Category: Reviews

Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba Belgian Ale at 4.5% ABV

Pours a cloudy straw yellow with one finger of dense white head, excellent retention and no lacing. Nose is muted, citrus and grassy hops, slight malt. Taste is bitter grapefruit, slightly sour, faint malt. Light body, thin and slick, dry bitter finish.

Interesting. The grapefruit similarities in both the appearance and the flavour make this almost like a radler. Minimal to non-existent sweetness and a dry finish make this pretty drinkable. I’m not sure I’d call it “extra hoppy ale”, though, since the hops are fairly muted in the nose, albeit somewhat more present in the flavour.

My 78th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 73rd by the 2013 Edition, or 79th overall.

7/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company GINORMOUS Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV

Pours a clear copper with two fingers of fluffy white head with good retention and heavy lacing. Nose is caramel malt and piney hops, pineapple, citrus. Taste is moderate sweet followed rapidly by moderately strong bitter. Medium to heavier body and a slightly chewy texture, long bitter sticky finish and moderate warming.

Decent enough DIPA, with a nice hop emphasis and just enough malt to balance it out. Almost getting into palate wrecker territory, but not quite. Bit of an edge on the hops in the nose and taste, but a damn fine looking beer if nothing else.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company Volta Saison at 8.4% ABV

Pours a clear gold with two fingers of foamy white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, thick ropy lacing. Nose is Belgian yeast, floral and fruity, with a little spice. Flavour is well-balanced moderate sweet and bitter, slightly spicy. Light body, moderate sustained carbonation, and a mild warming.

Quite a nice beer that functions as a passable saison, but actually seems to bridge saison and tripel in terms of style, particularly in the ABV and the malt balance. I have to say, I like it. I’m starting to be fairly impressed by Gigantic.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Le Trou Du Diable Les Quatres Surfeurs De L’Apocalypso American IPA at 6.5% ABV

Pours a slightly hazy straw with two fingers of light fluffy head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and moderate lacing. Nose is piney hops and a little tropical fruit, light malt. Taste is balanced, medium sweet and bitter. Medium to full body, slightly sticky, with a lingering bitter, slightly spicy and gently warming finish.

Well, that’s quite pleasant! Nice balance of the malt and the hops, with just enough fullness in the body to carry off the higher ABV. Sticky without being cloying, with a little bit of spicy pepper in the finish. Not quite a sunny day thirst quencher, but not a long way away from that, either. You could do a lot worse than this!

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Big Rock Monk’s Misery Herb Gruit at 6.0% ABV

Pours a deep cola red with a short tan head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and no lacing. Nose is herbal and floral, faint honey and molasses. Taste is similar, with a little liquorice and a hint of coffee on a bitter finish. Medium body, low carbonation, with a dry finish.

So that’s a gruit, huh? Well, can’t say I’m a big fan. The herbal tones have a medicinal character, almost like Buckley’s Mixture. It’s not unpleasant, as such, but I actually sort of like Buckley’s, so there you go. Even making allowances for the uniqueness of the style, I can’t say this is something I’m eager to try again. I can see why hops became preferred, even ignoring the abuses of the politics of gruit.

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brauerei Gebrüder Maisel GmbH & Co. Maisel’s Weisse Original Hefeweizen at 5.2% ABV

Pours a clear gold with a short white head diminishing quickly to a thin skim and no lacing. Nose is distinctly banana bread – banana fruit and bready yeast – with caramel malt. Taste is similar, with banana, malt, and clove. Light to medium body and crisp, with a slightly spicy dry finish.

Quite a pleasant hefeweizen. Decent aroma and flavour, pleasant body, and a crisp, spicy finish. Nothing too challenging, but decent enough.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Phillips Ginger Beer Spiced Beer at 5.0% ABV

Pours a clear amber copper with a short-lived head diminishing rapidly to nothing and no lacing. Nose is overwhelmingly fresh ginger, with only the merest hint of caramel. Taste follows suit, with low sweetness, and a building spiciness. Medium body and flat carbonation.

Not all that interesting. I like a nice spicy ginger beer, and typically don’t like a lot of sweetness, but despite its ticking both those boxes, I’m not all that fussed over this one. The low-lived head and carbonation probably contribute to this impression, and it feels like it would benefit from a little more sweetness.

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

8 Wired Brewing Co. Tall Poppy American Amber/Red Ale at 7.0% ABV

Pours a deep ruby with a loose finger of off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and spotty lacing. Nose is caramel malt, floral and herbal hops, slight fruit. Taste follows suit, with caramel leading the way and a bitter finish. Medium body and moderate carbonation, slick and slightly syrupy, with a dry finish.

Fairly middle of the road IPA, with a little more sweetness than I prefer. The floral/herbal hop profile is also less my preference than the pine/citrus side of the hop spectrum. That said, it’s a decent enough example of a hoppy red ale.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Krombacher Brauerei Krombacher Dark Schwarzbier at 4.3% ABV

Pours a deep cola brown with two fingers of fluffy tan head, decent retention and well-defined moderate lacing. Nose is dark roasted malts, caramel and molasses, slightly smoky. Taste is light malt, hint of smoke, mild bitter finish. Mouth feel is watery, light body and moderate carbonation.

So… it’s a… slightly smokey… dark… lager… with a little bitter on the finish? It’s OK, I guess – better than an adjunct lager – but it’s not something I’d go looking for again.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom WRaspberry Fruit Beer at 4.5% ABV

Pours a slightly hazy orange gold with a short white head diminishing quickly to a thin skim and spotty lacing. Nose is sweet raspberry and faint biscuit malt, with just a hint of funk as the bottle progresses. Taste follows suit, leading out sweet, with no hop presence. Mouth feel tends to the watery side, with low carbonation.

I only bought this because it was both a local brewery, and on the discount shelf. It’s a good thing I didn’t have high hopes, because they’d’ve been dashed. It’s not bad, as such, but it doesn’t have a lot of character. The fruit doesn’t taste artificial, and there’s even a little funk, but some hop presence would’ve been nice. Not bad, but not all that interesting.

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com