Category: Reviews

Central 28 Beer Company Up River American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 50 IBU (US$2.29 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 15-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, grapefruit, caramel malt, floral, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

This brewery continues to underwhelm. I was really hopeful that an American style would be more up their alley than their Belg-ish efforts. Despite their label claims of aggressive hopping and barely-sufficient malt, this is relatively mild in its hop profile, with a significant (though admittedly not dominant) caramel malt presence. Yeah, it might be an older can (because they don’t date them) but I doubt it, given the retention and lacing. Again, not bad, and perfectly serviceable, but not memorable in the least. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central 28 Beer Company Dancing Pierre Belgian Pale Ale at 5.9% ABV | 30 IBU (US$1.99 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 15-Jun-2017)

Appearance: cloudy, almost opaque deep gold with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, caramel, floral, spices. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild finish. (3/5)

When I opened this, I was thinking, “I haven’t had a good BPA for ages.” Unfortunately, I still haven’t… OK, OK, I’ll be nice. It’s actually not bad – in a lot of ways, it’s like a slightly beefier version of their Saison, although with more fruit emphasis relative to the spices. Again, though, I’m left slightly cold by it – it’s just not very clean or exciting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central 28 Beer Company Trekker Bier Saison at 4.5% ABV | 20 IBU (US$1.99 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 15-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, crackery malt, light citrus & stone fruit, coriander. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild finish. (3/5)

On the up side, they haven’t gone overboard with the spices, as so many “Belgian-style” ales tend to. On the down side, they haven’t really gone anywhere at all. Aromas are really mild, almost to the point of muted, and the taste isn’t any more emphatic. On the other hand, it’s not far off ticking all the boxes for a truly traditional Saison/Grisette: light in body and ABV, easily drinkable, and thirst-quenching. I’d just like it to be cleaner, crisper, and more aromatic, is that too much to ask? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whistler Brewing Co. Pineapple Express Wheat Ale Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5% ABV (C$2.69 at Thumbprint Craft Beer Market, 355 ml, packaged on 31-Mar-2017, acquired 27-May-2017, reviewed 15-Jun-2017)

Appearance: cloudy medium gold with one fat finger of creamy ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet pineapple, bready grain, stone fruit, spices. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter, mild peppery spice. (5/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration peppery finish. (3/5)

I’m not entirely sure why this isn’t working for me. All I can figure is, the sweetness of the pineapple combined with the wheat malt is making for a duller, blunter flavour than I was expecting. That, combined with a spicy, peppery finish, makes for an almost savoury character to a beer that should be light and crisp. More puzzled than disappointed by this one. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trinity Brewing Company DaMn, it FeeLs GoOD to bE a GanGsta! Sour / Wild Ale at 8.1% ABV (C$12.99 at Oak & Vine, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 14-Jun-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with the merest hint of brown relief in the margins, with a short, short-lived beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coffee, tart red berries, vinous grape must, oak, mild leathery funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet and funky tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium body, soft carbonation, medium duration tart finish. (3/5)

Bit of a kitchen sink of ingredients (and flavours) going on here, but they work reasonably well together. Not a fan of the fairly racist suggestions of the name, if I’m honest, but I suppose that’s neither here nor there with respect to the beer itself. A bit busy and a bit all over the place, but not terrible. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trinity Brewing Company Oh Face Saison Provisional Saison at 6.5% ABV (C$11.99 at Oak & Vine, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 14-Jun-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold (because I reserved the lees) with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: leather, stone fruit, oak, floral, spices, pumpkin. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light funky tart. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lightly funky finish. (3/5)

As far as I can tell, this is a heavily modified recipe with the same name, but a much beefier malt bill, giving 2% more ABV than the previous version. Regardless, this is like Saison the way chalk is like cheese – it’s really much more a Sour/Wild, in my opinion. Sweet and somewhat heavy-handed, but with a pleasant tartness working well with leathery brett and oak. Not bad, but a bit muddled and lacking direction. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trinity Brewing Company Mr. Saison Saison Vieille Saison at 5.6% ABV (C$9.99 at Oak & Vine, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 14-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of growing rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, apples and pears, stone fruit, crackery malt, grassy hay, light earthy funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter and spice, light funky tart. (7/10) Medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, dry lightly spicy and funky finish. (4/5)

Not bad at all. A little heavy on the fruit character, which is emphasized by the slight sweetness. All in all, a bit like a sweetish Belgian-style Tripel – but not unpleasant, by any means. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Saison du Parc Saison at 4.2% ABV (C$3.44 at Oak & Vine, 341 ml, packaged on 11-Apr-2017, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 14-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fingers of loose white head that retains moderately well, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: musty, floral, sulphur, grainy wheat, black pepper, grassy hay, lemon zest. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, mild bitter, light tart and funk. (8/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry short duration, lightly funky finish. (4/5)

I had high hopes for this, and it’s not bad – but it’s not great, either. In particular, as it warms a fairly unwelcome sulphur note begins to make itself known. It’s not overwhelming, and it’s not a deal-breaker – but it is enough to move this thing out of world-class contention. Other than that, it pretty much ticks all the boxes: lighter in body and ABV, crisp and dry, and quite refreshing. Just smells a little like farts, is all… (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Brett Saison (2016) Saison at 7.3% ABV | 15 IBU (C$6.41 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 13-Jun-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, bready yeast, barnyardy funk, citrus zest, black pepper, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart and funk. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration, lightly funky finish. (3/5)

Not uninteresting, but really more of a Wild/Sour than a Saison (Brett or otherwise). As is so often the case, I find this to be really too sweet and boozy for the style. I’m also not getting much if any evidence of the oak foeder ageing, although there’s some fairly decent complexity going on. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Moody Ales Intrepid Matcha Saison Saison at 6.9% ABV | 35 IBU (C$9.22 at Oak & Vine, 650 ml, packaged on 17-Apr-2017, acquired 5-Jun-2017, reviewed 13-Jun-2017)

Appearance: cloudy straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head,  good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry yeasty funk, lemons, green tea. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funk. (7/10) Medium body, medium carbonation, off-dry short duration, lightly funky finish. (3/5)

Not bad at all – the combination of flavours works reasonably well together: there’s a dry leathery funk, tart lemons, and green tea, with neither really dominating. For the style, it’s a little too emphatic by pretty much every metric: heavy, sweet, spicy, boozy, and fairly muddled (and certainly not clean!) but the overall experience isn’t bad. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com