RyansBooze

Evil Twin Brewing The Perfect Matcha Berliner Weisse at 4% ABV (C$11.93 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 23-Jan-2017)

Appearance: dirty pale gold with a short loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: pineapple, lemon, wheat malt, peaches, green tea, burnt rubber / band-aid. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high tart, low bitter, light brine. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, tart finish. (3/5)

Not really what it says on the label: I mean, yeah, there are hints of pineapple on the front end when freshly poured, and green tea in the finish, but for the most part it’s citrus-dominated. It’s really not one to allow to warm up either, because that’s when the burnt rubber / band-aid comes out. Has elements of both Berliner Weisse and Gose, but is really too heavy-handed for either style. Not without its merits, but nothing very exciting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Last Best Brewing and Distilling A.E. Cross Barley Wine (2016) American Barleywine at 11.8% ABV | 45 IBU (C$14.95 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 17-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear deep amber with a short fluffy light beige head, good retention and sticky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, boozy dried fruit, brown sugar. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Wow – I’ve never had to work so hard to figure out what the hell I was drinking. This vintage was split into two, a barrel-aged version, and an “unoaked” version. Guess what the “unoaked” version says on the label to distinguish it from the barrel-aged one? Nothing. Seriously, that’s how you tell the difference: if the front label doesn’t say “barrel-aged”, it’s the unoaked one. Easy, right? Now go find that spelled out somewhere. Anywhere. I’ll wait. <insert “Jeopardy” theme here> See? Tolja. Apparently I’m one of about 50 people who bought this. On the other hand, bonus points for using highly technical brewing terms on the label: I honestly can’t think of another beer that gives OE or AE, let alone both. But, why stop there? Why not go full-bore and determine TE by distillation? But I digress. This is… well…, “OK”, I guess. I mean, it’s fairly well-implemented, and there’s certainly nothing off about it. The huge ABV is quite impressively integrated. But, the aromas and flavours are muted, to the point of verging on boring. I hope the barrel-aged one addresses that, and I will actually try to find it.  But this particular one, yeah, I fall back on “OK”. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Borg Brugghus Garún Nr. 19 Icelandic Stout Imperial Stout at 11.5% ABV | 45 IBU (C$4.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 16-Dec-2015, reviewed 17-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with no relief, one finger of rocky beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: molasses, liquorice, chocolate, coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Slightly simplistic, on both the nose and the tongue, but pleasant. Molasses leads the way initially, fading slightly to a more liquorice-like note, with hints of chocolate and coffee in the finish. Y’know, I like Iceland, always have. I could see myself living in Iceland (except if I were going to go through the aggravation of uprooting and moving, it wouldn’t be to somewhere with basically the same weather as Newfoundland). That being said, what business does some Icelandic legend have, being on the label of this beer? I always figure if there’s some pretty legend on the label, it’s because they couldn’t think of anything to say about the beer. It might not be as big a warning flag as “Premium” – but, dammit, it’s close. Still and all, I like this. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist (Release #73) American Double / Imperial Stout at 12.7% ABV | 65[?] IBU (C$18.12 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 24-Aug-2016, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 15-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with two fingers of fine dark beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy, chocolate, roasty malt, coffee, dried fruit and red berries, hint of oak whiskey barrel. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: full viscid body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (5/5)

Boo-yah! That’s how I like my beers – big and bad(-assed). Starts off smelling like a boozy chocolate milkshake, but then the almost-milky chocolate fades slightly, to be overtaken by coffee and whiskey-soaked dried berries. The ABV is impressive, contributing smooth heat with no hint of solvent or sharpness. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Sky Brewing Company Ivan the Terrible (2014) Russian Imperial Stout at 9.5% ABV | 39 IBU (C$5.75 at Zyn, 355 ml, bottle date 10-Sep-2014, best before 10-Sep-2039, acquired 27-Mar-2015, reviewed 15-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with one fat finger of beige head, good retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, cocoa, dried fruit, coffee, lightly nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter and slightly astringent warming finish. (3/5)

A decent but fairly unremarkable RIS. The high ABV is relatively tame and well-integrated, possibly assisted by the two years I had this in storage. The flavours aren’t quite as smooth as I’d prefer, though, and there’s a little astringency in the finish. Good but not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Back Alley Brews Black Star Foreign / Export Stout at 6.6% ABV | 35 IBU (C$6.41 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 25-Apr-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 14-Jan-2017)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with brown margins, short beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty (verging on burnt) malt, dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, earth, hint of citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full smooth body, moderate carbonation, moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

I kind of like the idea that this thing doesn’t technically have a name on the label, other than “★”. Is it supposed to be a Bowie reference, d’ya think? In any case, it’s a solid, slightly emphatic stout, well in-spec for the “Foreign/Export” label, except for the less-than-impressive head retention. Might be very nice on a nitro tap, but serviceable as-is. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewing Mocha Porter American Porter at 6% ABV | 25 IBU (C$7.79 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 14-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown, one fat finger of dense beige head, good retention and clingy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: slightly over extracted coffee, roasty malt, dark chocolate. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body dropping off to slightly watery, soft carbonation, moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Tastes a bit better than it smells: the aromas suggest a bit of over extraction of the coffee, but that doesn’t come through quite as much on the tongue. Mind you, I’d be happier if those over extraction notes weren’t there at all. The chocolate is short-lived, being quite promising on the initial pour, but dropping rapidly. I think this flavour profile would work better with a heavier beer, i.e. a Stout, but as a Porter it comes across as just a bit thin and anemic. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Calypso Single Hop Imperial India Pale American Wheat Lager Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager at 8% ABV (C$15.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 14-Jan-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold, three fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, tropical fruit, wheat malt, resiny pine, bready yeast. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

I have no idea how old this thing is – the caked-on lees on the bottom of the bottle suggest older rather than newer – but the aromas and flavours are still bright and pleasant. I was going to make fun of the ridiculously lengthy name they hung on this thing, but the fact is, it’s a perfectly accurate description of its character. A lager worthy of the best accolade I can give a lager: it doesn’t taste like a lager. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Liquid Double Fudge (Batch #02) American Double / Imperial Stout at 12% ABV | 60 IBU (C$12.86 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 13-Dec-2016, reviewed 12-Jan-2017)

Appearance: opaque black with no relief, two fingers of fine beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (5/5) Aroma: roasty malts, caramel, hint of red berries and dark fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: full viscous body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and warming finish. (4/5)

Well, smack my ass and call me Sally if that ain’t some serious what-for! (Yes, double-digit Imperial Stouts turn me into a redneck – go figure.) That’s a brew that numbs the pain of being alive, and then some. Good luck finding something else this big, boozy, and good at this price point. Jeppe might be the evil twin, but he does a fine beer. It wouldn’t take very many more of these for me to sign up for Team Evil. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller The Beer Traveler Abbey Dubbel at 8.3% ABV (C$24.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 750 ml, best before 16-Apr-2020, acquired 17-Dec-2016, reviewed 12-Jan-2017)

Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of fluffy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: raisins, caramel, toast. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Not a particularly exciting offering by Mikkeller. That’s not to suggest it’s not well done, because it is, but it’s just not very interesting – and certainly not as good as the standards for the style e.g. Westmalle. I think the bottom line for me here is the lack of complexity: there’s certainly nothing wrong with it, but it falls short when compared to the big guns in the genre. Sorry, Mikkel, but this is merely pretty good, falling short of great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com