Author: dpatrickryan

Boulevard Brewing Co. Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.4% ABV | 30 IBU (US$2.08 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 5-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 4-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick creamy cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, citrus, floral perfume, light earthy pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Very old-fashioned, with a mild caramel malt barely leading the way over pleasant citrus and light floral/earthy notes. Maybe “old-fashioned” gives the wrong impression, though: perhaps better to go with something along the lines of “classic”. No real negatives here at all – just well-balanced and pleasant, without being bright or flashy. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Victory Brewing Company 4 Front American IPA at 5.5% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, best before 16-May-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 4-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, earthy pine, crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

It might be a bit harsh to call this “bland”, but one could go with “easy-drinking”, “mild”, “pleasant”, or any other number of middle-of-the-road adjectives that really amount to the same thing: damning with faint praise. It’s OK. I was thirsty. Now I’m not. Result, I guess? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lone Pint Brewery Yellow Rose American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 62 IBU (C$5.96 at Specs Main Houston, 500 ml, packaged on 30-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 3-Mar-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pineapple, pine, biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

So, this has been touted as the best IPA from Texas. Yeah, all right then – I can buy that. Nice balance of bright happy aroma and bitterness on the tongue, supported by appropriate clean malt. (And there’s that magic 10:1 IBU:ABV ratio again. Well… almost.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sixpoint Craft Ales Hi-Res American Double / Imperial IPA at 11.1% ABV | 111 IBU (C$5.42 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 3-Mar-2018)

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

Literally twice the price of Resin, but only 2% higher in ABV? And, let’s be honest, does 111 IBU really make that much of a difference over 103, when you can’t taste more than 100 or so? (Except for the fact that there appears to be a lupulin haze present. And, hey, look at that, IBU = 10 X ABV again!)

Well… yes. In fact, it does make quite a difference. This is hugely bigger, hotter, stickier – let’s face it, just more everything – than Resin. Elements of this are quite surprising, like the utter lack of booze on the nose, but any way you slice it, it’s lots of very good fun. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sixpoint Craft Ales Resin American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.1% ABV | 103 IBU (US$2.10 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 19-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 3-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, caramel, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Damn, that’s good. Pretty much what it says on the label, in fact: resiny goodness. Very West Coast-ish, and good fun. No, it’s not Pliny – but it’s also less than half the price. If I lived in the Excited States, this would have a permanent presence in my fridge. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Préaris Boutique Brewery Quadrocinno Abt / Quadrupel at 10% ABV | 45 IBU (C$5.02 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Feb-2018, reviewed 2-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy amber-brown with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, bready yeast, coffee, mild dark fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Yeah, it’s #hotelglassware but what can I say? Needs must. I’ve got an early flight tomorrow, so I figure the the extra hour of sleep is worth the $30 premium for hotel + parking, over parking alone.

I’m not sold on this, not by a long shot. The aroma is surprisingly mild for a Quad, and yeast-forward. The coffee is definitely present, but feels out of balance with the dark fruitcake character I look for in a Quad. The body is slightly thin for the style as well. Ultimately, the appearance is the best part of this beer, and when you’re as ugly as me, that’s not gonna get you far. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bench Creek Brewing Legend Extra Old Ale Old Ale at 11.8% ABV | 45 IBU (C$20.10 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, best after 24-Dec-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 28-Feb-2018)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet and boozy toffee, stone fruit, vanilla, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter warming finish. (4/5)

OK, Bench Creek, time to wow me. After White Raven and Apex Predator you’ve shown your facility for A/IPAs and A/DIPAs (and Apex is damn near an apex, I might add, with an eminently respectable nine out of ten… though we won’t mention certain APAs or Rye IPAs, will we?) so let’s see what you do with a hugely alcoholic Old Ale. (And, no pressure, but you’ve put yourself in some fairly rarified atmosphere by putting a “best after” date on your label. Ballsy move, lads, ballsy move.)

