RyansBooze

Sawback Brewing Co. Barrel Aged Series No. 1 – American Wild Ale at 7% ABV | 70 IBU (C$16.75 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 1-Aug-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 13-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear amber brown with one fat finger of pillowy beige head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee grounds, barnyardy funk, floral, ash, oak. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, moderate funk. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)

I wanted to like this, but, well, I didn’t. Not really. Coffee can be a risky adjunct in any case, and in this case the addition of Brett emphasizes the over-extracted, coffee grounds in the trash can character. Other flavours are a long way in the background and don’t really contribute much to the overall experience. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Siding 14 Brewing Co. Engine 17 Whistle Stop Fresh Hop – American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 35 IBU (C$2.85 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 13-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of pillowy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: grass, biscuity malt, lemon zest, herbal, light pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with Cascade and Centennial, but I’m finding the citrus and pine to be much less front and centre than I would have expected, certainly for the fresh hop / wet hop style. In fact, between the grass dominance and the biscuity malt, it seems almost Pilsner-ish. Not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with that, but it’s not what I look for in an APA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Deschutes Brewery Chasin’ Freshies – American IPA at 6% ABV | 50 IBU (C$3.91 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 30-Sep-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 12-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, melon, pine, lime zest, mint, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with El Dorado and Zappa, making it (I think) only my second exposure to the latter. I’m definitely getting the mint in particular that I’m coming to associate with this hop. I also think that it’s contributing very well to an overall layered complexity I quite enjoy. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whitetooth Brewing Company Blower Pow – American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.32 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Oct-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 11-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, honey, light tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Chinook, Centennial, Galaxy, and Mosaic. Fairly straightforward West Coast IPA, clean and well-balanced. I particularly like the emphasis on resiny pines which leads the way over juicy citrus, sweet honey malt, and a hint of tropical fruit. I would prefer a little less emphasis on the sweetness, but the pine and citrus are sufficiently emphatic to dominate the aroma, and the bitterness compensates on the tongue. Real good stuff overall. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ecliptic Brewing Cosmos Coconut & Vanilla Hazy IPA (2020 Edition) – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.0% ABV (C$9.31 at Collective, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 10-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coconut, vanilla, oranges, tropical fruit, boozy malts. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

A fairly milkshake-y IPA, and slightly too sweet for my preference. That’s offset to a large extent by the pronounced bitterness, which largely but not completely saves this. The slight booziness is also not unpleasant, nor is it out of place given the elevated ABV. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stronghold Brewing Co. IPA Toucans – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$4.00 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 9-Nov-2020)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head and some end of the can solids, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, caramel, citrus, herbal, melon. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lingering bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

A pretty basic AIPA without a whole lot to recommend it. The brewer describes it as a West Coast IPA, but I’m not getting much along those lines. Despite the emphatic hoppy bite, the hops are muddled and poorly defined, and actually barely beat out the caramel malt bill. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Offshoot Beer Co. Retreat – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.6% ABV | 50 IBU (C$6.57 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 16-Sep-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 8-Nov-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale amber with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, caramel, melon, berries, coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thick, moderate carbonation, warming lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Mosaic, Cashmere, and El Dorado; malts are 2-Row and Flaked Oats – and that’s exactly what it smells and tastes like. The only thing that list doesn’t necessarily tell you is that it’s also got a boozy edge, but that’s hardly surprising given the beefy ABV, nor is it unwelcome. A bit too bombastic to be really refreshing, perhaps, but quite enjoyable regardless. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Town Square Brewing Anniversary Limited (Year 3 IPA) – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 8-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, resiny pine, herbal, tropical fruit, pale biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

I can’t find any brewer notes, but secondary sources say it’s hopped with Mosaic, Vic Secret, and Cascade, and that certainly fits with the flavour profile I’m getting. Definitely more emphatically bitter than normal for the hazy IPA style, but it’s well-balanced, and not excessive or unwelcome. Solid and pleasing. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blacks Brewery KPA Kinsale Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV | 60 IBU (C$4.50 at Collective, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 7-Nov-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with a large rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grass, biscuity malt, citrus, faint tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Centennial, Cascade, and Citra, but grass dominates over citrus, while any tropical fruit falls far behind. Not bad, and I’d probably have liked it whole lot five or ten years ago, but now it just feels old-fashioned while not being quite good enough to rescue itself from that characterization. On the other hand, there are absolutely no negatives here. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rainhard Brewing Weekend Warrior – American IPA at 5% ABV (C$5.40 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Sep-2020, acquired 5-Nov-2020, reviewed 6-Nov-2020)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, clean pale malt, hint of pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Idaho 7, Centennial, and Citra. Straightforward crushable hazy. It’s certainly not unique, but it’s clean and nice. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com