Author: dpatrickryan

Four Winds Brewing Co. Phaedra Belgian IPA at 7.2% ABV | 65 IBU (C$7.75 at Grand Liquor Store Nelson, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Jan-2018, reviewed 27-Jan-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, spicy rye, tropical fruit, mild funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, building bitter and spicy finish. (4/5)

Another excellent IPA from Four Winds, this one adding a spicy rye note to a mildly funky Belgian character, to good effect. I still wish they’d date their bottles, but certainly no complaints about this one. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yellow Dog Brewing _High 5 Hazy IPA_ American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 50 IBU (C$7.00 draft at Craft Bierhaus Revelstoke, reviewed 27-Jan-2018)

Appearance: opaque pale amber with a short, short-lived white head, moderate stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pale malt, hint of leafy green weeds. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, short duration moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Juicy citrus aromas and flavours combined with low carbonation make this very juice-like, but the bitter’s too high to really call it an NEIPA. (That’s not a criticism, just an observation regarding style classification.) Pretty simple, nearly one-dimensional citrus aromas and flavours, and I think I’d like it better right the carbonation were higher, but it’s good stuff as-is. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Unibroue 25e Anniversaire Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 10.5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$9.59 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 750 ml, packaged on 19-Oct-2017, acquired 12-Dec-2017, reviewed 26-Jan-2018)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: chocolate, cherries, grainy malt, dark berries, candi sugar. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry warming & lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Well, the label says this is inspired by Black Forest cake, and damn, if it ain’t pretty much Black Forest cake in a glass. Intense flavours of chocolate and cherry, without the sweetness being overwhelming at all. The alcohol content is also very well integrated, manifesting only as a mild warming finish. All in all, a very well-balanced and easy drinking beast, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when I let the second one cellar for a year or two. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewery Ommegang Game of Thrones Winter is Here Witbier at 8.3% ABV (C$13.32 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 26-Jan-2018)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and heavy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat, banana, clove, coriander, white pepper, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I’m pretty sure this is the first Double White Ale (i.e. Imperial Witbier) I’ve ever had, and it’s pretty well done: in particular, the aromas and flavours are pretty much spot-on for a Witbier, but the high ABV doesn’t intrude at all. Among the best of the GoT tie-ins so far, and for that matter among the best Ommegang beer in general. Plus, I’m a sucker for glassware… (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Lindemans Oude Kriek Cuvée René (2016) Kriek at 7% ABV (C$6.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 375 ml, packaged on 23-Mar-2017, best before 23-Mar-2023, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 26-Jan-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy ruby red with one fat finger of fizzy pink head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cherries, oak, leather, light funk. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

It’s awfully hard to beat a true Belgian Kriek, but to do so at this price point is pretty much impossible. It’s tart without being sour, fruity without being sweet, drinks easily and finishes dry, inviting the next sip. It’s also easily better than everything else I’ve had by this brewery. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Oro Zuur Sour / Wild Ale at 5% ABV (C$20.00 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Jan-2018, reviewed 25-Jan-2018)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit flesh & rind, pineapple, pine. (8/10) Taste: high tart, moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (4/5)

Given the label (“Pamplemousse rose + Vic Secret”) I was expecting something like a Vic Secret hopped Radler, but that’s not even close to what this turned out to be. I mean, yeah, it’s got the grapefruit and the expected Vic Secret flavours going on, but it’s much more tart than even straight grapefruit juice. It’s a lot of fun, but a pretty emphatic sour. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Rare Sour Nelson Sour / Wild Ale at 4.8% ABV | 11 IBU (C$14.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Sep-2016, reviewed 22-Jan-2018)

Appearance: hazy to cloudy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: white wine, oak, light wheat. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (4/5)

I may have mistreated this slightly by allowing it to cellar as long as I did, but I… well… kind of forgot about it. And the fact is, it’s still pretty decent. There’s white wine and oak in the foreground, presumably courtesy of the Nelson Sauvin hops and the barrel ageing, though any Hefeweizen character has faded to near-insignificance (assuming it was ever more pronounced to start with, of course). Pleasant, light, and tart. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bruery Terreux Humulus Terreux with Mosaic Hops Sour / Wild Ale at 6.3% ABV (C$13.79 at NLC Howley Estates, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Jan-2018, reviewed 22-Jan-2018)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with a fat rocky white head (hi, Brett) that retains well, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, funky Brett, lemon zest, coriander, tropical fruit, white pepper, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate funky tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, dry mildly funky finish. (4/5)

I’ll repeat the comment I made regarding the Motueka version: they call this a Wild Ale, but it’s pretty Saison-ish, if you ask me. Like that one, this is dominated by Brett in the head, aroma, taste and finish. I’m not completely convinced the citrus and tropical fruit are significantly different than in the Motueka version, and the hops again certainly take a back seat to the yeast. Despite the secondary character of the hops (common to both versions) this is a very enjoyable brew. (Interestingly, I paid $10.99 US for the Motueka version in Houston, which at the time came out to just under $15.00 CDN. So this is cheaper at home, on a sparsely-populated island in the Atlantic, after travelling seven thousand kilometres by road, crossing an international border, and taking at least one ferry, than a couple of states over in the US. Wow.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Port Rexton Brewing Company Chasing Sun NEIPA American IPA at 5.3% ABV (C$4.99 at Port Rexton Brewing Company, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Jan-2018, acquired 20-Jan-2018, reviewed 22-Jan-2018)

Appearance: cloudy deep gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, moderate retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, pale malt, tropical fruit, light pine resin, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

Nice: easy drinking and refreshing. I bought this at their outlet store on Saturday, and they told me it had been canned about 3 days previously, so this is about as fresh as it comes. The bitterness tends slightly high for the NE/IPA style, perhaps, but isn’t out of spec for A/IPA’s in general, and is even-handed and well done. It certainly went down extremely easily after a day working construction! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Sour Red/Brown at 6.5% ABV (US$19.75 at Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 21-Jun-2017, reviewed 19-Jan-2018)

Appearance: clear ruby-tinged brown with one finger of creamy light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin persistent cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tart cherries, oak, vanilla, floral, light funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart lightly funky finish. (4/5)

I’m finding it very difficult to parse out the flavours here, not least because my teenaged son was just in the room, and I swear I can still taste the Axe body spray. That aside, this is a very well-implemented Flanders Red, with a smooth and easy drinking tartness on the tongue despite the slightly more aggressive tart character on the nose. (16/20)

My 254th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 244th from the 2013 edition, and 268th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com