m getting from this is a limp, weedy grass. Now, banana? Hell yes. Huge banana, and a quite nice Weissbier appearance and overall character. But that’s not what the label says, now is it? No. Who’s been a bad brewer? You have. No cookie for you. Now you go feel shame about what you’ve done. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company Free Fall American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 83 IBU (C$8.60 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 29-Apr-2018)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, bready yeast, citrus, floral, pine, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish building and lingering bitter, mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Somewhat pale for a DIPA, and the aroma and flavour are also a bit on the light side. The balance also tends somewhat more to malty and doughy caramel, than to bright hops, making it a bit more old-fashioned in its character. The carbonation is slightly low, making the body feel just slightly flat and slick. It’s not my intention to trot out a laundry list of failures, and ultimately this is OK – but it’s not much better than that. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Modern Times Beer Havnor New Wave IPA American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 60 IBU (C$13.30 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 28-Apr-2018)

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

Made with “immoderate amounts of Mosaic, Chinook, Simcoe, and Nugget hops” – and it shows. Mosaic’s one of my favourites, and Chinook’s pretty high up there too, when there’s no cattiness or onion in evidence – and there’s not, in this one. The “New Wave” description and the low pine presence on the nose invite the conclusion that this is going to be something along the lines of an NEIPA, but in fact it’s not very hazy, and fairly emphatically bitter, so it’s pretty clearly not. (Neither is it West Coast, since there’s basically no dankness here.) All in all, it’s just a well-done, fruity/floral American IPA. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Cyclope Bêta American IPA at 5.7% ABV | 75 IBU (C$19.95 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 946 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 25-Apr-2018)

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

“So, what do you have on the growler fill station?”
“Well, we’ve got this Dunham…”
“SOLD”
No regrets. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Session Mosaic Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$5.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 18-May-2018, acquired 25-Apr-2018, reviewed 25-Apr-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, pine, crackery and pale malts, citrus, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

Well, it’s sessionable, that’s for sure: I banged that off like a glass of lemonade on a hot day. Not that there’s a lot of lemony citrus there – if anything, it’s more tropical and crackery, with hints of an almost herbal grassiness. It’s not NOT Mosaic, but it’s not the typical character I’d associate with that hop. Good, if a little forgettable – but I guess that’s almost a core characteristic for a Session IPA, isn’t it? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com