Author: dpatrickryan

Laughing Dog Brewing Anubis Imperial Coffee Porter Imperial/Strong Porter at 9.2% ABV ($8.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650ml, bottle date 25-Sep-2014)

Pours nearly opaque black with deep ruby around the margins, a fat finger of tight beige head, great retention, excellent lacing. (5/5) Nose is creamy chocolate giving way to dark coffee and dark roasty malt. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet and moderate bitter, coffee astringency. (7/10) Full body, smooth and creamy texture, lingering astringent finish. (4/5)

Starts with loads of chocolate, and even a hint of milky creaminess, before the coffee takes over. The high ABV is very well integrated, with barely even a gentle warming on the finish to warn you of its presence. Generally pleasant, well-balanced, and well-behaved. The single biggest flaw – and it’s not a big one – is the way the coffee takes over with its intensity and astringency, through the middle and into the finish. A pleasant sipper regardless. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Le Trou du Diable La Blanche de Shawi Witbier at 5% ABV ($6.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600ml, bottle date 18-Mar-2014)

Pours slightly hazy pale straw with a short-lived finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is wheat, bready yeast, coriander, green apple, citrus, hint of bubblegum. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet and mild bitter, building peppery spice. (7/10) Light body, prickly sustained carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)

Pleasant witbier. Suffers a bit by comparison to their collaboration wit/pils that I had earlier today, certainly a much more typical to the style beer. Still, well-done, pleasant, and refreshing. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Le Trou du Diable La Divine Comédie Witbier/Pilsener at 5.4% ABV ($7.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 600ml, bottle date 9-Jun-2014)

Pours slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is citrus, mango, grassy hops, hint of banana, biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet and moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate sustained carbonation, lingering sharply bitter, sour, dry finish. (4/5)

Utterly unlike any pilsener or wit I’ve ever had – more like a saison, really. Very Belgian in feel, with a nice hoppy presence and just enough pale biscuity malt to keep the bitterness in check. I’m not detecting much wheat characteristic at all, unless it’s the little bit of banana I noticed immediately after pouring. The rye malt definitely comes through in the finish, though, contributing a nice lingering sourness to a grapefruit peel-like bitter. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewing Wild Rose IPA India Pale Ale at 6% ABV (On tap at Bull & Finch)

Pours clear pale amber with one finger of loose light tan head diminishing rapidly to nothing, minimal lacing. (3/5) Nose is citrus and piney hops, caramel malt. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet and moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate to low sustained carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not too bad. A little unsubtle, but drinkable. Probably the best tap option here, other than plain old Guinness. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier Doppelbock at 14% ABV ($6.74 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330ml, best before 1-Mar-2018)

Pours clear deep amber with one finger of loose light tan head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is malt vinegar, dark fruits and caramel malt. (6/10) Taste is strongly sweet boozy malt, slight bitter. (6/10) Heavy, syrupy body, moderate to low sustained carbonation, sharply alcoholic finish. (3/5)

No real surprises here – this was, after all, once the strongest beer in the world. Strongly sweet, heavily syrupy, and, shall we say, lacking in a certain subtlety. I was expecting aggressive, but this verges on harsh. Really more like a barleywine than a dopple. Not without its charms, but I wouldn’t want to try to tackle more than one at a go… or in a week… or a lifetime…? (10/20)

My 124th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 117th by the 2013 Edition, and 128th overall.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewery Ommegang Ommegang Abbey Ale Belgian Dubbel at 8.5% ABV (Zyn, 355ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear amber-brown with one finger of loose light tan head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is boozy dark fruits – raisins, figs, dates – toffee malt, faint spice. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter, slight sour. (6/10) Medium body, prickly to moderate sustained carbonation, warming finish. (4/5)

I’m a little puzzled by this one – I was expecting something a little more polished. The alcohol, for example, is immediately apparent on the nose, and there’s a bit of sour in the finish that I’m not entirely sure should be there. The bottle looked a little chewed up, so it’s possible I ended up with an old or badly-handled one. I may need to re-review this later, possibly from a proper corked 750ml bottle. (11/20)

My 123rd from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 116th by the 2013 Edition, and 127th overall.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij De Achelse Kluis Trappist Achel 8° Bruin Belgian Strong Ale at 8% ABV ($5.03 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330ml, best before 13-Jan-2016)

Pours clear amber-brown with one finger of rocky light tan head, excellent retention, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is mild dark stone fruit, brown sugar and toffee malt, faint spice. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium to light body, moderate sustained carbonation, warming finish. (4/5)

Pleasantly mild trappist with a fairly light body and an immediate (but not unwelcome) warming. Lots of dark fruit and dark sugar, with just a hint of spice. My only complaint about this one is that, if anything, it’s too mild – to the point of being just a touch bland. The nose is fairly muted, and the taste and body are light. It’s impressive that such a high ABV beer can pull off such a mild appearance, sure, but it might have benefited from a bit more authority. (12/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Lindemans Pêche Lambic (Pêcheresse) Lambic Style – Fruit at 2.5% ABV ($6.64 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is moderate peach, definite wild yeast lambic funk. (8/10) Taste is moderate to strong sweet, strong tart sourness. (8/10) Medium body, moderate sustained carbonation, tart finish. (4/5)

Huh. I wasn’t expecting to like this one as much as the Framboise, but I think if anything I like it a little more. The peach flavour is definitely present, and both tastes like real fruit with no artificial overtones, and makes the sweetness palatable, but is not so strong as to max the funky lambic aromas. This one smells and tastes more like a straight lambic than the Framboise does, to good effect. The tart and funk make this a lovely little afternoon sipper, even with the low ABV. I’m liking this one a whole lot! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Lindemans Framboise Lambic Lambic Style – Fruit at 2.5% ABV ($6.64 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear deep ruby red with one finger of rocky pink head, great retention, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is strong raspberry and other red berries, some wild yeast funk. (7/10) Taste is strong sweet, stronger tart sourness. (7/10) Medium body, high to moderate sustained carbonation, tart finish. (4/5)

Surprisingly good, given the high levels of sweetness – it’s so tart that the sweetness never becomes cloying, and the high to moderate carbonation keeps it from becoming too syrupy. Fairly simple flavours, all things considered, but quite pleasant and mouth-puckeringly tart. The intense raspberry flavour never comes across as artificial or medicinal. Quite enjoyable despite being a little unidimensional. Seems like it could be an interesting base or float for mixing something else, like a chocolate stout, perhaps? The low ABV makes this a perfect “anytime” drink, if you don’t mind the price tag. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Cali-Belgique IPA Belgian IPA at 6.9% ABV ($7.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of tight off-white head and great retention, heavy lacing. (5/5) Nose is lemon, pine, clove, barnyard funk, hint of banana. (9/10) Taste is minimal sweet, strong bitter, moderate funk and pepper. (8/10) Medium body, moderate sustained carbonation, lingering bitter funky finish. (4/5)

Well, that’s a bit of all right! Very little malt presence at all, strong bitter in the mid body, and lingering, building peppery funky finish. The barnyard brett-like funk is distinctly Belg-ish in character, and unlike anything I’ve seen from Stone before – actually strongly reminds me of the De Ranke XX Bitter. Taste seems just a touch less emphatic than the nose would indicate, and the body tends a little to the light side for the style. Minor quibbles for a very good Belgian IPA. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com