Category: Reviews

Wells & Young’s Brewery Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale Premium Bitter / ESB at 5% ABV (C$5.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, best before 13-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with a short, short-lived light tan head, minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet toffee and butterscotch, very light coffee. (6/10) Taste: strong sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium sticky body, moderate carbonation, lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Take one unremarkable ESB and one bag of Werther’s Originals. Powder the toffees and mix them in the beer. Enjoy. (10/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. Illaswillawit Witbier at 4.5% ABV (C$4.37 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of soapy white head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: light banana and cloves, orange peel, bready yeast. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter, light tart and white pepper. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration mild bitter and lightly tart finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but on the muted side. Both the aromas and flavours could stand to be more pronounced. Pleasant and inoffensive, but that’s about as far as I can go with it. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

To Øl Releaf Me Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 5.8% ABV (C$4.40 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 6-May-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with some particulate, one finger of dense white head, good retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lime, floral, bergamot, pale malt, grassy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and astringent finish. (3/5)

Weird, but not in a bad way. I don’t recall having ever smelled lime leaves, so I’m not entirely sure if the floral aspect is the lime leaf itself, or something else, but there’s still a definite lime character. And, I don’t think there’s actually tea in there, but it sure tastes like it. The finish is a little harsh, with a distinct vegetal/floral astringency, but it’s not a deal killer. Not one of the best I’ve had from To Øl, but definitely interesting. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

BrewDog Dogma Scotch Ale Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 7.4% ABV (C$4.01 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 27-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of dense creamy tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: butterscotch, dark fruit, honey, chocolate, earthy hops, light smoke. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering lightly boozy finish. (3/5)

I hesitated before buying this, given my typical attitude towards the style. But this? This is interesting. Unlike so many of the style, it’s not at all peaty, and the smooth maltiness comes across as a mild brown sugar, or maybe molasses. It’s sweet, but not overly so. Definitely one of the top examples of this style I’ve tried to date. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Plzeňský Prazdroj Velkopopovický Kozel Premium Czech Pilsener at 4.8% ABV (C$2.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 15-Jul-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral/grassy, pale biscuity malt, honey. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (3/5)

Pretty easy drinking, sweetish on the front end with a pleasant off-dry finish. Definitely better than most pale lager/euro lager/pils, and leagues ahead of macro stuff. I know the description sounds like a pretty typical macro pils, but it’s far cleaner and better balanced. But, ultimately it’s a pils, so it’s hardly gonna be challenging, regardless. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Galactica American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$5.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 16-Jul-2014)

Appearance: clear pale amber with heavy particulate, one fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, pine, herbal/floral, tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Definitely a shelf turd – sixteen months since bottling. Not unpleasant as it stands, but it’s clearly lost a lot of the fruit tones it’s supposed to have, to the point where it’s now very much malt-forward on the nose. No brightness on the tongue, just a caramel sweetness and a big blunt bitterness. OK like it is, but probably deserves to be tasted fresher. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 187 On An Undercover Hop American Double / Imperial IPA at 10% ABV (C$6.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: strong pine and citrus, caramel, tropical fruit. (9/10) Taste: medium sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Bit of an odd duck. The aroma is excellent, with lots of piney and citrusy hops over top of decent backing caramel malt, but the flavours don’t quite deliver. More distressingly, this disconnect becomes more pronounced through the finish, when the bitterness falls off and the malt sweetness takes over. Not a complete success – but not a write-off, either. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Clementine Witbier at 8% ABV (C$4.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Jul-2014)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of dense white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: orange peel, wheat, coriander. (7/10) Taste: medium sweet, mild bitter, mild peppery spice, light tart. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry peppery finish. (4/5)

Well, I was a little perturbed when this “white ale” poured crystal clear – in other words, it’d been shelved long enough that all the fines settled out. But, I swirled around the last little bit and poured it in, turning it white. And, y’know, not bad at all: nicely balanced between the Clementine sweetness, and the citrus peel and hop bitterness. Spiciness builds but never becomes overwhelming. A summery beer, but the orange peel and spice could also go well with your midwinter celebration of choice, too. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

BrewDog Libertine Black Ale Black IPA at 7.2% ABV (C$3.50 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 5-May-2016)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one fat finger of fluffy tan head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, floral, roasty malt, bitter cocoa. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet and moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, smooth but lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Very nice example of the style. Leads out with pine and citrusy hops that are strong but not overwhelming. Malting is quite smooth, with character but no astringency from the roasted malt. Dangerously easy-drinking for a 7%-er. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Crooked Coast Altbier Altbier at 5.1% ABV (C$6.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with two fingers of rocky tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, bready malt, grass, earth. (7/10) Taste: medium-light sweet, medium bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (4/5)

Not malt-forward on the nose as such, but certainly malt-emphatic. The maltiness and the hops play off each other well, with neither clearly dominating the profile. However, the taste has much less sweetness than the nose would suggest, and the overall feel is surprisingly dry. Very well done, if ultimately somewhat light for my tastes. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com