RyansBooze

Maui Brewing Co. / Breakside Brewery Laulima Belgian IPA Belgian IPA at 7.1% ABV (C$3.91 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 13-Sep-2018, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 7-Feb-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: candi sugar, funky esters, stone fruit, floral, grassy hay, white pepper. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild funk. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly funky finish. (4/5)

A mild, Belg-ish IPA that does a pretty good job of hiding its larger ABV. Nothing too exciting, but no real negatives either. (I wonder, though, how an OR-HI collaboration decided on “Belgian IPA” as the style. Seriously?) (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Snake Lake Brewing Company Taco IPA American IPA at 6.6% ABV | 40 IBU (C$2.70 at Collective, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 6-Feb-2019)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, salty tortilla chips, grainy pale malt, lime zest, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild salt. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly briny finish. (4/5)

That’s… more than a little weird. (Which, don’t get me wrong, is not necessarily a bad thing.) I got quite a bit of salty tortilla chip aroma on the initial pour, but that diminished fairly rapidly – though it’s still certainly there in the finish. Not really “taco”, though, as much as “taco shell”. Decent enough overall, though I’d like to see brighter hops more dominant over the slightly gimmicky adjuncts. Also, credit where credit is due, I love the fact that they put ABV, IBU, SG, FG, and SRM on the label – but I’d forgo almost all of that in exchange for a packaging date. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Baked Goods American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$5.04 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Nov-2011, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 5-Feb-2019)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla, caramel, dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter slightly resiny finish. (4/5)

Quite a bit better than their Bubble Farm IPA I had earlier, with much more flavour even though it’s got the much lighter ABV and malt bill you’d expect for an APA. This is more the speed I’d expect for Clown Shoes. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Bubble Farm American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.00 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 21-Nov-2018, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 5-Feb-2019)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and ring, moderate spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, biscuity caramel, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

There’s nothing really wrong with this one, but it’s a bit of a disappointment from Clown Shoes. I mean, it’s sort of hazy, and sort of juicy, but doesn’t really break any new ground. If it were from a new brewery, I’d call it a fine effort, but I expect more from CS. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Corporation Brewing Initial Public Offering American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$4.14 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 4-Feb-2019)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate clingy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grainy caramel & buttery toffee, resiny pine, citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Contract brewed by Last Spike, this is the first offering from yet another new Calgary brewery. Well… I say “new”, but I guess they’re technically still “non-existent”, at least in a bricks-and-mortar sense. (Though, they’re hardly alone there – for example, I think Six Corners’ “planned” location in Okotoks has been such for more than a year and is still a bare lot.) And yeah, I like their tongue-in-cheek send-up of corporate culture, but it feels both late (Calgary’s been moribund for a good three or four years now) and hollow (they’re not good enough to pull it off). Most egregious is the slight buttery note on the front end, and the way the promised bombastic bitter ends a little astringent. It’s not terrible, and arrogance is all well and good when you’re Stone’s Arrogant Bastard, but this ain’t that. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fernie Brewing Company Campout West Coast Pale American Pale Ale at 5.4% ABV | 39 IBU _(C$2.47 at Collective, 355 ml, best before 13-Jun-2019, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 4-Feb-2019)_

Appearance: clear medium gold with a towering fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate clingy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, caramel, tropical fruit, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium bitter finish. (4/5)

I had this a couple of years ago, back when it was first introduced and called Base Camp. Have I mentioned I hate arbitrary name changes that result in my thinking I haven’t had a beer before? (Though this isn’t bad, so I’m not too livid… I’m a bit peeved I don’t get a tick on Untappd, though.) At the time, I complained that they were using a fairly cryptic date/BB code, and to give all due credit at least they’re gone with a human-readable BB now – but I’d still prefer a packaging date. As before, I’m getting a balance between citrus and caramel, with some assorted fruitiness and lightly dank pine following behind. A combination of English and West Coast Pale attributes, and a clean decently dry finish make this a pleasant thirst-quencher. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Delta Brewery Inductive IPA American IPA at 5.6% ABV | 62 IBU (C$2.29 at Solo Liquor Okotoks, 355 ml, best before 27-May-2019, acquired 3-Feb-2019, reviewed 3-Feb-2019)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of creamy off-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank pine, caramel, citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Given the name I assumed these guys were a new BC brewery, but no, they’re Airdrie. Except not really, because this one is contract brewed by GP in Grande Prairie. So, BC name for a southern AB brewing company but a beer brewed in northern AB. Makes perfect sense, right? Anyhoo, the beer is OK: emphatic-leaning bitter and resiny pine on a malty caramel backbone. I’d like more hop (variety and intensity) in the aroma, but overall it’s a good enough six pack for SuperBowl LIII. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Belching Beaver Brewery Mosaic Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV | 60 IBU (C$4.63 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 2-Feb-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy orange, tropical fruit, clean cereal malt, resiny dank pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Dam! That’s some beer! At first, the front end is utterly dominated by sweet and juicy citrus and tropical fruits (hello Mosaic!) which is pleasantly contrasted by a resiny dank pine bitterness on the tongue. Eventually that rainy pine makes itself known on the nose (retro nasally, perhaps?) but the balance remains even-handed and pleasant. Drinks much more easily than the big ABV would imply, with only a mild warming accompanying. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery Limb From Limb Rye IPA at 7% ABV (C$7.38 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 2-Feb-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bready rye, resiny pine, caramel, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, mild spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Look, I know that Driftwood is a BC brewery, but the label notes go a bit far even for BC, what with the whole “the trees had it coming” theme. (But yes, yet another beautiful label!) Oh, wait, now I get it: Lumberjack hops. A new one on me, but it seems well-suited for a Rye IPA. This is a solid example of that style, with balanced rye spiciness complementing an emphatic hop bitterness. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Analog Brewing Ready Paler One Session IPA at 4.1% ABV | 35 IBU (C$3.91 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Jan-2019, reviewed 2-Feb-2019)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fingers (and growing) of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus zest, pale malt, oats, grassy weeds, petrichor. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter slightly resiny finish. (4/5)

Drinks somewhat more bitter than the 35 IBU on the can might indicate, but I’ve noticed that seems to be the case with lower ABV Session Ales. That’s not a criticism, since that bitterness works fairly well with the flavour profile, which leans more towards IPA than ISA. Bonus points for the name, even though the videogame-inspired naming they like to use makes me wonder whether they really understand what “Analog” means…? (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com