Category: Reviews

Brasserie Artisanale De Rulles SPRL La Rullés Cuvée Meilleurs Voeux (Bière De Gaume) Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 7.3% ABV

Pours a slightly hazy medium brown with a fluffy two finger tan head, great retention, and moderate sticky lacing. Nose is dark fruit, chocolate, brown sugar, cola. Taste starts out sweet and slightly tart, finishes moderately bitter and slightly tart, with a little spiciness. Medium body and slightly slick, with moderate to low carbonation, with a bitter slightly warming finish.

Yes, OK, it’s a wintereenmas beer, fine. I have to start paying more attention to expiry dates in my bottle shops – this one had a best before of February 2014 but I bought it in June. There’s no significant hop profile in this, but perhaps that can be attributed to being past its recommended maximum age of eighteen months. That being said, it doesn’t seem off in any way. An inoffensive Belgian dark, malt dominated and easy drinking.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze

Epic Brewing Company Epic Hop Zombie American Imperial/Double IPA at 8.5% ABV

Pours a clear orange gold with a loose, soapy two finger white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim around the edge, and no lacing. Nose is strongly hoppy, resiny pine and grapefruit, herbal and floral, but with noticeable malt in the background. Taste is emphatically hoppy, with pine resin dominating a little citrus and caramel malt. Medium to light body and slippery, with low carbonation and a long, lingering bitter finish with mild warming.

A bit of a palate wrecker, but still possessing a noticeable malt backbone. Definitely a little rough around the edges, but that’s part of its charm.

8/10 #ryansbooze

Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Local 2 Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.0% ABV

Pours a somewhat murky medium brown with a fat fluffy tan head, great retention, and heavy, sticky lacing. Nose is mild, dark sweet malt, faintly spicy, and very little hops. Taste is honey-like sweetness, dark fruit (raisins and cherries), chocolate, and slight spiciness on a sweet dark malt base. Medium bodied, with a smooth and mellow texture and moderate sustained carbonation with a mildly bitter finish and mild warming.

Dark and sweet, very reminiscent of a Belgian Dubbel like Chimay Red, but with more pronounced warming. Almost as good as a Chimay Red, in fact, with perhaps just slightly less complexity and depth of flavour. Certainly the nose could stand to be more pronounced, though the flavour does go a long way to making up for that.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze

Maine Beer Company Lunch American IPA at 7% ABV

Pours a slightly hazy medium gold with a fluffy white two finger head, good retention and thick lacing. Nose is strongly hoppy resiny pine, slight tropical fruit and sweet malt. Taste is pleasantly bitter pine resin, pineapple and citrus, against a background of sweet malt. Medium- to light-bodied, with pleasant effervescent carbonation and a crisp, bitter finish.

Ok, so I’m highly suggestible, but what else was I supposed to do with a beer called “Lunch”, other than have it with lunch? And it worked – it was a very pleasant IPA with lunch. This is a particularly good IPA: the hop profile is quite enthusiastic, to the point that it’s almost on par with a DIPA. Not a hop bomb or a palate wrecker by any means, but definitely hoppy and interesting, with just enough malt to balance the hop bitterness. This is IPA the way it should be: hop forward, with malt providing support in the background. Their description if it as being an “east coast version of a west coast-style IPA” is bang on. Think big west coast IPA, but without the dankness.

9/10 #ryansbooze

Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Local 1 Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 9.0% ABV

Pours a slightly hazy gold with an enthusiastic head, great persistence and spotty lacing. Nose is fruity yeast and sweet malt, with just a hint of funk. Taste starts out sweet, with light tropical fruit, pear or apple, and a hint of funk, finishing dry with slight pepper and grassy hops. Medium bodied, with active sustained prickly carbonation, lingering light hoppy bitterness, and just the slightest warming.

Very nice. Very dangerous. This does not feel like a 9% ABV. A stonking good Belgian with lots of body and a smooth, pleasant flavour. Not sure it’s worth the $13 a bottle it ran me, which is the only reason I’ve marked it down a little on the overall.

9/10 #ryansbooze #1001beers

8 Wired Brewing Co. Hopwired American IPA at 7.3% ABV

Pours a clear copper with one fat finger of persistent dense white head and moderate spotty lacing. Nose is tropical fruit, citrus and piney hops, balanced nicely with caramel malt. Taste is quite similar, with sweet caramel malt giving way to oranges, tropical fruit, and piney hops, finishing with a pleasant lingering bitterness. Mouth feel is medium-bodied and creamy, with persistent moderate carbonation and an off-dry finish.

Not bad at all. The hops and malt are decently balanced, though I rather suspect it’s been a long journey from New Zealand. There is a certain historicity to drinking an IPA that has undergone a long journey and the concomitant ageing and fading of the hop sharpness, as did the recipients of the first IPA’s, and the high-ish ABV is apparent only as a gentle warming. I would, however, like to try this fresh – possibly after an exhilarating drive up Ninety Mile Beach!

8/10 #ryansbooze

Green Flash Brewing Co. Rayon Vert Belgian Pale Ale at 7.0% ABV

Pours a hazy orange with a huge frothy three finger white head diminishing gradually to a lumpy marshmallow-like cap and heavy lacing. Nose is strongly dominated by brett funk, with a little fruit and sweet malt in the background. Taste follows suit, but with more malt presence, as well as a little umami. Mouth feel is medium-bodied, with low carbonation and a gentle alcohol warming.

I see this compared to Orval, but I don’t think I agree – the brett is much more pronounced than Orval, and the fruit less so. This is more like Gato Negro, with its heavy-handed brett funk, albeit with a little more West Coast character. The brett settles down somewhat as the glass progresses and the beer warms.

7/10 #ryansbooze

Brouwerij Lindemans Faro Faro Lambic at 4.2% ABV

Pours a clear deep copper brown with two fingers of fluffy slightly off-white head compacting gradually to a persistent cap and heavy lacing. Nose is candi sugar, cherry, light funk and leather. Taste is sweet and fruity, with a little more sour cobwebby funk than is present in the nose, and some vinous oak. Mouth feel is medium-bodied with sustained moderate carbonation and an off-dry finish.

This is nice. Much sweeter and milder than a gueuze, very similar to a cherry lambic but with more brown sugar and less cherry. The sweetness makes smaller servings appropriate – this would be a very decent dessert beer.

8/10 #ryansbooze

Boston Beer Company Samuel Adams Boston Lager Vienna Lager at 4.9% ABV

Pours a clear medium amber with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. Nose is predominantly caramel lager malt, with faint floral hops. Taste is similar, sweet malt and mild hop bitterness. Mouth feel is light- to medium-bodied, with persistent moderate carbonation and a building bitter finish.

Not bad for a fairly large-market lager. At least it’s not sickly with adjunct flavours. I wasn’t the least interested in having another, but decent enough for a thirst quenching lager. And it’s another of the 1001 for me to check off the list!

6/10 #ryansbooze #1001beers

Big Rock Brewery Dead Reckoning Royal IPA American IPA at 7.5% ABV

Pours a clear coppery amber with two fingers of foamy off-white head gradually diminishing to a thin skim and moderate lacing. Nose is biscuity toffee malt, citrus, and spicy, earthy hops. Taste is pretty similar. Mouth feel is medium-bodied, with medium to low carbonation and an off-dry finish.

Now this is a little more like it – not a bad little IPA, though a more aggressive hop profile wouldn’t hurt.

7/10 #ryansbooze