RyansBooze

Black Market Brewing Co. Hefeweizen Hefeweizen at 4.7% ABV (C$6.41 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits  650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana and bubblegum, wheat, white pepper and cloves. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Awww… no cool name on this one? That’s OK, Black Market, I forgive you. You make too many good beers for me not to! (And I just checked – did I really give four other Black Market beers 7.5/10? Talk about consistent…) This one comes up just a little short, though, compared to its brethren. Nice, but just a tiny bit bland. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Spider Bite Beer Co. Fundur Session IPA at 4.7% ABV (C$8.10 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits  650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with a frankly ridiculous three fingers (and growing!) of fluffy white head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, pine, tropical fruit, pale biscuity malt, light floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice example of the style – bright, crisp, and pleasant. Crappy bottle art from a brewer I never heard of before, so I went into this with low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. Hey! Light, hoppy, and sessionable – what’s not to like? (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery gose-uh Gose at 5.0% ABV (C$7.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy pale straw with an unruly three fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and good lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemon zest, grassy, grainy malt, yeast, salt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart, slightly salty. (6/10) Light body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry short-duration finish. (3/5)

I was indecently excited when I saw this – I mean, one can never have too many goses, right? – but this was a little bit of a swing and a miss for Driftwood. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad: it’s got a decent citrus and mild saltiness. But, I’d prefer it to be more dry and tart, and I’d like to see higher carbonation. Good, but definite room for improvement. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Canuck Empire Brewing Stargazer Chamomile Wheat Wheat Ale at 6.0% ABV (C$7.25 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived ivory head, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: floral/herbal, banana, wheat, stone fruit, pale grainy malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp short-duration finish. (4/5)

Pretty good wheat. Definitely floral and herbal, though I’m not sure I’d have identified it as chamomile. Light and fun, with a short-duration more-ish finish. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Speakeasy Black Hand Chocolate Milk Stout Sweet Stout at 6.9% ABV (C$10.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with one finger of light tan head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: milk chocolate, coffee, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Full smooth body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Smooth and creamy milk stout with elements of chocolate and coffee. A bit of a challenge to work through a full bottle, but pleasant enough despite its weight. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Barley Wine Tullibardine Cask Finish Barley Wine at 7% ABV (C$6.11 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: hazy brown with a short light tan head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: malt vinegar, dark fruit and caramel. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (5/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter and lightly tart finish. (3/5)

Not as good as the original Kettle Valley Winery Caboose version – which, to be frank, wasn’t all that good. Can’t recommend this one. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Rogue Ales Allegro Coffee Porter American Porter at 6.2% ABV (C$8.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with two fingers of mocha head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: intense coffee, dark malt, mild milk chocolate, dark fruit, light spice. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Full slightly sticky body, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Not bad, although the coffee comes across a bit aggressive. Not bad for Rogue, but as usual they seem to be trying for a level of complexity they’re just not capable of pulling off. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Abbaye St. Remy Trappistes Rochefort 8 Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.2% ABV (C$6.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 10-Jul-2019)

Appearance: mostly clear deep amber with two growing fingers of fluffy light tan head, excellent retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, dark fruit, brown sugar, chocolate, bread, honey, spices. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (10/10) Palate: medium-full body, lively carbonation, semi-dry medium duration gently warming finish. (4/5)

Not as light and easy-drinking as the 6, not as complex and interesting as the 10. Don’t get me wrong – still a pretty darned good beer, but I’m not sure I’d bother with this particular one again, seeing how it kind of bridges the gap between its two brethren. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Abbaye St. Remy Trappistes Rochefort 6 Dubbel at 7.5% ABV (C$5.39 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 3-Jul-2019)

Appearance: mostly clear medium amber with one finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: moderately strong sweet caramel, dried fruit, light perfume, little to no hop character. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, lively/prickly carbonation, semi-dry medium duration gently warming finish. (4/5)

An excellent example of the style. Sweet caramel malt dominates, with just a little bitterness that doesn’t linger into the finish. The finish is semi-dry despite the sweetness on the front end. The lively carbonation seems to help prevent the sweetness from becoming cloying, and lifts the body. The moderately high ABV is very well-behaved, becoming apparent only as a gentle warming. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks Bean Me Up Espresso Milk Stout Sweet Stout at 5.7% ABV (C$8.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of rocky mocha head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: overwhelming bitter dark roasted coffee, lighter chocolate, herbal, citrus, lactic. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-full body, low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Harsh coffee ground flavours dominate, to the point where there’s not a lot more to say – not all that well-balanced at all. The first half pint numbs you to the coffee, after which it isn’t terrible, but that’s hardly a ringing endorsement, is it? OK, fine, it’s not all that bad… and it’s not all that good, either… (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com