RyansBooze

Central City Brewers + Distillers The Hobbit: Bolg Belgian Style Tripel Tripel at 9.5% ABV ($10.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head with excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is pale malt, bananas, spicy cloves, hint of citrus, doughy yeast. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter, mild spice. (8/10) Light body, prickly to moderate carbonation, off-dry and mildly spicy finish. (4/5)

A bit on the sweet side for a Belgian tripel, but the spicy cloves make up for it. I actually like this – other than the slightly sweet flavour, a lot of similarities to genuine Belgians like Chimay, Duvel, or La Chouffe. I think this one is being ranked too low on the usual suspects, or perhaps I just hit a sweet spot with this bottle, but this is actually pretty good. Not perfect, perhaps, but all things considered I’d call it pretty decent. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central City Brewers + Distillers The Hobbit: Smaug Stout Imperial Stout at 8.5% ABV ($10.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours opaque nearly solid black with three fingers of dense tan head with excellent retention, good lacing. (4/5) Nose is muted, dark sweet chocolate, roasty malts, hint of vanilla, very slight smokiness. (7/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, moderate bitter, moderate to strong spice. (7/10) Medium to full body, low carbonation, building spicy finish. (3/5)

When I first started drinking this, I had to look at the label again to verify that, yes, it did indeed say “spiced” stout. But, yeah, gradually the spice starts to grow. And grow. And grow. Until, towards the end, the spice becomes pretty dominant. Pretty good treatment, actually. I’ve had a few spicy beers, and the spiciness is either overwhelming or irrelevant. This does a pretty good job of integrating it with a decently emphatic ABV and a pleasant stout character. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Central City Brewers + Distillers The Hobbit: Gollum Precious Pils Pilsener at 5% ABV ($8.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear straw with two fingers of frothy white head diminishing quickly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is biscuity pale malt, light wheat, honey, grassy lightly spicy hops. (5/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, crips and lightly bitter finish. (3/5)

Decent pils, but nothing all that impressive. Light and easy-drinking, with a clean, lightly hopped finish. One of the better pilsners I’ve had, but probably not worth the price of admission. It’s probably not a good sign when the label talks about the character and says not a single word about the beer itself… (12/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Green Flash Hop Odyssey 30th Street Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 6.0% ABV ($9.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours hazy pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is citrus and pine, pineapple, caramel malt, floral notes. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

At 6.0% ABV and 45 IBU, I’d call this perilously close to a DIPA, let alone an IPA. (Not that I’m complaining, y’unnerstand.) Fruity and robust, this was an excellent companion to lunch, but it’s not so much of a hop bomb that you couldn’t session a couple of these quite handily. If Green Flash does anything badly, I haven’t encountered it yet. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Big Rock Brewery Anthea Wet Hop Ale (2014) American Pale Ale at 6% ABV ($9.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear deep gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is grainy caramel malt, mild citrus and pine, faint tropical fruits. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Pretty similar to last years’ version. Still less hops on the tongue than the nose promises, and kind of meh-tastic overall. Probably too old too – though there’s no bottle date, since it’s a fresh hop beer it had to have been bottled last fall, and that’s just too long in the bottle for something like this. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Alley Kat White Dragon American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.5% ABV ($6.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear pale amber with three fingers of loose white head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is citrus and pine, caramel malt. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (3/5)

A pretty decent DIPA, although the finish has a bit of an edge. Not bad other than that, though – lots of Chinook hops, and very nice integration of the moderately high ABV. And it’s it’s not malt-forward, as so many DIPA’s tend to be. Better than their Murasaki Dragon, too. Though, I have to say, I’d like to try the Rainbow Dragon – I seem to find single-hop beers to be a little one-dimensional, and I’m curious how a hop blend would play out. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Grupo Modelo (Corona) Negra Modelo Vienna Lager at 5.3% ABV ($3.50 at South Trail Co-Op, 355ml, bottle date 17-Jul-2014)

Pours clear medium amber with one finger of dense ivory head, excellent retention, and heavy lacing. (4/5) Nose is mild roasty malts and caramel. (4/10) Taste is medium sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light to watery body, moderate carbonation, mild bitter finish. (3/5)

Fairly bland, with a malty aftertaste that isn’t all that great. Can’t say I’d recommend it or bother with another one. Probably the best thing Corona makes, though! (10/20)

My 133rd from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 126th from the 2013 Edition, and 139th combining both editions.

5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Steamworks Brewing Company Steamworks Pilsner Pilsener at 5.0% ABV ($3.50 at South Trail Co-Op, 500ml, no can date or best before)

Pours clear pale straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is light sweet crackery malt, citrus, grassy and herbal hops. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Light body, moderate carbonation, dry bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad. I mean, no pilsener is ever going to be great, that’s a given – but this is OK. For a fizzy yellow beer. Pleasant citrus and herbal hops on the front end, and a not-insignificant bitterness (can says 30 IBU) on the finish. Worth a try. (14/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Elysian Brewing Space Dust American IPA at 7.2% ABV ($3.50 at South Trail Co-Op, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel malt, citrus, pine, tropical fruits. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

That is one big solid beefy IPA. I honestly don’t know why this isn’t called a DIPA – the hop load and the ABV are both more suited to a double than a single. It’s well done, and reasonably well balanced, but a bit more malt-forward than I prefer. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Village Brewery Brünette Dunkelweizen at 5.5% ABV (Gift, 330ml, bottle date 9-Oct-2014)

Pours hazy brown with one finger of tan head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is muted, some bubblegum and bananas, doughy yeast, cloves. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Medium to light body, moderate carbonation, malty sweet finish. (3/5)

Nice coffee tones from the dark malt in a surprisingly light body for the colour. It’s no Weihenstephaner or Erdinger, but it’s not bad with dinner. Decent product from a local brewer, and if I had someone to share with, I’d probably try one or two of their other styles in a growler. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com