RyansBooze

Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA (2020) – American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 65 IBU (C$3.85 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 6-Oct-2020, acquired 31-Dec-2020, reviewed 4-Jan-2021)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, floral, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I seem to have this one every couple of years, and I can’t say it ever much changes. As one of the first modern A/IPA’s, it’s got a lot of E/IPA character, with a more emphatic malt presence as compared to more modern, brighter versions. Big bitter nicely balanced with pleasant caramel malts, and an off-dry lingering bitter finish. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Zero Issue Brewing Halfshell Spruce Tip Ale (Issue #34) – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$4.65 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Dec-2020, reviewed 4-Jan-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two growing fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: green spruce, caramel, field berries, light citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building resiny bitter finish. (4/5)

The label art strongly suggests the name to be a reference to the “Heroes on the” variety, though what TMNT have to do with spruce I’m not entirely sure. As with some I’ve had in the past, the spruce tips actually work reasonably well with the typical pine/citrus flavours the hops, but the hopping could’ve stood to be more emphatic. On the other hand, I’ve certainly had worse spruce tip beers. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Odd Company Brewing Ella Nelson – American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$8.68 at Collective, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Dec-2020, reviewed 2-Jan-2021)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two growing fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: white grape must, earth, oak, light citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration lightly tart funky finish. (3/5)

Not terrible, but definitely as much an earthy must, as a grape-y musty. I kept waiting for a bit more complexity to develop, but it never really does. Just OK. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Nine Locks Brewing Company Frig Off – American IPA at 6.7% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.81 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Nov-2020, acquired 31-Dec-2020, reviewed 1-Jan-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine off-white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, stone fruit, pale biscuity malt, light grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, short duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Interesting choice of names, though I suppose hardly surprising coming from the same province as Unfiltered (whose website is, after all, unfuckingfiltered.com) – but Mom would definitely not approve, since this F-word is almost as bad as the other where I come from. Brewer notes claim a “massive, juicy dry hop aroma”, which I think is gilding the lily just a touch: yeah, it’s sort of juicy, but I almost called it “mild”, and it’s a long way from “massive”. Decent, though, and easy-drinking despite the somewhat salty name. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Local – Non-Alcoholic Beer at 0.3% ABV | 15 IBU (Gift, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Dec-2021, reviewed 1-Jan-2021)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of fine off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap and ring, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, honey and caramel, hint of citrus zest. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short slightly thin finish. (3/5)

I don’t generally bother with non-alcoholic beers (I always figure they’re kind of like cheating at solitaire – what’s the point?) but this was a gift in a box of locally-made products, so what the heck. And, a quick visit to the brewer web  site indicated it to be hopped with Citra and Ella, so I figured that was pretty promising. And, it wasn’t terrible. But, there’s a lot less hops going on than I had hoped for (in fact, there’s just not much of anything at all). It’s cold and it’s wet, and there are no off flavours, but I can’t see actually choosing to drink this. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Persephone Brewing Company Harvest Haze IPA – American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 28 IBU (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 29-Dec-2020)

Appearance: muddy deep gold with one finger of rocky off-white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (2/5) Aroma: red berries, citrus, resiny pine, honey, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

I’ve had about a baker’s dozen or so from these guys, and they always tend to do very well indeed. That might be in no small part because, as Canadians of a certain age will understand, I always and forever will associate this brewery with a grinning Greek. (We miss you, Bruno!) And look, I’m not one to complain about a little haze (or even a lot!), or a few chunks of particulate, but having an earthworm slither into your glass is just a little off-putting. As well, this one’s quite a bit more “muddy” than “hazy”. Yes, it might be too long in the can, but, you guessed it: no packaging date. So, you get scored as you sit, and first impressions are a bitch. Even so, it’s not terrible, but it’s not great, and well into the lower quartile for this brewery. Ah, well, such is life – they can’t all be winners, right? And it really is impressively smooth and easy to drink for a high(er) ABV, with quite low bitterness in the finish. But, damn, it’s ugly. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Burley Oak Brewing Company Sequioa Sap – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$10.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-Oct-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 29-Dec-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, resiny pine, pale biscuity malt, hint of floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium soft body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

I can’t find any proper brewer’s notes, but secondary sources indicate heavy doses of Citra and I believe it. Juicy citrus and tropical fruit dominate, brought to heel only slightly by a lingering resiny pine note. Smells a lot sweeter than it tastes, actually, (thankfully!) and finishes with a relatively clean slightly spicy bitter – all of which came as a surprise, given the name. I was expecting turpentine, or heavy West Coast tendencies at the very least, but this is a clean, fruity, and easy-to-drink NEIPA. Probably nowhere near worth the price tag, but I suppose someone’s got to pay for its trip from Maryland. (Ok, fine, maybe given its origin the NEIPA character isn’t all that surprising.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boiling Oar Brewing Company Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$3.85 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 28-Dec-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with three fingers of dense off-white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stewed fruit, caramel, grass, vegetal. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

A very straightforwardly old-fashioned APA, with strong English tendencies. I have to be careful here, I suppose, not to mark it down too much for what is very much personal preference in malt/hop balance (and for that matter, malt and hops selection). Although it’s more “Noble/English” than “American” (modern American, in any case), it’s relatively clean with no serious defects. That being said, though, the mixed/stewed fruit starts to tend a little vegetal as the pint progresses. It’s never problematic, but it’s definitely a stylistic choice that has largely gone out of favour – and, I would argue for good reason, since it’s fairly boring. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bearded Iris Brewing Co. Wavelength – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV (C$8.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 10-Nov-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 26-Dec-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with three growing fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: sweet tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt, resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sticky warming finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Vic Secret, Citra, and El Dorado. Pleasant aromas, but the taste is certainly as sweet as the tropical top notes suggested. That carries through into the finish, which is slightly sticky. The relatively high ABV is fairly well hidden, and manifests only as a slight warming towards the end of the pint. Good, but slightly short of great. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bearded Iris Brewing Co. Ever Clever Double Dry Hopped – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (C$8.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Nov-2020, acquired 9-Dec-2020, reviewed 25-Dec-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two growing fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, pale malt, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

Hopped with Centennial, Mosaic, Motueka, and Simcoe. Tropical fruit flavours dominate over what is frankly a bit muddled and sweet for my preference. As seems to be the usual, I find this brewer good, but maybe a little overrated and overpriced. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com