Category: Reviews

Mikkeller Cali Rare California Common at 4.8% ABV (C$6.30 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 330 ml, best before 4-Nov-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, tropical fruit, pine, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (4/5)

Yeah, yeah, we get it – Mikkeller’s version of a California Common is a Cali Rare. Jeez, smug much? Just because he makes an awesome beer or three… dozen… And this doesn’t even taste like a “real” California Common, like Anchor Steam. (It tastes far better.) But that’s not the point! This is just a (really good) APA! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Full Moon IPA American IPA at 5.5% ABV (341 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky light tan head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, caramel, citrus, grassy and floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

An OK A/IPA, nothing special. Hops are too muted, and malt too pronounced, for my preference. Despite the low hop aroma, the finish tends to an unbalanced aggressive bitter. It’s not bad, but not worth making a special effort to get. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery The Cascadian American Brown Ale at 6.1% ABV (C$3.62 at South Trail Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of fluffy light tan head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muted, citrus, caramel malt, pine, earthy and vegetal. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

Not unpleasant, but not really a true “Cascadian” (black IPA). The hops are nowhere near as pronounced as they should be for the style, with the caramel malt more so. OK, but nothing special. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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