RyansBooze

Yukon Brewing Company Double IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-May-2020, reviewed 16-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pine, bready malt. (7/10) Taste: high bitter, moderate sweet. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

These guys will always have a special place in my heart, because I literally once stepped off a chartered helicopter, checked my work gear at CYXY, and then did their brewery tour, before hopping a commercial flight back to “civilization” at CYYC. The two nights immediately prior to that, I, a work partner, and our helicopter pilot (no lie: I literally drank the guy – whose safety was our priority – under the table) drank the entire town of Watson Lake (YK) dry of beer while staying at “A Nice Motel” (it really wasn’t) and it really doesn’t get much more fun than that. I would have stepped over any family member you’d care to name for one of these that night, but, well, as I pointed out, we had already drunk the town dry. Good fun. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Twin Sails Brewing Front Lawn Bench Press – American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.9% ABV | 55 IBU (C$6.12 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-May-2020, reviewed 16-May-2020)

Appearance: opaque medium gold with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, sweet lactose, melon, citrus, green pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high bitter, moderate sweet, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Ekuanot, Galaxy, & Citra? – oh, hells, yes. The interesting thing that jumps out as unique here is the green pepper, presumably from the Ekuanot, because, seriously, nothing else does that. I’m not really surprised at the overall result, because in my experience Twin Sails doesn’t know how to make a bad beer, but that green pepper note stands out as the most interesting aspect. There are certainly better beers out there, but this one is interesting, and that counts for a lot. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Newport Nights – American IPA at 9.8% ABV | 60 IBU (C$5.98 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-Apr-2020, acquired 1-May-2020, reviewed 16-May-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toffee & caramel, tropical fruit, dank pine, grapefruit, melon, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high bitter, moderate-high sweet. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly syrupy body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry building and lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

“Pair it with •Oyster shooters •Karaoke •Questionable dance moves” – which leads to the obvious question: are there any other kinds of dance moves? The can only specifies El Dorado hops, but the brewer web site says “hop extract, El Dorado hops, Mosaic hops, Citra hops”. I’m sorry: “hop extract”? Really? Don’t get me wrong, this is a solid old-school West Coast IPA, but why throw that kind of wild card into the mix? That said, lots of respect for this big boozy old-school bastard. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Born Colorado Brewing Black Chai Affair – American IPA at 7% ABV | 60 IBU (C$4.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Apr-2020, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 16-May-2020)

Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of rocky beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chai tea, roasty malts, coffee, smoke, light metallic. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high bitter, moderate sweet, moderate spice. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I really didn’t have a lot of choice when it came to buying this one, seeing how it came from a solid local brewery (whose logo is a “C” in a circle) as a collaboration with my go-to bottle shop (whose logo is three “C’s” in a circle, and moreover shares a name with one of the best brewers in Canada). I’m not generally a fan of chai, but this one avoids the biggest problem there by keeping the sweetness very restrained. I think I would’ve hated this if it were sweet, but as it is, I like it. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cigar City Brewing Florida Cracker – Witbier at 5.5% ABV | 15 IBU (C$4.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 20-Apr-2020, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 16-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap & ring, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange & lime zest, banana, wheat, coriander. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate spice, low bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly astringent finish. (4/5)

More coriander in the finish than on the front end, which in my opinion is exactly how it should be: in my experience, if you get the coriander right away, by the time the pint is done there’s literally nothing else going on. This is nicely balanced, with reasonable spice and bitterness in the finish. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project Well, Actually – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.45 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 2-May-2020, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 16-May-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: melon, citrus, caramel, pine, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly astringent finish. (3/5)

I’m not normally one to complain about bitter, but this is pretty bitter for something calling itself an NEIPA. This is particularly the case in the finish, which is somewhat astringent. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Snake Lake Brewing Company Brighter Horizons – American Pale Ale at 5.4% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 15-May-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fingers of loose white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, caramel, light coconut. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly tart finish. (4/5)

This one is conditioned on guava, pineapple, and peach, and hopped with Sabro, Citra, and Amarillo. I’m getting most of that, predominantly tropical and stone fruit, as well as citrus. I usually think of Sabro as imparting a coconut note, but I’m getting just the merest hint of that, mostly in the finish. Pleasant and easy-drinking. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company PilsGNAR – Pilsner at 5.2% ABV (C$3.96 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 24-Apr-2020, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 15-May-2020)

Appearance: bright clear straw with two fingers of loose white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready malt, floral/grass, herbal, sulphur. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly spicy slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

A more straightforward Pils than their Part-Time Model, with a more traditional German-style hop selection. I actually prefer the ANZ-style hopping of the former, but find this one to be almost as crushable, particularly since the traditional sulphur aroma is very restrained. I do find it just a little astringent in the finish, and so not quite at the same level, but solid regardless. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Part-Time Model – Pilsener at 5.2% ABV (C$4.27 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 11-May-2020)

Appearance: bright clear straw with one fat finger of loose white head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: berry & melon, bready malt, citrus, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Really solid Pils – ANZ-style hops lead the way, with a clean malt supporting and a little grass and citrus in the back end. I’m told it’s got Nelson Sauvin and Citra, and that’s pretty much what I’m getting, with gooseberry/melon and mild citrus. Clean, bright, easy-drinking and refreshing – if all Pilsners were like this, I’d probably drink a lot more of them! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Establishment Brewing Company Mellow Gold – Helles Lager at 4.8% ABV (C$3.96 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Apr-2020, acquired 7-May-2020, reviewed 11-May-2020)

Appearance: bright clear straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready malt, grass, floral, herbs, light diacetyl upon warming. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry medium duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

This one started off very nice indeed, with clean and balanced grainy malt and grassy hops. However, a slight buttery diacetyl developed towards the end of the pint and lingered slightly on the palate. Decent overall, but falls a little short of great. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com