Author: dpatrickryan

Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg Weltenburger Kloster Anno 1050 Märzen at 5.5% ABV (2014 Advent Calendar #8, 330ml, best before 17-06-2015)

Pours clear deep gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is grainy pale malt, grassy hops, faint fruit and smoke. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter and spicy finish. (4/5)

Pleasant enough märzen even if the season for them is a little past us. Not too sweet, with a decent little peppery spice in the finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Croucher Brewing Co. Nuclear Free ANZUS IPA American IPA at 7% ABV (2014 Advent Calendar #7, 330ml, best before 15-05-15)

Pours clear gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is citrus, pine, earthy, biscuity pale malt. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Well – the Advent calendar seems to have anticipated my day 6 review and responded with a somewhat brighter “down under” IPA, complete with a best before date that’s well into 2015. And, yeah, it’s pretty much what I thought: the same tones are there, but the balance is different. In this one, the hops are more forward, and the malt less so. It’s not a perfect comparison, of course, because this brew is neither as malty nor as hoppy as the prior one, but it’s an interesting counterpoint regardless. An interesting and solid IPA. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bridge Road Brewers Fat Man, Red Suit, Big Sack India Red Ale at 7.5% ABV (2014 Advent Calendar #6, 330ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours cloudy medium amber with three fingers of loose off-white head that just keeps growing, great retention, and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Nose is biscuity bready caramel malt, citrus, earthy, some tropical fruit and pine. (7/10) Taste is moderate to strong sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Medium to full body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

No, I don’t have a red suit. Shut up. As far as the beer goes, I dunno what the hell an India Red Ale is supposed to be, but this feels like a malt-forward DIPA to me. More to the point, it feels like a DIPA that’s malt-forward because it’s getting on in age and the hops are fading fast. It reminds me of some of the really hoppy New Zealand beers I’ve had, probably not only because it’s using the same “down under” hop varietals, but because they too had apparently taken the slow boat before getting in my hands. That malt-forward character is not my preference, but I’d love to try it fresh. Anybody want to send me to Australia or New Zealand, for research purposes? (14/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Birrificio Del Ducato Krampus Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7.0% ABV (2014 Advent Calendar #5, 330ml, bottle date 2014, best before 2020)

Pours muddy medium amber with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is sour cherries and lemons, faint yeast. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate sour. (8/10) Light body, prickly carbonation, lingering and building puckering sour finish. (4/5)

Wow! The Advent Calendar continues to deal out surprises! I would have sworn up and down there was no way they’d include a sour in the mix! I can see lots of bewildered lager drinkers dumping their calendar beers – which makes me sad. This is actually a fairly decent sour – not too aggressive and nicely balanced. I would definitely drink this again. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewery Lions Winter Ale Winter Warmer at 5.5% ABV (Draft at 1ST RND West Edmonton)

Pours clear deep amber with one finger of tight light tan head, great retention, excellent lacing. (4/5) Nose is chocolate, caramel malt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg. (6/10) Taste is moderate to strong sweet, mild bitter, mild spice. (6/10) Medium body, somewhat cloying, moderate carbonation, mildly bitter and moderately spicy finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but a little on the cloying side. I think it’s the chocolate in combination with the fairly high sweetness – neither the carbonation nor the spiciness lifts it enough to avoid the cloying description. The spice helps with the winter warmer character, but a little higher ABV might help it more. Pretty, sure, but ultimately a little disappointing. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest Witbier at 5.5% ABV ($9.00 at Japanese Village, 330ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours hazy straw with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is mild wheat, citrus, coriander. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Fairly decent Belgian witbier. The orange presence is pleasant and works well with the soft carbonation. (15/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Peak Organic Brewing Company Hop Blanc Belgian IPA at 6.4% ABV (2014 Advent Calendar #4, 355ml, bottle date 05/27/14)

Pours hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is citrus, peaches, floral, Belgian yeast, wheat. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (8/10) Light body, moderate to low carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Well, that was a pleasant surprise. The higher scores notwithstanding (I was young and foolish then) the two Peak Organics in last year’s advent calendar were a bit disappointing. This one, on the other hand, is a decently done Belgian IPA – pleasantly hoppy and aromatic, with a crisp bitterness. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Les Trois Mousquetaires Grande Cuvée Réserve De Noël Spiced Red Lager at 10% ABV ($13.97 at NLC Howley Estates  750ml, bottle date 6-Nov-2014)

Pours clear deep amber with a one finger of light tan head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, no lacing. (4/5) Nose is strongly spicy ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, medicinal hops. (8/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium to full body, moderate carbonation, mildly bitter warming finish. (4/5)

I like it. It’s so heavily spiced that it actually reminds me of ginger beer – but I like ginger beer! The ABV is very well-integrated (or perhaps masked by the spice) to the point that this is a seriously dangerous tipple. I’ve yet to have an LTM brew I didn’t like, and this is no exception. I’d go so far as to say that this could well be the best lager I’ve ever had. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com