RyansBooze

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Ebony Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV | 75+ IBU (C$8.39 at Okotoks Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 20-Sep-2019, acquired 28-Apr-2019, reviewed 4-May-2019)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grass, crackery pale malt, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

Might be the least impressive of the Dragon series so far. It’s single-hopped with Denali, and the brewer’s notes claim notes of pineapple, pine, and tropical fruit, which is what the grower’s descriptions for Denali would lead one to expect – except I’m not getting any of that. It smells like an American Pale Lager, or maybe a Pilsener. Don’t get me wrong, it would be a fine example of such, just not of a DIPA. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Burdock Brewing Brett Farmhouse Saison at 6.5% ABV (C$7.25 at Andrew Hilton Wine & Spirits, 375 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Mar-2019, reviewed 3-May-2019)

Appearance: clear bright straw with a pillowy white head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick cap, moderate stringy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: barnyard funk, white grape must, crackery pale malt, green apple, white pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funky tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry medium duration slightly astringent funky finish. (3/5)

Obvious Brett domination right from the initial pour, with its huge billowing white head and barnyard funky aroma. Unfortunately that Brett domination comes through somewhat thin and sharp on the tongue, finishing slightly astringent. Not bad overall, but not quite where I’d like the balance to be. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Phillips Brewing Company Black Magic Dark Ale American Brown Ale at 5.3% ABV (C$2.99 at Okotoks Co-Op, 473 ml, best before 23-Jun-2019, acquired 28-Apr-2019, reviewed 2-May-2019)

Appearance: clear brown with two fat fingers of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, well-defined soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: nuts, roasty malt, cocoa, light ashy smoke, grass & floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light smoke. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Yes, I know, wrong glass for the style – for some reason I was expecting this to be a CDA/Black IPA. In fact, it’s almost like a Ruachbier, with a mild slightly smokey flavour. I like it. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Original Gravity Haze American IPA at 7% ABV (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 12-Sep-2019, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 2-May-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale golf with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, tropical fruit, citrus, pale crackery malt, faint resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

The can says there’s green apple in this, but hell if I can detect any. That said, the web site says “apple pectin” so maybe that’s why I’m not getting any actual apple flavour. (They also say they added oats for viscosity, but again, bit of a swing and a miss on that count too.) On the up side, the hop blend – El Dorado, Amarillo, Mosaic, Idaho Seven, Citra, Simcoe, and Vic Secret – is quite nice, including a lot of my personal favourites. All in all, a decent enough foray onto the NEIPA bandwagon, if not exactly crushing it – and certainly not a patch on Raised by Wolves, or Fat Tug. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sawback Brewing Co. West Coast IPA American IPA at 6.6% ABV (C$4.23 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 1-May-2019)

Appearance: slightly dirty pale amber with one fat finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, tropical fruit, pine resin, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (4/5)

Another local (well, almost – Red Deer) brewery, breaking new ground with a radical new style of beer… if it was still 1994. (OK, to be fair, the Mosaic is pretty new.) I dunno – this one isn’t really firing me up at all, despite being one of my favourite styles. It’s definitely an old-school throwback in the malting, which gives a sweet almost syrupy note in the aroma, carrying all the way through into the slightly sticky finish. No date on the can, so I can’t speak to whether age is affecting this or not, other than to say they certainly haven’t been on the shelves around here for more than a month, so I doubt it. Could be oxidized, though…? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Tool Shed Brewing Company Black is The New Pink (Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day 2019) Black IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$2.83 at Okotoks Co-Op, 355 ml, packaged on 19-Apr-2019, acquired 28-Apr-2019, reviewed 30-Apr-2019)

Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of creamy beige head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, dark roasted malt, coffee. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-high carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice example of a style that can be tough to get right. Initially hops dominate, but as it warms, the dark roasted notes gain ground, making for an interesting evolution of the overall feel as the pint progresses. The brewer notes indicate it’s hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe, Ekuanot, and Mosaic, but neither really stand out as far as I can tell. Personally, I’d prefer just a bit more hoppiness in both the aroma and flavour, particularly from Mosaic – but it’s pretty good as-is. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing The Pure and Simple IPA Is Rarely Pure and Never Simple (Batch #001) Session IPA at 4.5% ABV (C$6.34 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 29-Apr-2019)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pineapple, lemon-lime, grainy malt, melon, light grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, mild short duration finish. (4/5)

Decent enough, I suppose, and nothing really wrong here that I can put my finger on, but it’s certainly not exciting enough to overcome my initial perception: yet another bandwagon beer. OK with lunch, especially considering the light ABV, but not one you’d necessarily go back to. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewery Ommegang Mother of Dragons Smoked Beer at 6.6% ABV | 24 IBU (C$15.99 at Okotoks Co-Op, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 28-Apr-2019, reviewed 28-Apr-2019)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fat fingers of rocky beige head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tart cherry, bready malt, chocolate, light smoke. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart, light smoke. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lightly tart finish. (4/5)

I wasn’t certain what to expect from a “Smoked Porter and Kriek Ale Blend”, but it ended up being quite pleasant. The Porter and Kriek flavours work pretty seamlessly together, with an overall effect not unlike chocolate-covered cherries. I certainly don’t dislike smoked beers, but feel that the light character of the smoke here was nicely done, playing to the whole “dragons” thing without detracting from the overall effect. The relatively light body also worked well with the restrained sweetness, making for a surprisingly approachable beer overall. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewery Ommegang King in the North Imperial Stout at 11% ABV | 40 IBU (C$16.49 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 27-Apr-2019)

Appearance: opaque near-black with two fat fingers of rocky beige head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon, dark dried fruit, light vanilla & smoke. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, warming lingering bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Smells slightly better than it tastes but neither is particularly memorable. It’s a solid barrel-aged stout with a fairly well-balanced bourbon profile that doesn’t get too hot or solvent-like, but neither the aroma nor the taste are anything I haven’t seen done better elsewhere. The finish is probably my biggest complaint here, with an ever-so-slightly unbalanced bitterness that ends up feeling just a bit astringent. Nothing here is off, or problematic, but it does fall short of being a great example of the style. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brewery Ommegang For the Throne Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 9.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$19.21 at Collective, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 12-Apr-2019, reviewed 27-Apr-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vinous grape, orchard and stone fruits, bready malt, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, crisp warming mildly tart finish. (4/5)

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to have a GoT beer, in a GoT glass, while watching GoT. Not that it’s all about branding: this thing is co-fermented with Pinot Grigio and Viognier grape juice, and though I’ve expressed my approbation for Pinot in the past, that’s more than offset by my approval of Viognier. Ommegang of course uses their house yeast here, so the family resemblance is pronounced – but that’s hardly a criticism. And the fact that I went from snorkelling in Hawaii yesterday, to a literal blizzard in Alberta today? Well, I might as well be in Winterfell, so I’m gonna go ahead and drink like Tyrion – maybe if I’m lucky the Night King will come along and put me out of my misery. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com