Hoyne Brewing Co. Hoyne IPA – American IPA at 6.3% ABV (C$7.38 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 30-Jul-2019, acquired 21-Nov-2019, reviewed 25-Nov-2019)
Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, tropical fruit, citrus, pine, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)
OK, but not really anything special. Definitely tends slightly old-fashioned, both in the hop character itself, as well as the hop-malt balance. (14/20)
Cannery Brewing Company Dualis DIPA – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 80 IBU (C$3.82 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 21-Nov-2019, reviewed 24-Nov-2019)
Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus oils, biscuity malt, tropical fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, lively carbonation, dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
I generally quite enjoy a dry, highly-attenuated take on the DIPA style, and this is no exception. It is, however, a bit of an exception to the track record I’ve had with this brewery: prior to this, I’ve been generally less than impressed, with most scores coming in around seven, or more often, six. This one of only two times I’ve assigned a score higher than seven for them, and easily the highest to date. It’s the first DIPA of theirs I’ve had, so perhaps they’ve found their true calling? As far as the beer itself goes, it’s initially slightly underwhelming, in the sense that the aroma takes a while to really develop and establish. As it does, however, a combination of resiny pine, oily citrus, and mild tropical fruits manifests, consistent with what I’d expect for the reported Galaxy and Simcoe hopping. All in all, it’s lean but enjoyable, with a take-no-prisoners bitterness. Good stuff. (16/20)
Valley Brewing, Inc. Namesake Hazy IPA – American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 30 IBU (C$4.72 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Oct-2019, acquired 21-Nov-2019, reviewed 22-Nov-2019)
Appearance: hazy straw with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, tropical fruit, citrus, oats, bready malt, pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)
Wow. I was told this one took top honours at IPA Day a little while ago, and the reasons for that were obvious upon pouring it.The aromas of ANZAC hops and oats were immediately apparent, and I didn’t even need to taste it to know it was going to be good. (But I did. You can’t be too careful about these things.) And for that to come from a local(-ish) small-town brewery I’d never even heard of before? Impressive. As. Fuck. Will definitely be keeping an eye on these guys. (17/20)
Banded Peak Brewery Tooth and Claw Cherry Saison – Saison at 7.7% ABV | 11 IBU (C$4.68 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 29-Aug-2019, acquired 15-Oct-2019, reviewed 21-Nov-2019)
Appearance: clear pale golden-red with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: cherry, cloves, cereal malt, floral, earth, lactic tart. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry tart finish. (4/5)
Kinda reminds me of a Driftwood offering, both in terms of label art and overall philosophy. But, while we’re on the topic of philosophy, it’s really not very Saison-ish: too complex and boozy for that bailiwick. But, not unpleasant overall. (14/20)
Snake Lake Brewing Company / Sawback Brewing Co. / Paddy’s Barbecue and Brewery Triple IPA Collab Series No. 2 – Triple IPA at 10.2% ABV | 65 IBU (C$4.25 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Oct-2019, reviewed 21-Nov-2019)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: solvent, pineapple, hot fusels. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)
I guess there’s a certain symmetry to a Triple IPA (yes, fine, I broke down and added the style, happy?) being a triple collaboration. Not really surprising that the high ABV kills the short head in short order, or that it gives rise to aromatic overtones that could, perhaps somewhat uncharitably, be characterized as “burning hair” or “urine”. Let’s focus on the positives instead, shall we? As in, I’m positive this will fuck your shit up. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and this very much is what it is – but, all things considered, it’s fairly easy drinking, to boot. (14/20)
The Establishment Brewing Company Sky Rocket IV – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$10.65 at Collective, 946 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 21-Nov-2019, reviewed 21-Nov-2019)
Appearance: opaque medium 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 lactose. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter lingering finish. (4/5)
Pretty similar to Sky Rocket II, but the only brewing difference I can positively identify is the use of chit malt in this one, while II had Maris Otter and wheat (both use 2-row and oats). I can now find brewer’s notes (that I didn’t have when reviewing it) that II was hopped with Citra, Amarillo, and Azacca, but no details regarding what IV is hopped with. Similar to II, there’s the faintest vegetal note that I don’t think I would have noticed had I not reviewed my notes for its predecessor – possibly Simcoe, or maybe Citra? Again I’m getting an in-spec mild bitterness and a lactose-like sweetness (and now with benefit of brewer’s notes for II I’m definitely attributing that to the oats). One other minor variation is that the IV is visually slightly darker than the II, which I’m thinking is a malt issue. Or, y’know, jibber-jabber aside, damn good stuff. (17/20)
Cabin Brewing Company Static Effect – American IPA at 7% ABV | 40 IBU (C$4.68 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Nov-2019, acquired 21-Nov-2019, reviewed 21-Nov-2019)
Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, stone fruit, citrus, oats, dank pine, cream. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Very nicely balanced blend of mixed fruits, citrus, and pine. The bitterness is slightly high compared to that I normally associate with the style, but not in any absolute sense. Definitely one I could drink a lot of. (16/20)
Innis & Gunn Brewing Company Mangoes On The Run Mango IPA – American IPA at 5.6% ABV (C$3.89 at Okotoks Co-Op, 500 ml, best before 31-May-2020, acquired 19-Nov-2019, reviewed 20-Nov-2019)
Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mango, citrus, caramel, black tea. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, oily lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Slightly better than their other recent limited edition, a passionfruit pale ale. This, though still emphatically fruity, is at least possessing of some hop character (particularly an oily citrus, presumably courtesy of the Simcoe and Citra) in addition to the heavy mango adjunct. Plus, mango just seems to work better with hops than passionfruit in my experience. It’s not something I’d want to drink a lot of – this one is plenty, thanks – but it’s not without its charms. All in all, slightly better than I was expecting. (14/20)
Innis & Gunn Brewing Company Tropic Like It’s Hop Passionfruit Pale Ale – Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 4.4% ABV (C$3.89 at Okotoks Co-Op, 500 ml, best before 30-Jun-2020, acquired 19-Nov-2019, reviewed 20-Nov-2019)
Appearance: clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, stone fruit, caramel, black tea. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)
The emphatic adjunct overwhelms everything else, unfortunately including the Mosaic and Citra hops the brewer claims. I can’t say I’m getting any citrus at all, and the tropical fruit is pretty clearly due to the adjunct and not the hops. Sweet, but with a lingering slightly astringent finish, it’s a bit muddled overall – sort of an EPA, and sort of an APA, but mostly just fruit. I wasn’t expecting much, and wasn’t disappointed. (13/20)
Steam Whistle Brewing Steam Whistle Premium Pale Ale – English Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$3.59 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Jul-2019, acquired 19-Nov-2019, reviewed 20-Nov-2019)
Appearance: clear medium amber with two fat fingers of creamy pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready caramel, floral/herbal, pine, grass, citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)
The brewer’s web site doesn’t specify what style they consider this to be, but in my opinion it’s leaning much more to the EPA side than APA, so I’ve categorized it accordingly. In fact, as an APA, I’d consider it a bit of a failure, but it’s hard to find fault with it as an EPA. Malt-forward, but clean, with noble hop aromas, and a moderately bitter finish. This might actually be the best beer with “premium” on the label that I’ve ever had. (15/20)
