Category: Reviews

Oskar Blues Brewery Death By Coconut American Porter at 6.5% ABV (US$3.99 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 28-Feb-2015, reviewed 8-Feb-2016)

Appearance: opaque black with brown margins, one finger of fluffy light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coconut, light chocolate and roasty notes. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Yep, that’s pretty much what it says on the label – lots of coconut and not a whole lot else. Good thing I like coconut! Very much a one trick pony, but it does that trick very well indeed. Easy drinking and not too sweet, never gets cloying or overwhelming. If you like Bounty bars, you’ll like this. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stillwater Artisanal As Follows Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 9% ABV (US$3.57 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 1-Oct-2016, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry hay funk, lemon zest, stone fruit, vinous oak. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, dry crisp and lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Another very nice beer from Stillwater. Although they call it a “Belgian Style Golden,” it’s got lots of saison-like notes, dominated by a dry barnyardy Brett funk. Easy drinking, impressively crisp and light given the relatively high ABV. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel-Aged Arrogant Bastard American Strong Ale at 8.1% ABV (Trade – thanks, Bayman 4048!, 355 ml, bottle date 22-Aug-2015, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of light beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel/toffee, pine, citrus, oaky bourbon. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, strong bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (5/5)

I’m not entirely convinced by this one. The bourbon barrel ageing is not overwhelming, but it’s definitely present, and it feels to me like it’s blowing out some of the subtler notes I usually associate with Arrogant Bastard, such as vanilla and rye spice, and it’s muddying the aggressive hop/malt one-two punch. It’s still quite good, but it doesn’t feel like an improvement to me. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series Here Gose Nothin’ Gose at 5.2% ABV (US$2.83 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 7-Feb-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sour lemon, dry hay funk, light brine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high tart, light salt. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (3/5)

Quite an interesting beer, but I’m not sure it’s in-spec for a gose. Don’t get me wrong, I like it quite a bit: there’s lots of wild and funky sourness going on, but perhaps a bit beyond what one might expect in a gose. The sour finish takes a bit of a long time to diminish, and only then is the light saltiness of the gose really revealed. I’d probably rate this slightly higher if it were classified as a Sour or an American Wild. That said, I’d definitely drink this again, and recommend it to anybody who enjoys sours, without hesitation. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Robinsons Brewery Iron Maiden 666 Trooper English Strong Ale at 6.6% ABV (US$6.31 at Specs Main Houston, 500 ml, bottle date 12-Oct-2016, reviewed 6-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of pillowy eggshell head, short retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

No real complaints here – take a typical English Bitter (e.g. Trooper) and dial up the malt bill a little to get a higher ABV. Nothing else seems to have changed much. Plus, there’s a cool picture of Eddy on the label, so there’s that… (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series Counter Clockweisse Berliner Weisse at 3% ABV (US$2.83 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 6-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear pale straw with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart lactic and citrus, wheat, light funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, high tart. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (3/5)

Super sour, light and easy drinking – basically mildly alcoholic lemonade. Far more sour than usual for the style. A bit one-dimensional, but drinkable. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Samuel Smith Old Brewery Yorkshire Stingo English Strong Ale at 8% ABV (US$12.62 at Specs Main Houston, 550 ml, bottle date 2012, reviewed 5-Feb-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque amber-brown with one finger of medium dense ivory head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: raisin, stone fruit, toffee, slightly vinous oak. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart, mild alcohol. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, lively to moderate carbonation, lightly tart and warming finish. (4/5)

“English Strong Ale”? That’s about as helpful a designation as “American Strong Ale” – which is to say, no bloody use whatsoever. Personally, I call this a barleywine – though it’s got elements of a quad or abt, as well. It’s not overly complex, but I have to say, I enjoy it. It doesn’t seem like the combination of sweet dark fruit and almost white wine vinous characteristics would work all that well, but in fact it does. In particular, the tartness on the tongue persists through the finish and stops the toffee malt from becoming mouth-coating or cloying – think christmas pudding with a not-too-sweet lemon sauce. (15/20)

My 215th from the 2010 Edition (204th from the 2013 edition), and 226th combining both editions.

7.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Shipyard Brewing Company Monkey Fist IPA American IPA at 6.9% ABV (Trade – thanks Bayman 4048!, 355 ml, best before 1-Apr-2016, reviewed 5-Feb-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of pillowy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: herbal/floral, citrus zest, resiny pine, caramel malt, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry slightly sticky lingering and building bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad at all. Stylistically, it sort of bridges old-fashioned Northwest-style American IPA and traditional English IPA. There’s far more bitterness than one usually associates with English IPAs, but the malt is also a strong and rich caramel. Interestingly, that caramel really doesn’t come through on the tongue: the sweetness is initially restrained, and drops off quickly leaving a dry (though still sticky) bitter finish that builds. A bit quirky, sure, but not unpleasant at all. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stillwater Artisanal Stateside Saison Saison at 6.8% ABV (US$3.57 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 16-Sep-2015, reviewed 4-Feb-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, apples, grassy funk, bready yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, bone dry moderate bitter and mild tart finish. (3/5)

Not sure what the relationship is between this and Cellar Door, but in my opinion this suffered by comparison to Cellar Door. It’s still a nice saison, but doesn’t have the depth and complexity of Cellar Door. The finish is also dryer but a bit harsher, and on the whole it just doesn’t feel as well put together. Good, not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stillwater Artisanal Cellar Door Saison at 6.6% ABV (US$3.57 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 16-Sep-2015, reviewed 4-Feb-2016)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dry straw, lemon zest, bready yeast, herbal, stone fruit, grassy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, dry mildly bitter and tart finish. (4/5)

An interesting blend of hops and herbs give this a unique aroma. The herbs (sage) build on the tongue and gradually become more prevalent as the beer progresses, but never become unbalanced or overwhelming. I initially found it a touch too sweet, but as the bitter and spice grow in the finish, this is less and less of a problem. A very nice beer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com