RyansBooze

Firestone Walker Brewing Company DBA Double Barrel Ale English Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV (US$1.79 at Total Wines & More, Henderson NV, 355 ml, bottle date 4-May-2015)

Pours clear pale amber with one finger of loose light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is toffee/caramel, grassy, light oak. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not a bad little ESB, and quite drinkable. There’s a touch of butyric in the finish that doesn’t make me overly happy, though. Not a lot, but enough that I start thinking that it smells way too much like the end of the night. (12/20)

My 187th from the 2010 Edition (175th from the 2013 edition), and 197th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Arrowhead Brewing I’m So Freaking Hoppy Imperial IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.3% ABV (C$6.69 at Quarry Park Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 23-Feb-2015)

Pours hazy pale amber one finger of rocky off-white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel malt, pithy citrus, raspberry, lactic sour. (5/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, moderately strong bitter. (4/10) Medium and slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering boozy finish. (3/5)

Not terrible, but a little odd. There’s an odd combination of flavours going on, reminiscent of raspberry yogurt. Not entirely unpleasant, though. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Granville Island Brewery Shipload of Hops Imperial IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.7% ABV (C$7.99 at Quarry Park Co-Op, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is pine resin, grapefruit, metallic, earthy, tropical fruit. (6/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, strong bitter. (6/10) Medium and slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering boozy finish. (3/5)

I’m a bit on the fence about this one. On the one hand, it’s got the right balance for a DIPA – hops leading, malt supporting – but there’s a component to the aroma that is coming across almost as savoury. It’s OK, but I wouldn’t go looking for another one. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

BrewDog Dog A American Double / Imperial Stout at 15.1% ABV (C$24.00 at Zyn, 330 ml, bottle date 1-Apr-2012)

Pours solid black with minimal head and no lacing. (4/5) Nose is strong roasty malt, coffee, dark chocolate, toffee, boozy dark fruit, liquorice. (9/10) Taste is strong sweet, strong bitter. (9/10) Full and slightly oily body, zero carbonation, lingering boozy finish. (5/5)

Well, damn, ain’t that some shit. “Dog A,” huh? Well, y’know what they say about being on a sled team – if you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes. And this is a lead dog. A massive, beastly, sweet and bitter lead dog, flat as a board and still hot as hell even though it’s three years old. Probably nowhere near worth the price tag, y’understand, but still some serious shit. (18/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Half Pints Brewing Co. Pothole Porter American Porter at 7.9% ABV (C$9.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 655 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear ruby brown with one finger of dense light beige head, good retention and minimal lacing. (4/5) Nose is roasty malt, coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, dark fruit, oak. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Full body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and slightly warming bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice solid porter – full body supporting nice roasted malt notes of cocoa and espresso, with just a little herbal hop bitterness and some faint woody complexity. Porters aren’t typically my favourites, but this is a pretty well-balanced performer. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Abita Brewing Company Turbodog English Brown Ale at 5.6% ABV (US$1.79 at Total Wines & More Henderson NV, 355 ml, best before 26-Aug-2015)

Pours clear brown with one finger of loose light beige head demising gradually to a thin skim, minimal lacing. (3/5) Nose is roasty malt, coffee, chocolate, toffee, dark fruit, slight nutty. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium body tending a little to the watery, lively carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not much to say here – fairly typical English Brown. The body is a little on the watery side, and the carbonation a little on the high side, as compared to more conventional browns – which actually makes it pretty drinkable, so there’s that? (12/20)

My 186th from the 2010 Edition (174th from the 2013 edition), and 196th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blue Moon Brewing Company Rounder Belgian-Style Pale Belgian Pale Ale at 5.6% ABV (US$1.49 at Total Wines & More, Henderson NV, 355 ml, best before 30-Mar-2015)

Pours clear pale to medium amber with one finger of loose light tan head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, orange peel, floral. (5/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Medium body, lively carbonation, sweetish medium duration finish. (3/5)

Worst. BPA. Ever. OK, fine, it’s a bit past its best before, but still. This is another one from the Expressionist series that is perfectly fine (well, OK, serviceable) on its own merits, but bears little or no resemblance to the style it’s claiming to be. Only the faintest hints of Belgian style to this, and certainly not crisp and dry the way I like BPA’s to be. Better than a macro lager, if not by much. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Omnipollo Hypnopompa American Double / Imperial Stout at 11% ABV (C$11.00 at Zyn, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours solid black with no head, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is burned sugar, vanilla, dark roasty malts, coffee and dark chocolate. (8/10) Taste is strong sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Full body, zero carbonation, off dry and strongly boozy finish. (4/5)

Wow. I mean, I know I left the Reinheitsgebot in the dust some time ago, but this beast is some whole ’nuther level stuff. Yes, it’s made with marshmallows. Yes, it smells and tastes like a marshmallow. To be more precise, it tastes like a marshmallow after you’ve tried to toast it, but didn’t pay attention how close it was to the camp fire – beer may or may not have been a factor – and it caught on fire. Not one to waste a perfectly good blackened marshmallow, you blew it out and ate it. Those marshmallows. Ridiculously sweet, flat as a board, kick like a mule. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller / Prairie Artisan Ales American Style American IPA at 7.5% ABV (US$13.99 at Total Wines & More Henderson NV, 750 ml, best before 9-Apr-2017)

Pours cloudy medium gold with three fingers (and growing) of rocky light tan head, heavy lacing. (4/5) Nose is pithy citrus, brett funk, tropical fruit, pale grainy malt. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderately strong bitter, strong tart. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, dry funky finish. (4/5)

That’s a fairly unique A/IPA – definitely dominated by the brett, but still retaining a strong hop character. I’ve had Belgian IPA’s before, and this shares a lot of the characteristics of that style, but the brett is definitely the joker in the deck. In fact, the first thing I thought of when I cracked it, was that it smelled like a lambic or a gueuze. Bit of a beast, but lots of fun. The only other beer I can think of that took the “brett inoculated IPA” route is Stone Enjoy After – but that’s gonna be my Boxing Day present to myself this year, so I’ll have to get back to y’all with a comparison on that. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager American Amber / Red Lager at 7.5% ABV (US$1.79 at Total Wines & More Henderson NV, 355 ml, bottle date 1-Apr-2015)

Pours clear medium gold with one finger of medium dense white head, good retention and moderate patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel malt, grassy and floral, hint of citrus. (6/10) Taste is mild to moderate sweet, very mild bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration slightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Definitely a prohibition-era lager: much more robust and less crisp than today’s typical light lagers, yet still easy-drinking and refreshing. Some of the hop flavours (especially the citrus) build and become more apparent as the glass progresses, making me like this a bit more than I first thought. Not great, perhaps, but worth trying, especially on a hot day. (13/20)

My 185th from the 2010 Edition (173rd from the 2013 edition), and 195th combining both editions.

6.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com