Category: Reviews

Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. Tsingtao Beer American Pale Lager at 5% ABV (C$2.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, packaged on 17-May-2017, acquired 2-Aug-2017, reviewed 2-Aug-2017)

Appearance: clear pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thick persistent cap, minimal soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: adjunct corn, grainy malt, weeds, grass. (4/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (2/5)

Meh. I’ve had worse industrial lagers. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t good enough to actually finish, or anything, but I’ve had worse. (8/20)

My 245th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 234th from the 2013 edition, and 258th combining both editions.

4/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Peach Pilsner Pilsener at 5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$2.83 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, best before 25-Nov-2017, acquired 2-Aug-2017, reviewed 2-Aug-2017)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: peach, grainy malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

Well, nobody can accuse them of being misleading on the label: this is a peach-flavoured Pilsener, all right. The peach dominates both the aromas and the taste, and although it’s not artificial-tasting, it is slightly too sweet for my preference. This becomes most apparent in the finish, which is slightly sweet and sticky. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project Fierce Invalid American IPA at 7.8% ABV (C$10.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 14-Jul-2017, acquired 31-Jul-2017, reviewed 1-Aug-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild pine, caramel, light citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

The hop profile here is pretty similar in character to their Petrichor Session IPA, but more emphatic, and the heavier malt presence provides some much-needed support, preventing it from becoming thin and astringent. Still not very exciting, though, if I’m honest. On the other hand, there’s little or no indication of the fairly emphatic ABV, so it’s got that going for it. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project Petrichor Session IPA at 4.7% ABV (C$8.49 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 5-Jul-2017, acquired 31-Jul-2017, reviewed 1-Aug-2017)

Appearance: slightly muddy pale gold with two fingers of dense ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild/muted, crackery malt, light pine, faint citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Other than the slightly unclean muddy appearance, this is a pretty beer, with nice retention and lacing. Unfortunately, that’s the theme all the way through this beer: flashes of competence, but marred. The aroma, for example, is mild to the point of muted, without any bright hops shining through over the crackery/caramel malt. The finish is definitely lacking, too, with a tendency to thinness and sharpness. It’s not actually bad, but it’s not very memorable, either. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Nomader Weisse (Batch #001) Berliner Weisse at 4% ABV (C$5.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jul-2017, reviewed 1-Aug-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, no lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, lacto sour, doughy wheat, green apple. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate-high carbonation, dry crisp tart finish. (4/5)

Decent example of the style. A bit more flavourful and tart than the more traditional examples, perhaps, but arguably less in need of a syrup shot as a result. Green apple eventually dominated the nose and palate, but not to the point where this seemed like a cider. Lively carbonation contributes to a dryly crisp and clean finish. And yes, “Nomad” is of course an appropriate term for any beer brewed by Jeppe… (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Melvin Brewing Drunken Master American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 95 IBU (C$5.29 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jul-2017, reviewed 31-Jul-2017)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of dense ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, caramel/toffee, pine, alcohol, herbal. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter boozy finish. (3/5)

This isn’t “old skool”, nor is it “West Coast”, but it’s certainly got elements of both. Big caramel and toffee notes are present to support the huge bitterness, giving a thicker, slightly oily body, but at the same time there are some dank-leaning floral and herbal notes. Another one I’m risking damning with faint praise, I suppose, but there you go. On the up side, it wouldn’t take many of these to make you think you know kung-fu… (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Modern Times Beer Fortunate Islands American Pale Wheat Ale at 5% ABV | 46 IBU (C$4.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 23-May-2017, acquired 31-Jul-2017, reviewed 31-Jul-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, wheat, tropical fruit, grassy hay. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry finish. (4/5)

Not quite what I was expecting – but that being said, I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting. Not as bright, I guess? I was expecting more penetrating hop aromas, and though they’re there, they’re not present to the degree I was expecting. It’s well under 90 days old, so age shouldn’t be a problem. Dunno – guess I’m left damning it with faint praise. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale at 4.9% ABV | 39 IBU (C$4.49 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jul-2017, reviewed 31-Jul-2017)_

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, caramel, hint of green onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, dry slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Not terrible, by any means, but it falls prey to some of the common failures of APA/Session Ales: given the lower malt bill, the body tends slightly watery, and the hop bitterness gives way fairly rapidly to a slightly astringent finish reminiscent of citrus oils. Then there’s that little hint of green onion, all too common among some of the starts-with-C hop varietals. Doesn’t smell as good as it looks, doesn’t taste as good as it smells, and doesn’t finish as good as it tastes. (If I were the type of person to take cheap shots, I might make a comparison between a good-looking beer with questionable taste, and the “neighbours” to whom the name refers… Good thing I’m not that type of person, right?) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Unibroue À Tout le Monde Saison at 4.5% ABV | 22 IBU (C$6.82 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, packaged on 31-Jan-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 30-Jul-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: Belgian yeast, citrus zest, coriander and pepper, light barnyard funk, hint of pome. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter, light funk. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, dry lightly funky finish. (4/5)

I spent a lot of years thinking Megadeth was at least slightly inferior to Metallica. Then came the Napster debacle, when Metallica began the transition of becoming what they are now: whiney, sellout pop stars. Dave Mustaine, on the other hand, just kept on keepin’ on, and I’ve reached the point where I can listen to both his back catalogue and his new stuff with a significant degree of appreciation. Now comes this, and one might be forgiven for thinking Dave is yet again playing second fiddle, perhaps this time to Iron Maiden’s Trooper Ale, or AC/DC’s Premium Lager.

Except, he’s not. Trooper was a fairly forgettable ESB (and the 666 Trooper, a similarly forgettable English Strong). AC/DC’s Premium Lager wasn’t anywhere near that good, pretty much proving my theory about beers with “Premium” on the label. This, on the other hand, is a complex Belgian style produced by a brewery who is in my experience more than competent at Belgians. (And, if the PR is to be believed, the result of a genuine friendship between Dave and head brewer Jerry Vietz.) Hugely flavourful despite the very restrained – and stylistically correct, I might add – ABV. Yes, the spice mix verges on the heavy side, perhaps limiting its quaffability, but I had no problem polishing off 750ml on my own, so any limit seems to be on the high side. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company The City Never Sleeps (#2) Imperial Dark Saison at 7.6% ABV (C$10.19 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Apr-2017, reviewed 30-Jul-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with no hint of relief, one fat finger of rocky beige head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: coffee, dark chocolate, liquorice, coriander, white pepper, hint of banana. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly watery, lively to moderate carbonation, drying lightly tart and astringent finish. (3/5)

Seriously, the confluence of “Imperial”, “Dark”, and “Saison” are enough to make my eye twitch, just on general principles. And no, not the first time I’ve had the style. However, this is pretty decent. Not the kind of thirst-quencher the base style originated as, obviously, and actually kind of hard to distinguish from a Black IPA, but decent overall. My biggest beef, other than the stylistic mishmash this represents, is the way the finish turns just slightly astringent and watery. However, this is only a slight tendency, and doesn’t ruin the beer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com