Author: dpatrickryan

Fernie Brewing Company Slow Drift Witbier Witbier at 5% ABV | 10 IBU (C$3.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, best before 11-Mar-2018, acquired 20-Nov-2017, reviewed 20-Nov-2017)

Appearance: cloudy medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: wheat, bready yeast, fruity esters, orange peel, coriander. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, lightly peppery finish. (4/5)

Well, it’s got the Witbier appearance down pretty well, and to a slightly lesser degree the aroma and taste. Wheat and bready yeast lead the way over indistinct fruits, orange peel, and well-balanced coriander. I’ve had better Witbiers, sure, but I’ve had a great many worse, too. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Category 12 Brewing Fresh-Hopped Saison Saison at 5.1% ABV | 20 IBU (C$8.69 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 17-Sep-2017, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 19-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, yeast, grass, light funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, mild funky tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, lightly peppery finish. (4/5)

A fairly straightforward Saison, albeit with not a lot of the hop character promised by the label. Mild and pleasant. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belching Beaver Brewery Me So Honey American Pale Wheat Ale at 5.5% ABV | 19 IBU (C$11.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 19-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of creamy off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: honey, wheat, bready yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish mild finish. (3/5)

I’m generally fairly unimpressed by Honey Blonds but figured this was a brewery that at least had a chance of making it interesting. And, it’s not badly done – but it’s a long way from interesting. And, although I’ve had much sweeter examples of the style, this is still sweeter than I prefer. All in all, OK, but not much better than that. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project _Echo Chamber_ American IPA at 7.9% ABV _(C$9.59 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 26-Oct-2017, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 18-Nov-2017)_

Appearance: murky medium amber with two fingers of fluffy off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, grainy caramel. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Another brewery expressing their discontent at the popularity of the NEIPA style in a not-very-subtle manner. (And, another muddy, dirty-looking brew from Annex. Seriously, guys? I dunno what you’re doing to your wort, but stop.) Hey, here’s a suggestion: if you feel the need to be arrogantly dismissive of a style, how about you, ohhh, I dunno, not make that style? Or, better yet, how about you not fail spectacularly*at making that style? Yeah, I’m getting a bit short tempered and bitchy with these guys, but my good will towards local startups extends only so far. Even more bewildering to me is the general approbation this thing seems to be garnering. No. No, it isn’t a good example of the style. No, no it isn’t a great aroma and taste. No, no they aren’t killing it. Look, I could show you my own photos and reviews of Heady Topper, or Trillium, or Treehouse, and exhaustively list how many ways this utterly fails to be what it says it is, but at the end of the day it boils down to this: just… no. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Breakside Brewery What Rough Beast American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 55 IBU (C$10.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 18-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of loose off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit juice, floral, tropical fruit, caramel malt, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

The fairly literary allusion in the name suggests Breakside’s attitude towards the NEIPA is similar to that of many other breweries – but comparing it to the antichrist might be just slightly extreme… (A cynic might call it sour grapes on the part of those who can’t do the style right.) Though, this is a much closer miss than a lot of attempts I’ve suffered through. The appearance is all wrong, of course (though it gets a bit more juice-like once the lees are poured in), but flavour-wise it’s not too far off the mark: juicy, if slightly more floral than I would consider style-appropriate. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company Punch Bowl Mango IPA American IPA at 6.3% ABV | 63 IBU (C$6.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 11-Aug-2017, acquired 18-Nov-2017, reviewed 18-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of loose off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit including mango, mild pine, light caramel malt, mild green onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty similar to the base beer, with slightly more tropical fruit character courtesy of the added mango juice. I’m not entirely convinced I would’ve detected the mango itself (as opposed to the tropical fruit flavours of the hops) without the label description – though I guess I could work out how much juice they added, knowing the difference in ABV between the original and this version. I sort of regret not buying another one of the base Punch Bowl and trying them side-by-side, actually. In fact, I might go get another one of each and do just that. For science, of course! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Speakeasy Payback Porter American Porter at 7.5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$10.50 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-Oct-2017, reviewed 17-Nov-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with the merest hint of relief around the margins, one fat finger of rocky beige head, good retention and soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: dark chocolate, roasty malt, coffee, dried fruit, citrus, hint of vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Can someone please tell me what the current status is for Speakeasy? The last articles I can find pertaining to the bankruptcy and sale are from May, at which point the brewery was sold at fire sale prices (hell, I could’ve scraped together that kind of financing), and apparently with no assumption of its accrued debt – which would fly in the face of what I understand buying an insolvent company entails. Their web site provides no further details except to say the tasting room will reopen soon, despite the fact that it’s also actively soliciting bartenders. I don’t mind saying, something smells a little rotten here (and it’s not the beer, which smells excellent). On that note, the beer is good: lots of heavily roasted character that verges on burnt, but never quite gets there. There’s an atypical but not unwelcome hop character, coming through predominantly as a citrus note. Despite its forbidding appearance and aggressive name, this is a very drinkable example of the style – and given the uncertainty which seems to surround the brewery, I recommend you locate one ASAP. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Cherry Porter (2017) American Porter at 6.5% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 17-Nov-2017, reviewed 17-Nov-2017)

Appearance: clear brown with amber-brown highlights, one finger of light beige head, good retention and heavy lacing. (4/5)  Aroma: roasty malt, coffee, chocolate, cherry. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter and light tart finish. (3/5)

It might be a silly thing to focus on, but I’m really surprised at how much lower the price is for this, compared to the last vintage I tried: that one, right about 18 months ago at the same store, in a swing-top one litre bottle, was $14, whereas this one is coming it at just over $12/litre. (Which leads me to wonder: do swing-top bottles really add $2 to the price of a beer?) Anyway, I appear to be somewhat more kindly disposed to this than I was last time I reviewed it. I’m actually getting a bit more cherry than I did last time, and it works to its advantage. Or maybe it’s the fact that there’s snow on the ground and it’s five weeks to Christmas? Either way, a decent little seasonally-appropriate brew that I wouldn’t mind sampling again next year. (14/20)

Technically a 1001 beer, but I’ve had prior vintages so it doesn’t count against my totals.

7/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company OiiiPA Aussie IPA American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 60 IBU (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 31-Mar-2018, acquired 17-Nov-2017, reviewed 17-Nov-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and sticky soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, bready caramel, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I had high hopes for this, and was not disappointed. Lots of juicy and fruity ANZ hops on the front end, and a sticky, almost oily, emphatic bitter in the finish. I’ve had DIPAs that weren’t this enthusiastic, making this very much my kind of brew. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ribstone Creek Brewery Prairie Pirate American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV | 70 IBU (C$12.00 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-Oct-2017, reviewed 16-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus flesh and zest, pale malt, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

This is one way DIPA’s should be done, in my ever-so-humble opinion: malt heavy, sure, but not malt dominant. (I say “one way” because pine and dank resin are missing here, and I always like those notes in a DIPA, but this doesn’t suffer unduly from their absence.) It’s also surprisingly easy-drinking for a pretty emphatic ABV. This is a “sort-of” collaboration, since the hops are locally sourced from Last Best. (Side note: I didn’t know Last Best was distributing hops now – good for them!)  I haven’t had many by Ribstone Creek, but the couple I have have been very well done indeed – I think I just slightly preferred their White IPA, but this is also definitely worth seeking out. Now I need to find their “base” IPA – strictly for comparison purposes, of course. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com