Author: dpatrickryan

Bad Tattoo Brewing Full Sleeve Strong Stout Irish Dry Stout at 5.5% ABV (C$4.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 1-Jul-2015, reviewed 11-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, one finger of fluffy light beige head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roast malt, grassy and lightly floral hop, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly to the watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mild bitter and lightly metallic finish. (3/5)

Nothing too memorable on the positive or negative side – straightforward Dry Irish Stout. Try it if you’re in the mood for that style, I guess? And if you ask me, that brewery name is a bit on the nose, given the prevalence of such among both craft brewers and their customers. Hell, you might as well call yourselves “Hipster Beard” or “Lumberjack Shirt”… Hold on, I need to go register a couple of trademarks… (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

8 Wired Brewing Company C4 Double Coffee Brown Ale American Brown Ale at 8% ABV (C$11.30 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 500 ml, best before 14-Dec-2016, reviewed 10-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of fluffy light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, caramel, light vanilla, bready yeast, floral and peppery hops. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter and light tart finish. (3/5)

Again with the unexpected tartness in a coffee beer? I don’t know what they’re doing in New Zealand, but presumably it’s not an age issue, since they (Hallelujah! Finally!) put a BB date on the bottle. There is a small amount of hop profile present here, but it’s largely washed out by the coffee. Once again, I’m not all that thrilled with the coffee, though – it’s coming through as watered down and acrid, instead of smooth and rich (like e.g. Brunch Weasel). Somewhat surprisingly, it’s a bit better balanced than their coffee stout, but it’s still not what I would consider their best work. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

8 Wired Brewing Company Flat White Milk / Sweet Stout at 5.5% ABV (C$10.70 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 10-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, one finger of fluffy light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: espresso, lactose, light chocolate and roasty notes. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly to the watery, lively to moderate carbonation, medium duration building bitter and light tart finish. (3/5)

Not really what I was expecting. Yes, there’s a little lactose milky sweetness in it, but there’s also a surprising tart note – and though I’m a big fan of sours, that just doesn’t belong in this style. The body is also surprisingly light and thing, buoyed by a higher than expected carbonation. And the finish, in addition to being marred by the tart note, is less a hop or roasty malt bitterness, and more an over-extracted espresso bean one. A bit of a mess, at least as far as adherence to the style goes. And to be brutally honest, I’m liking it less as the pint progresses. Not one of their better offerings. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout American Double / Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (US$3.15 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 9-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with only the merest hint of relief around the margins, one finger of medium dense light beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, coffee and dark roast malt notes, liquorice, light metallic. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Black? Check. Chocolate? Check. Stout? Check. Well, that’s that, then, isn’t it? Oh, you wanted more? OK, well, it starts off with heavy chocolate and not much else, but eventually that settles down and some dark roasty notes come through. Unfortunately, so does a light metallic tinge, particularly on the tongue. It’s not terrible, by any means, but I’ve definitely had better chocolate stouts. On the up side, the double-digit ABV is barely noticeable and really only presents as a mild warming. (14/20)

My 217th from the 2010 Edition (206th from the 2013 edition), and 228th combining both editions.

7/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lagunitas Brewing Company Brown Shugga American Barleywine at 9.8% ABV (Trade – thanks, Bayman 4048!, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 8-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with one finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: brown sugar, resiny pine, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, bitter and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Not your typical barleywine – the brown sugar is lighter than the caramel or toffee I normally associate with the style, but more importantly there’s a big resiny hop note over top. This is barleywine on steroids, and I like it a lot. (16/20)

My 216th from the 2010 Edition (205th from the 2013 edition), and 227th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Oskar Blues Brewery Death By Coconut American Porter at 6.5% ABV (US$3.99 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2015, reviewed 8-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, one finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coconut, light chocolate and roasty notes. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Yep, that’s pretty much what it says on the label – lots of coconut and not a whole lot else. Good thing I like coconut! Very much a one trick pony, but it does that trick very well indeed. Easy drinking and not too sweet, never gets cloying or overwhelming. If you like Bounty bars, you’ll like this. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stillwater Artisanal As Follows Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 9% ABV (US$3.57 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 1-Oct-2016, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry hay funk, lemon zest, stone fruit, vinous oak. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, dry crisp and lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Another very nice beer from Stillwater. Although they call it a “Belgian Style Golden,” it’s got lots of saison-like notes, dominated by a dry barnyardy Brett funk. Easy drinking, impressively crisp and light given the relatively high ABV. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com