Author: dpatrickryan

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Osmium Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 7% ABV | 25 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, packaged on 27-Oct-2017, acquired 30-Nov-2017, reviewed 2-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear reddish-tinted deep amber with one fat finger of creamy light beige head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel/toffee, molasses, smoked peat. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish short duration finish. (3/5)

Lots of things to pick on here, not least of which the “heavy” name. OK, fine, Osmium is the heaviest natural element, twice as dense as lead – but it’s also toxic by ingestion, inhalation, or even skin contact. Yummy! Why not just call your beer “arsenic”? Also, for a Wee Heavy, this has far too much carbonation, verging on lively, further detracting from the body, which is a weak medium instead of being stylistically appropriate thick and full. It’s OK overall, I guess, but certainly not one to change my opinion of Scotch Ales. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company E.S.B. Premium Bitter / ESB at 5.6% ABV | 34 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, packaged on 31-Oct-2017, acquired 30-Nov-2017, reviewed 2-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: biscuity malt, caramel, floral, fruit esters. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter smooth finish. (4/5)

With so many of these, I find myself wondering why they call them “ESB” when a more appropriate name would be “BSB”: Bog Standard Bitter. This, on the other hand, is at least slightly (if not “extra”) special, due no doubt in no small part to the higher ABV, but also the higher-than-typical bitterness. It’s malt dominant, sure, but that’s stylistically appropriate, and completely expected. All in all, a pleasant interpretation of a style that all too often disappoints. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Double Identity American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 85 IBU (C$6.23 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, packaged on 1-Nov-2017, acquired 30-Nov-2017, reviewed 1-Dec-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with loads of chunky sediment, one fat finger of creamy white head, good retention and chunky sticky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, dank resiny pine, caramel, herbal, fruit esters. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter slightly oily finish. (4/5)

I’m getting lots of typical starts-with-C hops here, but I can’t say the Nelson Sauvin is coming through particularly clearly. Certainly, I’m not getting any of the white wine or kiwi notes I usually associated with that hop. Not a complaint, as such, just an observation – though a decent hit of Nelson Sauvin is always welcome, in my opinion. No real complaints otherwise: the maltiness level is up there, sure, but at an appropriate level to support the massive and pleasingly dank bitterness. Pretty easy drinking despite the huge bitterness and near-double-digit ABV (and again, that 10:1 ratio seems to be key). Lots of heavy particulate, but that bothers me not at all, especially not in a high-ABV West Coast style DIPA. I bought this winter mix pack pretty much just for this beer alone and was not disappointed. (The other two new ones in the pack are an ESB and a Wee Heavy, so I’m not sanguine about them, but frankly if they’re even marginally better than average I’ll consider the pack a win overall.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Shipyard Brewing Company Export Blond Ale at 5.1% ABV | 29 IBU (2017 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #1, 355 ml, packaged on 5-Jul-2017, best before 28-Mar-2018, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 1-Dec-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with a thin fizzy off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and biscuity malt, grass, hint of citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (3/5)

I can see why they call this “Export”, because it’s actually very similar to an Export Lager: malt dominant, but not in an unpleasant way, easy-drinking and refreshing. Of course, that also means it’s pretty unremarkable as well. I’m not going to be happy if a six dollar lager is setting the tone for the entire Craft Beer Advent Calendar, but I can live with it being a little amuse-bouche to get things started. (12/20)

6/10 #craftbeeradvent2017 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boxing Rock Brewing Co. / Gahan House Brewery Over The Top! Sour / Wild Ale at 4% ABV (C$6.13 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, packaged on 24-Jul-2017, acquired 25-Nov-2017, reviewed 30-Nov-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with three fingers and growing of fluffy white head, excellent retention and heavy clingy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, wheat, lactic sour, pine, floral, cranberry. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, effervescent carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

