RyansBooze

Unibroue Maudite Belgian Strong Ale at 8% ABV | 22 IBU (C$2.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 11-Aug-2016, acquired 15-Feb-2017, reviewed 21-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear medium to deep amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: brown sugar, banana, cloves, dried fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, warming lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Been about two years since I last had this, and I saw a mixed dozen that included Terrible, so figured, what the heck. Not to mention, the last one I had was a couple of years old, while this one’s only six months old – making it the youngest example of this one I can recall having – so I wondered whether there’d be any differences. And… well… no, not a lot. Well, to be fair, it looks better – better head development, retention and lacing. Other than that, no, not a whole lot that I can identify. The mixed dozen had two of these, so the next one will go into the cellar for at least three or four years, and we’ll see what happens then. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Wild Rose Brewery Shady Character Saison at 6% ABV | 32 IBU (C$8.00 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 26-Jan-2017, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 20-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear deep brown with one finger of creamy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muddled, chocolate, roasty malt, bready yeast, dark fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light spice. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Meh. Ignoring piddly pedantic objections that such a style doesn’t actually exist, if it did, I’d expect that a Black Saison would be subject to the same pitfalls as a Black IPA – and this one kinda blunders into all of them. The dark malt blunts the tartness and crispness that I most appreciate in Saisons, and the relatively high ABV feels out of place.  Can’t say I’m very impressed. (11/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ninkasi Brewing Company Expo 58 Belgian Ale at 5% ABV | 20 IBU (C$8.00 at Zyn, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 20-Feb-2017)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one fat finger of pillowy white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pale crackery malt, lime, clove, grassy hay. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Well, I went into this with zero expectations, so I can’t say I’m disappointed. And, initially, I thought this was going to be decent – but the lime and clove diminish rapidly, leaving behind a crackery pale malt that resembles a macro lager. Not a patch on a real Belgian. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Unibroue Raftman Smoked Beer at 5.5% ABV | 15.5 IBU (C$2.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 13-Sep-2016, acquired 15-Feb-2017, reviewed 20-Feb-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, clove and banana, caramel malt, apple, light smoke. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderately lively carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Been about two years since I last had this, and I saw a mixed dozen that included Terrible, so figured, what the heck. Not to mention, the last one I had was nearing its best-before date while this one’s only six months old, so I wondered whether there’d be any differences. And yeah, there seem to be, if only minor ones: it seems like the smokiness is less pronounced in this younger one, and the overall aromas initially seemed a little muted compared to the other one. However, they did grow a little more emphatic as the pint progressed, and I think there’s even a little more complexity present with this younger one, with a little apple present that I don’t recall noticing before. Pleasant, overall. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Le Castor Citra Weisse Wheat Ale at 5% ABV | 21 IBU (C$10.00 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 1-Sep-2016, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 19-Feb-2017)

Appearance: cloudy straw with a large fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, berry, melon, wheat, hint of catty. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, light tart, light spice, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry lightly tart and spicy finish. (4/5)

Oh yeah, that is nice. Citra hop notes lead the way over a Witbier-like base, finishing bone dry with just a hint of the catty note sometimes exhibited by Citra. Not your same old Witbier, that’s for sure. Clean finish and low ABV make this extremely sessionable. The dry hopping comes through loud and clear despite this thing being five months old, making me wonder how good it might be fresh. And dammit, I could’ve driven through Rigaud this past summer, when I drove from Montreal to Ottawa and back! Missed opportunities… (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Epic Brewing Exponential Series Wit Beer (Release #38) Witbier at 5.7% ABV (C$11.25 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 20-Mar-2016, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 19-Feb-2017)

Appearance: cloudy straw with a large fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: wheat, orange peel, coriander, white pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light spice. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweet lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Smells pretty decent, but the flavours get a little muddled. In particular, the sweetness grows, becoming not cloying, but less dry than I’d prefer. Decent, but not as good as I was hoping for. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly Witbier at 5% ABV | 10 IBU (C$2.58 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 341 ml, bottle date 17-Aug-2016, acquired 15-Feb-2017, reviewed 19-Feb-2017)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: wheat, banana, orange peel, coriander, light floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, sweetish lightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Been about three years since I last had this, and I saw a mixed dozen that included Terrible, so figured, what the heck. My opinion of it remains pretty much the same as last time – I still consider this a solid beer, if slightly sweet for my preference. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Farking Wheaton W00tstout (2015) American Double / Imperial Stout at 13% ABV | 45 IBU (C$17.99 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 20-Jun-2015, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 18-Feb-2017)

Appearance: solid, unrelieved black with no hint of relief, one finger of dense light brown head diminishing fairly rapidly to a persistent thick cap, minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, roasty malts, pecans, bourbon, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, moderately hot alcohol. (8/10) Palate: full slick body, prickly to moderate carbonation, warm verging on hot lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Damn you, Wil Wheaton! (Ok, not really – I’m actually a bit of a fan.) This is a very decent RIS, in which the bourbon barrel ageing notes are emphatically present, but not quite dominant. At a year and a half old, this thing is still quite hot (unsurprisingly – it’s 13%, come on!), but not to the point of being solventy or harsh. This is actually the third one of this vintage that I bought, and the final one will remain in my cellar for at least another year or two, when we’ll see how it’s doing – maybe I’ll find some newer vintages to vertical. I drank the first one fresh, and can’t say I’ve seen huge changes in the intervening year and a half. And yes, I might pick up another one for even longer cellaring, because this could pretty much sit forever and just keep getting better. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Chocolate Stout Sweet Stout at 5.8% ABV | 69 IBU (C$9.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Feb-2017, reviewed 18-Feb-2017)

Appearance: near opaque black with the merest hints of brown around the margins, one fat finger of dense light brown head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, roasty malt, mild coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: full body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

I recently tried their Hazelutely Choctabulous, but hadn’t tried its 40% component, so decided I’d give it a shot. And, having closed the circle on this, it all makes sense now. This is dominated by bitter chocolate, with no hint of milk chocolate sweetness, making it not as one-dimensional as the 60% component Hazelnut Nectar, but definitely simple. Combining this one’s bitterness and chocolate flavours with the nutty sweetness of the Hazelnut Nectar basically provide all the components for a candy bar, and makes Hazelutely Choctabulous greater than the sum of its parts. (And yes, I retained some of both components and mixed them myself. Calling it “magic” might be gilding the lily a tad, but it’s definitely worth doing, if you can lay hands on both components but not the blended bottle.) (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Hazelnut Brown Nectar American Brown Ale at 5.6% ABV | 33 IBU (C$9.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 17-Feb-2017, reviewed 18-Feb-2017)

Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of dense beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: hazelnut, peanut, caramel. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body tending lightly watery, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky medium duration finish. (3/5)

Having just recently tried their Hazelutely Choctabulous, I thought I’d go back and re-review its 60% component, since the last time I tried it was more than three years ago, when frankly I didn’t have the first clue what I was doing. And, not surprisingly, my score from back then was excessively high. Upon sober re-review, I conclude that this is slightly one-dimensional (all nut, all the time), slightly too sweet, and prone to a slight tendency to thinness in the finish. I can see how the addition of the Chocolate Stout (which I will be trying next) remediates those issues to make the Hazelutely Choctabulous as enjoyable as it is. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com