Author: dpatrickryan

Barrier Brewing Company / Magnify Brewing Company Jump In The Line – American IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$8.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Oct-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 6-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fat fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, tropical fruit, cereal grains, berries. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: slightly creamy medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

The label says this is double dry-hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Calypso and Citra lupulin powder. The aroma and flavour profiles are pretty much what you’d expect with those hops, but I guess I was expecting a bit more bright juiciness. The aroma is pleasant, with no off notes at all, but falls a bit short in emphasis. I flip-flopped a little on scoring this one, and initially went a point lower on aroma and overall, for half a point lower in total, but decided that just wasn’t fair to a very decently-made beer. Pushing over the edge is the extremely drinkable nature, which is fairly impressive given the no-foolin’ ABV. (And, by the way, everyone is just calling this an IPA, and not a DIPA? Where exactly are the goalposts these days? Not complaining, just curious…) (16/20)

This will be my 5,439th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Krampus Christmas Ale Imperial Eggnog Stout – American Double / Imperial Stout at 10.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 4-Dec-2022)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one finger of fluffy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

We went to the Once Upon a Christmas breakfast buffet at Heritage Park today, so I’m gonna go ahead and call that the official start of Christmas, making this my first seasonal beer of the year. And, hey, what says “Christmas” more than a demon who beats naughty children? This one is a little odd (beyond the whole eggnog thing, which isn’t actually all that much a departure for the style) in that the body and carbonation are both uncharacteristically light (for the style). I tend to complain a lot about excessive sweetness in a beer, but when it comes to the Imperial Stout style, I’m actually fine with sweetness, as long as it’s balanced by a commensurate bitterness, and built on an appropriately thick body. This doesn’t really do any of that. Despite the forbidding dark colouration, it’s not really all that bitter, and in fact the enthusiastic ABV never really factors either. All in all, there’s nothing really wrong here, but I think it’s trying too hard to be something that it’s not. (14/20)

This will be my 5,438th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Collective Arts Brewing Mosaic Four Ways – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Nov-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 4-Dec-2022)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, dank pine, tropical fruit, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped as you’d expect given the name: Mosaic, plus Cryo, Incognito, and Spectrum versions of Mosaic. And that’s all to the good, Mosaic being one of my favourite hops, and one that is eminently well-suited to a single-hop treatment. A solid offering from a brewery that excels at IPAs. (16/20)

This will be my 5,437th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belching Beaver Brewery Dam Good Decade Terps IPA – American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$5.22 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-Oct-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 2-Dec-2022)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical & stone fruit, melon, cereal grains, floral, mild dank resin, light lactose. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with El Dorado, Simcoe, & Mosaic. Interesting complexity in the aroma with some atypical notes that I’m finding hard to identify – maybe mostly due to the floral terpenes, which seem to change the overall profile while not being overwhelming in and of themselves. Good fun. (16/20)

This will be my 5,436th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company / Bale Breaker Brewing Company / Last Best Brewing and Distilling Border Hop – American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 70 IBU (C$4.68 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Oct-2022, acquired 1-Nov-2022, reviewed 1-Dec-2022)

Appearance: brightly clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, dank pine, mild berry. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with experimental hop HBC 586 and fresh frozen Yakima Chief Mosaic. Nicely juicy and fruity, with a pleasant bitter bite keeping it from coming across too sweet. Nice one. (16/20)

This will be my 5,435th unique Untappd check-in.

Indie Alehouse Brewing Co. Goldeye – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.07 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Nov-2022, reviewed 30-Nov-2022)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, mild dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: soft medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Maybe just slightly better than their Love Triangle 15 I recently tried, if only because this one doesn’t seem to have that little astringent edge in the finish. Pretty good overall, if not all that good-looking. (15/20)

This will be my 5,434th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Cosmic Soup – American IPA at 6.4% ABV (C$4.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Sep-2022, acquired 1-Nov-2022, reviewed 27-Nov-2022)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium soft body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Decent aroma but a little too sweet on the tongue, turning to a slight astringency as it finishes. Nothing offensive, as such, but this certainly doesn’t rise to the level of memorable in a very crowded field. (14/20)

This will be my 5,433rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Modist Brewing Co. Noteworth – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$9.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Nov-2022, reviewed 27-Nov-2022)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus & tropical fruit, cereal grains, faint coconut. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium soft body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

“Hopped and double dry-hopped w/ Citra, Citra Cryo, Sabro & Ekuanot Cryo.” Lovely bright aromas of citrus and tropical fruits are by far this one’s best characteristic. Similar to their Double False Pattern, it’s a little sweeter than I’d like, and that continues through into the finish. However, this one succeeds in being just as bright and juicy, but with a somewhat lower ABV. Nicely done. (17/20)

This will be my 5,432nd unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Indie Alehouse Brewing Co. Love Triangle 15 – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$6.07 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Nov-2022, reviewed 22-Nov-2022)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, light field berries, hint of mint. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium soft body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

This variation hopped with Solero, Exp 09326, and Trident. I have a note that I tried 09326 way back in 2018, but this is my first exposure to the other two. As far as I can see, the berry note might be the 09326, while the other two seem to be fairly standard Cascade-like fruits and citrus. And “fairly standard” is a pretty good description for this – not a lot to distinguish it in a pretty crowded field. Fine to drink, forgettable when gone. (14/20)

This will be my 5,431st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ale Architect Brewing Ltd. Joy Wave 2 – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 3-Apr-2023, acquired 1-Nov-2022, reviewed 21-Nov-2022)

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

I tried the original early this year, and I can’t say I’m seeing any differences here. At all. Are there any differences? I mean, the first one was hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and El Dorado, while this version is Citra, Simcoe, and Strata. Based on that, I’d expect a little less tropical fruit, and a bit more field berry, but I’d be lying if I said I was getting that to any noticeable degree. As with the original, there’s a pleasant aroma and restrained sweetness on a clean malt background, with a soft medium body. I’d still like to see the kind of resiny pine note I expect from Simcoe, but ultimately this is a very respectable representation of the style. (16/20)

This will be my 5,430th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com