Author: dpatrickryan

Mikkeller Drink’in Berliner Yuzu Berliner Weisse at 2.7% ABV (C$3.90 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 9-Mar-2018, acquired 23-Sep-2017, reviewed 27-Oct-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lime, citrus zest, floral, lacto sour. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate-high carbonation, clean crisp moderately tart finish. (4/5)

Works for me! In fact, I think I like it better than the other “Drink’In Berliner” I tried, the Hop On, not just because it’s not sweet like that one was, but also because the citrus (yuzu, I guess) in this one works really well. (I don’t think the similarly named Drink’in the Sun is really a comparison here, because that one was a wheat.) It’s similar to lime or lemon, but with a floral character. Nice. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Zero Issue Brewing Nemesis IPA (Issue 4) American IPA at 7.3% ABV | 74 IBU (C$9.50 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 946 ml, packaged on 22-Oct-2017, acquired 22-Oct-2017, reviewed 23-Oct-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with three fingers of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a moderate cap, thin stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus flesh, grainy malt, light floral and herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate-soft carbonation, lingering building bitter slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

An NE-style juice bomb. I’m detecting somewhat low carbonation, likely due to this being a tap filled crowler. Other than that, a very respectable offering from an extremely new local brewery who is impressing me: I rated their first two offerings (Multiverse and Dystopia) at 7.5/10, but this is slightly better, even given the too-low carbonation. So, just for the record: they started off on the high end of “good” with their first two brews, and by the time they got to their fourth brew, they had crossed my personal bar for “world-class”. I don’t mind saying, I’m pretty jacked to see what they’re going to do next. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Four Winds Brewing Co. IPA American IPA at 7.0% ABV | 70 IBU (C$11.50 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 946 ml, packaged on 22-Oct-2017, acquired 22-Oct-2017, reviewed 23-Oct-2017)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of loose white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, pale and caramel malt, resiny pine, light herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate-soft carbonation, lingering building bitter slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I’m finding this just very slightly too sweet on the front end, and wonder whether that’s at least partly due to the slightly low carbonation, which might in turn be due to this being a crowler that was tap filled 24 hours ago.  Other than that, though, this is quite good, with a pleasantly citrus and pine hoppiness on the front end, and a big citrus oil bitter on the back end. Seems a shame to dock it for the effects of what was in my opinion a too-fast crowler fill, so I’m not marking it down for too-low carbonation, but that flavour hit is unavoidable. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Last Best Brewing and Distilling #500 Brett Saison Saison at 6.2% ABV | 30 BU (C$9.50 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 946 ml, packaged on 22-Oct-2017, acquired 22-Oct-2017, reviewed 22-Oct-2017)

Appearance: dirty opaque pale amber with one finger of white fluffy head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coriander, peppercorn, wheat, white grapes. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funk. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, funky finish. (3/5)

Butt ugly, but not bad overall. Not much more to say than that: I love Brett, and given the chance, I’d’ve let this age for a while to let the Brett really dig in and establish, but crowlers can’t age, so: ugly, lightly Brett-y, lightly funky. The supposed “truckload” of ANZAC hops don’t really dominate, although I do get a little white grape towards the end. (And I’m a serious fan of ANZAC hops, so you can colour me more than a little disappointed there.) (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Last Best Brewing and Distilling A.E. Cross Barley Wine Barrel-Aged (2016) American Barleywine at 11.8% ABV | 45 IBU (C$19.95 at J. Webb Wine Merchant, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Apr-2017, reviewed 20-Oct-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short fluffy light beige head, good retention and sticky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toffee, dried fruit, rye whisky, wood. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

So, this vintage was split into two, a barrel-aged version, and an unoaked version. I previously reviewed the unoaked version, which I described as fairly well-implemented, and observed the big ABV to be well-integrated. But, I found the aromas and flavours to be muted, to the point of verging on boring. I expressed the hope that the barrel-aged one addressed that, as well as my intent to find it. Well: tah-dah, I guess? And, yeah, I dunno if it’s the barrel-ageing, or just the nine months more cellaring, but this one is actually better, by a pretty emphatic margin. The woody notes meld well with a boozy whisky character, both of which arguably make the alcohol more noticeable, but doing so in an integrated and appropriate fashion. Some much-needed complexity is thereby attained, making this much more enjoyable than its Plain Jane sister. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brekeriet Beer AB Cassis Sour / Wild Ale at 5.4% ABV (C$17.16 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, best before 31-May-2021, acquired 12-Oct-2017, reviewed 20-Oct-2017)

