RyansBooze

Powell Street Craft Brewery Stay Gold American Pale Ale at 4.8% ABV | 24 IBU (C$6.19 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, packaged on 28-Jul-2017, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 22-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, orange flesh, stone fruit, grainy pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (4/5)

I of course chose this beer for today as a nod to the passing of the golden days of summer. Stay gold, Ponyboy! This is actually quite nice, with juicy fruit notes on the front end, and a pleasingly smooth body courtesy of the oats. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn Tap X Mathilda Soleil (2015) Weizenbock at 7.0% ABV | 24 IBU (C$13.99 at Oak & Vine, 750 ml, best before 2-Jan-2017, acquired 3-Jul-2017, reviewed 21-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with three fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: yeasty & grainy wheat, stone fruit, orange zest, floral, hint of bubblegum. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (8/10) Medium slightly slick body, lively carbonation, off-dry mildly warming and slightly astringent finish. (4/5)

My second wheat beer of the evening, and officially my last beer of summer. ? The violent decapping caught me a little off-guard, but I managed to swoop in with the glass in time to catch the short-lived gusher. Decent complexity on the nose, and somewhat surprisingly, there’s little bubblegum, and no banana at all. Weizenbock isn’t a common style – I think this makes my fifth example ever – but it’s one that I tend to rate highly. And no, it’s not because of the tendency to high ABVs! (Well… maybe that helps.) I didn’t pay much attention to the BB date when I bought this one because I was fairly sure it could survive extended cellaring, and it would appear I was correct there: I don’t detect any adverse ageing effects. It’s a bit slick, and a bit sweet, but exhibits decent complexity without becoming cloying or unpleasant. It might finish nearer the bottom of the range than the top for the style, but that’s hardly a condemnation: if you absolutely had to drink a lager, this would do nicely. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks The Last Mango Witbier at 4.9% ABV | 8 IBU (C$6.19 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 21-Sep-2017)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of fine ivory head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mango, bready wheat, stone fruit, light floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish medium duration slightly tart finish. (4/5)

Pretty much what it promises on the label: mango and Witbier. There are suggestions of stone fruit as well, and perhaps hints of citrus, but overall it’s a generalized fruit character that plays reasonably well with the yeasty wheat of the base Witbier. What prevents me from rating this higher is the slightly bruised character of that fruit, as well as the frankly fugly appearance. Still, not terrible, by any means, and better than last year’s – at least there’s no band-aid in this one. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Spinnakers Brewpub and Guest Houses Blue Bridge Double Pale Ale American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV | 42 IBU _(C$5.49 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, packaged on 1-Jul-2017, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 20-Sep-2017)_

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with one fat finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet bready malt, caramel & toffee, alcohol, citrus, floral, earth. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweet bitter warming finish. (3/5)

Really not doing it for me. A muddled blend of English and American hops presents on the nose, but fails to dominate over cloying malt and solvent-like alcohol notes. The taste is excessively sweet, and the body is slightly slick, verging on cloying in the warming finish. This really doesn’t compare well to modern, brighter styles. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Spinnakers Brewpub and Guest Houses India Pale Ale English IPA at 7.1% ABV | 55 IBU (C$5.59 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, packaged on 1-May-2017, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 20-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with three fingers of growing fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready malt, toffee, honey, citrus, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

An English-style flavour profile in both the hops and malt, but with a much bigger bitterness than is typical for the style. Toasty malts lead the way over mild citrus and earthy hops. Nothing too memorable. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewing So-Cal Style IPA American IPA at 7.8% ABV | 80 IBU (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, packaged on 23-Aug-2017, acquired 18-Sep-2017, reviewed 19-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fat fingers of growing fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: butter, bready yeast, grainy caramel & toffee, light citrus, grassy herbs. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

“So-Cal”? “So-Called,” more like. Too sweet, buttery (seriously?) and surprisingly malt-dominant given the high IBU. Bit of a disappointment, if I’m honest. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewing BC Bitter English Bitter at 5.5% ABV | 32 IBU (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, packaged on 14-Jul-2017, acquired 18-Sep-2017, reviewed 19-Sep-2017)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with two fat fingers of growing fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: bready caramel, apples & pears, floral, grassy & leafy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (4/5)

Decent, moderately hoppy interpretation of the style. Bready and yeasty malts dominate the front end, with some pome fruit and floral through the middle, and a grassy herbal bitter in the finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Britannia Brewing Company Riptide Rye IPA Rye IPA at 6% ABV | 58 IBU (C$4.99 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 18-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with two fingers of growing rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, stone fruit, rye spice, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, moderate spice. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter and lingering spicy finish. (4/5)

“Brewed in the North East style”? Hm. The first thing I think of with NE’s is “cloudy,” then “juicy.” Not so much on the “cloudy,” but I’ll give it a provisional pass on the “juicy.” Citrus and stone fruit, with some spicy rye following it up. Pretty solid brew, overall. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

R & B Brewing Company Vancouver Special I.P.A. American IPA at 6% ABV | 75 IBU (C$4.99 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 18-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, pine, tropical fruit, caramel, light dank. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter finish. (4/5)

“Big & sturdy,” huh? No, not really. “Pleasant,” sure. A well-balanced blend of citrus, pine, and fruit, with hints of West Coast-style dankness. Despite the relatively high IBU rating, the bitterness really only manifests as it builds on the back end. Good stuff. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Off the Rail Brewing Co. Raj Mahal India Ale American IPA at 5.0% ABV | 38 IBU (C$5.09 at BC Liquor Stores, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Sep-2017, reviewed 18-Sep-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lime (leaves?), floral, pale malt, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter and slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

Lots of citrus on the front end of this, which I’m assuming is mostly due to the Kaffir lime leaves, presumably bolstered by the lemongrass. However, there’s a slightly vegetal grassy note, particularly in the finish, which is slightly astringent. (13/20)

6.510 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com