Author: dpatrickryan

Sierra Nevada tap takeover at Craft Beer Market Calgary

Flight #1:
Vienna Lager – Toasted biscuity and caramel malt, grassy, honey. Light body, medium-low carbonation, low head, no retention or lacing. Clean short finish. 7/10

Kellerweis – Banana, cloves, and wheat. Moderate sweet, low bitter. Cloudy gold with low head, little retention, no lacing. Lightly tart finish. 7/10

Porter – Coffee and toasty malts, light smoke.Moderate-low sweet with surprisingly floral and hoppy moderate bitter. Medium body, short bitter finish. 8/10

Narwhal Imperial Stout – Cocoa, coffee, floral, pine. Moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. Medium-full slick body, low carb, good retention and lacing. Very drinkable. 8.5/10

Hop Hunter IPA – White head, good retention and lacing. Punchy hoppy aroma, pine, citrus and floral. Moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. Very nice! 8/10

Flight#2:
Close Call Kölsch – Citrus and grass but catty dominant. Moderate sweet, light bitter. Light body, clean and crisp finish. 6/10

Nooner Pilsner – Light citrus, grassy, honey. Moderate sweet, light bitter. Light body, short finish. Pretty standard pils. 6/10

Brown Ale – Coffee and nutty, little or no hop character. Moderate sweet, low bitter. Medium-light body, quick drop-dead finish. Inoffensive but boring. 6/10

Outside Lands Saison – Appleas and pears, stone fruit, light funk. Moderate-high sweet, low bitter, light tart. Quite mild, to the point of being a little boring. 6.5/10

Barrel-Aged Bigfoot Barleywine Style (2015) – Big bourbon, vanilla, oak. Nose hair singing solventy ABV. Moderate strong sweet and not much else. Surprising easy drinking given the nose. 7.5/10

Torpedo Extra IPA – Citrus, resiny pine and grassy, catty. Moderate-strong sweet, moderate bitter. Moderate-low carbonation, short finish. A bit disappointing. 6/10

#ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Black Market Brewing Co. David Golden Ale Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7.7% ABV (C$10.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of dense white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, yeast, grassy, stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Decent BSPA from a solid brewer. Nothing thrilling – tends a bit to the watery, and aside from the banana there’s not a lot of depth of flavour – but it’s definitely worth drinking. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company White Light White Heat (#28) Belgian IPA at 8.2% ABV (C$8.92 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of creamy dense ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, citrus peel, pale malt, floral, slightly funky. (7/10) Taste: moderate-strong sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Yep, that’s white heat. Along with a kitchen sink of just about anything you can think of – lots of complexity, including Belgian yeast and just a hint of funk. It’s a hot mess, but it’s not without its merits. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Alberta Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$6.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 1-Sep-2015)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine and tropical fruit, caramel malt, citrus, earthy and grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate-strong sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

Eh. It’s not bad, but I was really expecting the wet hops to come through a little more brightly. This tends to the malt-emphatic in the way of so many DIPA’s. The earthiness isn’t unpleasant, but I’d like this more if it were brighter. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Dernière Volonté Brett Belgian IPA at 7% ABV (C$3.67 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Appearance: clear medium gold with a huge and growing loose white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: brett funk, stone fruit, pale malt, earth and pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate astringent funk, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, dry funky and warming finish. (4/5)

Yep, that’s brett, all right. Huge fluffy head, funky aroma, and sharp earthy funk on the tongue. The flavours are complex, with the initial brett funk giving way to sweetness and eventually a dry warming finish. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lagunitas Brewing Company Imperial Pils Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager at 8.6% ABV (C$7.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pale malt, grassy, stone fruit, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: light somewhat slick body, moderate carbonation, medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

Beefy beast of a pilsener. Starts off hoppy but that fades and it becomes a slick, hot malt bomb. On the up side, that means it can keep up with my Ratlami Sev snackies. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wells & Young’s Brewery Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale Premium Bitter / ESB at 5% ABV (C$5.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, best before 13-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with a short, short-lived light tan head, minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet toffee and butterscotch, very light coffee. (6/10) Taste: strong sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium sticky body, moderate carbonation, lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Take one unremarkable ESB and one bag of Werther’s Originals. Powder the toffees and mix them in the beer. Enjoy. (10/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. Illaswillawit Witbier at 4.5% ABV (C$4.37 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of soapy white head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: light banana and cloves, orange peel, bready yeast. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter, light tart and white pepper. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration mild bitter and lightly tart finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but on the muted side. Both the aromas and flavours could stand to be more pronounced. Pleasant and inoffensive, but that’s about as far as I can go with it. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

To Øl Releaf Me Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5.8% ABV (C$4.40 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 6-May-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with some particulate, one finger of dense white head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lime, floral, bergamot, pale malt, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and astringent finish. (3/5)

Weird, but not in a bad way. I don’t recall having ever smelled lime leaves, so I’m not entirely sure if the floral aspect is the lime leaf itself, or something else, but there’s still a definite lime character. And, I don’t think there’s actually tea in there, but it sure tastes like it. The finish is a little harsh, with a distinct vegetal/floral astringency, but it’s not a deal killer. Not one of the best I’ve had from To Øl, but definitely interesting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

BrewDog Dogma Scotch Ale Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 7.4% ABV (C$4.01 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 27-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of dense creamy tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: butterscotch, dark fruit, honey, chocolate, earthy hops, light smoke. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering lightly boozy finish. (3/5)

I hesitated before buying this, given my typical attitude towards the style. But this? This is interesting. Unlike so many of the style, it’s not at all peaty, and the smooth maltiness comes across as a mild brown sugar, or maybe molasses. It’s sweet, but not overly so. Definitely one of the top examples of this style I’ve tried to date. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com