RyansBooze

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Hop Orange – American IPA at 6% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.27 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 12-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 24-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and ring, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange juice, caramel, sweaty stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, moderate bitter mildly tart finish. (4/5)

My immediate question was, why is this cheaper than their SIPA? But, maybe to be perceived as being a bit harsh, it’s actually not as good, so maybe that’s merited. I’m a bit surprised, actually, in that the flavour here is a bit muddled, and nowhere near as bright or clean as the SIPA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Vox Populi Session Fruit Punch IPA – Session IPA at 4.4% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.75 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 11-Aug-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 24-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy pineapple, grapefruit, pale crackery malt, stone fruit, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration lightly tart finish. (4/5)

My first from this Quebec brewer, and I’m fairly impressed. Lots of adjunct fruit flavour, of course, but it blends well with the underlying hop character, and is well supported by a clean malt base. The fruit is flavourful without being excessively sweet, and despite the light malt bill expected for such a low ABV, the body never comes across as excessively thin. Light, bright, and refreshing. Wait, there’s a DIPA version of this? I need it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Co. Melody West Coast IPA (Release 05) – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$3.45 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Nov-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 22-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with short, short-lived loose pale ivory head, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, grapefruit, caramel & toffee, stone fruit, light melon. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes indicate Simcoe and Amarillo hops. I’d prefer a bit brighter and lighter, but it’s a solid classic WCIPA, cleanly implemented. Better than their NEIPA, and probably my high water mark from this brewer so far. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

4th Meridian Brewing Co. Pig Launcher – American Pale Ale at 6.1% ABV (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 21-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber with short, short-lived loose ivory head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, grassy weeds, hint of citrus & stone fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Right off the hop, this isn’t even close to being an APA or AIPA: it’s completely English, malt-dominant with very little hop character. Definitely not doing it for me, but not even a particularly good example of an EIPA. Meh-tastic. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Banff Ave Brewing Co. Norquay 95 Quality Time Session Ale – Session IPA at 4.6% ABV | 37 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 9-Nov-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 21-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head, good retention, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: herbal/grassy, plastic band-aid, pale malt, light stone fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes say hopped with Galaxy and El Dorado, but I’m not getting any of the characteristics I normally associate with those varietals. In fact, on the nose  it’s predominantly grassy and plastic-y esters. Not a very impressive effort from a new-to-me local brewer. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Snake Lake Brewing Company Not A Hazy Pale Ale – American IPA at 4.8% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 20-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: herbal/grassy, resiny pine, pale malt, citrus, light stone fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Yes, the label is correct: this is not a hazy pale ale. It is also not a hamburger. Or a poster of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill. Or a Porsche 911 Turbo. I could go on with a listing of all the things it isn’t, but I’d be here a while… What it is, is a fairly straightforward APA, but a bit grassy in an almost Pilsner-esque fashion. Clean and refreshing. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Great Lakes Brewery Thrust! …An IPA – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 15-Oct-2020, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 19-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal malts, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

I actually had the non-NEIPA version of this over six (!) years ago, putting it near the beginning of my craft beer journey. To be honest, I don’t know why they kept the same name, because this doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of similarities to the previous version. This is a pretty archetypical NEIPA, while the prior version was much more a straight-up AIPA with WC tendencies. Very solid and enjoyable. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company Thunder Meadows IPA – American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.05 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 26-Mar-2021, acquired 18-Nov-2020, reviewed 19-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, caramel, light earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Simcoe, Ekuanot, and Idaho 7, and the malt bill includes wheat malt and flaked oats. The brewer’s tag line is “Piney. Citrusy. Classic.” and, yeah, that’s pretty much it. I don’t have much to add to that, except for the fact that I find the body a tad light despite the oats. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Burdock Brewing Vermont Blond – American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV (C$5.17 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 23-Sep-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 16-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, grainy malt, grass, light sweaty tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: light body tending watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes say it’s dry-hopped with Citra, without specifying any other hops. There’s not a lot happening other than the zesty citrus, so I suppose it’s possible that it’s actually single-hopped. But whatever it’s hopped with, there isn’t a lot of it. And that’s the bottom line here: there’s nothing bad, but ultimately there’s not much of anything at all. I’ve had a lot of Session IPAs with much more robust flavour than this. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

S.Y.C. Brewing Co. µ (Mu) – Session IPA at 3.0% ABV (C$4.27 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Oct-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 16-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, grass, pale crackery malt, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry crisp slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes call this “A small IPA featuring a big experimental Australian hop varietal.” but doesn’t specify the varietal. I’m not unimpressed by this, but the appearance is the best part, with aroma, flavour, and palate being progressively less so. Nothing is actually bad, but the extremely lean malt bill is the limiting factor when it comes to supporting the hop character, and in particular the finish ends up slightly astringent. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com