RyansBooze

Fernie Brewing Company Hot Saw India Brown Ale American Brown Ale at 7% ABV (C$7.05 at Solo Liquor Okotoks, 650 ml, best before 1-Aug-2015)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of rocky tan head, excellent retention and moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: roasty malt, nutty, citrus, pine, molasses. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate duration bitter finish. (3/5)

I’m not generally a fan of brown ales – because they’re generally pretty boring. Dry-hopping the hell out of them makes them marginally more interesting.The flavours are a little less pronounced than the aromas, and I’d like some more depth and complexity in both, but it’s not bad. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Lost Coast Brewery Tangerine Wheat Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.5% ABV (C$6.57 at Solo Liquor Okotoks, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: tangerine, wheat, pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate to low carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)

A bit unidimensional. Yes, the tangerine is pleasant enough, and doesn’t come across as fake, but that’s about all there is to this. Ultimately, it’s orange juice in a bland IPA. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cannery Brewing Company I.P.A. American IPA at 6% ABV (C$5.90 at Solo Liquor Okotoks, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear medium gold with two fingers of rocky light tan head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: pine, tropical fruit, mild citrus, caramel malt, mild earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, strong bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad, but not great. Can’t really put my finger on where it falls down – ultimately it just feels like the hops could be brighter. It doesn’t really smell or taste like the high 85 IBU. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dandy Brewing Company Smoke Boss Rauchbier at 5.5% ABV (C$8.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear to slightly hazy and particulate-laden brown with two fingers of medium tan head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: smoke, vanilla, caramel, hint of bacon. (6/10) Taste: mild sweet, mild bitter, mild smoke. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending a little to the watery, moderate carbonation, short mildly smoky finish. (4/5)

Not bad at all. The smoke is balanced and doesn’t overwhelm the caramel maltiness or the vanilla-like flavour (that I’m assuming is the bourbon-tonka infusion, though I was previously unfamiliar with the tonka bean). Although I’ve noted a slightly watery body, it isn’t a significant drawback since it keeps this thing from becoming too heavy – bear in mind it is a lager, after all, and not a porter or a stout, despite its appearance. I have marked it down slightly for the haze, though: I know it’s bottle-conditioned, and I’ve made allowances for that, but the style is supposed to be “very clear.” Overall, a remarkably even-handed and largely traditional treatment of a challenging style by a young brewery. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Crazy Beard Brewing Crazy Beard Wild Apple Ale Malt Liquor at 5.2% ABV (C$3.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short, short-lived head, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: green apple Jolly Ranchers, not much else. (4/10) Taste: moderately strong sweet, mild bitter, mild tart. (4/10) Palate: light to medium body, moderate carbonation, short finish. (2/5)

Well, that’s really something. What, I’m not entirely sure, but it’s something. To give you some idea of what kind of something it is, RateBeer’s serving recommendations are “shaker,” “lager glass,” and “paper bag.” “Paper bag” is probably the most authentic option. Dominated by syrupy sweet green apple that is, regardless, not entirely fake and unpleasant. And I didn’t go blind, so there’s that. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Village Maiden Session IPA at 4.6% ABV (Gift – thanks +Nathan Ryan! – 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit, pine, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: light to medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Quite a pleasant session IPA – nicely bright aroma and decent flavour. A little light in both flavour and body, and a bit of a quicker finish, but that’s to be expected for a session ale. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Russell Brewing IP’eh English IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$4.99 atQuarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber (some initial chill haze) with one finger of light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee malts, mild grapefruit and pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, moderate duration bitter finish. (3/5)

I was initially going to say “More like IP M’eh”, but that would probably be a little unfair. It’s malt forward but not overly so – certainly consistent with the intended English style. Not getting a lot of the Cascade hops, which makes it nowhere near as good as their IP G’Day in my opinion, but not necessarily any less well-made. The flavour started out being quite a bit less emphatic than the aromas promised, but that might be because I started off drinking it a bit too cold. As the beer warmed, and the chill haze diminished, the flavours woke up as well. If you get the opportunity to try this one, be sure not to drink it too cold. (And, Russell, if you’re really “fanatical about beer”, DATE YOUR DAMN BOTTLES.) (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brew Pub Mill Street Ginger Cat Witbier at 5% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brew Pub YYZ)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with a short white head, OK retention, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat, ginger, yeast, very mild banana and bubblegum. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, very mild spice. (5/10) Palate: light to medium body, soft carbonation, quick off-dry finish. (3/5)

Kinda splits the difference between a witbier and a ginger beer. Sort of like a shandy, but stronger. Not unpleasant, but pretty mild and unremarkable overall. Some folks might like a mild ginger bite, but I prefer something with a little zing, personally. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Old Yale Brewing Co. Moon Dance Mango Wheat Witbier at 5.0% ABV (C$6.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Appearance: cloudy pale gold with a short, short-lived thin white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: wheat, yeast, light mango and other tropical. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: light to medium body, soft carbonation, quick off-dry finish. (3/5)

Kinda boring, really. No big fruit character in the aroma, and only mild hop bitterness on the tongue. Fairly clean finish, though, making it a decent thirst-quencher after a warm day deck building. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com