Category: Reviews

AleSmith Brewing Company Tropical Party Tricks – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$5.31 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Sep-2024, acquired 28-Nov-2024, reviewed 22-Dec-2024)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet pineapple and tropical fruit, cream, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

With Citra, El Dorado, Strata, Mango, and Pineapple. Very much dominated by the pineapple and mango tropical adjuncts, but it doesn’t not work. I’m not sure I could drink very many of these, but I wouldn’t actually say no to another one, and that’s pretty much the acid test, right? (16/20)

This will be my 6,054th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blood Brothers Brewing Blood 5.0 – Traditional Ale at 5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #22, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 22-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bready caramel, mixed fruits, mild grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Hah! When I pulled the can out of the Advent Calendar, my immediate thought was “Labatt 50??!?!” so it wasn’t actually a surprise to read the brewer description of taking ingredients from one of their “nostalgic go-to beers.” It’s certainly reminiscent of that, although with a bit more character. Not bad, and certainly deserving of a bit more than “It’s wet.”. (14/20)

This will be my 6,053rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Skeleton Park Brewery Proper – Premium Bitter / ESB at 4.5% ABV | 28 IBU (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #21, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Jul-2024, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 21-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head, good retention and minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, light floral, hints of grape must. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweetish short duration finish. (4/5)

Fairly traditional English Bitter from a new-to-me brewery. Props for using a locally-rediscovered hop that was apparently imported to the region a couple of centuries ago. I actually don’t mind the carbonation being just slightly high for the style, but purists might quibble. Not bad overall. (14/20)

This will be my 6,052nd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

2 Crows Brewing Badabing! – Pilsner at 5.5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #20, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 20-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of pillowy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grass/herbal, honey, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sweetish short duration finish. (4/5)

A bit sad to say, but I actually started to get my hopes up when I saw the colour scheme, thinking it might actually be seasonal. Yeah. As if. That being said, it’s a decent pilsner, so it would be unfair to the brewer to complain about that aspect of it. Pleasant flavour and fairly crushable, but just a bit too sweet for my preference. (15/20)

This will be my 6,051st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Prince Edward Island Brewing Company Gahan Vic Park – American Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV | 40 IBU (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #19, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Jul-2024, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 19-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pine, pale malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body tending somewhat thin, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate duration bitter finish. (3/5)

Another repeat in the Advent Calendar, again from eight years ago. As I said then, this verges a bit towards the simplistic, but for what it is, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. (14/20)

This is not a unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Hyper Saturation – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$6.14 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Nov-2024, acquired 12-Dec-2024, reviewed 18-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

See, the thing about Cabin is that they’re actually world-class, so when they try to be all cynically ironic and hype-tastic, it still works. Yeah, they pretty much threw the kitchen sink at it and it’s a little bit over the top – so? My only nitpick of this one is that ultimately it’s a bit too sweet for my preference. Others might well disagree, but this is my review, so there. (16/20)

This will be my 6,050th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tool Shed Brewing Company Pete’s Pils – Pilsner at 4.5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #18, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 18-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, bready caramel, grass, hint of citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Oh. Good. Another Lager in the Advent Calendar. Yes, fine, it’s an OK Pils, but as far as holiday seasonal styles go, this is like kissing your sister. (13/20)

This will be my 6,049th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Manual Labour Beer Co. That’s Gold – Golden Ale at 4.6% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #17, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 17-Dec-2024)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready malt, floral, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Doughy yeast dominates this, with a hint of citrus (or maybe berries) underneath. The flavour is fairly unremarkable, and there’s a slight but unwelcome sharpness through the finish. Just dull. (12/20)

This will be my 6,048th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Burdock Brewing Deluxe Golden Lager – Helles Lager at 4.5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #16, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Jul-2024, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 16-Dec-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready caramel, faint orchard fruit & grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

I think the Advent Calendar is literally half Lagers at this point – because nothing says “Christmas” like a low weight Lager, right? Gah. Anyway, that’s not Burdock’s fault, I guess. So, rating this on its merits, it’s actually a solid example of the style, very Germanic and low-key authentic. I may be going a touch enthusiastic on the scoring, but the fact is there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, and the flavour profile is actually a bit impressive for such a low ABV. (16/20)

This will be my 6,046th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Valkyrie Berry Ale – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.5% ABV (2024 BeerAdvent Calendar #15, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Jun-2024, acquired 23-Nov-2024, reviewed 15-Dec-2024)

Appearance: clear pink-tinged medium amber with a short, short-lived off-white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, field berries, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry lightly tart short finish. (4/5)

I don’t hate this, but even though the berry adjunct is relatively mild, it’s still dominant over what little other character is present. Not unpleasant, and more importantly not excessively sweet, but also not all that complex or interesting. (13/20)

This will be my 6,045th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com