Author: dpatrickryan

The Establishment Brewing Company Walking on Sunshine – American Pale Wheat Ale at 5.0% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Apr-2026, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 22-May-2026)

Appearance: slightly chill hazed straw with a short thin white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange pith & zest, wheat. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short clean finish. (4/5)

I will now proceed to damn this with faint praise: it’s fine. Which, in the context of this brewer, is equivalent to “among the worst they’ve ever made”. Seriously: in over a hundred of their beers tasted, I’ve never once seen them do worse than a seven out of ten, and that’s what this is. Is there anything wrong with it? No. Is it bad? Absolutely not. Is it on par with their average? Not even close. But, it’s fine. (14/20)

This will be my 6417th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Space Lord – Quadruple IPA at 11.9% ABV (C$7.55 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Apr-2026, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 20-May-2026)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of creamy pale ivory head, excellent retention and stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pineapple, tropical fruit, citrus, light resiny dank. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Citra, Simcoe, Motueka, Motueka Kief, Nectaron, and Mosaic Hyperboost. Loads of flavour and a fairly full body make this a sipper, but not because the ABV intrudes. Just the opposite, in fact – it’s deeply deceptive until you’re well into the pint and you realize this is the equivalent of two or three normal big-boy beverages. Their first Quad IPA, and it’s an absolute banger. (17/20)

This will be my 6416th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company The Chronic – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$6.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Apr-2026, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 8-May-2026)

Appearance: brilliantly clear straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, dank resin, field berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter tending slightly high. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin, Columbus Cryo, Nectaron. It’s not quite as bombastically piney as I like a WCIPA to be, and nowhere near as dank as I’d expect given the name – but it will certainly do. (16/20)

This will be my 6,398th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Eighty-Eight Brewing Neon Invasion – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 5-May-2026)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, light pine, faint butyric/earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter tending slightly high. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh – barely passable. No big piney or citrus notes, and calling that hint butyric or earth is being polite. Not doing it for me, and a surprising disappointment from a generally very solid brewery (for n=48, μ=7.7 & σ=0.57). (13/20)

This will be my 6,396th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Max Sat Tropical Hazy IPA – American IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 20-Feb-2026, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 5-May-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fine pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, mild coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration slightly warming finish. (4/5)

Mosaic cryo hops, Dynaboost and Hyperboost. Unsurprisingly similar to the Max Sat Juicy Hazy that was released about the same time, except the fruit tends more tropical than stone. I also get a little bit of coconut here, which isn’t something I typically associated with Mosaic – but I also couldn’t find proper brewer notes, so maybe there’s some other variants in there as well. It also feels just a tiny bit more warming than the Max Sat Juicy Hazy – which is surprising, since this one has a marginally lower ABV. In any case, yet another solid performer from a reliable brewer. (16/20)

This will be my 6,395th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Max Sat Juicy Hazy IPA – American IPA at 8.7% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 568 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 4-May-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fine pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration slightly warming finish. (4/5)

Talus, Dolcita, Citra. I think the original Max Sat was the NZ version, which I found just slightly harsh. This one has a higher ABV, yet is completely missing the slight edge of its predecessor. They’re also raising the bar on how high an ABV can go before it’s a “Double”, since unlike e.g. Giga Saturation, they don’t call this a Double even though it’s only 0.4% short of that one’s ABV. Easy-drinking and fairly dangerous. (16/20)

This will be my 6,394th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Brewing Co. Park Pass 009 – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 2-May-2026)

Appearance: slightly murky hazy medium gold with two fingers of fine pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I’m not entirely convinced this isn’t damaged. The appearance is just slightly murky, and although the aroma is fine, the taste turns surprisingly bitter surprisingly fast, extending into an almost Belg-ish funky finish. And I honestly wouldn’t mind that, except for the fact that it’s unexpected and seems out-of-spec. (14/20)

This will be my 6,393rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Hyperpop – American IPA at 5.2% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Apr-2026, acquired 29-Apr-2026, reviewed 30-Apr-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of dense white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, cereal grains, light floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

“Erebus, Ekuanot, Dolcita, and Citra”. My first time for Erebus, as far as I can tell, and maybe the second or third for Dolcita. I think I’m getting just a hint of floral in the aroma, and that might be the Erebus – certainly none of the others should be doing that. But, I’m also getting a little astringency – almost a green vegetal note – through the finish. At this point, I think it’s fair to say I know Cabin fairly well (for n=58, μ=7.7 & σ=0.54) and I’ve got to rate this one more than one full standard deviation below average. Still good, mind you, but well into the bottom quartile for this brewer. (14/20)

This will be my 6,392nd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Strange Secrets Worth Knowing – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV (C$6.25 at Safeway Liquor D’Arcy Crossing, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Mar-2026, acquired 12-Feb-2026, reviewed 23-Apr-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of dense white head, excellent retention and heavy sheet lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange creamsicle, light tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, smooth mildly warming slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

Freestyle NZ hops, but they don’t say which ones. Yes, I acknowledge I’m spoiled by having this in my own back yard, but I can only say “another amazing hazy” so many different ways. In fact, I’ll go one better: if I were on a tasting trip and got served this in some beer mecca, there’s probably a good chance I’d rate it higher – familiarity and contempt, and all that. But yes, this is great – though if I’m picking nits, it’s just a tiny bit simplistic, and the aroma could probably do with a little more depth and complexity. (17/20)

This will be my 6,390th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing Vail? Nah, Looks Like The Guy Who Designed Wendy’s Went Nuts In Here – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$7.15 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Mar-2026, reviewed 8-Apr-2026)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with a short white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, coconut, melon, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice aroma and flavour for a relatively light ABV, largely citrus aroma but definite notes of coconut from the Sabro hops. (15/20)

This will be my 6,379th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com