RyansBooze

Strathcona Beer Company Head Banger – Triple IPA at 9.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 24-Mar-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, cereal grains, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, medium duration warming finish. (4/5)

Citra, Mosaic, pilsner malt, flaked wheat, and oats? There’s not a darned thing there I can disagree with. I hadn’t seen any of the prior iterations of this one (which might be the tenth revision of that name?) but it would appear that they’ve spent some time figuring it out, because this one rocks pretty hard. And, despite the emphatic juicy flavours and enthusiastic ABV, the bitterness and sweetness are both restrained and balanced. No complaints here, rock on! (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Hoyne Brewing Co. Carte Blanche – White IPA at 6% ABV (C$4.65 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 23-Mar-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: complex, Belgian esters, lime, green pepper, melon, herbal, white pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

It’s been a while since I had a Belgian White, and even longer since I had a really good one. This… is a pretty good one. It’s not really “authentic”, whatever that word means, not least of which due to the hopping with Cashmere and Ekuanot(/Equinox/HBC 366), but the German wheat malt is on-spec, as is the Belgian yeast. (I also really like the “young lions” concept – train ‘em up and turn ‘em loose is definitely my philosophy when it comes to the whippersnappers.) There are at least a couple of reasons I might be over-rating this one, including the fact that I miss Belgium (Hell, travelling in general!) like a motherfucker, but also because I might have been overdoing the AIPA/NEIPA range of the spectrum for the past few months (comfort beer?) and need to move on to other things – but even if I am being generous it’s not by a whole lot. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

District Brewing Co. Hazy For You – American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 50 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Feb-2021, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 23-Mar-2021)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mixed stewed fruit, caramel, mild pine, herbal. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

A bit muddled, with malt playing too emphatic a role in the aroma, but even more so on the tongue. Not much more to say here – it’ll do, but that’s about it. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Twin Sails Brewing Slam Dank – American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 55 IBU (C$5.31 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 22-Mar-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, biscuity malt, citrus peel, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

I was looking forward to this one since I bought it – hey, I’d previously tried 14 beers from Twin Sails, with a mean score of 7.8 and a standard deviation of 0.4, so I think that’s what you call a “safe bet”, sight unseen. Add to that the allure of Mosaic and a new (to me anyway) hop: Apollo, a “super high-alpha variety” with “an intense, pungent citrus peel aroma”, and, well, yeah, I’ve been looking forward to it. Does it live up to the anticipation? Well… almost. It’s certainly got what the label promises: dank resin on the front end, and sufficient restraint that a guy could slam it if he wanted to. (Mind you, given the emphatic ABV, you could get away with that a limited number of times before you’d be the one who ended up slamming… to the floor…) I guess if I had to express a complaint, it would be that I would have liked more dank, but other than that, nope, I’m good. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Illuminated Brew Works Dagger Flute – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$7.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Nov-2020, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 22-Mar-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly  to a thin skim, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, caramel, pine, grass, herbal. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Dunno what in the hell the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers (and/or psychedelic KIϟϟ knockoffs?) have to do with beer, but, sure, fine, whatever. Their blog calls it “An old school IPA that you can stare at your cat through” – which, though technically true, is both a bit strange and not particularly helpful. (That statement probably applies to their whole blog and, for that matter, their web site in general – let’s just say I don’t think alcohol is their only intoxicant, and maybe not even their preferred one.) The label says it’s a Citra India Pale Ale, so it might (or might not) be single-hopped, but either way it’s not giving me anything unexpected. All editorializing aside, it’s an OK, somewhat old-fashioned non-hazy (mostly) IPA. (13/20)

6.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Collective Arts Brewing IPA No. 16 – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$5.62 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 3-Feb-2021, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 21-Mar-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually  to a thin skim, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, cereal grains, floral, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium smooth body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

