Category: Reviews

Wild Rose Brewery Flanders Ave Red Flanders Red at 5% ABV (C$11.88 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with one finger of dense light tan head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sour red berries, vinous, oaky. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

I’m deeply impressed that Wild Rose decided to take on a sour. Mind you, they did do a couple of goses, so it’s not exactly without precedent. It’s a little aggressive, especially for only a 5%-er, but still fun. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing Wet-Hopped Blonde Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7.5% ABV (C$6.92 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy straw with a huge unwieldy fluffy white head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, Belgian yeast funk, coriander and black pepper, pale grainy malt, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, dry and slightly funky finish. (4/5)

I think this might be the best Dageraad I’ve had yet. Lots of Belgian character on the nose and the tongue, with a pleasant dry finish. Champagne-like body and carbonation, with very little indication of the relatively high ABV. The massive unwieldy head is like a brett infection, and I was going to say it doesn’t otherwise seem like it, but upon reflection, there are some brett-like flavours. Reminiscent of a De Ranke XX Bitter or a Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Black Market Brewing Co. David Golden Ale Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7.7% ABV (C$10.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of dense white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, yeast, grassy, stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry lightly tart finish. (4/5)

Decent BSPA from a solid brewer. Nothing thrilling – tends a bit to the watery, and aside from the banana there’s not a lot of depth of flavour – but it’s definitely worth drinking. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company White Light White Heat (#28) Belgian IPA at 8.2% ABV (C$8.92 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of creamy dense ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, citrus peel, pale malt, floral, slightly funky. (7/10) Taste: moderate-strong sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Yep, that’s white heat. Along with a kitchen sink of just about anything you can think of – lots of complexity, including Belgian yeast and just a hint of funk. It’s a hot mess, but it’s not without its merits. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Alberta Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$6.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 1-Sep-2015)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine and tropical fruit, caramel malt, citrus, earthy and grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate-strong sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (3/5)

Eh. It’s not bad, but I was really expecting the wet hops to come through a little more brightly. This tends to the malt-emphatic in the way of so many DIPA’s. The earthiness isn’t unpleasant, but I’d like this more if it were brighter. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Dernière Volonté Brett Belgian IPA at 7% ABV (C$3.67 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Appearance: clear medium gold with a huge and growing loose white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: brett funk, stone fruit, pale malt, earth and pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate astringent funk, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, dry funky and warming finish. (4/5)

Yep, that’s brett, all right. Huge fluffy head, funky aroma, and sharp earthy funk on the tongue. The flavours are complex, with the initial brett funk giving way to sweetness and eventually a dry warming finish. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lagunitas Brewing Company Imperial Pils Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager at 8.6% ABV (C$7.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pale malt, grassy, stone fruit, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: light somewhat slick body, moderate carbonation, medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

Beefy beast of a pilsener. Starts off hoppy but that fades and it becomes a slick, hot malt bomb. On the up side, that means it can keep up with my Ratlami Sev snackies. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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