Category: Reviews

Bridge Brewing Company The Grinch – Winter Warmer at 6.5% ABV | 26 IBU (C$5.04 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 13-Nov-2024)

Appearance: clear deep cola red with one fat finger of fluffy beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: toasted bread, pine, dried fruits, chocolate. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Herself is making Christmas cookies, so what the hell, let’s go with a seasonal even though it’s 7º outside. Can’t figure out what kind of godless heathen date code they’re using, but it was newly-delivered at the retailer two weeks ago so it can’t be all that old. A bit light-bodied for the style, but pleasant enough. I particularly like that it’s not too sweet. (Yes, I know, it’s sort of the wrong glass. I was thinking it was a Black IPA. Fact is, it’s not all that far off being one.) (14/20)

This will be my 6,006th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Krispee Dreamz – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 32 IBU (C$6.55 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Oct-2024, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 11-Nov-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with a short loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: peaches. Lots of peaches. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (5/5)

“Powdered with peach terpenes and punched up with perfect Motueka and Idaho7 hops.” These guys always do goofy shit, but they get a near-on automatic pass from me because they’re among the first, if not the actual first, “craft” beer I ever had. That being said, they also do a damn fine beer. Case in point. No idea what the fuck a peach terpene is… wait one… oh, it’s a thing. Yup, it’s an adjunct. Peach. Which, is what this is. I… have nothing more to say about this. It’s peachy. Really peachy. I like it. A lot. It’s goofier than shit. And it’s great. Fight me. (18/20)

This will be my 6,005th unique Untappd check-in.

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Small Gods Brewing Co. Starfall – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$6.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 11-Nov-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruit, citrus, pine, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium warming finish. (4/5)

A “showcase of Oregon-grown Strata & Luminosa hops”, “balanced with a healthy dose of Strata”. Oh, that is nice. When I sniffed it, I made the same involuntary “Tim The Tool Man” noise as yesterday when I walked past the DeWalt display at Home Depot. (No, I’m not a Boomer. Yes, I love my wife. But I also love power tools.) To the best of my knowledge I’ve had Luminosa hops exactly one time before, so there’s that – I’m always up for a new hop. Although this falls off a little through the mid, it’s still pretty solid, and surprisingly easy to drink for the weight. (16/20)

This will be my 6,004th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Krush DIPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75 IBU (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Oct-2024, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 11-Nov-2024)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, pine, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sticky medium warming finish. (3/5)

This started off brightly juicy, but the bigger fruity notes fell off fast. Still fairly pleasant, and a decent exploration of the Krush (/586) hop. (14/20)

This will be my 6,003rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hard Knox Brewery Beyond The Pines – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$3.75 at Hard Knox Brewery, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 10-Nov-2024, reviewed 10-Nov-2024)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, cereal grains, citrus, faint pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration finish. (3/5)

I’m assuming this is super fresh, because I bought it from their booth at the Millville Christmas Market today, so no excuses there. It’s not terrible, but there’s precious little pine, and if anything I’m being generous on my rating here because it fell off fast as it warmed. But, I was just so happy to have my boys home and having a beer with me that I’m giving it sappy good vibes scoring. (14/20)

This will be my 6,002nd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Gorilla Mode Thunder Punch – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.0% ABV (C$5.90 at Collective, 568 ml, best before 2-Apr-2025, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 8-Nov-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, cereal grains, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sticky mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes say “featuring Alora, Motueka, and Eclipse hops”. Sure, why not? Overall this is pretty much what I was expecting for a brewery who in my experience (for n=59, μ=7 & σ=0.89) has raised mediocrity to an art form. That’s not to say they haven’t had some flashes of competence, but those are generally offset by some truly abysmal offerings. (To be fair, they don’t actually make the worst beer I’ve ever had… by half a point.) I’d lump these guys with e.g. Big Rock, as pseudo craft macro micro. About the only thing that distinguishes this one is that it drinks easily for the weight. I don’t hate it. I don’t love it. (14/20)

This will be my 6,001st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boombox Brewing Company Outlane – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$7.25 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 8-Nov-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, stone fruit, vinous, cereal grains, hint of grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration finish. (3/5)

Not bad but tends a little sweet through the mid and finish. (14/20)

This will be my 6,000th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Slow Hand Beer Co. Krush Pilsner – Pilsner at 5% ABV (C$6.15 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 7-Nov-2024)

Appearance: brightly clear straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, pale crackery malt, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration medium bitter finish. (4/5)

Not gonna lie, I was hoping for brighter hop notes here. It’s pleasant, sure, and the pilsner malt is a nice neutral background to showcase the hops, but it’s not as punchy as I would have liked. (15/20)

This will be my 5,999th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cannery Brewing Company Fresh Hop Extra Pale Ale (2024) – American Pale Ale at 6.0% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Oct-2024, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 5-Nov-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, zesty citrus, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

The label says this is “brewed with freshly-picked Mosaic hops” but doesn’t actually specify that it’s single-hopped. I had this last year and wasn’t all that impressed by it, but I like this year’s quite a bit better. I’m flip-flopping a bit on the bitterness: I can’t quite decide whether it’s unbalanced or merely emphatic. Nice one, regardless. (15/20)

This will be my 5,998th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Slow Hand Beer Co. Mediterranean Pilsner – Pilsner at 5% ABV (C$6.15 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Oct-2024, acquired 31-Oct-2024, reviewed 3-Nov-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus zest, crackery malt, floral/herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, dry slightly mineral finish. (4/5)

No complaints here – bright aroma and clean flavour with a dry attenuated finish. Refreshing and easy drinking. (16/20)

This will be my 5,997th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com