Category: Reviews

Changing Colours Brewing Project All My Friends Are Metalheads – American IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$6.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-May-2025, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 20-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fine white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, tropical fruit, citrus, oats, green onion, faint burnt rubber. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Lots of Nelson Sauvin, in four different forms (Freestyle T90, Subzero Hop Kief, Cryo, Amplified hop Pellets). Starts off dank as hell and all good, but takes a left turn into green onion territory, and even worse, burning rubber. (It’s faint, but it’s there.) Not a success. (12/20)

This will be my 6,136th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company / Changing Colours Brewing Project Here Comes Summer – American IPA at 7% ABV | 35 IBU (C$5.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 29-Apr-2025, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 20-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, oats. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry slightly sharp finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but a little thin in both body and flavour, with a hint of sharpness through the finish. (15/20)

This will be my 6,135th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Polyrhythm Brewing Synth-Punk – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV (C$6.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-May-2025, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 17-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, oats, citrus, hint of vegetal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Hot Side Hops: Mosaic Incognito, Citra Dry Hops: Galaxy, Citra Cryo, Simcoe. A pretty great beer that flirts with truly legendary, but for a few minor quibbles: the appearance isn’t the greatest, and the aroma isn’t the brightest. The biggest (albeit still pretty small) sin, though, is the merest hint of a cooked vegetable note that really doesn’t belong. It’s not strong, but once you notice it, it becomes hard to ignore. I’ve already given it more breath than it deserves, but it’s enough to keep this at “merely” world-class. (16/20)

This will be my 6,128th unique Untappd check-in.

8.0/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Longroof Brewing Co. Simcoe 1974 – American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$5.75 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 17-Jun-2025)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of fine ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, grass, zesty citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Another new-to-me local(-ish) brewer that’s actually been around a while. What can I say? There are quite a few in the province these days. Single-hopped with Simcoe, which I wouldn’t really call a gimmick or a particular challenge. They have, however, accomplished it with no cattiness, which actually is a little bit of a challenge, so good on ‘em. In fact, overall it’s just nicely done: not quite a slavish reproduction of an old school WCIPA, but not so far removed from that so as to be unrecognizable to a refugee from the nineties or early oughts. Not sure about 1974, though…? (15/20)

This will be my 6,127th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hub Town Brewing Shake Your Lemon Tree – American IPA at 5.0% ABV (C$20.00 at Hub Town Brewing, 1.89 l, packaged on 15-Jun-2025, acquired 15-Jun-2025, reviewed 14-Jun-2025)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, pale malt, grass, faint coconut. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sweet finish. (3/5)

Not bad. Pleasant but not overpowering lemony citrus on the front end, and it’s not as sweet as I was worried it might be. It’s not thrilling or anything, and ultimately it’s just a little workaday, but I’ve had much worse. (14/20)

This will be my 6,126th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Eighty-Eight Brewing Days of Thunder – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-May-2025, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 13-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, dank resin, citrus, oats. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

Apparently hopped with Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic. Tropical fruit leads and sustains, with milder citrus and dank resin throughout on a clean cereal grain base. Works for me! (16/20)

This will be my 6,125th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Retro Saturation – American Pale Ale at 6% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Mar-2025, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 13-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Supposedly a blend, conceptually if not literally, of Retrospectrum and Super Saturation. I mean, maybe? Far as I can tell, I only had the former once, more than six years ago, but the latter is an occasional go-to for me, and I see some resemblance there. In my opinion, however, this one is not well served by the maltier presence, and ends up feeling a bit too sweet and sticky, especially for the fairly middling weight. Doesn’t particularly work for me. (13/20)

This will be my 6,124th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Pinwheel – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$5.55 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 13-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fine off-white head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, pale malt, hint of coconut. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short thin finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Sabro and Cryoboosted CGX Amarillo. I will now proceed to damn it with faint praise: it’s not bad… for a Session. Thinness is the name of the game here, through flavour and body, culminating in an almost tart, almost sharp finish. And, the other dreaded description: it’s not bad… for what it is. (14/20)

This will be my 6,123rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Eighty-Eight Brewing Go-Go – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV (C$6.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 11-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sugary stone fruit, citrus, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly creamy body, moderate-low carbonation, sweetish mildly warming finish. (4/5)

I don’t dislike it, but it’s too sweet: fuzzy peach candy, instead of actual peaches. That sweetness carries through into the finish, and is only slightly offset by the mild warming. (15/20)

This will be my 6,122nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Tropicoco – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$5.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-May-2025, acquired 5-Jun-2025, reviewed 11-Jun-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coconut, tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, medium duration off-dry finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Krush, Citra, and Sabro, and with huge amounts of coconut adjunct, this is a ridiculous abomination. I love it. (16/20)

This will be my 6,121st unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com