Category: Reviews

Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb! American Double / Imperial Stout at 13% ABV (C$12.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 355 ml, bottle date 11-Nov-2014)

Pours clear ruby brown with one fat finger of dense tan head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Nose is cocoa nibs, dark coffee, vanilla, dark fruit, mild chili peppers. (9/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (9/10) Full body, moderate to low carbonation, mildly boozy finish. (4/5)

Very well-behaved, mild and rich, with just a mild chili heat blending nicely with the boozy warming. Deep and rich chocolate dominates, with coffee and vanilla supporting. Bitterness is very mild and never comes to the forefront, but nor does the sweetness ever become cloying, and the body, while full, is never heavy. A truly excellent imperial stout. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales XS Imperial India Pale Ale American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.5% ABV (C$22.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy to cloudy pale amber with one fingers of rocky white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, pithy citrus, pine resin, mild floral. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate to low carbonation, slightly boozy finish. (4/5)

Nothing too thrilling – a fairly standard heavy-handed, malt-forward DIPA. Doesn’t excite me, doesn’t turn me off. Damned with faint praise? Maybe – but that’s about what it deserves. Especially given the premium price! (12/20)

My 158th from the 2010 Edition (149th from the 2013 edition), and 168th combining both editions.

6.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Prairie Artisan Ales Prairie Ale Saison at 8.2% ABV (C$10.99 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy to cloudy and particulate-laden pale gold with two fingers of pillowy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Nose is light yet complex, sweet and yeasty Belgian triple-like tones with light brett funk, wheat, citrus. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter, slightly tart and black pepper spice. (8/10) Light to medium body, lively carbonation, dry bitter and slightly boozy finish. (4/5)

A very nice saison – just the right balance of sweet and yeasty Belgian tripel character, with funky cellar brett notes. Light, dry, and fairly crisp, with just a little alcohol heat in the finish, and the use of Saaz hops gives a little black pepper heat as well. Even-handed and well-balanced. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company / Baird Beer / Ishii Brewing Co Japanese Green Tea IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 10.1% ABV (C$13.95 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of pillowy white head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Nose is pithy grapefruit, green tea, stone fruit, light resin, caramel malt. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, semi-dry bitter and only slightly boozy finish. (4/5)

A definite green tea presence grows more pronounced throughout the pint, giving it an almost musty, saison-like quality. Similar in some ways to Baird’s Wabi Sabi, except without the sour milk note that made that one less than a success for me. Surprisingly low ABV presence for a double digit imperial beast, coming through as just a little sweetness and booziness on the finish. Definitely different, and that’s always good. Overall, I’d recommend trying it if you can find it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery The Chocolate Manifesto Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (C$14.09 at Dominion Stavanger, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear (flashlight confirmed) ruby brown with two fingers of dense tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. (8/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium to full body, moderate to low carbonation, slightly oily and bittersweet creamy finish. (4/5)

What an extremely silly beer. Except, where it isn’t. Which is just about everywhere. Subtle? No. Bombastic? Yes. Good? Oh my goodness gracious yes. Think a slightly runny Hershey syrup milkshake, that makes the room get a little wobbly after a bit. (The ABV is seriously well-hidden, which for a double-digit product, is no mean feat. It’s not un-boozy – but it’s nowhere near as boozy as it should be.) Yes, it’s over the top and sweet. Yes, it’s one-dimensional. But, that dimension is chocolate. Mmmm… the Chocolate Dimension… And, it’s a milk stout (in addition to “chocolate” and “imperial” – how many adjectives can you add to a given style, anyway?), so there’s a lactose creaminess that plays well with the chocolate. I know some folks don’t like this. Those folks are wrong. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

PEI Brewing Company (Gahan House Brewery) 1772 IPA India Pale Ale at 6.5% ABV (C$3.96 at Dominion Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear to cloudy pale amber with two fingers of pillowy ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is light resin, citrus, floral, grassy, crystal malt. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much – but this is a pretty decent IPA, actually.  The “1772” moniker makes you think it’s going to be an English-style IPA, but it really isn’t: the use of starts-with-C hops (Centennial, Cascade) and the absence of Maris Otter (Crystal and Munich malts are used instead) make this much more of an American style than a true English style, as does the higher ABV. It grows on you, too – though the higher ABV might be a factor there… And as far as appearance goes, this thing looks pretty good for the first three quarters of the big boy bottle. If a little yeast cloudiness bothers you, stop pouring there (and drink the rest from the bottle). (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company In Session Session IPA at 4.4% ABV (C$2.54 at Dominion Stavanger, 341 ml, bottle date 4-Mar-2015)

Pours clear pale gold with one finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is light citrus, grassy, pale malt. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium to light body, lively carbonation, off-dry crisp finish. (3/5)

Yet another “session IPA,” but not a particularly good implementation. In particular, the malt is coming across as almost corn adjunct. Fairly sweet, and not particularly bright or hoppy. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Muskoka Brewery Detour American IPA at 4.3% ABV (C$2.67 at Dominion Stavanger, 355 ml, best before 1-Aug-2015)

Pours slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is light citrus, pine resin, pale malt. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, dry crisp finish. (4/5)

They call this a “sessionable IPA” but I’m not sure you couldn’t just as easily call it an APA. Regardless, it’s bright, easy drinking, crisp, and clean, no matter what you call it. Nothing challenging, but certainly more-ish. Yes, I’m aware I’m ranking this equally with Mad Tom and Twice as Mad Tom, but for different reasons – think equally well-done variations on slightly different themes. If anything, this might be just marginally preferable to its beefier brethren, simply because it’s so bright, crisp, and light. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Muskoka Brewery Twice as Mad Tom American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV (C$2.67 at Dominion Stavanger, 355 ml, best before 1-Aug-2015)

Pours clear deep gold with one finger of medium dense ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, little to no lacing. (3/5) Nose is pithy grapefruit, tropical fruit, pine resin, light malt. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, immediate strong bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Much as with its smaller brother single IPA, I can’t say I notice a lot of difference between this version and the prior, filtered one. Even though it’s unfiltered, it poured crystal clear, and though I’m tempted there might be a bit more rich earthiness to the flavour, I couldn’t swear to it. Impressive integration of the quite high ABV makes this clean drinking and a little dangerous. Still one of the best beers routinely stocked by NLC. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Wizard Wolf American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV (C$4.50 at Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, bottle date 2-Apr-2015)

Pours hazy pale gold with a short off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, good lacing. (3/5) Nose is doughy bread, grassy and floral hops, light citrus, very mild pale malt. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate to low carbonation, off-dry bitter and slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Not my favourite Bellwoods, which isn’t to say there’s anything overtly wrong with it – because there isn’t – but they so excel at “real” brews that this “session” ale seems like a pale imposter (no pun intended). I’ll session Roman Candle, Boogie Monster, or Witchshark instead, thanks. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com