RyansBooze

New Belgium Brewing Company Voodoo Ranger 8 Hop Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV | 35 IBU (C$3.49 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, best before 31-Dec-2017, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 27-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: pine, citrus, tropical fruit, caramel, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice. I always find using multiple hop varieties to be a bit of a double-edged sword: on the one hand, having multiple flavour profiles mean you get decent complexity and fullness of flavour, without feeling sharp – but on the other hand, you tend to lose brightness and get a slightly muddled effect. That’s what seems to be happening here. There’s nothing wrong with it, as such, but it’s not bright. Definitely a good beer, though, and easy-drinking. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series Plum Sour Stout Sour / Wild Ale at 5.6% ABV | 37 IBU (C$4.44 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 9-Nov-2016, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 26-Mar-2017)

Appearance: near solid black with only the mere set hint of relief at the margins, two fingers of fluffy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lacto tart, dark stone fruit, roasted malt, hint of coffee. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high tart, moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry highly tart finish. (3/5)

A little more interesting than the typical kettle sour. They say “plums” but if anything it’s more like Damsons to me – or maybe pickle juice. Huge tart overwhelms almost everything else, though there is a hint of roasted malt and coffee in the finish. Surprisingly light body given the forbidding appearance, and an intensely dry and tart finish make it a bit more drinkable than a thicker body and greater sweetness might. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Bomber Brewing Company Park Life Passion Fruit Ale Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 4.5% ABV | 15 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 26-Mar-2017)

Appearance: cloudy/opaque deep gold with one finger of fluffy off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical fruit/passionfruit, peach/stone fruit, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mild tart finish. (3/5)

Very much dominated by fruit, to the point where I really can’t resolve much else. That’s not to say it’s unpleasant – far from it – but it’s not very beer-like. Definitely a good one for a hot day on a sunny patio. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Black Wolf Cascadian Dark Ale Black IPA at 6% ABV | 55 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 25-Mar-2017)

Appearance: near black with clear brown margins, one fat finger of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasted malts, coffee, dry cacao, earth, hint of pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, drying medium duration moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

I must admit to a little trepidation in trying this one, having just experienced a near sink pour on their Session IPA – which, I think most folks would agree is an easier style to get right than a Black IPA / CDA. But this is actually all right. Unlike the S/IPA, this isn’t marred by doughy or adjunct notes, and the hop bitterness works well with the dry, almost astringent roasted malts. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hell’s Basement Brewing Chinook Wind Session Ale Session IPA at 4.3% ABV | 25 IBU (C$3.00 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 11-Mar-2017, reviewed 25-Mar-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, grainy adjunct, brown apple, hint of citrus. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, medium-low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Disappointing. Structurally a fairly pretty beer, and the taste isn’t terrible- but the aroma is quite off-putting. Not sink pour territory, but not far off. The label notes say “Paradoxically, there are no Chinook hops in this beauty.” Yeah, well, not very paradoxically, some Chinook hops – or, indeed, any hops – might’ve helped. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Destihl Brewery Synchopathic Dry Hopped Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 6% ABV | 8 IBU (US$1.97 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, bottle date 20-Oct-2016, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 24-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived loose off-white head no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: lacto sour, citrus, herbal/floral, hint of brine. (6/10) Taste: high tart, moderate sweet, minimal bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry intensely tart finish. (3/5)

Meh. Very much a one-trick pony: all tart, all the time. And not complex tart, either. Nope, just straightforward lacto sour. The dry hopping does lend some character to the nose, but the tongue is simply too overwhelmed by acid to resolve much else. Nothing wrong with it, as such, if you want a seriously sour mildly alcoholic lemonade. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Charlevoix Flacatoune Belgian Pale Ale at 7% ABV | 20 IBU (C$5.68 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, bottle date 26-Jan-2017, acquired 17-Mar-2017, reviewed 24-Mar-2017)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready yeast, floral, spices, hint of banana. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Nice. If you’re going to make the (in my opinion highly questionable) decision to not make it about the hops, this is the way you do it: get the yeast working. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Picaroons Traditional Ales  Blonde Ale Golden Ale at 5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$3.79 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, bottle date 22-Feb-2017, acquired 17-Mar-2017, reviewed 24-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear medium gold with one finger of medium-dense off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy malt, grass, earth, hint of plastic/band-aid. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mild bitter finish. (3/5)

A very uninspired Blonde. The brewer claims Cascade hops, in addition to Maris Otter malt, but it feels very earthy to me. To make matters worse, there’s just a hint of burnt rubber / band-aid. I really can’t see any reason to recommend this – unless, of course, your other choices are macro lagers. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Small Town Brewery Not Your Father’s Root Beer Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 10.7% ABV | 10 IBU (US$6.99 at Specs Main Houston, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Mar-2017, reviewed 22-Mar-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sugary root beer, alcohol, mint, cream, grainy malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate alcohol, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slick body, moderate carbonation, sweet slick warming finish. (3/5)

I deliberately passed on the lower-alcohol versions of this I’ve seen in the past, because I understood this version was “the one”. Well, all I can say is, if this is the one, don’t bother trying any of the others. Heck, don’t bother with this one unless you’re a major fan of root beer. And rubbing alcohol. I mean, it’s not actually terrible – there’s even a hint of beer-like grainy malt underneath the cloying sweetness and root beer extract – but up front it’s very much a hot sugary mess. If that’s your thing, have at it. Me, I’m gonna go brush my teeth for about an hour to try and scrub away the sugar. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing Company Root Beer Milk Stout Milk / Sweet Stout at 6.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$7.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Feb-2017, reviewed 22-Mar-2017)

Appearance: near-black with clear brown margins, one fat finger of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: root beer, anise, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, that was unexpected. Smells very much like root beer, so the low sweetness comes as a complete surprise. They call this a Milk Stout, but it doesn’t seem to have any of the creamy lactose sweetness typical of the style, let alone the heavier sweetness of root beer. Truth be told, I think I like this more than I would have if it were sweeter and more root beer-like. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com