RyansBooze

Logsdon Farmhouse Ales Seizoen Saison at 7.5% ABV (C$7.62 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 1-Nov-2017)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers plus of growing pillowy ivory head, excellent retention and chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry yeasty funk, citrus, earth, herbal, white pepper and other spices. (9/10) Taste: mild sweet, moderate bitter, light funky tart. (9/10) Palate: medium body, lively carbonation, crisp spicy finish. (5/5)

Excellent, highly authentic Franco-Belgian style saison. Dry and funky on the nose, crisp on the tongue, with a developing green apple finish. Complex and enjoyable. (18/20)

9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Nøgne Ø (Hansa Borg) Vic Secret IPA American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$8.01 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, bottle date 3-Oct-2014 best before 3-Oct-2016)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with one finger of rocky light tan head, poor retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, tropical fruit, caramel malt, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, strong bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter and slightly warming finish. (3/5)

Less than a year old, and well under its two year BB date – but I still think it’s a bit faded. Not that it isn’t massively bitter – it is (100 IBU) – but I think some of the brightness has dulled with time. I’d like to try this fresher. That said, a quality IPA if you don’t mind massive dank bitterness. Just not a lot of bright citrus left at this point. Nearly translucent cloudiness due to the big chunky sediment you find in the last inch of so many of Nøgne Ø brews, despite my trying to avoid the worst of it during the pour. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Privatbrauerei Erdinger Weißbräu Werner Brombach GmbH Erdinger Urweiss Hefeweizen at 4.9% ABV (C$5.20 in a mixed pack at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 03/2016)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of frothy light tan head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: banana, bubblegum, coriander, doughy wheat. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, very mild bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body tending somewhat to watery, moderate carbonation, brief off-dry finish. (3/5)

A nice hefeweizen with lunch. Pleasant aroma, balanced taste and a non-intrusive finish. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Nøgne Ø (Hansa Borg) Asian Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV (C$7.21 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, bottle date 16-Jan-2015 best before 16-Jan-2016)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of fluffy off-white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemongrass, lime and tropical fruit, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate to strong sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration tart finish. (4/5)

Lots of fun – bright and citrusy, and it tastes far more bitter than the 10 IBU the labels claims. I think maybe it’s the lemongrass? Overall, it feels like a lot of added flavours, but I have to admit they integrate reasonably well, and never feel artificial. It’s sweet, but not sickly. Huge chunky sediment in the last inch, too, but that’s not really an issue – especially since the bottle explicitly warns you to pour carefully to avoid the sediment. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Driftwood Brewery FarmHand Saison at 5.5% ABV (C$6.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, bottle date 8-May-2015)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with a short, short-lived off-white head, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: Belgian yeast, citrus, light banana, mild green apple. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild black pepper, very mild tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lightly funky dry finish. (3/5)

Admittedly I went into this with high hopes, but it didn’t quite deliver. At least, not to the same extent that their IPA’s do. Pleasantly mild black pepper spiciness dovetails nicely with mildly tart and funky fruit. Good, but not great. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Kirin Brewery Kirin Ichiban Pale Lager at 5% ABV (Bottle at Sushi Ginza, 500 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: pale straw with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: crackery pale malt, slightly grassy. (4/10) Taste: mild sweet, very mild bitter. (4/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, crisp finish. (3/5)

Light, crisp and inoffensive. Goes well with sushi, but that’s about the extent of it. (9/20)

My 189th from the 2010 Edition (177th from the 2013 edition), and 199th combining both editions.

4.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cannery Brewing Company Stumbling Goat Dry-Hopped Maibock Maibock at 6.3% ABV (Gift – thanks, DougB!, 650 ml, best before 31-Sep-2015)

Appearance: clear pale straw with one finger of fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grassy hops, pale crackery malt, hint of herbal and citrus. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild to moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, very slight alcohol warming and moderate duration bitter finish. (3/5)

Well, it is what it is. And it’s better than most Helles lagers, or bocks. Even though it’s a Maibock (“May”-bock) that I’m drinking in July, it doesn’t taste faded. Grassy as all get-out, with a crackery/bready/doughy malt backing, but it works for the style – though, admittedly, it’s not a style I know all that well. Overall, yeah, crisp and drinkable. (By the way, no, I’m not making up that best before date – the bottle was stamped 09/31/15 – seriously. I guess if it’s good until the thirty-first of September, it never goes bad? And honestly, that label is the creepiest goat I’ve ever seen. It’s like a mid-level D&D monster requiring a saving throw against the willies…) (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Parallel 49 Apricotopus Sour Apricot Saison Saison at 6.3% ABV (C$4.25 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: cloudy pale straw with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dry yeast, unspecific tart fruit, wheat, mild funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, brief slightly tart and funky finish. (3/5)

I admit, I went into this with high hopes, mostly because my go-to beer guy loved it. It looks like a saison, and it (largely) smells like a saison, with just a hint of extra sour fruit. But really, minimal sour, and minimal apricot – though it does grow as it warms. (At least, minimal beyond the normal content for the style.) So, when you get right down to it, it’s a saison, with a hint of sour and apricot – which aren’t bad things, by any means, but I was expecting to be blown away. And wasn’t. Not a bad saison, but ultimately not overly interesting – decent, but not great, let’s say.  Y’know, I can’t get a handle on this brewery – they blow hot and cold, but not to the point where I won’t try them. Kinda like Phillips, I guess…? (And why, oh why, do all of P49’s labels now say “brewed in collaboration with Parallel 49”, even when they aren’t collabs? Are they collaborating with themselves? I’m pretty sure there’s bible verses against that…) (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat Brewing Co. Lemon Hefeweizen Hefeweizen at 4.9% ABV (C$4.95 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: cloudy straw with two fingers of dense, creamy white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat, lemon, light clove/coriander, banana, slightly sweaty funk. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, brief finish. (3/5)

Not bad at all – I was expecting a heavier hand with the lemon, perhaps more like a shandy or a radler, but the fact is it’s a hefeweizen with just a mild added touch of lemon. (Not unlike you might get from a lemon wedge on the glass.) Definitely a decent thirst quencher after a sweaty ride on my new bike, though. (Now imagine me in bicycle shorts. I dare you. Go on, do it!) (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com