Author: dpatrickryan

R & B Brewing Company Vancouver Special I.P.A. American IPA at 6% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.99 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 18-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, tropical fruit, caramel, light dank. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (4/5)

“Big & sturdy,” huh? No, not really. “Pleasant,” sure. A well-balanced blend of citrus, pine, and fruit, with hints of West Coast-style dankness. Despite the relatively high IBU rating, the bitterness really only manifests as it builds on the back end. Good stuff. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Off the Rail Brewing Co. Raj Mahal India Ale American IPA at 5.0% ABV | 38 IBU (C$5.09 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 18-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lime (leaves?), floral, pale malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Lots of citrus on the front end of this, which I’m assuming is mostly due to the Kaffir lime leaves, presumably bolstered by the lemongrass. However, there’s a slightly vegetal grassy note, particularly in the finish, which is slightly astringent. (13/20)

6.510 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Oakham Ales Green Devil American IPA at 6% ABV | 60 IBU (C$5.79 at BC Liquor Stores, 500 ml, packaged on 31-Jul-2017, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 16-Sep-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, grainy malt, resiny pine, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, drying lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Surprisingly hop forward, especially for a British interpretation of an American IPA. Tropical fruit and citrus dominate over a moderate pine and lingering grass. Decent enough, but not particularly exciting. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat Triple Hop Belgian IPA at 10.5% ABV | 65 IBU (C$5.99 at Oak & Vine, 330 ml, best before 8-Nov-2018, acquired 22-Aug-2017, reviewed 15-Sep-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: candi sugar, herbs, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter warming finish. (3/5)

Big, verging on brutal. I dunno about “triple hop,” because there sure isn’t a lot of hop character on the front end (though there is that big bitter finish). Bit of a sweet boozy mess, but good fun. (14/20)

7/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Paulaner Brauerei (Schörghuber) Salvator Doppelbock at 7.9% ABV | 28 IBU (C$2.87 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, packaged on 2-Feb-2017, best before 2-Feb-2018, acquired 25-Aug-2017, reviewed 15-Sep-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep amber with one fat finger of creamy ivory head, excellent retention and patchy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready yeast, caramel & molasses, dark fruit, nuts. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, sweetish mildly warming finish. (3/5)

There’s a reason they call this stuff “liquid bread”: with the emphatic bready yeast and sweet malts that dominate this, it’s like drinking puréed brown bread. Tends slightly heavy, with a sweetish lingering finish. Subtle, it’s not. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Farmhouse Classic Brett Saison 2017 Saison at 6.2% ABV (C$6.00 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 11-Sep-2017, reviewed 14-Sep-2017)

Appearance: cloudy straw with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: horse blankety funk, lemon zest, stone fruit, leather, black pepper. (9/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter, moderate-high funk. (9/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, short mildly funky finish. (4/5)

An instant gusher upon decapping (hi, Brett!) but the fizzy head is short-lived and leaves nothing behind. Really, a red-headed stepchild level of unfortunate-looking beer. But the smell? All the big barnyardy funk you could ever hope for, and in fact were promised by the volcanic decapping. Not everybody’s going to get this beer, and that’s fine by me – but for those who appreciate funk, this is one to savour. I bought two of these, hoping that there would be cellaring potential, and based on what I’m seeing fresh, that should be the case. The second will now go down for an extended period (probably two years at least) to really let the Brett dig in. Stay tuned… (17/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Monogamy Chinook American Pale Ale at 6.4% ABV (C$6.00 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before but fresh from the brewery, acquired 11-Sep-2017, reviewed 14-Sep-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of fizzy ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit zest and pith, stone fruit, pine, slight dank and earth. (9/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Dry and bitter, this exhibits the Chinook hop to great advantage. However, it ends up being perhaps slightly too bitter for the amount of support provided by the malt bill, and just a touch thin and watery. It’s still very good, mind you, but not quite as good as some of its brethren from this brewer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Jutsu American Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$5.00 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before but fresh from brewery, acquired 11-Sep-2017, reviewed 13-Sep-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit, mango, pale malt, grass, stone fruit. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

I last had this right about about a year ago, and my opinion of it hasn’t diminished any. Still looks, smells, and tastes like grapefruit juice, more or less. Or maybe a grapefruit radler built on a  really good IPA. This is a serious no-brainer beer: buy it. Nothing more need be said. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King Pink Guava American Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$7.50 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before but fresh from brewery, acquired 11-Sep-2017, reviewed 13-Sep-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: guava, tart stone fruit, orange flesh, hints of resiny pine and cedar. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (9/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, short duration tart finish. (4/5)

Take Jelly King, add much guava. Any questions? Seriously: much guava. To the point where this is basically moderately alcoholic guava nectar. If anything, I like it just a touch more than the base Jelly King, but the net difference is too small to reflect in the score. If you’re a fiend for tropical fruit, you’ll love this. If you’re not, you might feel a little more blasé about it. No matter what, though, I very much doubt you’ll dislike this. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King American Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$6.50 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before but fresh from brewery, acquired 11-Sep-2017, reviewed 13-Sep-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart stone fruit, orange flesh, hints of resiny pine and cedar. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (9/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, short duration tart finish. (4/5)

I had this for the first time about a year ago, obtained via a trade. This one is fresh from the brewery, and might be even better than I remember. It’s basically fuzzy peach candy in liquid form, except not as sweet. Correction: it’s alcoholic fuzzy peach candy in liquid form, so even better. Seriously, if this doesn’t make you happy, you might as well just give up. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com