Category: Reviews

Pfungstädter Brauerei Hildebrand Weizen Hefe Hell Hefeweizen at 5.3% ABV (C$3.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: wheat, light clove, little to no banana/bubblegum/fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

Not a very in-spec weizen, but pleasant to drink regardless. By which I mean, there’s very little of the banana/bubblegum that one associates with the style, and indeed very little fruit at all. But, it’s an extremely pretty beer, pretty much dead nuts on for the style, with an excellent body. It’s just not all that interesting on the nose or the tongue. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Turning Point Brewery/Stanley Park Brewing/Mark Anthony Group Lululemon Curiosity American Pale Lager at 4.6% ABV (C$2.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grainy pale malt, grassy, light citrus, honey. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp finish. (3/5)

Allow me to assuage your curiosity: it’s a fairly typical pale lager. Not badly done for the style, but not all that remarkable. It does have a particularly clean finish, and just a hint of tartness on a restrained honey sweetness, so you could certainly do a lot worse. (10/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Crooked Moon Tattoo American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV (C$7.70 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy citrus, melon, vinous, stone fruit, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering slightly boozy bitter finish. (4/5)

A DIPA named after a tattoo parlour? Yeah, OK, sure, why not? Decent complexity with a nice hop/malt balance. (Yeah, I see you there, Nelson Sauvin, don’t think I didn’t.) And it’s a sneaky bugger – the 9% ABV doesn’t really make its presence know until you’re well through the bottle and the room gets a little wobbly. I like this. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Stateside IPA American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$6.4 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel, tropical fruit, dank and earthy. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice. Well-balanced, with lots of starts-with-C hop character trading off against the smooth caramel of the malt base. Despite the high IBU, the bitterness never overwhelms, yet the malt stays where it should be, supporting rather than taking centre stage. I still can’t figure out, though, what black magic Mikkeller wields, to have a two year shelf life for a highly hopped A/IPA – I dunno whether I’m impressed or disturbed. Maybe both? (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company Rockpile IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV (C$6.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with two fingers of rocky tan head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel malt, piney resin, pithy grapefruit, earthy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (5/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh. Like so many red IPA’s, this just isn’t doing it for me. The overall implementation is just off: too malty at the outset, but then giving way to an unbalanced aggressive bitterness in the finish that turns into a mouth-coating residue. Pretty, but a bit ham-fisted. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Karlsberg Brauerei AC/DC Rock or Bust Euro Pale Lager at 5% ABV (C$3.49 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grassy hops, grainy pale malt. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, short duration crisp finish. (3/5)

Pretty standard euro lager, with no negative characteristics, and to be honest, better than I was expecting. I’ve certainly had worse, and if that’s damning it with faint praise, then so be it. Nice thirst quencher after a dinner of pho. “Crushable”, as they say. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

To Øl / Brewdog Hard Core Maelk Black IPA at 10.1% ABV (C$12.5 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: nearly solid black with one fat finger of rocky mocha head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark chocolate, liquorice, floral, whiskey, roasty malt, coffee with cream. (9/10) Taste: moderately strong sweet, moderately strong bitter. (9/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly warming finish. (4/5)

Oh yeah – that is some serious shit right there. Run, don’t walk, yadda yadda yadda. To Øl Sort Mælk RIS blended with Brewdog Hardcore DIPA: you get the full creamy character of an RIS, combined with the floral hops of a DIPA – what’s not to like? (And, this might be an example of weaknesses cancelling out – in particular, I’ve found the Brewdog Hardcore to be a bit too malt forward for my preference, but in this collab/blend, that somewhat minor sin gets washed out by the heavy sweetness of the RIS anyway, so it doesn’t really count for much.) Yes, it’s a bit of a kitchen sink of flavours, and it’s not something you’re likely to session – at least, not for very long – but it is something you’re gonna want to try. Given the fact that this is actually a blend, I’m not completely sure this is really a true “Black IPA,” but if it is, it’s probably one of my favourites of the style. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company Long Table Farmhouse Ale Saison at 6.2% ABV (C$3.62 at South Trail Calgary Co-Op, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, stone fruit and citrus, wheat, white pepper and coriander. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funky tart. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration off-dry finish. (4/5)

Pleasant lightly funky saison, with a little peppery spice edge on a doughy yeasty base, and just a hint of vinous character from the Nelson Sauvin hops. Goes well with spicy food. Nothing too unusual, but pleasant and well done. Solid beer from a solid brewer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Pfungstädter Brauerei Hildebrand Hell Helles Lager at 4.9% ABV (C$3.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: grainy pale malt, grassy, hard water minerals. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, short duration crisp finish. (3/5)

It is what it is, I guess – a pale, somewhat sweet lager, with a crisp finish. Certainly nothing special, but it’s a refreshing thirst quencher. I can totally see drinking copious quantities in a biergarten somewhere, preferably with a large hunk of roasted pig and a pretzel. Dammit, now I want to go back to Germany… (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

BrewDog Five AM Red Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 5% ABV (C$4.2 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of rocky light tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: woody, citrus, caramel, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite a hoppy red ale, with lots of IPA character. Tends a little to the heavy-handed, with a fairly emphatic malt presence not unlike some DIPA’s. Five different malts and six different hops make for a bit of a kitchen sink, but it’s reasonably smooth and easy drinking despite that. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com