Phillips Brewing Company Amnesiac American Double IPA at 8.5% ABV
Pours a clear straw gold with one finger and a bit of persistent white head and moderate lacing. Nose is piney hops, with a little citrus. Taste is similar, with a little mango and grapefruit, with a little malt following. Mouth feel is medium-bodied, with a lingering bitter finish. Decent DIPA – 8.5/10.
Grand River Brewing Mill Race Dark Mild Ale at 3.6% ABV (C$4.97 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 29-Apr-2016, reviewed 20-May-2016)
Appearance: clear amber-brown with one finger of creamy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dark roasty malt, cocoa, vinous red berries, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky finish. (4/5)
Wow, these guys are just nailing the traditional styles. First, an amber that I actually enjoy, and now a mild that’s actually interesting even though it’s got an ABV that you could feed to a kid. (Well, almost. If it were at the end of hectic day, maybe, and you just wanted a few minutes’ peace and quiet…) Despite the fairly forbidding colour, this thing is mild and approachable, and I hesitate to even call the body “medium”. Gotta be one of the best milds I’ve ever had. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Grand River Brewing Plowman’s Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 4.7% ABV (C$4.97 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 29-Apr-2016, reviewed 20-May-2016)
Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of creamy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel/toffee malt, pine, toast, citrus zest, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Well, that’s a bit of a surprise: it looks like an amber, but the aromas include a decent hop character in addition to the malt. Moreover, although the taste has some malt elements, it’s not sweet at all, and the bitterness is quite pronounced. I find it hard to believe that it’s only 35 IBU, actually, and can definitely taste the super-alpha hops. The bitterness really sticks around in the slightly sticky finish, lingering and growing. An amber I actually like – who’d’a thunk it? (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Granville Island Brewing Hey Day Hefeweizen at 5% ABV (C$3.45 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 2-Mar-2016, acquired 15-May-2016, reviewed 19-May-2016)
Appearance: cloudy deep gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana, yeasty wheat, bubblegum, oranges, cloves. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (7/10) Light body, lively carbonation, off-dry short duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)
Nice little hefe. Lots of banana flavour on the outset, with a nicely balanced spicy clove/coriander in the finish. Nothing thrilling, but it works for me. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Hop City Brewing Co. Lawn Chair “Classic” Weisse Hefeweizen at 5% ABV (C$3.56 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 30-Jul-2015, acquired 13-May-2016, reviewed 19-May-2016)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: yeasty wheat, banana, citrus, coriander. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (6/10) Light body, lively carbonation, off-dry short duration slightly spicy finish. (3/5)
I’m not entirely sure about that packaging date – there’s a stamp on the can reading G30512, which I’m interpreting as July 30, 2015 (i.e. like Unbroue’s format) but I could be wrong. It’s not like there’s a lot of hop character to degrade here, but it might explain why it’s only slightly hazy, instead of actually cloudy. Regardless, as it stands right now, it’s an inoffensive and quaffable summer ale, without a whole lot to distinguish it. OK, but nothing exciting. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Lake of Bays Brewing Company Spark House American Amber / Red Ale at 5% ABV (C$3.33 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 8-Apr-2016, acquired 15-May-2016, reviewed 19-May-2016)
Appearance: clear red-tinged deep amber with one fat finger of fine ivory head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, grassy and earthy hops, wood and light smoke. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mildly bitter and lightly smoky finish. (3/5)
Sorry, but I find it really hard to get excited about yet another middle-of-the road amber, distinguished only by the roasty malt tones coming through as slight smoke. Fair enough, that slight smokiness adds some depth, but it’s hard to call it “complexity” (and I’m not entirely sure it’s deliberate). A reasonably well-executed but ultimately boring beer. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Muskoka Brewery Kirby’s Kölsch Kölsch at 4.6% ABV (C$3.57 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, best before 23-Aug-2016, acquired 13-May-2016, reviewed 19-May-2016)
Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of loose white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: peach, floral, grainy pale malt, grassy hops. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, crisp mildly bitter finish. (4/5)
If there’s a single beer style that should most closely cleave to the Reinheitsgebot, this is probably it. I rather suspect this beer would get you lynched in Köln – or, at least, really really glared at. (Good thing I’m drinking it in Känada.) Not only does it adulterate the brew with added peach, the colour and flavour are more robust than the style guidelines dictate. Despite its flagrant rule breaking, though, it’s not a bad beer: light, crisp, and easy-drinking, and the peach works well, accentuating rather than dulling the crisp grassy noble hops. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Grand River Brewing Curmudegon English IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.37 at NLC Stavanger, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 29-Apr-2016, reviewed 17-May-2016)
Appearance: clear medium amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and good lacing. (5/5) Aroma: bready caramel and toffee malt, herbal/floral, citrus, pine, earthy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, short duration moderate bitter lightly spicy and warming finish. (3/5)
Let me beat you to it: yes, it’s a toss-up whether the name of this beer is more appropriate for me, or whether Arrogant Bastard deserves that distinction. Moving on! Definitely an English style IPA: although there is in fact a little citrus and pine in there, it’s buried towards the back. The malt definitely leads the way, following which is a fruity herbal and floral note (though there seems to be some brown apple or stone fruit developing as the pint warms). In true curmudgeon style, I was initially less than impressed with this, but it does have a distinct and not unpleasant character that I’m warming up to. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
Goose Island Beer Company Endless IPA Session IPA at 5% ABV (C$4.08 at NLC Stavanger, 473 ml, bottle date 26-Feb-2016, acquired 29-Apr-2016, reviewed 16-May-2016)
Appearance: clear medium gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, pale malt, slight catty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp mild bitter lightly spicy finish. (3/5)
Not a bad little session IPA from the Goose. Bitterness is restrained, which is a good thing in a session IPA: I find that the thinner body of this style limits how much bitterness can reasonably be supported before it comes across as sharp and astringent. I’m getting just a hint of cattiness in the hop aroma, and it grows as the beer warms, but not to the point of it being a problem. Definitely a quick thirst quencher, instead of a leisurely sipper. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
The Pump House Brewery Limited Bière de Garde Belgian Saison Bière de Garde at 6.5% ABV (C$2.20 at NLC Stavanger, 341 ml, bottle date 19-Feb-2016, acquired 13-May-2016, reviewed 16-May-2016)
Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with a thin, short-lived light beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dark fruit, caramel malt, leather and earth, spice. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mild finish. (3/5)
I went into this with a great deal of trepidation: nothing in my experience with this brewery has suggested they had the background to prepare them for taking on this style. I’d like nothing more than to be able to say that I was wrong in that regard – but I wasn’t. (At this point, I’m forced to wonder whether these guys have ever even tasted a Saison or a Bière de Garde.) As an Amber or a Winter Warmer, fine, it’s not a bad beer – but it’s pretty far off-spec for either of its nominal styles. And to be fair, to the pedants who point out the apparent contradiction in simultaneously calling it a a Saison and a Bière de Garde on the label, I would suggest that the only true distinction there is geography, with one being associated with the north side of the Franco-Belgian border, and the other the south. Unfortunately, both labels are equally misleading here. However, that being said, I’ve had actual French Bières de Garde that are almost as malty as this – Brasserie Thiriez L’Ambrée d’Esquelbecq, for example, or Brasserie Duyck Jenlain Ambrée – but they included a touch of funk and yeast character (and had the decency to call themselves Ambers). Not bad, and I don’t actually dislike it, but in my opinion not a great example of either style. Maybe I’ll squirrel away a couple in my cellar (they are “a beer for keeping” after all, right?) and see how I like them next winter. (11/20)
5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
