Category: Reviews

Deschutes Brewery Big Rig Premium Bitter / ESB at 6% ABV | 46 IBU (C$7.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 16-Oct-2016)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and good lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, resiny pine, biscuity/bready malt, grassy/earthy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

This is not by any means “a classic pub ale” – it’s far hoppier than nearly any other ESB I can recall having, excepting only Driftwood’s Naughty Hildegard. An excellent brew all around, and one that I feel no hesitation in recommending. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Dunkelweizen Dunkelweizen at 5% ABV | 18 IBU (C$2.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, best before 20-Feb-2017, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 16-Oct-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with a short, short-lived fizzy ivory head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toffee, nutty, chocolate, banana. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweet short finish. (3/5)

Pretty basic Dunkel, with lots of sweet toffee and not much else going on. Too sweet for my preference, actually. Overall, not bad, just not interesting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Knee Deep Brewing Co. Hoptologist DIPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 102 IBU (C$8.13 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 26-Oct-2015, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 15-Oct-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel malt, grapefruit zest, grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Please don’t be malt-forward, please don’t be malt-forward, please don’t be malt-forward…  huh. It’s… sort of… not malt forward. Malt heavy, sure, but not dominant. But the malts and the hops appear to be a mish-mash of whatever they could get their hands on – there’s certainly no overriding theme here. And yes, it’s way, way too old. I’d try it younger if I could get it younger, except I’m in the friggin’ boonies, do they deliver this shit by walking it over the border, yadda yadda yadda. On the other hand, the big ABV doesn’t really factor, so there’s that. It’s a big, malty DIPA. If that’s your thing, go nuts – but I’m less than impressed. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Gardener Basil IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 50 IBU (C$7.79 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Oct-2016, reviewed 15-Oct-2016)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: big basil, caramel. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

See? Said I wasn’t done with IPA’s yet. Though, this is one seriously odd duck of an IPA. Gotta be one of the darkest (non-black) IPA’s I’ve ever seen, and completely dominated by basil (and lots of it). I’m not really getting any hops to speak of, either. Still, would probably pair very well with a Pizza Margherita… Again, I like the concept behind this beer – locally brewed with community-grown ingredients – but I don’t like the flavours quite as well as the concept. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewsters Brewing Company Oktoberfest Marzen Style Lager (2016) Oktoberfest / Märzen at 5.5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$6.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 15-Oct-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber, two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toasty malts, floral and earthy, nutty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

Doesn’t seem to be any different than last year’s version: easy-drinking and somewhat simplistic. Noble hops give an earthy, mild bitter, but the malt sweetness definitely wins out. Fairly flavourful for a lager. Probably my last Märzen of the year as I ease into fall – but I’m not done with IPA’s yet! (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Oaktoberfest Oktoberfest / Märzen at 5% ABV | 24 IBU (C$5.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, bottle date 22-Aug-2016, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 15-Oct-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: light caramel and honey, crackery malt, grassy hay. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Not my favourite style, by a long shot, but a decent implementation regardless. Not as interesting as I was hoping for, though: it isn’t actually oak-aged, but rather named after Paso Robles, the hometown of Firestone Walker. So, no oak character, and only very mild hops. Still, pleasant enough. Very easy drinking and something one could drink a few of, presumably while eating large chunks of pig and listening to a tuba band. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Birrificio Brùton Bianca Witbier at 4.5% ABV | 10 IBU (C$6.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, best before 11-May-2018, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 14-Oct-2016)

Appearance:  nearly opaque straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild/muted, citrus zest, coriander, yeast, wheat. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (6/10) Medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting great things from an Italian Witbier – which is good, because I didn’t get great things. It looked crystal clear in the bottle, with a clearly-visible yeast layer on the bottom. No bottling date, but while the BB date would suggest that perhaps it was bottled in May of 2016, I’m not sure five months would be enough to cause that sort of settling, so maybe it was 2015 – or earlier! (I swirled the last inch or so in the bottle to lift up the yeast and get the proper wit/white appearance.) The mild/muted aromas would certainly be consistent with a longer bottling date, though it did liven up somewhat as the glass progressed and it warmed. Not bad, but not a great example of the style, either – and almost certainly not worth the hefty price tag. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Crookeder Tooth Barrel Aged Pumpkin Ale (2016) Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 7.3% ABV (C$6.30 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 20-Feb-2017, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 13-Oct-2016)

Appearance:  clear pale to medium amber, one fat finger of creamy light ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vegetal pumpkin and spices, bourbon, vanilla, citrus, woody. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (8/10) Medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, short duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Unlike this thing’s little brother (Crooked), or its newly-discovered freak uncle they hide in the attic (Toothless) I’ve tried so far tonight, I’m actually pleased with this one. The flavours are as good as I remember last year’s being, but it looks slightly better, with better head retention and lacing. Bourbon-y, sweet, and slightly hot, but still lots of pumpkin pie character. I still like it. It might be the only one of its brethren I buy again next year, actually. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Toothless Sour / Wild Ale at 4.7% ABV (C$6.35 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 20-Feb-2017, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 13-Oct-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one finger of short-lived fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: malt vinegar, spices, light vegetal pumpkin, faint burnt rubber. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (5/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, short duration tart finish. (3/5)

Yeah, can’t say I’m surprised by this: it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that this would be one of the new crop of characterless lacto kettle sours, despite the fact that they barrel age the Crookeder. The vinegar lacto character nearly completely overwhelms both any pumpkin and associated pie spice that might otherwise have been present, while the frisson of burnt rubber was just the blah icing on the cake of mediocrity this thing was always going to be. Not as good as the Crooked I suspect this is based on. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale (2016) Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5% ABV (C$6.11 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 20-Feb-2017, acquired 13-Oct-2016, reviewed 13-Oct-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vegetal pumpkin and spices, light sweet malt, faint grassy and earthy hops. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Well, I said last year that I was slightly out on a limb when I rated it, and upon sober reflection, I think that was right. That’s not to say I’ve given up completely on it, though, and I still think it’s worth a try. I still think the mildness of the pumpkin and spice flavours feels both balanced and deliberate, like a half strength pumpkin pie, while the grassy, earthy hops keeps it smelling and tasting like beer. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com