Category: Reviews

948 Brewing Company No Joke – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$4.62 at Millarville General Store, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Nov-2025, reviewed 1-Nov-2025)

Appearance: brown-tinged pale amber with one fat finger of pillowy pale beige head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet caramel malt, light grass, hint of cardboard. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium bitter finish. (3/5)

The label claims a “massive hop nose from juicy tropical hops”. Uh, no. Looks and smells oxidized, but I can’t find a date code to excuse anything. (And how exactly does a can oxidize? I thought that was one of the big improvements over glass?) At best, this is very old-fashioned, but more like a bland malty mess. No joke? Maybe, but no great shakes either. A pretty inauspicious introduction to a new-to-me local brewery. (11/20)

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5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Paranormal – Spice / Herb / Vegetable Beer at 10% ABV (C$6.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Aug-2025, acquired 9-Sep-2025, reviewed 31-Oct-2025)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fat fingers of pillowy beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: sweet, cinnamon, nutmeg. (7/10) Taste: high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweet lingering bitter warming edgy finish. (2/5)

That’s a lot. Pretty as all git out, but a fairly simple aroma that’s heavy on the typical spices, and then it slides further downhill on the taste and the finish, ending up edgy, bitter, and boozy. All in all, a hot mess. (13/20)

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6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Field House Brewing Co. Strawberry Raspberry Lime Sour (Fresh Batch #025) – Sour / Wild Ale at 6.0% ABV (C$12.85 at Collective, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 28-Oct-2025)

Appearance: murky pink with a short, short-lived fizzy pinkish head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lactic sour, field berries, faint lime. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high tart, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, short tart finish. (4/5)

Far as I can tell, this is exactly the same base beer as their Blueberry Cherry Vanilla Sour, except with a different fruit puree added. This one is probably a little tarter as a result of the raspberry and lime in this one – the lime in particular comes through brightly toward the end, almost retronasally – but they’re otherwise not worlds apart. (15/20)

This will be my 6,250th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Field House Brewing Co. Blueberry Cherry Vanilla Sour (Fresh Batch #027) – Sour / Wild Ale at 6.0% ABV (C$12.85 at Collective, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 28-Oct-2025)

Appearance: cloudy reddish purple with a short, short-lived fizzy pinkish head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lactic sour, stone fruit, hint of vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high tart, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, short tart finish. (4/5)

This is part of their “BRRL Room” series, the naming of which implies barrel aging. That may well be the case, but this to me seems an awful lot like a standard lactic kettle sour with some fruit puree (I suppose it could be cherry, but I’m not sure I’m getting any blueberry) and a bit of barrel conditioning. It’s not without its charms, but it falls short in complexity compared to true wilds. (15/20)

This will be my 6,249th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Steamworks Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale – Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 6.5% ABV (C$4.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Sep-2025, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 26-Oct-2025)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of rocky pale beige head, excellent retention and minimal soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, spices, pumpkin. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

I suppose it’s almost Halloween, so I might as well do the obligatory pumpkin ale or two. Only mild amounts of the standard issue “pumpkin spice” on the front end for this one, and there’s actually a little real pumpkin present in the aroma. The taste, however, is completely sweet pumpkin spice – or maybe pumpkin pie, if you’re feeling a little more generous.  Although it’s a bit sweet through the mid, that falls off fairly quickly, and it ends with a fairly respectable medium duration bitter finish without excess sweetness. I don’t hate this, though I’m not sure I’d want to drink more than one. (15/20)

This will be my 6,248th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Sartori Harvest IPA (2025) – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$7.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Sep-2025, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 25-Oct-2025)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, light caramel, herbal, faint citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Driftwood can knock out an IPA, and their annual fresh hop is no exception. I missed last year’s, but I’m sure it was the same as this one… and the previous year’s… and the year before that… and, well, fine, they just keep doing a truly excellent IPA, so sue them. That being said, I’m wavering just a hair on scoring, and wonder if maybe this year’s hop harvest wasn’t quite up to snuff. Bottom line, maybe just a little lower score than some previous versions, but still pretty great. (17/20)

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8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Category 12 Brewing Fresh Hop IPA (2025) – American IPA at 6% ABV | 58 IBU (C$6.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Sep-2025, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 25-Oct-2025)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Single-hopped with fresh Centennial. Solid, with an emphatic piney presence on a caramel malt backbone. I like it, but I don’t love it: neither the aroma nor the taste have the kind of bright presence I like in a hop showcase. (15/20)

This will be my 6,247th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Powell Street Craft Brewery / Small Gods Brewing Co. Monsters Like Us – Saison at 5.5% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 23-Oct-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to nothing, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, horseblankety funk, floral, faint tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: mild funky tart, moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, mildly funky lingering bitter slightly sharp finish. (3/5)

I generally like the Saison (Farmhouse, whatever) style, but this one is a bit inconsistent. In particular, despite the fairly mild aroma it tastes a bit more bitter than I consider appropriate to the style, continuing with a slightly sharp and edgy finish. Not a complete success for me. (13/20)

This will be my 6,246th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery / Outer Range Brewing Co. Cheers – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$8.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Sep-2025, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 22-Oct-2025)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, cereal grains, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-full carbonation, short duration building bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m not sure I would characterize this as a West Coast, seeing how it’s hazy and citrus-dominant, with only mild pine. I suppose there’s a little more resin character as the finish builds, but overall there’s not a lot of complexity. (15/20)

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7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company / Blindman Brewing New Friends – Pilsner at 5.4% ABV (C$5.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Oct-2025, acquired 20-Oct-2025, reviewed 21-Oct-2025)

Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: white wine, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

Definitely has the vinous character one would expect for something labelled “New Zealand Pilsner” but it’s just not as bright and cheerful as I was expecting. And yes, I’ve said this before about The Establishment, but when you make a habit of excelling, you’ve got to expect this, so: it’s merely good, not great.(15/20)

This will be my 6,244th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com