Appearance: clear pink-tinged medium amber with one finger of pinkish fizzy head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart juicy currants, candi sugar, hint of wood. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, tart finish. (4/5)

Very authentic currant aromas and flavours, to the point where I’m half-convinced I can feel the fur from the berries on my tongue. That, or maybe black currant jam on toast – but heavy on the jam and light on the toast. I’m not getting a lot of complexity, but that’s not really a complaint, more just an observation. The tartness might be just a shade unbalanced, though, especially in the finish. Still, good stuff. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cascade Brewing The Vine (2015) Sour / Wild Ale at 10.1% ABV (C$23.68 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Oct-2017, reviewed 19-Oct-2017)

Appearance: murky pale gold with a short, short-lived fizzy head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: white grape must, wheat, oak, lemon zest, bready yeast. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, moderate-low bitter. (9/10) Palate: light body, lively sustained carbonation, tart warming finish. (4/5)

Very champagne-like: a big pop! upon uncorking, followed by an enthusiastic gusher (which I managed to mostly catch) and a rapid diminution of a fizzy head to nothing, with a lively sustained carbonation. And yes, believe it or not, I distinctly get the Gewürztraminer grapes: white, tart, and German. (Insert barmaid joke here.) (16/20)

My 247th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 237th from the 2013 edition, and 261st combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn Tap X Cuvée Barrique (2016) Weizenbock at 9.5% ABV | 16 IBU (C$16.99 at Oak & Vine, 750 ml, best before 20-Jan-2021, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 19-Oct-2017)

Appearance: clear deep ruby with a short, short-lived fizzy head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: complex, mild, wood, red wine grapes, dark fruit, caramel, banana, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, soft carbonation, tart warming finish. (4/5)

Huh. Another weird grapey hybrid thingy. A bit like an Oude Bruin or Flanders Red in some ways, but a lot more like an oaky red wine – and certainly not a whole lot like any Weizenbock I’ve ever had before. It grew on me as it progressed, but still not a complete success, as far as I’m concerned. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Pinot Suave Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 11.8% ABV | 15 IBU (C$26.99 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 25-Apr-2016, acquired 22-Aug-2017, reviewed 18-Oct-2017)

Appearance: clear ruby-tinged deep amber with one finger of fizzy ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: complex, tobacco & leather, grape must, caramel, stone fruit, oak, berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low tart, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, tart warming finish. (4/5)

Well, this is a heaping big mess of what the hell was that? And I don’t (necessarily) mean that in a negative way.  (Though, as beer-wine hybrids go, it’s not the best I’ve had – that distinction belongs to Dogfish Head’s Noble Rot.) Specifically, I’m not convinced that the selection of Pinot must was the right choice here, since I found Noble Rot’s botrytis-infected Viognier to exhibit much deeper and complex character. Pinot is, well, Pinot. (Come on, it’s a soccer mom grape.) On the up side, I’m getting a very pleasant leather and tobacco note right at the outset, which works well in the context of a red wine. (Which, let’s face it, based on ABV alone, this pretty much is – and a fairly pricey one at that, at least as far as a non-wine-drinker like me is concerned.) Though, to be honest, if I had tried this before Noble Rot, I might have considered it the cat’s pyjamas – not least of which because the ABV on this is nearly thirty percent greater than Noble Rot’s. Good stuff, and a true oenophile (as opposed to a bullshit artist like myself) might consider it great – but I wouldn’t know, because I’m said aforementioned bullshit artist and not a true oenophile. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Farmhouse White Redux Saison at 5.8% ABV | 18 IBU (C$11.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, packaged on 1-Sep-2017, acquired 18-Sep-2017, reviewed 18-Oct-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: peaches, apples, oak, light funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly tart finish. (3/5)

Stone fruit and pome dominate this, initially bright(ish) and pleasant(ish) but gradually becoming brown or bruised in character. This is presumably a peach and Brett variant of their Farmhouse White, but to be honest, it’s not as good. I’ve had some Saisons that worked really well with peach and Brett, but for some reason this one just isn’t working for me. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com