Category: Reviews

The Establishment Brewing Company Gold Past Life – Czech Pilsner at 3.8% ABV (C$4.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Mar-2025, acquired 15-Aug-2025, reviewed 15-Aug-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready malt, floral, light minerality. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

Lots of flavour but clean and easy drinking, with absolutely no suggestion of the quite low ABV. I can totally see spending a long afternoon on a sunny patio drinking these. (16/20)

This will be my 6,173rd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Take A Slice Orange Wheat Wild Ale (Wild Things 013) – American Wild Ale at 6.0% ABV (C$4.90 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 20-Dec-2024, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 4-Aug-2025)

Appearance: hazy straw with a short, short-lived loose white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: horseblankety funk, herbs & pine needles, citrus zest. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (9/10) Palate: light attenuated body, lively carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

It’s sometimes hard to tease out “well executed” from “I love this style”. Is there anything else to say? If you like the style, you’ll like this. If you don’t, you won’t. And if you’re unfamiliar with the style, you may be bewildered or even angered by it. (17/20)

This will be my 6,173rd unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing See You, Space Cowboy – American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 30 IBU (C$7.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 2-Aug-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

“Brewed with Nectaron and Citra.” Opens with a pleasantly juicy aroma and decent flavour, but tends just a little too sweet through the finish for my preference. It’s fine, and there are no big negatives, but overall there’s not a whole lot to distinguish this in an extremely crowded field. (14/20)

This will be my 6,172nd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company / Long Hop Brewing Co. Tidal Wave – American IPA at 7.1% ABV (C$6.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Jul-2025, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 2-Aug-2025)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of fine white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, dank resin, berries, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, crisp lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice example of the style: bright and crisp, yet bitter with dank piney undertones. This is how you do the style. I have nothing further to say. No notes. (16/20)

This will be my 6,171st unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Goosehead – Pilsner at 4.8% ABV (C$7.75 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 31-Jul-2025)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grass, citrus, honey malt, light minerality. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, crisp short duration finish. (4/5)

I don’t often say this about Pilsners, but: that’s seriously good stuff. That being said, it’s hardly surprising that it’s Bellwoods that’s causing me to say it. And it turns out there’s this thing called the “Canadian Pilsner Project” aiming for 100% Canadian ingredients, which this has: Alberta malt, Escarpment Labs Isar yeast, and Saaz from BC’s Myrtle Meadows. I call that a bonus! (16/20)

This will be my 6,170th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hard Knox Brewery Broken Compass – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$4.40 at Hard Knox Brewery, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Jul-2025, reviewed 30-Jul-2025)

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

Fairly unremarkable. Just OK. (14/20)

This will be my 6,169th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hard Knox Brewery Root Bear – Brown Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$4.40 at Hard Knox Brewery, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Jul-2025, reviewed 30-Jul-2025)

Appearance: clear deep cola red with one fat finger of fine beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring and cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sarsaparilla, vanilla, toasted bread, molasses. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

This is a little weird, combining aspects of root beer and porter, but I don’t hate it. I particularly like the fact that it doesn’t taste as sweet as the aroma threatens, and it’s nothing like those ghastly sweet hard root beers. (13/20)

This will be my 6,167th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hard Knox Brewery Wildlands – Session IPA at 4.7% ABV (C$4.40 at Hard Knox Brewery, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Jul-2025, reviewed 30-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, pine, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad. I flip-flopped a little on scoring, and initially went slightly lower, largely because of the slightly unbalanced bitterness through the finish. Not that I’ve got a problem with hoppy bitterness as such, just that it’s not completely in-spec. But, I got a little more forgiving as the pint progressed, and ultimately decided it was passable. (14/20)

This will be my 6,167th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Slow Hand Beer Co. Unamerican Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$5.90 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 29-Jul-2025)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, grass, white wine, stone fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

The label calls out Riwaka and Rakau, along with 100% Canadian malts. And, yeah, I totally bought this because of the label. (Most days I’m only a keffiyeh and an AK away from chanting “Death to America” in the streets.) And I’m a big fan of ANZ hops, so I had high hopes here. I’ll cut straight to the chase: it doesn’t deliver. The aroma is relatively mild and grass dominated, with very little of the bright vinous notes I expect, and the flavour runs slightly unbalanced bitter and sharp through the finish. Merely OK. (14/20)

This will be my 6,165th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing They’re Digging In The Wrong Place – American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 30 (C$7.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2025, reviewed 29-Jul-2025)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, dank resin, tropical fruit, cereal grains, faint coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

“Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Sabro”. Very pleasant aroma and flavour, despite being not all that pretty. Slightly sweeter than I’d prefer but still pretty good. (15/20)

This will be my 6,164th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com