Category: Reviews

Abita Brewing Company Grapefruit Harvest IPA American IPA at 6% ABV (US$2.09 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, best before 10-May-2016, reviewed 24-Jan-2016)

Appearance: cloud medium gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit, bready malt, stone and tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry lightly tart finish. (3/5)

I might be a touch generous with my rating here, but I’m a sucker for a grapefruit IPA. That said, I’d like this more if there were more of it. I can see the argument for subtlety, but I don’t tend to be a subtle kind of guy. More is always better, right? Good fun, if not great. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Harpoon Brewery Harpoon IPA English IPA at 5.9% ABV (US$2.26 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, best before 15-Jan-2016, reviewed 24-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral, bready malt, grassy, pine, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)

Definitely a more English-style IPA, with the hops, any least on the tongue, being less well-defined and sharp than the typical American versions. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not in ESB territory or anything, and there’s a little bit of stone and tropical fruit coming out as it warms, but it’s definitely a milder implementation. Not unpleasant by any means, and I don’t think being a week after the best-by date hurt this too much. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Green Flash Brewing Co. Hop Odyssey Citra Session IPA Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (US$2.52 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, best before 15-Dec-2015, reviewed 24-Jan-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus rind, tropical fruit, resin, bready malt, lightly dank and/or catty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

Bearing in mind that this is intended to be a low ABV sessionable ale, it’s pretty good. That said, it’s a bit thin in the mouth and the flavours just don’t seem to pop, though it doesn’t seem to have been deeply harmed by being a bit past its best-by. And, as I’ve usually found to be the case with single-hop ales, the flavours seem to lack dimension. On the up side, the Citra doesn’t come through as offensively catty the way it sometimes can, though there is a not-unpleasant suggestion of that in there, particularly as it warms. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller US Alive! Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8% ABV (C$5.36 at Andrew Hilton Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 5-May-2021, reviewed 22-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, stone fruit, caramel malt, dried dark fruit, light brett funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter, mild funk. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

A very pleasing BSPA, with lots of wild character. I like it, and it’s certainly worth trying – and I don’t mean to damn with faint praise here, but: it’s not quite as interesting as I was hoping/expecting it would be. A little more tartness or a little more sweetness might bring this a little more alive… so to speak. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cascade Brewing Sang Rouge (2013) American Wild Ale at 8.4% ABV (C$29.32 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 22-Jan-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque brown with red-tinged amber-brown highlights, short off-white head that rapidly settles to a thick cap, minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tart red berries, woody, vinous red grape, vinegar and soya sauce, tobacco and leather, light funk. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

Call it an “NW style sour ale” if you like, call it an “American Wild,” doesn’t much matter: this is a Flanders red. And a darned good one, at that. Massive fruity tart, red wine and leather, with a hint of umame, oaky and dry finish. Really, really nice (if not the “blood red” of the label). (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dunham Triple XXX Abbey Tripel at 8.5% ABV (C$9.29 at Zyn, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 22-Jan-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with a massive and growing fluffy white head, excellent retention and sticky chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: complex, candi sugar, citrus zest, apples & pears, tropical fruit, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, lightly boozy and tart finish. (4/5)

Not entirely convinced by this one. The flavours are pleasant enough, but it ends up being a little syrupy and sweet for me. The sweetness level might work for some, but I find it a touch cloying. I’d like this more if it were crisper and dryer. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sound Brewery Monk’s Indiscretion Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 10% ABV (C$17.55 at Andrew Hilton Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 21-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with a thin ivory head, good retention and no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: complex, candi sugar, dry-ish tripel-like tropical fruit and Belgian yeast, floral, earthy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, light tart, light bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, lightly boozy and tart finish. (4/5)

Oh my… if this is indiscretion, I’m not sure why you’d want to be discreet. “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,” indeed. Sweet, but not too much so, balanced with a lovely mild tartness and bitter, accented with floral juniper (gin) and yeast. Layers of complexity continue to reveal as it warms, and make it difficult to accurately describe the bouquet. I was expecting (and bracing myself for) a barleywine-ish approach, but this is is a far more interesting prospect. (I can handle a good barleywine, but it’s not my favourite style, especially when it’s not done well.) The ABV is definitely present, but well integrated so that the overall experience is much milder than one might expect from double digits. Well worth looking for. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Thorny Horn Sour Raspberry American Brown Ale at 6.8% ABV (C$7.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 21-Jan-2016)

Appearance: red-tinged amber-brown with a short very light purple head, good retention and no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart raspberry, pale malt or honey, light earthy funk, maybe a hint of cherry. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

Jammy raspberry and lacto sour complement each other pretty well. Any brown ale character left in this is completely overwhelmed by the raspberry and lactic – which is by no means a criticism, because very little is more boring than a plain old brown ale (except maybe an ESB). Overall, a fairly pleasant, if one-dimensional (OK, two-dimensional) light sour that could be a good introduction to the genre for a neophyte. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company Saboteur (#26) Baltic Porter at 8% ABV (C$10.29 at Zyn, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 21-Jan-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with the merest hint of brown highlights, one finger of fine light beige head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, oatmeal, liquorice, herbal and earthy hops, mild coffee, light smoke. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, soft carbonation, lingering boozy and sticky finish. (3/5)

Not really a traditional Baltic porter: although there’s a fair bit of sweetness, it’s also got a fairly high herbal/earthy hop bitterness, coming through sharper than the 35IBU would suggest. Nice complexity for the style. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Last Best Brewing and Distilling Imperial Porter Imperial Porter at 10.5% ABV (C$15.04 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 20-Jan-2016)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with brown highlights, one finger of fine light beige head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark boozy fruit (plums and figs), brown sugar, chocolate, rum, woody. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, soft carbonation, lingering boozy and sticky finish. (3/5)

A nice example of the style. Rich and boozy, it opens up nicely as it warms. It’s a bit too sweet for my taste, and it ends somewhat sticky and cloying, but it’s not bad overall. Impressively easy drinking for such a high ABV. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com