Category: Reviews

O’Creek Brewing Co. Route 117 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.13 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Jan-2024, acquired 2-Aug-2024, reviewed 5-Aug-2024)

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

I don’t think I believe the numbers on the bottom of the can (“240105”) are actually the date code, because this doesn’t smell or taste like a six month plus IPA.  Juicy, pleasant, and easy-drinking. Works for me. (16/20)

This will be my 5,902nd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

O’Creek Brewing Co. Citra In A Galaxy – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$5.22 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 2-Aug-2024, reviewed 4-Aug-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a massive fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, resiny pine, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

New brewery from the other side of the country. Hopping, as one would expect from the name, is Citra and Galaxy, and the flavour profile follows pretty much as you’d expect. Neither the aroma nor the taste really break out to that next level, though, so I’ve got to mark it just shy of that world-class tier, and consign it to the “good, not great” category. (15/20)

This will be my 5,901st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Rainbows & Smiles – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV | 40 IBU (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Jun-2024, acquired 2-Aug-2024, reviewed 4-Aug-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lime, sweet berries, lactose, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sticky mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Oof, that’s a bit saccharine and sickly sweet. But enough about the cover art, what about the beer? Malts: Pale Malt (2-Row), Oat Malt, Crystal Malt Hops: Nectaron, Idaho 7, Motueka Dry-Hopping: El Dorado, Sabro. But it’s more about the adjuncts: lactose, fruit purées, and citrus. I wouldn’t complain about fruit or citrus, but the lactose is a bit heavy-handed, making it a bit sticky sweet. It’s not terrible, but it’s a bit much, even before the ABV starts to make itself known. (14/20)

This will be my 5,900th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Atlas Brewing Corp. Thor’s Hammer – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.7% ABV | 35 IBU (C$5.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 2-Aug-2024, reviewed 2-Aug-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived loose off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, caramel, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

It’s not exactly light or easy-drinking, but it’s light…-ish and easy…-ish, at least for the style. (15/20)

This will be my 5,899th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Superflux Beer Company Soulwax – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.70 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Jun-2024, acquired 2-Aug-2024, reviewed 2-Aug-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pale amber head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus and tropical fruit, cereal grains, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Dry hopped with Idaho 7 Cryo, Citra Cryo, and Galaxy. Starts off with a brightly juicy fruit note that is unfortunately almost as short-lived as the head. It doesn’t ever become unpleasant, but it falls off to “merely nice” fairly quickly. Still and all, a solid contender. (16/20)

This will be my 5,898th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company Butcher – American Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$5.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Jul-2024, acquired 2-Aug-2024, reviewed 2-Aug-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one finger of fluffy pale amber head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: field berries, tropical fruit, caramel, diacetyl. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter slightly sharp finish. (3/5)

Starts off promising, with a pleasant field berry and tropical fruit top note. However, as the pint warms, a diacetyl note starts to become apparent, continuing through the finish as a green vegetal sharpness. Not really doing it for me. (13/20)

This will be my 5,897th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Banished Brewing Ltd. Dock – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$7.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 26-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of creamy pale amber head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma:  citrus, caramel, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: creamy medium-full body, moderate-soft carbonation, bitter warming finish. (4/5)

Think Arrogant Bastard as a hazy. (16/20)

This will be my 5,896th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Moonshake – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Jul-2024, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 26-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a short loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, resiny pine, cereal grains. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, short duration clean finish. (4/5)

Big fruit and pine on a soft body – what’s not to like? (16/20)

This will be my 5,895th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Small Gods Brewing Co. Big Happiness – American Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV (C$6.30 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 26-Jul-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a short, short-lived loose off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, stone & tropical fruit, citrus, faint resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, short duration lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Adjuncts are passion fruit, mango, and sweet orange peel. Hopped with HBC586, El Dorado, Mosaic, and Sabro. I mean… I don’t not like this? It’s a bit of a kitchen sink, almost completely overwhelmed by adjuncts – but that just makes it seem a bit more Radler-like, and what hop character there is, works well with the actual fruit. The closer I get to finishing the pint, the more I wouldn’t mind having another one, so there’s that. Still and all, bigger hoppiness would give me bigger happiness. (15/20)

This will be my 5,894th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Polyrhythm Brewing Centerfield – American IPA at 5.5% ABV (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Jun-2024, acquired 18-Jul-2024, reviewed 22-Jul-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, pine, floral, stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium building bitter finish. (4/5)

“Hot Side hops: Centennial, Bravo, ADHA-1624 Dry hops: Citra, Chinook.” This appears to be my first experience with ADHA-1624, and I can’t find anything too special here to attribute to it: this isn’t a particularly dank or piney WCIPA. I suppose I should have expected this for the very next offering after describing this brewery as my best ever, but this one is just OK – nothing too special. I’m also going to take them to task for the American (wrong) spelling. (14/20)

This will be my 5,893rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com