Category: Reviews

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

Deschutes Brewery Jubelale English Strong Ale at 6.7% ABV (C$3.79 at Sundance Wine Market, 355 ml, best before 20-May-2016, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with two fingers of loose light tan head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roasty malt, brown sugar, pine, dark boozy fruit, light chocolate and vanilla, spices. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending to the thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

Complex aromas but surprisingly thin flavours and body. I don’t often say this, but this is a brew that could use a little more sweetness. More maltiness would beef up the body and provide a bit more support to the flavours, which drop off rapidly. On the other hand, the lightness makes this more sessionable, so…? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$2.77 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 19-Oct-2015, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, floral, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m a little baffled by what makes this a “holiday” beer. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t need an excuse to drink a good IPA, and this is in fact a good IPA. Actually, I did a little reading, and understand this is one of the first of the modern A/IPA’s, and could legitimately take the credit for spawning – or, at least, helping popularize – one of my favourite styles. But any spiciness in this is strictly hop-derived – there’s none of the “usual suspect” gingerbread spices usually associated with Wintereenmas here. Big bitter nicely balanced with pleasant caramel malts, and an off-dry lingering bitter finish. (16/20)

My 207th from the 2010 Edition (196th from the 2013 edition), and 218th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Steamworks Brewing Company Hop Attack! American IPA at 6% ABV (C$6.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 25-Oct-2015, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: floral, citrus, dank herbal, pale biscuity grainy malt, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter, mild pepper. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (3/5)

An interesting A/IPA with a pleasant hop blend merging floral, almost perfumy notes with a dank weedy herbal background. The sweetness tends to the high, but isn’t cloying, largely because of the emphatic (but not overwhelming), slightly peppery bitterness. The paper bag wrapper is fun, too. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Ursa Major Brown Ale American Brown Ale at 7.2% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #11, 341 ml, bottle date 6-Aug-2015, reviewed 11-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear brown with deep amber highlights, one finger of medium dense light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and chocolate malt, cocoa, molasses, dark fruit, nutty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending a little to the watery, moderate carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

Fairly pedestrian brown ale that certainly doesn’t deliver on the “rich sweet chocolatey malt flavours” promised by the label, and actually comes across as a little watery at times. On the other hand, it’s pretty well behaved for a 7% ABV, with very little alcohol character coming through at all. Not bad, not great. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bridge Brewing Company Sleigh Booster Imperial Red Ale American Strong Ale at 9% ABV (2015 Craft Beer Advent Calendar Day #10, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 10-Dec-2015)

Appearance: clear deep amber to amber-brown with one fat finger of dense pillowy light tan head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, toffee/caramel, bread, light nutty. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and mild warming finish. (4/5)

Wow – not what I was expecting at all. When I saw “Imperial Red”, I had visions of a strong Irish Red, but this is much more like a DIPA, albeit a red(-dish) one. Hop forwards, with enough caramel to provide support, yet without being too sweet. Aesthetically pleasing, solid, and quite enjoyable if you like big bitter – and I do. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com