Author: dpatrickryan

Western Newfoundland Brewing Co. Strout River Stout at 5.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$10.36 at NLC Howley Estates, 946 ml, packaged on 1-Mar-2018, acquired 28-Mar-2018, reviewed 28-Mar-2018)

Appearance: utterly black with no relief, a short, short-lived beige head. (3/5) Aroma: dark roasty and ashy malt, coffee, dry cocoa. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I’m not quite sure what about this is not working for me – perhaps it’s a slight overemphasis on the dark malt, but it ends up being a bit burnt and slightly astringent. Not bad, but not one I really enjoyed a lot. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Experimental Hop Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 65 IBU (US$1.40 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 15-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 28-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of creamy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: wood, bready malt, vanilla, citrus, dank pine resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

“HBC 472 lends it a distinctive oaky, barrel-aged character. Jackson 104 brings heavy fruit-forward and citrus-like flavors to the beer, while Steiner 07270 rounds out the hop finish with deep, resinous notes of dank pine and grapefruit.” Y’know, usually these commercial descriptions are irrelevant, inaccurate, or flat-out misleading, but I have to say, all four of the Experimentals I got in a mixed dozen case have commercial descriptions that are dead-nuts on. In this case, I would’ve sworn that this was whiskey barrel-aged, right down to the oaky, woody vanilla character. There’s a little citrus and dank pine on the back end, but it’s pretty minor by comparison. Not to suggest this is unbalanced, not by any means, but it’s surprising what intensity of flavours are possible without actually involving barrels. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Experimental Hop IPA American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 58 IBU (US$1.40 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 11-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 27-Mar-2018)

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

This one is hopped with “FZMR2 hop varietal, known for its mango-forward flavors, as well as HBC598, 438, and NeoMexicanus”. Definite elements of West Coast dankness, but without the typical associated emphatic bitterness. Similar to an NEIPA in that sense, where the hops are more present as aroma and flavour, than bitterness on the tongue. Really good. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Experimental Hop Pilsner Pilsener at 5.5% ABV | 46 IBU (US$1.40 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 9-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 27-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lemon zest, honey, crackery and bready malt, grassy hay. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I like this – aficionados of the style might argue that it’s too hop-forward, but personally I find Pilseners to verge on boring, so this works for me. Per the commercial description, “Nug-033 and Steiner 04190 reflect some of herbal and spicy character of their European predecessors, but with a new twist. Notes of lemongrass and citrus are balanced by a slight honey flavor and a smooth, chamomile-like hop aroma.” I can’t say I got a lot of chamomile, but other than that, it’s a pretty accurate description. There’s still enough Pils character that it doesn’t lose its way stylistically, but it’s bolstered by some fun hops. Definitely more-ish, especially if it were a hot day on a patio. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Experimental Hop Session IPA Session IPA at 4.6% ABV | 41 IBU (US$1.40 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 10-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 27-Mar-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty lemon, coconut, crackery malt, pine resin, floral, hint of green onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

“This beer features two new hops, 09326 and HBC 520, which add notes of bright lemon, coconut and fresh-cut herbs”. Fair enough – I’m definitely getting all three of those. I can’t find any details at all on HBC 520, but 09326 seems to be another tropical/floral/pine/citrus type, so I’m guessing the coconut comes from the HBC 520. Overall, it’s pretty much what it says on the can: a light and sessionable IPA, with a flavour profile slightly outside the norm. Nothing earth-shattering, to be sure, but pleasant enough, and refreshing. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Hobneelch’n Hoppy Saison Saison at 5.4% ABV | 30 IBU (US$4.20 at Specs Main Houston, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 26-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, wheat, leather. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

I’m utterly unclear how this is in any way a Saison. Smells like a fairly typical mass market golden ale, overall. As far as I can tell, both “hoppy” and “Saison” are at the very least exaggeration, if not flat-out wrong. It’s not bad, but as far as I can tell it isn’t anything like what the label promises. Colour me less than impressed. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Port Rexton Brewing Company / Split Rock Brewing Co. Next Generation 2018 DDH Saison Saison at 5.4% ABV (C$6.19 at Port Rexton Brewing Company, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Mar-2018, reviewed 26-Mar-2018)

Appearance: cloudy medium gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin persistent cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, white pepper, earth, light phenol. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Undated, but has to be super fresh, since I bought it the day it was released. I’m not sure what this is double dry-hopped with, because there’s not a lot of hop character on the nose. Not to overstate it, but there’s also a slightly phenolic note there as well, although not to the point of being off-putting. The carbonation and attenuation also strike me as being just slightly low for the style, resulting in a beer that is just a bit less effervescent and champagne-like than I prefer to see. I know that reads like a list of complaints, but overall it’s decently refreshing, and I like where they’re going with the idea of collaborating with all the new breweries in the province. Ultimately, though, this one’s a bit short of exciting. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

AleSmith Brewing Company AleSmith IPA American IPA at 7.25% ABV | 73 IBU (US$2.73 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 26-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a medium creamy cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pithy citrus, resiny pine, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

West Coast style, but definitely in an old-fashioned way: malty and bready caramel doesn’t quite beat out the pithy citrus and resiny pine, but it sure tries to. Mind you, I have no idea how fresh this is, and maybe it does better when it’s young, but what I’m drinking right now is definitely solid but less than impressive. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Crooked Stave Progenitor Sour / Wild Ale at 6.2% ABV (US$7.99 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 375 ml, packaged on 1-Feb-2016, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 16-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lactic tart, vinous white grape, doughy yeast, green apple, white pepper, mild earthy funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry light funky tart finish. (4/5)

Solidly done, and pretty fault-free, so I can’t help but give it the appropriate score. But, and I can’t quite put my finger on it, there’s a certain something missing. Somehow, it’s just not exciting. Dunno how it can simultaneously be world-class, yet something I wouldn’t bother with again, but there you go. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Crooked Stave Colorado Wild Sage Saison at 7.2% ABV (US$7.99 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 375 ml, packaged on 1-Jul-2015, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 16-Mar-2018)

Appearance: crystal clear pale straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: sage, floral, earthy funk, light zesty lemon. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice and funky tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry light tart finish. (4/5)

Not the first time I’ve had savoury elements in beer, and to some extent I remain somewhat unconvinced as to how well that approach works. That said, it probably works somewhat better here because of the inclusion of Brett – there’s still a lot of sweetness and fruit present, but the dry funky Brett character works well with the herbal sage. At least, as far as the aroma goes, it does. There’s an interesting disconnect between aroma and taste here, with a bright tart citrus coming through on the tongue but nearly completely absent on the nose (or maybe it’s just completely overwhelmed by the sage sledgehammer). Really pretty beer, though I’m fairly sure that’s a happy accident and not filtering: I poured the tulip full, and the last half inch or so remaining in the bottle had all the lees that had settled fairly hard during the 10 months or so this thing has been sitting undisturbed and waiting for tonight. An interesting beer, if not overly approachable. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com