Author: dpatrickryan

Whitetooth Brewing Company Directissima – Dubbel at 7.7% ABV | 21 IBU (C$9.95 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 20-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of loose beige head diminishing gradually to a thin cap & ring, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toasted bread, raisins, dark dried fruits, coffee & chocolate. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sticky astringent mildly warming finish. (3/5)

A direttissima is the most direct way up a rock face, while a Directissima is… a fairly direct way to get to drunktown? Sure, let’s go with that. It’s not bad, and in particular presents a decent nose with malts reminiscent of toasted brown bread, coffee, and chocolate. The body seems a touch thin for the style, and that seems to be contributing to an astringency in the finish that makes it feel a little more bitter than the 19 IBU would suggest. Overall, it’s slightly edgy and lacking a little polish. (14/20)

This will be my 5,521st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whitetooth Brewing Company Trepanation – Tripel at 9% ABV | 40 IBU (C$10.00 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 19-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap & ring, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange peel, Belgian esters, candi sugar, cloves & coriander, hint of black pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, slightly sticky warming finish. (3/5)

The label says this is made with Continental Pilsner malt, Saaz and Amarillo hops, and of course candi syrup. It’s been roughly forever since I’ve had a real Belgian Tripel, so I’m a little rusty on the style – but this is no real Belgian Tripel. It’s not bad, but it certainly lacks the polish of the real thing, and in particular finishes a fair bit sweeter than I’d prefer. But, hey, it’s a bomber of high ABV skull splitter, so I’m not exactly complaining. (14/20)

This will be my 5,520th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Erlton Street (Release: 033) – American Wild Ale at 6.6% ABV (C$25.45 at Collective, 750 ml, packaged on 1-Nov-2022, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 15-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of fine ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap & ring, moderate soapy sheet lacing. (4/5) Aroma: oak, citrus rind, stone fruit, black pepper, tobacco, earthy funk. (9/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

Wow. I mean, they themselves don’t claim it’s a Gueuze – and technically it can’t be, since it doesn’t come from Belgium – but dammit, it’s close. I suppose I should hope so, given that its price point is damn close to that of e.g. Cantillon when and if I can get it locally – and a damn sight more than the six or eight euros the various bottles cost me the time I actually went to Cantillon! Technically this is an American Wild, and it’s a good’un: barrel and funky wild notes galore on a clean tart base, with a bone dry finish. I’d rate this higher if I could, but it just lacks that certain je ne sais quois to push it into that 9+ legendary territory, so it’s just going to have to join Blackbird in a fifteen-way (!) tie for first place from this brewery. (And, holy shit, this brewery is good. I just checked my current stats on them, and for n=35, μ=8 & σ=0.55. Yes, for them, world-class is just an average day at the office. Off the top of my head, the only other brewery I can think of that I’ve rated this high – other than Cantillon, of course – is Russian River, and The Establishment is literally very nearly as good.) (17/20)

This will be my 5,519th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

2 Crows Brewing Birds of a Feather – Oud Bruin at 6.3% ABV | 0 IBU (C$15.00 at Collective, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 15-Mar-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep amber with one finger of creamy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap & ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sour cherries, balsamic vinegar, light tobacco, hint of port barrel. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, short tart finish. (4/5)

Nice one. Not quite as much depth and complexity of flavour as some of the true Belgians, but still pretty darned good. I can see why some might consider the tartness a bit excessive here, but personally I like it. (16/20)

This will be my 5,518th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Chapter 4 – Wheat Wine at 11.6% ABV (C$24.75 at Collective, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 13-Mar-2023)

Appearance: slightly hazy brown with one finger of creamy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap & ring, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toffee, dark stone fruit, rum, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, sticky warming finish. (4/5)

I mean, you’re never gonna not like a Barrel-Aged Wheat Wine, right? And, for the most part, it ticks all the boxes: there’s sweet toffee and dark fruits, as well as the woody vanilla barrel notes underneath the spirit itself – rum, in this case. But, despite the high sweetness, the body comes across as just a touch light for the style. It’s not actually thin or metallic, but it hints at both, and might benefit from a year or three in the cellar. (Which, let’s face it, I’m not gonna do any more, having accumulated and then given away thousands of dollars worth of cellared dark stuff in the past. Ain’t nobody got time for that. These days I live for the moment and carpe diem.) I just checked, and out of a total of 33 this is actually the first offering from this brewery I’ve had that isn’t an APA, IPA, DIPA, or TIPA. It’s also dead average or a little less (μ=7.8 & σ=0.53) so to be completely honest, it’s not even close to being worth the price tag. Good thing I don’t care about such plebeian considerations, right? (15/20)

This will be my 5,517th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Slackwater Brewing Intruder – American IPA at 6% ABV | 62 IBU (C$5.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Dec-2022, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 13-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, caramel, hints of grassy hay & pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

“With Idaho 7 and Citra hops.” I’m seeing more and more returns to tradition like this one, which stops just short of being crystal clear (well, after the slight chill haze dissipated) and possessing of a very non-NE bitterness. Of course, although Citra has been around since 2007, Idaho 7 is considerably newer, dating from 2015, and so the hopping is most certainly not “traditional”. Good, but I’d’ve preferred a more aggressive aroma profile. (15/20)

This will be my 5,516th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beer Tree Brew Fresh Wax – American IPA at 7.1% ABV (C$7.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Nov-2022, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 12-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus & stone fruit, doughy caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, slightly sticky medium bitter finish. (4/5)

The aroma has a bit more doughy yeast than I prefer for this style – not e.g. Council Brewing levels, by any means, but enough that it’s clearly present alongside the juicy fruit aroma. It’s also a little sweeter than I prefer, so all in all I’d like this to be more about the hops, and less about the malt and yeast, than it actually is. (14/20)

This will be my 5,515th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Magnify Brewing Company Dunk Contest – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$9.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 10-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, caramel, floral, light solvent. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry slightly warming finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra, Nelson, Mosaic, Citra Cryo, and Mosaic Cryo. A little alcohol edge makes this just a bit solvently, both in the aroma and in the finish. Decent, but definitely short of great. (15/20)

This will be my 5,514th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Viva Forever – American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV (C$5.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Mar-2023, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 10-Mar-2023)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, vinous, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body dropping off slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly tart finish. (3/5)

This isn’t unpleasant, what there is of it. It does, however, strike me as being unnecessarily light – across the board, in aroma, flavour, and body – given the not-insubstantial ABV. Ultimately it’s one of those APA’s that seems like a watered-down IPA, instead of its own thing. (14/20)

This will be my 5,513th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Black Gold Cascadian Dark – Black IPA at 6.0% ABV | 50 IBU (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 16-Jul-2023, acquired 9-Mar-2023, reviewed 10-Mar-2023)

Appearance: clear deep cola red with two fat fingers of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and moderate sheet lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toffee, toasted malts, coffee/chocolate, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

So, did the tempest in a teapot over the trademarked “Cascadian” name just go away? I haven’t heard a peep since a flurry of articles ten years ago. Anyway, regardless of whether you call this a CDA or a Black IPA, it’s a very good example of the style, with a good balance between the toasty coffee/chocolate notes and the hoppy pine. There’s always a tendency for that dark malt and hop bitterness to overwhelm and become astringent, but this doesn’t. (16/20)

This will be my 5,512th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com