Sidebar: I’ve driven through Legend, on the way to Foremost and Manyberries. Can’t say the original settlers lacked for ballsiness themselves with naming like that, could you? You could also do Sweetgrass, Milk River, and Dunmore on that loop, and if you can’t come up with a dirty interpretation of a Friday night using that, well, I’m deeply disappointed in you all. You should be ashamed.

Right! Back to the beer!

So. Yeah. Wowed. Erm. Not… really? I mean, yeah, it’s good… ish… But it falls short of great… ish… It might benefit from some extended cellaring to smooth things out, but it’s not particularly harsh now – it’s just not particularly interesting. On the other hand, it gets you good and squiffy in short order, so that’s all to the good, yeah? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Cellar Series Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout 2016 Single Edition Russian Imperial Stout at 10.2% ABV (C$11.90 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 16-Nov-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 28-Feb-2018)

Appearance: solid black with no hint of relief, tan head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bourbon, dark chocolate, anise, coconut, vanilla, dark fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m a bit puzzled by the dating on this: the label calls it the “2016 Single Edition” but the bottling date impression says “16NOV17”, so I dunno – I’m gonna go with, brewed in 2016, barrel aged 12 months, bottled in 2017? I expected this to be brutally hot, but it actually isn’t. In fact, it’s pretty smooth, warm but not hot, with lots of flavour. I like this a lot. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Olde Deuteronomy (2017) American Barleywine at 10.3% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.61 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 28-Feb-2018)

Appearance: medium amber with a thin tan head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: brown sugar, dark boozy fruit, caramel and toffee, earthy vinous notes. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m liking this a lot more than the last time I had it, a 2015 vintage. I dunno if it’s because I’ve gotten more appreciative of the style, or whether this one is actually a better example. One thing that remains unchanged, though, is the extremely reasonable price point. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Old Cellar Dweller (2017) American Barleywine at 11.2% ABV (C$14.05 at Hume Hotel Liquor Boutique, 650 ml, packaged on 21-Nov-2017, acquired 30-Jan-2018, reviewed 27-Feb-2018)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, faint brown sugar. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry warming lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

All right, Driftwood, don’t let me down here: I deliberately had you batting cleanup because I expected better things of you than my first Barleywine of the evening – and it was actually a bit of a trainwreck, so the bar’s not been set high. Aaaand, go!

…

…

… Well, fuck. What the hell is that?

Okay, okay, let’s not be hasty here, it’s different, but different isn’t necessarily wrong, or bad, right? Give the head a shake, reset, and try again.

Yeah, let’s be clear here: this is not an English-Style Barleywine. I’m not even sure it’s an American-style Barleywine. If you had told me this was an A/DIPA, I’d’ve been all over it. Big, boozy, and hot, but with so much hops that that’s what dominates on the nose. Seriously, how is it that hops dominate a Barleywine, to the exclusion of almost everything else? And how is it that I, an inveterate hophead, am complaining about that? This is through the looking-glass territory here, folks.

‘Ang on a mo’… Huh. It would appear that’s by design. And I quote: “When young, it is a hoppy treat with plenty of citrus and pine; cellared for a few years and Cellar Dweller gracefully ages into a rich, round reward for patience, hinting at flavours of tawny port.”

Well, shit. Now I feel bad that I didn’t cellar this for a few years. Guess I’m gonna have to buy a couple more and set them down. And, oh yeah: it’s actually pretty good right now. Really good, in fact – just a bit unexpected. (I’m pretty sure there’s a “Crying Game” joke in there, but I can’t be arsed. Oh, wait – maybe that’s it?) Actually, the more I sip, the better it gets. Gee, I wonder if the double-barrelled ABV has something to do with that? (And yes, possibly the most gorgeous Driftwood label yet, but that’s almost old hat by now, right? And, my gold tooth is lower right, not upper left, I mean, jeez.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com