Author: dpatrickryan

DuClaw Brewing Company Sweet Baby Java! American Porter at 6.2% ABV | 53 IBU (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #23, 355 ml, packaged on 21-Jun-2017, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 23-Dec-2017)

Appearance: opaque near-black with only hints of clear brown around the margins, one finger of loose light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: peanut, espresso, chocolate, roasty malts. (10/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly astringent finish. (4/5)

Take Sweet Baby Jesus! and add espresso – what’s not to like? In fact, it smells awesome, but the taste is a bit of a letdown, even if only slightly and then only by comparison. The coffee is definitely present on the palate, but doesn’t feel over-extracted as is so often the case with coffee brews. I like this a fair bit better than the base SBJ! even if it could stand to be heavier, with better head retention and lacing. And now I’m wondering, if #JitteringJesus isn’t the Christmas Eve beer, what is? (17/20)

8.5/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bridge Brewing Company Santa’s Sac Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV | 30 IBU (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #22, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 22-Dec-2017)

Appearance: opaque deep gold with one finger of loose off-white head that retains poorly, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, stone fruit, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

Butt ugly and really badly named. Certainly smells Belgian, but it’s certainly one of the less subtle versions of the style. (13/20)

6.5/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Citizen Brewing Company Hijacked IPA American IPA at 7% ABV | 65 IBU (C$3.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Nov-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 22-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m trying to think of a way to say this is unremarkable without making that sound derogatory, because that’s not my intent. What this is, is a dead-on interpretation of the A/IPA style that is well done, with no negatives (except for a slightly mild aroma). I’d have no hesitation in having another. But, I wouldn’t make any special effort to find it again, because there are literally hundreds of A/IPAs out there who occupy this exact space. (On the up side, it’s better than their NW/APA and *far* better than their S/IPA.) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gahan House Brewery Shortest Day Spiced Milk Stout Milk / Sweet Stout at 5.3% ABV (C$3.83 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Nov-2017, acquired 25-Nov-2017, reviewed 21-Dec-2017)

Appearance: near complete black, with only the merest hint of brown relief at the margins, one fat finger of rocky beige head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, chocolate, coffee, nutmeg. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full creamy body, soft carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Zero expectations, just had to drink it today for the name. But actually, pretty decent: not too sweet, and the spice is mild and even-handed, enhancing the nutty flavour without dominating. The body is medium full with a pleasant lactose creaminess, and though I’d like to see better head retention and lacing, the overall product is solid. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie La Débauche Saison Saison at 7% ABV (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #21, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 21-Dec-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale amber with one finger of fluffy off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin creamy cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange peel, pale malt, apple, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light spice & funky tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry short slightly tart & spicy finish. (4/5)

(Insert standard rant about high-gravity Saisons here.) Now that that’s out of the way, I quite like this. I got almost a curaçao aroma immediately upon decapping, but that faded somewhat, leaving behind a pleasant, slightly funky combination of malt, pome, and floral. The flavours pretty much followed suit, with a pleasant mild spiciness in the finish that didn’t overwhelm everything else. Nicely balanced and quite easy drinking for a relatively high ABV – and, more to the point for this particular style, immensely refreshing. (Fairly sedate stuff as debauchery goes, truth be told.) Not all that seasonal, if you ask me, but it’s good enough that I don’t really much care. (16/20)

8/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Biermanufaktur Loncium Gingerbread Man Christmas / Winter Specialty Spiced Beer at 6.3% ABV (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #20, 330 ml, best before 11-Jul-2018, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 20-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of rocky beige head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, ginger, liquorice, allspice. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

The label says the spices are cinnamon, “piment” (allspice?), ginger, and aniseed. And yeah, it tastes like a (slightly over-baked) gingerbread cookie. Works for me! (15/20)

7.5/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yellow Dog Brewing Co. Chew Toy Coconut Porter American Porter at 5% ABV | 33 IBU (C$4.50 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Nov-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 19-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with a short, short-lived beige head, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coconut, chocolate, coffee. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

The only beer I’ve previously had by these guys (that wasn’t a collab) came in at a fairly meh-tastic 6.5/10. Their P49 collab was worse (6/10), and their Blindman collab was far better (8.5/10!). On the other hand, I love coconut, so… I dunno – cautious optimism? And that paid off. Initially, I didn’t think there was any coconut, but the more I let it warm, the more it came out. The underlying flavours are clean chocolate and coffee, with no deep complexity, but that works for this style. It ends up being reminiscent of a Bounty Bar, with a smooth body marred only slightly by a too-high carbonation. If this actually were chewy, it would be stellar, but as it stands it’s merely good. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Zero Issue Brewing Terraform American Porter at 5.8% ABV (C$2.97 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Nov-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 19-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with one finger of rocky light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, slightly milky chocolate, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

These guys are pretty impressive: I’d previously had 3 of their 4 releases, and rated them all at 7.5-8/10. (Their third release was a Pils, so I don’t feel too badly about having not found one.) Now, I might be (probably am) a gobshite, but I’m a gobshite who’s tasted over three thousand beers, so I’m fairly comfortable saying those ratings, for a neophyte brewery, mean something. This? Well, this doesn’t disappoint – or, not by much, anyway. I admit to having built them up a little in my mind, so I had high hopes for this. And it’s good, but falls short of legendary. The body is just very slightly thin for where I’d like to see it, and the carbonation a touch high. This would be a nine or better if it were a bit heavier and smoother – but it’s pretty danged good as it stands. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sound Brewery Baltic Porter Black Lager Baltic Porter at 7.8% ABV (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #19, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 19-Dec-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with one finger of fluffy beige head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: milk chocolate, caramel, mild dried dark fruit, light smoke, hint floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice implementation of the style – not as sweet as is often the case with Baltics (which is in my opinion very much to its advantage) but still rich and creamy. Very seasonally appropriate! (15/20)

7.5/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Doug Black IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$5.57 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 19-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown with two fingers of rocky beige head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cocoa, coffee, citrus, resiny pine (fir?). (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s different! An interesting combination of Cascadian Ale (Black IPA) and Chocolate Stout. Up there with the bestI’ve had by Big Rock. Good job, guys. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com