RyansBooze

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Bravo 2017 Vintage #1 American Strong Ale at 13.2% ABV | 28 IBU (US$11.75 at Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 21-Jun-2017, reviewed 14-May-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy and particulate-laden brown with one finger of loose beige head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, toffee, bourbon, dark fruits, vanilla. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full sightly slick body, soft carbonation, mildly bitter warming finish. (4/5)

The aroma is where this one really shines, with a mouth-watering combination of caramel/toffee and bourbon, and some fruit thrown in so you get your vitamins. It also finishes mild, with a warming alcohol presence that never gets hot. Good stuff. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Wild Oats Series Channel Ocho Christmas / Winter Specialty Spiced Beer at 8.9% ABV (C$6.23 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, packaged on 24-Oct-2018, acquired 31-Dec-2018, reviewed 14-May-2019)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of rocky light beige head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, chipotle, cocoa, light metallic. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter lingering spicy warming finish. (3/5)

I’ve had this staring at me for ages and the weather, while not exactly “winter”, still isn’t really “spring”, let alone “summer” (the heater under my desk is on) so I figured what the hell. And the spice is certainly pleasantly warming, so it’s got that going for it. Unfortunately, that’s about all it has going for it. The appearance is lacklustre, the aroma is both mild and possessing of an unfortunate metallic note, and the taste is nothing particularly interesting. The cacao nibs and cocoa powder are so mild as to be almost invisible, and the cinnamon and cloves really are invisible. The chipotle, though, yep, dialled in: mild enough that you can almost miss it at first, but lingering and building, while never getting excessive. I like the spice. The rest is a bit meh-tastic. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Weizen Hammer Weizenbock at 8.0% ABV (C$3.83 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Apr-2019, acquired 11-May-2019, reviewed 11-May-2019)

Appearance: hazy deep amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, doughy yeast, cloves, brown sugar, bubblegum. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter spicy warming slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Banana bread in a glass. And the weather is still shitty enough, here in mid-May, that a warming dark(er) beer is still appropriate. Yay. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Bog & Barrens Imperial Bakeapple Gose Gose at 7.5% ABV (C$4.70 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, packaged on 4-Apr-2019, acquired 11-May-2019, reviewed 11-May-2019)

Appearance: clear deep gold with a short fizzy head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: vinous, bakeapples, light sulphur. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, light bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, short duration moderate tart finish. (4/5)

Definite bonus points for weirdness – I wouldn’t be surprised if there were maybe a few dozen people in the world who were familiar with both bakeapples and goses. The higher ABV of this “Imperial Gose” makes it even more vinous, with the lively carbonation making this seem a lot like a sparkling white wine. It’s not a complete success – I particularly don’t like the slightly plastic band-aid sulphurous note at the end – but it’s worth a try as something different. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Red Truck Beer Company El Space Camino American Pale Ale at 5.3% ABV (C$2.52 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 20-Mar-2019, acquired 8-May-2019, reviewed 10-May-2019)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short pearlescent head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, biscuity malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

A middle-of-the-road APA/AIPA with no real negatives (other than the poor head and lacing) but also no real high points. Balanced, pleasant, and easy to drink, without being memorable. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Outcast Brewing No. 5 Biggie American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.0% ABV (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Apr-2019, acquired 8-May-2019, reviewed 9-May-2019)

Appearance: opaque slightly dirty medium gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: melon, caramel, overripe tropical fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

A big brother to No. 6 Smalls, with the same hop profile, but double the malt bill. I suppose the effects of that change would have been fairly obvious had I given it some thought, but in fact I was a bit shocked by how different the two are. Right off the hop, the appearance of this one is muddy and slightly unclean, with far less head development and retention. The aroma is also dramatically altered, with a big sweet caramel note changing the overall profile in ways I wouldn’t have anticipated. It was a cute idea to release these two side-by-side this way, but I’m not gonna lie: I had high hopes here, and they just didn’t materialize. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Outcast Brewing No. 6 Smalls Session IPA at 4.0% ABV (C$4.27 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Apr-2019, acquired 8-May-2019, reviewed 9-May-2019)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, tropical fruit, melon, crackery malt, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish tending slightly watery. (3/5)

A lighter version of No. 5 Biggie, which I haven’t yet tried because I wanted to preserve my palate for this one. The can calls this an NEISA, which is as good a description as any. The Huell Melon hops definitely make themselves known at the front end, and I initially though this might be a good example of a hop that in the past has always left me just slightly less than impressed. As it warms, though, the melon becomes a bit vegetal, once again leaving me less than impressed with that hop. The aroma is also just slightly less bright than I’d prefer, even making allowances for this being a Session IPA. The finish is also just a touch watery, even again making allowances for the style. Good, but not really a home run. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing No Snowflake Ever Falls In the Wrong Place (Erase & Rewind No. 29) American IPA at 7% ABV (C$7.74 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 8-May-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with one fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical & stone fruit, caramel, resiny pine, light herbal, hint of lactose. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

I’m not sure whether tor not this is supposed to be an NEIPA – if it is, it’s a fairly bitter and relatively un-hazy version. That being said, it’s definitely more about the aroma than a heavy, tongue-coating bitter, so, sure, call it an NEIPA if you like. The aroma is reasonably complex while remaining approachable, and the slightly higher carbonation keeps it feeling light despite the solid ABV. Refreshing and enjoyable, all in all. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Persephone Brewing Company Hazy IPA American IPA at 7% ABV (C$4.41 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 6-May-2019)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, dank pine, stone fruit, grainy caramel, faint green onion. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Quite a bit more aggressively bitter than typical for the NEIPA style, especially in the finish, but I’m OK with that. Hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, and Eureka!, all of which I heartily approve. There’s just the faintest vegetal green onion note as it warms, but it never actually gets to the point of cattiness that Simcoe sometimes can give. It goes quite a bit beyond “hazy” and well into “opaque and chunky” (seriously – there were flakes on the bottom of my glass) but that doesn’t bother me either, especially when the flavour is there – and it is. Nice one from a consistently reliable brewery. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Inner City Brewing The 800 Block American IPA at 5.5% ABV (C$4.45 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Feb-2019, acquired 5-May-2019, reviewed 5-May-2019)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit, grainy caramel, dank pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

The can says “Juicy stone fruit & tropical aromas. Dank & piney. Hazy goodness.” Yeah, OK, sure. At first, anyway, even if not quite as brightly (or dankly) as I might like. As it warms, the grainy malt comes a bit more to the forefront, though. Still and all, not bad, and a promising first offering from another new downtown Calgary brewer. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com