Surprisingly good head development and retention are the first hints that this ain’t your typical kettle sour. The next is the aroma, where, yes, you get the typical sharp tang of lactobacillus, but balanced quite well alongside hop and wheat character, as well as an authentic cranberry undertone. Sweetness and tartness are both restrained on the tongue, coming across as neither cloying nor aggressively puckering, finishing clean and refreshing. You could do a lot worse for an accompaniment to your next turkey and cranberry feast. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Collective Project/ Sour Harvest Saison at 5% ABV | 8 IBU (C$3.83 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Nov-2017, reviewed 30-Nov-2017)

Appearance: murky deep gold with a fizzy off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: lactic & citrus sour, pumpkin seeds & flesh, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, burnt rubber / band-aid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, effervescent carbonation, dry tart lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

A bit of a strange beer, that starts out fairly dismal, but distinctly improves – by which I mean, it’s uglier’n hell, and the smell is questionable, but it tastes pretty good and finishes more than halfway decent. Other than the appearance, nothing stands out as particularly offensive, as such (though there is a hint of burnt rubber / band-aid that I could live without) but honestly? I think there are a few too many adjectives here: as a kettle soured pumpkin spiced Saison, it’s just a bit too busy for my preference. This is a bit of a rare swing and a miss from this brewery for me. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tatamagouche Brewing _Philaroma_ Berliner Weisse at 3.8% ABV | 5 IBU _(C$4.13 at Liquid Assets YHZ, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Nov-2017, reviewed 30-Nov-2017)_

Appearance: clear red-tinged pale amber with a fizzy off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin persistent cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready yeast, lactic sour, cherries, hint of sulphur. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, effervescent carbonation, dry crisp tart finish. (4/5)

Definitely a kettle soured Berliner Weisse, with all that implies. Not unpleasant, though the yeast smells distinctly bready, and there’s just a hint of stylistically inappropriate sulphur (DMS). A solid enough brew despite that, with a clean refreshing tart finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saltbox Brewing Jeezus Murphy Irish Red Ale at 4.8% ABV (C$3.91 at Liquid Assets YHZ, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Nov-2017, reviewed 29-Nov-2017)

Appearance: clear ruby-tinged deep amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a think skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, mild nuttiness, light grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Not much to say here: a very plain, run-of-the-mill interpretation of a very boring style. Malt dominant with very little in the way of hop character, and not much to recommend it. Smooth, sure, and with no real negatives, but aggressively boring. That wraps up my four-pack by this brewery, and I can’t imagine I’ll go looking for any more. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

2 Crows Brewing Liesse Belgian Pale Ale at 3.5% ABV | 13 IBU (C$3.91 at Liquid Assets YHZ, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Jun-2017, best before 31-Dec-2017, acquired 12-Nov-2017, reviewed 29-Nov-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, floral, pale malt, Belgian yeast, coriander, white pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s quite nice – it starts out surprisingly bright, hoppy, and flavourful for such a low ABV, like a nice little APA. Then, as the pint progresses and it warms, something interesting happens: a little spiciness starts to take hold, and a coriander and white pepper note appears, almost like a Hefeweizen. They call it a Table Beer, but that characterization could fit any number of parent styles such as Saisons, Bières de Garde, or BPA’s. Given the Belgian yeast character, I’ve gone with the BPA designation here, but regardless of what you call it, it’s refreshing and drinkable all day long. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saltbox Brewing Dynamite Trail Ale Hefeweizen at 5.2% ABV (C$3.91 at Liquid Assets YHZ, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Nov-2017, reviewed 28-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of creamy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, wheat, coriander, white pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Another OK implementation of a fairly uninspiring style by this brewery. Not great, by any means – the appearance is slightly disappointing, and I find it slightly excessively sweet and spicy – but drinkable. I’m not sure whether or not I’d like to see these guys try something more interesting: as it stands, my experience is that they do middle-of-the-road implementations of fairly stodgy styles, so I’m not sure where they’d end up if they tried something more my speed. Now that I think about it, it might be best to leave well enough alone…? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com