Category: Reviews

Omnipollo Mazarin American Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV (C$8.75 at Zyn,  330 ml, best before 8-May-2015)

Pours hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose off white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate chunky lacing. (3/5) Nose is mango, caramel malt, tangerine, wet grass, mild oatmeal. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, building bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad, not great. Decent bitter, but there’s a bit of an odd note that doesn’t really seem to work with the citrus. The oatmeal also seems to dull the citrus hops. Can’t say I’d try it again. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Heretic Brewing Company Gramarye Rye Beer at 4.4% ABV (C$7.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits,  650 ml, bottle date 9-Feb-2015)

Pours clear pale amber with two fingers of loose light tan head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is spicy rye, caramel malt, pine resin, citrus, pumpernickel. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (7/10) Medium body tending to watery, moderate carbonation, building bitter finish. (3/5)

That’s some pretty impressive chops for a session-ABV ale. Lots of aroma and flavour from the spicy rye makes this feel like a much bigger beer than its puny 4.4% ABV. It falls apart a little on the watery body, but all things considered, really quite pleasant. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Inversion American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$3.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, best before 7-Jun-2015)

Pours clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and excellent lacing. (4/5) Nose is pine resin, citrus, catty, caramel malt, mild onion. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, building bitter finish. (3/5)

Not my favourite implementation of starts-with-C hops. Too little bright citrus, too much mangy cat. Deschutes has done many better beers. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Obsidian American Stout at 6.4% ABV (C$3.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, best before 7-Jun-2015)

Pours opaque deep brown with barely present brown highlights, two fingers of fluffy tan head, good retention and excellent lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark roasty malt, dark chocolate, coffee, toasted grain, mild liquorice and vanilla. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium to full body, mild carbonation, dry and slightly warming finish. (4/5)

A very good stout, and only slightly “American” – the ABV is somewhat higher than most traditional English stouts and there’s a tiny hint of citrusy tartness in the finish, but that’s the extent of its variation from type. I’d like to try it on a nitro tap, though, for some extra smoothness. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Black Butte American Porter at 5.2% ABV (C$3.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, best before 29-Mar-2015)

Pours clear brown with amber-brown highlights, one finger of rocky tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap and spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is dark roasty malt, coffee and dark chocolate, mild liquorice and vanilla, slight earthy and citrus hops, very faint smoke. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium body, soft carbonation, crisp mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

An interesting porter with a hint of earthy hops and a crisp, very slightly citrusy tart finish. A definite American twist on a style that tends to be a bit, well.. boring. It’s not an unreserved success, but it’s also not your grandpa’s porter, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. (14/20)

My 156th from the 2010 Edition (147th from the 2013 edition), and 166th combining both editions.

7/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Asahi Breweries Asahi Black Dunkel at 5% ABV (C$3.75 at Zyn, 334 ml, bottle date 1-Nov-2014 best before 1-Jul-2015)

Pours clear ruby brown with amber-brown highlights, one finger of rocky tan head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is dark roasty malt, coffee and mild chocolate, very light smoke. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied tending to the watery, low carbonation, off dry and mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, it’s better than I was expecting it to be. I mean, seriously? A Munich-style Dunkel from Japan? But all things considered, it’s pretty drinkable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s light to the point of it being a bit of a negative – some character would help here, but it’s definitely easy drinking. I had to laugh at the commercial description, though: “Unlike other, more bitter dark beers and stouts, it’s brewed in a process called bottom fermentation.” Oh, really? A corn and rice beer brewed through bottom fermentation? Sounds exotic, and not at all like a macro adjunct lager… (ahem)… (12/20)

My 155th from the 2010 Edition (146th from the 2013 edition), and 165th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

3 Fonteinen Brouwerij Ambachtelijke Geuzestekerij Golden Doesjel Gueuze at 6% ABV (C$13.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 375 ml, bottle date 2-May-2015, best before 31-May-2023)

Pours hazy deep golden orange with a thin skim of white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is slightly muted, complex, horseblankety funk, tart citrus, woody and leathery, tobacco. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate tart, mild salt. (9/10) Medium bodied, zero carbonation, dry tart finish. (4/5)

A very good still gueuze. (“Doesjel” means “sleepy” – as in, it hasn’t been awoken by carbonation, geddit?) Because of the lack of carbonation, it comes across very similar to an unblended lambic, but this is in fact a blend of one, two, three, and four year-old lambics. (Really more like a tart uncarbonated white wine than most beers one could name.) The absence of carbonation means you can sip this for a long time, appreciating the changes in flavour as it warms and opens up. A lot of fun, and definitely worth trying for a sour aficionado, but not as good as the carbonated versions – I find the carbonation adds some texture and even some flavour, really livening it up and bringing it to the next level. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV Maredsous 8 Bruin Abbey Dubbel at 5.2% ABV (C$4.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before Jun-2015)

Pours clear deep amber with one finger of dense tan head diminishing gradually to a thick cap and moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is mildly boozy raisins and stone fruit, sweet dark malt, light floral. (8/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium bodied, soft carbonation, slightly oily and sticky finish. (4/5)

A very pleasant abbey dubbel. Surprisingly mild, light, and easy drinking given the fairly beefy ABV. (16/20)

My 154th from the 2010 Edition (retired from the 2013 edition), and 164th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Badger (Hall & Woodhouse) Blandford Flyer Premium Bitter/ESB at 5.2% ABV (C$4.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before Jun-2015)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of soapy off-white head, good retention and excellent lacing. (4/5) Nose is ginger and not much else. (4/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild peppery spice. (3/10) Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, sticky finish. (2/5)

A bit of a sticky mess. Basically ginger beer, and certainly not an ESB. And not very good. Drank half, got bored, turfed it – there’s too much good beer out there to struggle through something like this. (8/20)

My 153rd from the 2010 Edition (retired from the 2013 edition), and 163rd combining both editions.

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Chainbreaker Belgian IPA at 5.6% ABV (C$3.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, best before 5-Jun-2015)

Pours opaque straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is orange peel, bready yeast, coriander, mild banana. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweetness, mild bitter, mild peppery spice. (6/10) Medium bodied, lively carbonation, dry and mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

A pleasant enough beer but really more like a witbier than an IPA in my opinion. Definitely one for a shady patio on a hot summer day. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com