RyansBooze

Big Rock Brewery Brewmaster’s Limited Edition Wai-Iti Wheat Ale American Pale Wheat Ale at 6.0% ABV (C$2.00 at South Trail Calgary Co-Op,  330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, grassy, wheat. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

This has to be one of the tastiest and bitterest Big Rock beers I’ve tried to date, but the flavour profile is completely unlike what I was expecting. This is described as a “wheat ale”, so I was expecting something like a witbier – but this is much more like an APA or even an A/IPA, with mild wheat underneath. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Redhook Ale Brewery Long Hammer IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$2.00 at South Trail Calgary Co-Op,  355 ml, bottle date 29-Dec-2014)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short soapy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel malt, pine resin, citrus, grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration bitter finish. (3/5)

Yeah, OK, bit of a shelf turd. The dry hopping seems to have faded a little (hardly surprising, given the age) leaving the base medium IBU rating. Not unpleasant, but not all that interesting. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ninkasi Brewing Company Ground Control Russian Imperial Stout at 10% ABV (C$29.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: nearly opaque black with one finger of creamy tan head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: roasty dark malt, dark chocolate, liquorice/star anise, boozy dark fruit, lightly nutty. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Full body, moderate carbonation, lingering slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

Woo! My beer’s been to space! … still kinda sucky, though… And really, very, quite seriously, not worth the price. Sweet suffering hell, thirty bucks a bottle? What was I thinking? … Oh, right, my beer’s been to space! Woo! (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Whistler Brewing Co. Dubbel Down Dubbel at 7.5% ABV (C$17.90 at Hume Hotel Liquor Boutique, 950 ml, best before 1-Jan-2016)

Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of creamy light tan head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: brown sugar, dark dried fruit, mild roasty malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Heckuva dubbel. Not even close to worth the price, mind you, but heckuva dubbel. (Seriously? Eighteen bucks a litre, when I can get Westmalle, the reference dubbel – as in, “we invented the style” – for fifteen per litre? Bad brewer! No cookie for you!) Still… good dubbel. And, I gotta say, I love the Boston Round “hand me my medicine” bottle. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company California Sunshine Rye IPA American IPA at 7.1% ABV (C$8.62 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits  650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky off-white head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, resin, floral, sour rye, caramel malt, doughy bread. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light sour. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Not bad, but it could use a little more definition on the tongue. The aromas are promising, but they quite don’t deliver on the tongue. Somewhat surprisingly, despite the added sharpness of the rye, it’s not quite as bitter as the high IBU would suggest it’s going to be. Still, a decent enough drink. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

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