Nothing really leaps out to distinguish this one from others in the series. (Not to claim any particular authority in the matter, but I think to date I’ve tried them all except 2 & 7.) Thankfully the aroma is dominated by a pleasant hop blend, with the elderflower playing a minor supporting role, preventing things from getting too perfume-like. Similarly, the taste is pleasantly balanced bitterness with appropriate supporting sweetness and a smooth body, presumably courtesy of oats in the malt bill. Easy to drink, with a middle of the road ABV that neither knocks you on your butt, nor leaves you wondering what the point was. Certainly no criticisms here, but also nothing to particularly distinguish it from a group of admittedly solid performers. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Belching Beaver Brewery Deftones Ohms Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$4.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Feb-2021, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 20-Mar-2021)

Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, lemon zest, tropical fruit, light pine, limestone. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Maybe not the best of the… five? BB / Deftones collabs I’ve had, but certainly not the worst, either. As usual, I grooved out to the eponymous track while drinking the beer, to good effect. I was initially a little unimpressed with this one, but it sort of grew on me as things progressed. Ultimately it felt a little like a Pilsner, or maybe a Kölsch, with a limestone minerality playing counterpoint to the mild citrus and fruit. And of course, as is usually the case with less than bombastic beers, I find myself wondering if I’m underrating it because I’m just not subtle enough to appreciate more delicate flavours. Maybe it’s time to lay off the APA/IPA lines for a bit, and focus on more challenging fare… (14/20)

7/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Town Square Brewing Market Series IPA #006 – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 20-Mar-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, pale malt, lightly resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say “Featuring a large dry hop of strata, mosaic and cascade, this IPA boasts super dank, tropical aromas and flavours of mango, guava and passionfruit.” Yeah, OK, sure. And actually, it’s not a whole lot different from previous iterations – maybe a bit more emphasis on tropical and stone fruits this time around, and not much in the way of citrus, but otherwise very much a continuation of what has proven to be a solid performer. (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Annex Ale Project Dimed Out – Triple IPA at 10% ABV | 133 IBU (C$5.17 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Mar-2021, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 19-Mar-2021)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, resiny pine, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky building bitter warming finish. (4/5)

This one marks their one hundredth batch, and is hopped with Strata, Galaxy, Idaho 7, Simcoe, and HPA016. Aside from a fancy new experimental hop, this is largely a throwback to old(er)-school hop bombs, what with the “more bitter than you can actually taste” IBU rating. (I think this is my third with that experimental hop, a.k.a. “Eclipse”. The last time I had it, a week ago in Bent Stick’s Swap the Hops, I thought it was my first, but a bit more digging suggests that I actually had it back in December in Outcast’s Slay Bells Ring, but that they erroneously called it HPA-014.) Their socials post said “every Annex icon is a sticker you can throw on your growler, bike, or beer fridge. They’re damn near impossible to get off the can. But should you succeed, you will be rewarded with one of twelve Annex-style platitudes. We even threw in a little easter egg and it’s totally money.” I think the Easter egg is the fact that behind the rest of the label, other than the icon, is all dimes – totally money, geddit? My platitude behind their icon said “this might be the best we can do”. Well, OK. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this’ll do. But shouldn’t you continue to strive for better? I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed… (16/20)

8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze

Trolley No. 5 Brewpub Uptown Haze – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 17-Mar-2021, reviewed 19-Mar-2021)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and minimal soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, pale malts. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thick, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration spicy dank finish. (4/5)

My beer store guy recommended this one pretty hard, ultimately saying he felt it might be the best NEIPA in the city. Given my experience with this brewer thus far, I was pretty skeptical, but I gotta say, he might be right. The usual starts-with-C suspects (Centennial, Citra, and Columbus) are rounded out by Mosaic to produce a lovely juicy, resiny, dank hop bomb that isn’t excessively bitter, yet retains a nice spicy bite in the finish. By far the best I’ve had from Trolley No. 5, and by a long shot. I mean, this is like the football team with the absolute lowest regular season record in history making a successful Superbowl run, and what are the odds of… what? Oh, right… Uhhh… Did T5 hire Tom Brady? (17/20)

8.5/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze