Author: dpatrickryan

New Belgium / 3 Floyds Lips of Faith Series Grätzer Ale Grätzer at 4.5% ABV (US$8.41 at Specs Main Houston, 650 ml, best before 1-May-2015, reviewed 3-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, two fingers of fluffy light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: ashy, dark roasty malt, earthy. (7/10) Taste: low sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, crisp slightly smoky and tart finish. (4/5)

I went into this knowing full well it was nearly a year past its best-by, but I was both curious about the style, and hopeful that as essentially a smoked sour, it would actually have an extended shelf life. It did not disappoint. Despite its intimidating colour, it’s light-bodied, easy-drinking, and mildly tart. Someone unfamiliar with smoked beers might find the smokiness odd or intrusive, but I find it mild and pleasant. The lively carbonation and lactic tartness prevent the smoke from becoming mouth-coating, and the low sweetness works well. The low ABV and tart finish make this pretty sessionable. Really quite an interesting beer, and worth picking up even as far past its best-by as this was. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Avery Brewing Co. White Rascal Witbier at 5.6% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 15-Sep-2015, reviewed 2-Feb-2016)

Appearance: cloudy straw with a short, short-lived white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana and clove, bready yeast, orange peel. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

A decent, easy-drinking witbier. Pleasantly light, with a little citrus bite in the finish. Not memorable, perhaps, but OK. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Southern Star Brewing Company Walloon Saison at 5.25% ABV (US$2.09 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 2-Feb-2016)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, banana and clove, bready yeast, burned rubber. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light peppery spice. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Well, if that’s representative of the extinct (or nearly so) grisette style, I think I know why it went extinct. It’s not bad, as such, but it sure isn’t good. Hard to say whether it’s age or not, since the can isn’t dated. In the absence of a date code telling me this thing is past its best-by, all I can say is, don’t waste your time. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. Dream Crusher Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (US$2.83 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 2-Feb-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Makes a bold announcement on opening, with strong resiny hop aromas filling the room. And for the first half of the beer, it continues to deliver a powerful hop assault, with a one-two punch of piney resin and so much juicy citrus one might believe there’s actually tangerines in there. As the head dissipates, however, the hop aromas seem to fade with it, and the sweet malty backbone starts to show through. It never gets unpleasant, or even malt-forward, but it does lose a little steam. The finish remains strongly bitter, though, and the relatively high ABV is well-managed, manifesting as a mild warming. This is a whole bunch of fun, but I think you might need to drink ‘em fast for maximum enjoyment. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Fancy Lawnmower Kölsch at 4.9% ABV (US$2.09 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 30-Nov-2015, reviewed 1-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of nearly pure white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: crackery malt, grassy, honey. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, crisp finish. (3/5)

Yep, that’s definitely a lawnmower beer, though I’m not sure it’s all that fancy: in terms of colour, weight, body, presence… by whatever metric you want to use, this is an extremely light beer. Not badly done, though, by any means. The decent crisp grassy hop finish makes it an effective thirst quencher – in other words, a lawnmower beer. (12/20)

My 214th from the 2010 Edition (203rd from the 2013 edition), and 225th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cedar Creek Brewery Dankosaurus IPA American IPA at 6.8% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 31-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, soft carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Not bad at all. Smells quite promising, with lots of dank resiny pine, but disappoints just a little on the tongue by not quite following through. In addition to the slightly dull flavour, the body is a little watery, and the carbonation is a little on the flat side. Brighter and crisper would make this world-class, but as it stands, it’s merely quite good. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Avery Brewing Co. Raja Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (US$3.78 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 27-Oct-2015, reviewed 30-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, bready malt, pine, light earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

I wasn’t all that thrilled at first. The malt, for example, initially seemed a little more forward than I prefer, causing me to think this was another one of those malty DIPAs that, while not actually a sink pour, make me have mild regret. That definitely changes, and while it never gets “crisp”, it certainly develops and expands as it warms. I’m not quite sure if there really is a lemon note, of whether the appearance just makes me think that, but there’s a nice blend of tropical fruit and citrus leading the way for the somewhat bready malt, rounded out by a slightly earthy pine note. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Karbach Brewing Co. Hopadillo IPA American IPA at 6.6% ABV (US$1.46 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 19-Nov-2015, reviewed 30-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a fat finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus rind, pale malt, light earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Solid hop-forward A/IPA with just enough malt backbone to support it. Goes down a treat when working on the basement, and hard to beat for the price! (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Oskar Blues Brewery IPA American IPA at 6.43% ABV (US$2.31 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 30-Sep-2015, reviewed 29-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus rind, pale malt, light pine, hint of wheat and maybe a touch of earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Very drinkable. If I had any lingering qualms about craft beer in cans, this would have laid them to rest: a decent IPA that you can toss into a bag and haul into the bush? Nice. I’m not quite getting any vinous notes like I associate with Nelson Sauvin, but this collection of ANZAC hops (Enigma, Vic Secret, Ella, Topaz) are working well together. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com