RyansBooze

Snake Lake Brewing Company Shift Change – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV | 70 IBU (C$3.95 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 1-Dec-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit and apples, light sweat & green onion, hint of earthy pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

A bit disappointing, to be honest – slightly harsh boozy sweaty fruit places this near the bottom of the list for this brewer for me. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boréale (Les Brasseurs du Nord) IPA du Nord-Est – American IPA at 6% ABV | 75 IBU (C$7.55 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Oct-2020, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 1-Dec-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fingers of loose ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, cereal grains, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice one – way better than their old-school straight-up IPA. Nice juicy citrus dominates on a clean malt, and the bitterness is nowhere near as emphatic as the 75 IBU would suggest. Good fun. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boréale (Les Brasseurs du Nord) IPA – American IPA at 6.2% ABV | 50 IBU (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 9-Jan-2021, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 1-Dec-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of fine ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel, stewed fruits, pine, grass. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m getting a little tired of smug brewer’s notes that say “Hops: yes”, or in this case “Hop: Hops”. That being said, this isn’t so great that I have a burning desire to know what it’s hopped with. Just a straightforward old-fashioned IPA, and not particularly interesting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Torque Brewing Inc. Hazy Whaler – American IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.32 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Nov-2020, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 1-Dec-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of fine ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, caramel, grassy/herbal, light pine, hint of cattiness. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building and lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not very much in keeping with the nominal style. I find the bitterness surprisingly emphatic – not just for the style in general, but also specifically for the 45 IBU reported on the label, as it feels more like 60+ to my palate. It’s not brutal, by any means, but it feels like it wants to be. Ultimately it feels a bit disjointed and lacking focus. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Strange Powers – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 19-Nov-2020, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 30-Nov-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, green onion, caramel, oats, tropical fruit, earth. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

The Imperial NEIPA is a bit of a tricky beast, in that you need to try and balance juiciness and reduced bitterness with emphatic ABV. This… well, to be honest, doesn’t completely succeed in that regard. For example, there’s a pronounced green onion / catty note (Simcoe, perhaps? The brewer notes don’t specify the hops, other than “Yes.” – helpful, that.) that isn’t necessarily out of place in a DIPA, but might not be completely appropriate to the NEIPA style. I like it a lot, but it’s very much a personal preference with which others might not agree. Powerful, absolutely, and yeah, maybe a little strange. So what? Go get it. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boréale (Les Brasseurs du Nord) Pale Ale des Bois – American Pale Ale at 5.1% ABV | 38 IBU (C$5.40 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 31-Jan-2021, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 30-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, cereal grains, grass, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry lingering  bitter finish. (3/5)

“Boring” might be a tad harsh to describe this, but “unremarkable” might well be appropriate, or perhaps “middle of the road” is nearer the mark. it starts off a little more promising, perhaps, with a pleasant citrus somewhat dominant over cereal grain, but it doesn’t take long before an herbal grassy note moves to the forefront. It’s not exactly downhill from there, but it is a trip down the middle of the road. Ultimately, it’s OK, and inoffensive, but that’s it. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Royal Fresh – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV | 70 IBU (C$4.81 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 27-Oct-2020, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 29-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, oranges, white grape, caramel, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes indicated hopped with Cascade, Citra, Mosaic, Centennial, Amarillo, El Dorado, and Cashmere – so, basically, throw everything at the wall and see what sticks? Not surprisingly, it’s a lot like Fresh-Squeezed, and nothing like Chasin’ Freshies or Fresh Haze. More to the point, this is a real pint: a true UK pint, with an emphatic ABV. The big drawback is the sweetness level, as both the aroma and flavour are slightly too high for my preference. Good, and definitely solid, but not great. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery The Mutants Are Revolting – Session IPA at 4.5% ABV | 38 IBU (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 26-Nov-2020, reviewed 28-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruits, citrus, light pine, pale crackery malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, moderate tart and bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say hopped with Cascade, Idaho-7, Sabro, and Saaz, dry-hopped with Sabro, Idaho-7, and Ekuanot. Nice Session with impressive flavour for such a low ABV, and doesn’t feel watered-down. The mutants might be revolting, but the beer isn’t. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing My Own Summer Passionfruit IPA – American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 50 [?] IBU (C$4.36 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 27-Nov-2020)

Appearance: opaque medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: passionfruit & tropical fruits, citrus, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, moderate tart and bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m not able to find any proper brewer’s notes, but secondary sources indicate it to be Haze Lord wort using Sach Trois yeast and dry-hopped with Citra, Azacca and El Dorado. And yeah, I get some of that. But mostly what I get, is a passionfruit in the face at high velocity. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I suppose, but it’s a little bit of a one-trick pony. And subtle, it isn’t. Nor is it particularly refreshing. But, it is a bit of fun. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Milkshake IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 21-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 25-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a massive loose pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet lactose, vanilla, oranges, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter mildly tart finish. (4/5)

I know that Milkshake IPAs take their flavour from lactose addition, and there’s no reason for them to be opaque, but I always find it viscerally odd when examples of the style are clear or nearly so. That’s not a criticism of this one by any means, because it’s probably among the best examples of the style I’ve had, with maybe three or four ranked higher and a small handful at the same score. I find the trick with this style to be balancing the sweet lactose with a reasonable level of bitterness so that the final product doesn’t end up cloying. This pushes up to the line, and certainly has an emphatic sweetness on the nose, but is rescued by a balanced hop bitterness that’s almost spicy in the finish. It’s not exactly clean or refreshing, but it is fun. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com