Category: Reviews

Jester King Brewery / Brasserie Thiriez La Petite Princesse Saison at 2.9% ABV (C$7.46 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, best before 1-Sep-2019, reviewed 14-Dec-2015)

Appearance: cloudy pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, brett funk, hay, apples and pears, very light crackery malt, faint catty. (7/10) Taste: mild sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)

I gotta say, the weirdest thing about this is that it cost me pretty much the same number of Canadian dollars, in Canada, as it did to buy its brother Le Petit Prince, in US dollars, in Texas! Very similar, of course, but I think a little less sweet. Also, perhaps a very little (and by no means unpleasant) catty tone due to the different hop selection? Much as with the Prince, my major objection to this is that it could stand to be more… well… everything. Sweet, in particular. Good, though. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saugatuck Brewing Company Blueberry Maple Stout Sweet Stout at 5.9% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #14, 355 ml, bottle date 16-Jun-2015, reviewed 14-Dec-2015)

Appearance: opaque deep brown / black with only a hint of clear brown around the margins, thin beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: maple syrup, sweet artificial blueberry, milk chocolate, roasty malt. (6/10) Taste: strong sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium syrupy body, moderate carbonation, longish sticky sweet  slightly boozy finish. (3/5)

Cloying sweet maple syrup and artificial-tasting blueberry make this less than convincing. Surprisingly boozy finish given the moderate ABV. OK as a fireside sipper on a cold night, I guess, but I can’t say I’d recommend going out of one’s way to try it. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Depth-Charged Double Bastard Ale American Strong Ale at 11% ABV (C$10.78 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 1-Oct-2015, reviewed 13-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of dense light tan head, short retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: espresso, caramel/toffee, pine, woody, citrus, tobacco, mild vanilla, spicy chile. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, strong bitter, moderate chili spice. (7/10) Palate: full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter, spicy, and boozy finish. (4/5)

Woof. This makes Arrogant Bastard look like a light sipper: pile an espresso depth charge on top of the unleashed beast that is Double Bastard, and I think maybe add a chipotle pepper or two, just for fun. Literally nothing about this is moderate, except maybe the carbonation. Is it the best beer you’ll try? Hell, no – but try it anyway. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Oaked Arrogant Bastard American Strong Ale at 7.2% ABV (C$10.78 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 9-Oct-2015, reviewed 13-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of dense light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel/toffee, pine, woody, citrus, tobacco, mild vanilla, hint of spicy rye. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Big oaky bastard with huge maltiness that is nevertheless just barely sufficient to balance the massive bitterness. Subtle, it ain’t, but man, it’s good. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Scarfface Cranberry Orange Wit Witbier at 5% ABV (C$7.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 13-Dec-2015)

Appearance: hazy peach-tinted pale amber with one finger of fluffy slightly pink head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mandarin oranges, cranberry, wheat malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (4/5)

Just like the label promises, an interesting change of pace from your typical holiday beer, though it’s hardly “light” by any means. Sweet, but reasonably well balanced with decent tartness. Pretty filling, though, and I don’t think I’d want more than one! (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Innis & Gunn Brewing Company Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer Rum Finish English Strong Ale at 6.8% ABV (C$4.37 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 13-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, vanilla, woody, rum. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly boozy finish. (3/5)

I’ve been really bored with Innis & Gunn for quite some time, but this was in one of Calgary Co-Op’s Discovery Beer Packs, so I was kind of stuck with it. I hadn’t had it before, so I figured, what the hell. And, actually, it’s not bad. Like pretty much everything they make, it’s really too sweet, but the rum character is actually quite mild and pleasant. I thought it would be a Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, but I think the correct stye is actually an English Strong, which is probably why I like it more than I expected to. I also went back and re-reviewed my notes for other I&G’s, and came to the conclusion that I dramatically overrated them all. My only defence was that I was young(er), foolish(er), and enthusiastic(er). This is a more correct rating, and should be counted among their best. And no, I’m not going back and re-doing the others, unless some very silly person insists – and then buys them for me. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing The Cowboy Smoked Beer at 5.5% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #13, 355 ml, bottle date 16-Jun-2015, reviewed 13-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a fluffy three fingers and growing ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: light smoke, citrus, grainy pale malt, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, longish sticky sweet slightly smoky finish. (4/5)

Quite a lightly smoked pilsner, quite pleasant. Crazy head retains all the way through, finishing as a marshmallow on the bottom of the glass. I guess cowboys like their cigarettes in their beer? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tree Brewing Co. Molto Bella Espresso IPA American IPA at 5.8% ABV (C$5.45 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 18-Jul-2015, reviewed 12-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (2/5) Aroma: overwhelmingly strong coffee grounds, not much else. (3/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (3/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, harsh astringent finish. (2/5)

Starts off really quite unpleasant: harsh coffee ground aromas (as in, grounds in the trash) that then persist through the glass. Doesn’t improve with warming or acclimatization. I tried to like this, but I pretty rapidly hit the point of “screw and dump it”. Really quite surprisingly nasty, to the point that I can’t reconcile what I’m seeing, with other reviews. Avoid this at all costs. (6/20)

3/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ninkasi Brewing Company Sleigh’r Dark Doüble Alt Ale Double Alt at 7.2% ABV (C$7.67 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 12-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of loose light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, caramel, nutty, mild dark fruit, light smoke. (6/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending to the thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit of a strange beer: the sweetness is relatively low and the bitterness relatively high, but there’s not a lot of depth of flavour to back it up, so it comes across a bit thin. Smells sort of like a “holiday” ale, but the taste and body are more like a lager. Which, I guess, is bang dead nuts-on for the style, since alts are supposed to be brewed with ale yeast at lagering temperatures, giving a lager-ish flavour – but despite the relatively high bitterness, I can’t say I’m a big fan. Letting it warm didn’t seem to improve it a whole lot. At best, a not uninteresting alternative to the same old – but I won’t be stampeding out to buy it again. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Saint Beatnick Sweet Stout at 7.7% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #12, 341 ml, bottle date 24-Jul-2015, reviewed 12-Dec-2015)

Appearance: opaque brown with amber-brown highlights, one finger of dense pillowy light tan head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: strong sweet chocolate, dark roasty grain, red berries, light vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-high carbonation, sticky mild warming finish. (4/5)

Kind of surprising in a couple of ways: surprisingly low sweetness given the blast on the nose, and surprisingly lively carbonation for the style. Now, mind you, when I say the sweetness is surprisingly low, I mean relative to what you smell – it’s still quite sweet and sticky, just not quite as much as you might expect. Which, I guess, isn’t a bad thing. However, I’m not convinced by the carbonation, since it probably helps control the sweetness, but it also acts to lift the body beyond what I would consider optimal for the style. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com