RyansBooze

Squatters Craft Beers Hop Rising Tropical Double IPA – American IPA at 9% ABV | 72 IBU (US$1.50 at Specs #4 North Houston, 355 ml, best before 12-Mar-2020, acquired 7-Mar-2020, reviewed 9-Mar-2020)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived pale ivory head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, tropical fruit, resiny pine, pithy grapefruit, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, sticky lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Flavours and aromas are not clearly better than the base while the appearance is slightly inferior. OK for a change, and maybe just slightly easier to drink, but not as easy as a more modern NEIPA (or NEDIPA). (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Karbach Brewing Co. Hop Tongue IPA – American IPA at 7.5% ABV | 70 IBU (US$1.67 at Specs #4 North Houston, 355 ml, best before 24-Mar-2020, acquired 7-Mar-2020, reviewed 10-Mar-2020)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, resiny pine, earth, light citrus, hint of tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky building lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Fairly old-fashioned A/IPA with heavy emphasis on malt, with pine following and a little citrus and fruit afterthought. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Squatters Craft Beers Hop Rising Double IPA – American IPA at 9% ABV | 72 IBU (US$1.50 at Specs #4 North Houston, 355 ml, best before 12-Mar-2020, acquired 7-Mar-2020, reviewed 9-Mar-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of rocky white head, good retention, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, pithy grapefruit, bready caramel, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky building lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Big and bombastic, with a definite edge, lacking in sophistication. But, hey, it’s 9%. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Citrodos IPA – American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 32 IBU (US$1.49 at Specs #4 North Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 19-Dec-2019, acquired 7-Mar-2020, reviewed 9-Mar-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, crackery pale malt, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

I might be a little enthusiastic with my rating here, but not by much – it’s pretty solid. Fairly bright citrus with a clean malt backbone makes for a pleasantly refreshing brew. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Orange Show – Blond Ale at 5.3% ABV | 21 IBU (US$1.49 at Specs #4 North Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Oct-2019, acquired 7-Mar-2020, reviewed 9-Mar-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: oranges, grainy malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)

No negative characteristics to speak of here, other than the fact that it’s pretty mild and unremarkable. It’s perfectly fine as a thirst quencher, and in fact the amount of orange juice present makes it pretty similar to a Radler. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma  Dos Equis Mexican Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (US$1.50 at Specs #4 North Houston, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 7-Mar-2020, reviewed 8-Mar-2020)

Appearance: hazy medium amber with a short, short-lived off-white head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cereal grains, floral, citrus. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

Meh. I guess they’re trying to be a bit “crafty” here, but it’s just muddled as far as I’m concerned. I think I’d rather have just a plain old Dos Equis, to be honest, but in any case this isn’t a clear improvement over that. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Super Mild – Mild Ale at 3.4% ABV | 24 IBU (C$4.72 at Collective, 568 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Feb-2020, reviewed 6-Mar-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy amber-brown with two fingers of pillowy beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, toasted bread, nuts, caramel, light grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Toasty bread and ever-so-mild – this is basically a breakfast beer. I’m a bit torn on how to rate this: it’s so mild that I feel like I have to mark it down, but that’s clearly by design, much like the extremely low ABV. It never comes off as watery, probably due to the unexpectedly lively (but not inappropriate) carbonation, and ultimately is a beer you can sip to enjoy, or simply guzzle to quench your thirst. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hawk Tail Brewery Hawktail NEPA – American Pale Ale at 6% ABV (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Feb-2020, reviewed 5-Mar-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild/muted, lemongrass, crackery pale malt, light catty/pissy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body tending slightly watery, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

I was a bit surprised that this could be as light (verging on watery) and muted in character as it was, while simultaneously having a (relatively) high ABV. I started to get a mild warming only after most of the pint was gone, and it had to struggle to make itself known over the bitterness and astringency. Not terrible, and arguably both refreshing and more-ish, but certainly not one to drink specifically to appreciate aromas and flavour. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Twin Sails Brewing Sack Lunch – American IPA at 6% ABV | 33 IBU (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Feb-2020, reviewed 5-Mar-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt, light funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium bitter lightly boozy and funky finish. (4/5)

It’s “Sack Lunch” because it’s brewed with Sacch Trois, geddit, geddit? I bet nobody else thought of that name! (Checks untappd.) Ooo… oh, well. I’m a little surprised at how there’s a bit of a boozy edge given the relatively restrained six percent joy juice factor, but that’s not a criticism by any means. Nor is the observation that the carbonation is slightly elevated for the style, since I think that acts to keep this refreshing and not overly sweet despite the emphatic fruit flavours. Honestly, these guys don’t know how to make a bad beer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Twin Sails Brewing Good Clean Fun – American IPA at 6.4% ABV | 55 IBU (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 27-Feb-2020, reviewed 4-Mar-2020)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, citrus, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

I don’t have a lot to say here, not because it’s not good (it is) but because it’s pretty much a textbook example of how to do the style – no more, no less. There’s not much above and beyond, but everything is done properly. You could certainly do a lot worse for a go-to beer for the hockey game! (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com