Author: dpatrickryan

Zero Issue Brewing Hitchhiker Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (Issue #42) – Session IPA at 4.2% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Apr-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 17-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, pale malt, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short crisp finish. (4/5)

Look, I get it, OK? It’s Issue #42, so it makes perfect sense to go with 4.2% ABV and reference THHGttG. But the Pan-galactic Gargle Blaster in particular is supposed to be quite a bit more… well… everything! In the books, it’s described having an effect “like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.” This, well, doesn’t. What it is, is light, crisp, and mildly hoppy. (It’s also a pretty great recovery drink after cycling.) You could easily crush this without pausing for breath. (I didn’t, but you could.) It’s a decent little Blonde/SIPA, but that’s about it. (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Folding Mountain Brewing Day Away XPA – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 15-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: floral, honey, tropical fruit, light citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Too much emphasis on the malt here, and relatively little on the hops. OK, but nothing great. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Winterlong Brewing Co. HazySexyCool – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 14-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, resiny pine, citrus, caramel, light sweaty funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

A touch aggressively bitter for the style. The edge isn’t harsh, but it’s definitely there, and I’m not entirely sure it belongs. I was vaguely aware of the eponymous album but that’s even less my style, so not a lot to say there. (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Puppy Love – Session IPA at 3.0% ABV (C$6.30 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Feb-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 13-Apr-2021)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (4/5)

That’s surprisingly good for something with such a low ABV that it’s basically a breakfast beer. I initially thought the bitterness might be a tad high, but as the pint progressed I re-evaluated that opinion and think it’s just right. The grain bill specifies oats, to which I’m attributing the decent body despite its low ABV, and the hops are Azacca, Mosaic, and Amarillo, so, heck yeah. (And by the way, other brewers? Take note: this is how you do a label. It’s got IBU, ABV, malts, hops, and yeast, with a date code on the bottom. If I were going to get picky I’d suggest you could include OG, FG, and SRM, but I can live with this.) I’m a little surprised by the Tormogarden Kveik yeast, since there’s basically none of the funk I usually expect there. All in all, quite a little brew. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Stronghold Brewing Co. 1907 Session Ale – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 13-Apr-2021)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, grass, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (4/5)

I’m kind of surprised that there’s a brewer coming out of Fort Macleod, given that it’s barely a wide spot in the highway, but, hey, more power to them. The label claims a “delicate, topical hop note”, and while I agree it’s fairly delicate, for me it’s more citrus and grassy, almost Pilsner-ish. Clean, crisp and drinkable. I could have gone lower on the score (given that it’s honestly a little boring) or higher (because it’s, well, clean, crisp, and drinkable) so why don’t we just split the difference? (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Big Spruce Brewing Hotel Alpha Zulu Echo – American Pale Ale at 5.8% ABV | 57 IBU (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Feb-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 12-Apr-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a massive fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, oily citrus, light earthy funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

The brewer web site calls this a “Kveik Session IPA”, and being an Atlantic Canadian myself I agree that a nigh-on six percenter can indeed be a Session – but most folks might disagree. Not bad at all, but I find the bitterness just slightly aggressive for the style. (But Whisky Tango Foxtrot is up with that head?) (15/20)

7.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Mountains Walking Brewery Seasonal Series Opaque Thoughts Pineapple – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$10.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Feb-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 10-Apr-2021)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pineapple, lactose, stone fruit, vanilla, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Look, I know that this is the kind of beer that brewers sneer at, OK? But a lot used to (and still do, I suppose) sneer at NEIPAs too, so what does that mean? And, yes, I used to sneer at adjuncts too, and I don’t often rate “Milkshake” IPA’s very highly, usually because I find them too sweet. All of that aside, this is actually fun to drink, and not too sweet. It’s like a blender drink, actually, with lots of pineapple, sweet cream, and vanilla. It actually reminds me of drinking jug after jug (hey, she said she’d make ‘em as long as we drank ‘em, so I did my bit) of Painkillers on a catamaran after skin diving in the Caribbean. (Sigh… I miss skin diving in the Caribbean) Anyway, one of the better milkshake-style IPAs I’ve had. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Eighty-Eight Brewing Hammer Pants – American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV | 35 IBU (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Apr-2021, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 10-Apr-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, spotty stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical and stone fruit, citrus, pale crackery malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, drying crisp slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I made a great many questionable decisions in my youth, but for good or bad, hammer pants weren’t one of them. This is neither good nor bad – it just is. No real problems, other than a slight astringency in the finish, but not a lot going on, either. The clean crackery malt is almost Pilsner-ish, but far enough behind the fruity, almost floral hops that there’s no risk of mistaking it for one. The brewer web site suggests this is the third revision for this one, and mentions Ella hops, but doesn’t specify if that’s the only hopping in the DDH. I suppose I could have rated this half a point to a point higher, but ultimately it’s just a little boring, so I didn’t. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Brewery Bhavana Yield – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$4.95 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 20-May-2020, acquired 9-Apr-2021, reviewed 9-Apr-2021)

Appearance: murky opaque pale gold with a massive foamy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, zesty grapefruit, sweet cereal grains, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

I had instant regret when I finally found the date code, which wasn’t much put to rest when I got nearly overflowing foam upon cracking the can, and a huge loose head that grew while the pour became steadily murkier. Then I smelled it, and thought it might not be so bad. After tasting it, I concluded it really wasn’t so bad at all, with lots of flavour for a very mild ABV. Now I have regret that it might have been so much better when fresh. Oh, well – my regret is at least somewhat tempered by the fact that it’s beer o’clock on a Friday afternoon…  (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Briney Melon Gose – Gose at 4.2% ABV (C$4.25 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Mar-2021, reviewed 8-Apr-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: watermelon Jolly Ranchers, wheat, light brine. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate sweet, light brine, very low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry tart and slightly salty finish. (3/5)

Pretty much what it says on the label: melon, briny. Unfortunately, however, the melon is not overly authentic, reminiscent more of artificially flavoured candies than the actual fruit, especially in the finish. An OK thirst quencher at best. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze