Author: dpatrickryan

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Sapphire Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75+ IBU (C$6.36 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 13-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers (and growing) of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and sticky, soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, bready caramel, pine, black tea. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Yup, Alley Kat is managing to continue their Dragon Series. (I think they’re going to need the big box of Crayolas for colour name inspiration pretty soon. I know for a fact they’re offering beer for ideas at this point.) This one is single-hopped with Idaho 7, and what’s even better than a new beer? Why, a new hop, of course! OK, OK, it’s not new new, but it’s new-ish. And at 12%+ alpha acid, it’s my kind of beast. (And hey, look at that: IBU = 10 x ABV. I think we need to make it a rule going forward, that all beers have to obey this rule – or at least all Pales. It’s like the Reinheitsgebot, but for bittering. So… the Reinheitsgebitter?) It’s an interesting hop, exhibiting a wide complexity including citrus, pine, and black tea character. It’s not a slam-dunk like Mosaic or Nelson Sauvin, but it gets the job done: I think this might be the best of the roughly ten Dragons I’ve tried. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom / Fort George Brewery and Public House A River Runs Through It Hop Shake IPA American IPA at 6.3% ABV | 75 IBU (C$7.42 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, packaged on 14-Aug-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 13-Dec-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a massive and growing rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, pale malt, tropical fruit, melon, lactose. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium creamy body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweet finish. (3/5)

OK, at the risk of sounding a little badly-informed, what the *hell* is an “earthy forest addition”, regardless of whether or not it’s “balanced with lactose”? Pine needles and ice cream? I’m not at all convinced that it’s necessary to “balance” hops with lactose in any case, to be honest. Perhaps when you’re dealing with the astringent tendencies of a roasty dark porter or stout, but why deliberately blunt an IPA’s clear sharp bitter? Not bad, but ultimately misguided, I think. (And yes, I get that it’s supposed to be an IPA milkshake, and/or a variation on the NEIPA theme. It isn’t.) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery The Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 8% ABV (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #13, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 13-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with a short, short-lived fizzy beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toffee, dark dried fruit, bread, wood. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

It’s a bad sign when you sigh in response to seeing what style the beer is, right? All right, let’s do this. I guess. If I have to. (sigh)

OK, so it’s not terrible. Kinda grows on you after a bit. I guess the 8% ABV helps in that regard. Complexity becomes apparent as it warms and grows, and I kept finding new things and raising my scores. Ultimately, not bad at all. (15/20)

7.5/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Toques of Hazzard American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.2% ABV | 76 IBU (C$7.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, packaged on 18-Oct-2017, acquired 12-Dec-2017, reviewed 12-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, wheat, white wine, citrus, tropical fruit, mint?. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly boozy finish. (4/5)

I’m actually more than a little surprised that a Google image search comes up empty for Zambonis with a General Lee / Dukes of Hazzard paint job. I’d’ve expected there to be at least one bored arena owner in the hinterlands of Saskatchewan with nothing but time on his hands until spring thaw, a serious drinking problem, and Georgia-style chromosomal deficiencies, but apparently not. Anyway, casual racism aside, this is a slightly odd DIPA. It alleges to be an “Imperial White IPA”, but morphological quibbles aside (there’s no such style) there’s a deeper objection: it’s not “white”, but clear, with no lees to speak of. On the up side, the aroma is pleasingly complex, with a wide variety of characteristics becoming apparent as the pint progresses. Those aren’t, however, entirely what one might expect (mint? really?). The taste tends to follow the aroma, with a high but balanced bitterness on the tongue, and a surprisingly restrained alcohol presence. Overall, it’s not bad at all. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Triphammer Robust Porter American Porter at 6.5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$4.50 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-Oct-2017, reviewed 12-Dec-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with brown relief at the margins, one fat finger of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malts, coffee & chocolate, toffee, hint of liquorice & smoke. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, dry finish. (4/5)

I guess it’s “robust”… ish… for the style. And, don’t get me wrong, it’s by no means the worst example for the style I’ve had – in fact, it’s near the top. (Well, sort of: my records show a 10-way tie for first place at 8/10 for American Porters, though other style variants – Imperials and Baltics, for example – do quite a bit better.) It’s just slightly thin, and slightly mild, and slightly boring. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Half Bastard Stout American Stout at 4.5% ABV | 35 IBU (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #12, 355 ml, packaged on 24-Aug-2017, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 12-Dec-2017)

Appearance: slightly muddy brown with a huge fizzy beige head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: red berries, chocolate, coffee, caramel, grass, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, tart bitter finish. (2/5)

I’m pretty sure this is infected, to the point where I was tempted not to review it at all. The huge head was the first indicator that things weren’t exactly typical, but very quickly after that was the sharp red berry tartness on the nose and the tongue. The fact is, it’s not really bad as such, just deeply weird. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what the brewer intended, but that’s what it is right now. (11/20)

5.5/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Upright Brewing Company / Dageraad Brewing Rhythm Section Saison at 5.0% ABV | 15 IBU (C$10.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 11-Dec-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cloves/coriander, Belgian yeast, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry funky finish. (3/5)

A decent Saison, but not without its flaws: it’s excessively spicy, and although it’s dry and light-bodied, the carbonation is slightly high. As a result, it’s not as clean and refreshing as I like to see for the style, and ends up being a little bloating. Considering the two breweries involved in this collaboration, the overall result is slightly disappointing. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij de Molen Dasher & Dancer American Amber / Red Ale at 5.2% ABV | 25 IBU (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #11, 330 ml, packaged on 11-Jul-2017, best before 11-Jul-2019, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 11-Dec-2017)

Appearance: red-tinted medium amber with one finger of loose ivory head, moderate retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, caramel, yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit of a roller coaster: “Oh, De Molen! Great!”, followed quickly by “Oh, a Red! Great…” and then “Hey, hop forward! Great!” (And no, the infection wasn’t the same in each case.) It’s no secret that Reds (Irish or American) aren’t even close to being my favourite style, but I certainly find hop-forward American styles more palatable than malty Irish ones. And this is certainly more hoppy than malty, so it’s a win for me overall. (14/20)

7/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Dirty Ol’ Town Black IPA at 6.5% ABV | 52 IBU (C$4.39 Gift – Thanks, Rod H!, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Nov-2017, acquired 3-Dec-2017, reviewed 10-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear cola red with two fingers of pillowy beige head, good retention and moderate clingy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, roasty malts, dark chocolate, coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Something about this one just isn’t sitting right with me. It’s nothing major, but there’s just a hint of slightly off fruit flavour – along the lines of brown apple – that develops on the tongue, particularly upon warming. Not enough to ruin it, precisely, but enough to move it down in my personal ranking preference. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Le Grimoire Shamans Witbier at 5% ABV (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #10, 341 ml, best before 31-Aug-2019, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 10-Dec-2017)

Appearance: hazy/cloudy pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin collar, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, apple, cinnamon, wheat, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild tart finish. (3/5)

Well, given the label art, I was frankly expecting terrible, and it’s not, quite. It’s a long way from good, though. It’s sort-of-kind-of seasonally appropriate, I guess, what with the apple and cinnamon, but those’re pretty weak sauce and not really enough to salvage this from the doldrums of mediocrity. (12/20)

6/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com