RyansBooze

The Establishment Brewing Company Sky Rocket V – American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Feb-2020, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 20-Feb-2020)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, resiny pine, stone fruit, pale malt, hint of coconut. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter lingering finish. (4/5)

This is pretty near identical to Sky Rocket II. Not that I’m complaining, much, because that (and, by extension, this) are damn good. The only thing I’m detecting differently here is a hint of coconut, presumably from the Sabro hops. I can’t say I’m detecting any difference in the malt, which here is locally-grown Origin Pilsner, while II is malted with Maris Otter. Whatever – it’s excellent. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewsters Brewing Company Mosaic Haze IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV | 65 IBU (C$2.56 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 24-Jan-2020, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 20-Feb-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit & citrus, mild caramel, light pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

This one smells absolutely amazing: loads of juicy tropical fruit and citrus on a clean malt background, with just a hint of pine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste anywhere near as good as it smells. That isn’t to say there’s any off character as such, but the flavour falls well short of the aroma. The appearance is also pretty forgettable, with a dirty, muddy colour and unenthusiastic head and lacing. The net result is definitely among the better offerings I’ve had from Brewster’s, but falls a little short of top marks. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bellwoods Brewery Donkey Venom (2019) – Sour / Wild Ale at 8.5% ABV (C$22.32 at Collective, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 17-Feb-2020)

Appearance: opaque deep brown with one finger of thin beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tart red wine, dried cherries, chocolate, oak, leather. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, moderate-low bitter. (8/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, medium duration moderately tart finish. (4/5)

Comparing to my notes, this is pretty much exactly the same as the 2016 vintage I had nearly four years ago, which should hardly come as a surprise, I guess: while there are an infinite number of ways to be wrong, there are a lot fewer ways to be consistently good, and Bellwoods is consistently great. I had this one maybe six months younger than the previous one, but I can’t detect any difference. I’ll say the same thing now as I did then: if it has a flaw, it lies in its simplicity. It’s a big tart with some woody barrel notes, and not much else. (And what’s wrong with a big tart? Nothing! Cue Whole Lotta Rosie…) The price tag, though, is nothing short of highway robbery – more than twice the price I paid at the brewery. On the other hand, it’s not like I’m routinely commuting through YYZ any more, so I don’t have a lot of alternatives, do I? (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing Entropy Series No. 11 Whiskey Sour – Saison at 7% ABV (C$12.19 at Collective, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 17-Feb-2020)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tart lime, bourbon, oak, vanilla, floral, dry hay funk. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate-lively carbonation, tart slightly funky finish. (4/5)

That’s a deeply weird beer, which I mean in the nicest way possible, but to be a little nit-picky, it’s not quite a whiskey sour (one of my favourite cocktails). Not because of the absence of whiskey, which is there in spades as barrel notes of bourbon, oak, and vanilla, but because the citrus notes strike me as more lime than lemon. Now that I say that, I’m considering mixing my next whiskey sour with lime instead of lemon… In any case, there’s a whole lot going on here on the nose and the tongue, on top of an emphatic ABV. I would normally consider that busyness to be a bit of a strike against something claiming to be a Saison, but the fact is it’s pretty refreshing even so. No surprise, I guess, that this is another Dageraad offering that I quite like, since I quite literally think they don’t know how to make a bad beer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing The Art of Mixing a Beer: Blood Orange Margarita – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV (C$7.56 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 14-Feb-2020)

Appearance: hazy particulate-laden medium gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange juice and peel, tropical fruit, caramel, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, juicy moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

No date code, unless “ETBOM1-A1” follows some obscure pattern I’ve not encountered before. Why, oh why, do brewers not want you to know how old a beer is? I’m assuming the particulate is blood orange pulp, given the emphatic orange character, but I suppose it wouldn’t be the first chunky-style beer I’ve seen… or drunk… I’m a bit confused by the name, too, because there’s no margarita character I can discern – more like an industrial-strength Radler. All in all, it seems to be flailing about in all directions at once. Not bad, but not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Freakshow Crush – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Jan-2020, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 14-Feb-2020)

Appearance: opaque straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pale crackery malt, melon, hint of dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

The can is festooned with any number of let-your-freak-flag-fly encouragements, all pretty much boiling down to “Normal is weird”, but the bottom of the can contains the best text of all: “Jan/22/2020”. Three weeks old? Sweet! Flying Monkeys are probably one of the first craft breweries I became familiar with, so it’s nice to see them embracing new(er) styles with aplomb (unlike some of the old guard who seem to actively resent them). Yeah, it could stand to be a little juicier, and the bitterness just starts to hint at astringency in the finish, but overall it’s a solid example of the style. And yes, normal is weird. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Level Brewing Guava Lord – American IPA at 5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 13-Feb-2020, reviewed 13-Feb-2020)

Appearance: slightly dirty opaque pale gold with a thin fizzy head that retains poorly, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: tropical fruit (guava), citrus, caramel, light chilli pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending slightly thin, moderate-lively carbonation, sweetish short duration moderate bitter lingering spicy finish. (3/5)

I don’t want to be too hard on this, because it’s genuinely refreshing. I particularly like the hint of chilli pepper, which can be so hard to get right – too little and it’s lost, too much and it grows until it overwhelms. But, man, it’s ugly, and the thinnish body and lively carbonation don’t match well with the flavours. Much like the base Haze Lord, I think the aroma and overall experience would benefit from a thicker body and maybe a slightly higher ABV. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blindman Brewing Belgian Dark Strong Age in Port Barrels – Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.7% ABV (C$14.76 at Collective, 500 ml, packaged on 25-Jan-2020, acquired 24-Jan-2020, reviewed 10-Feb-2020)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with a large fizzy loose beige head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tawny port, raisins, field berries, oak, brown sugar, ginger, spices. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium tart warming finish. (4/5)

Any beer with this big an ABV can’t help but be a bit of a beast, but it’s actually less boozy than I expected it be. Lots of port character, though, along with raisin sweetness and berry tartness. Had to ding the appearance score, though, for the loose fizzy head and the gusher upon decapping. (The relatively light body and higher than normal carbonation could just as easily be a basis for a lower score, especially since but really none of this issues is a big problem so I decided not to over-penalize.) (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yellowhead Brewery x Tool Shed Brewing Rococo Rose Saison – Saison at 6.8% ABV (C$3.60 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Oct-2019, acquired 24-Jan-2020, reviewed 3-Feb-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fine white head, good retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grape must, spices, field berries, light funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry medium tart finish. (3/5)

The can says it’s a “Rose” Saison, but I assume that since it’s made with shiraz and zinfandel grape musts, they mean it’s a “Rosé”. Not that it looks much like that – there’s no pink or red in its colour at all – but flavour-wise, sure, white and red wine characters are there. A bit heavy for a Saison, but decent enough overall. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Canmore Brewing Company 3rd Double IPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.18 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jan-2020, reviewed 3-Feb-2020)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with a short fine ivory head diminishing to a thick persistent cap, soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, wet cardboard, stewed fruits, acetone. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter fruity finish. (3/5)

I think I got an oxidized can. Brewer says “Hop forward with a bit of a fruity finish.” but I got malt, wet cardboard, and a hint of nail polish remover. A disappointing sink pour. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com