RyansBooze

No-Li Brewhouse Born & Raised American IPA at 7% ABV (C$8.50 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours slightly hazy pale amber with a fat finger of rocky light beige head, good retention and excellent lacing. (5/5) Nose is pithy grapefruit, caramel malt, pine resin, apricot and other fruit, hint of honey. (8/10) Taste is medium sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, slick and mildly warming finish. (4/5)

An upstart of an IPA with a DIPA attitude. Hops and malt trade places with alternating sips, but it’s all citrus and piney bitterness in the finish, with just a mild warming from the moderately beefy ABV. Some might consider it a hop bomb at 85IBU, but for me it’s a solid and well-built performer, with emphatic but not overwhelming bitterness. I might be being a little generous here, but not by a lot. (15/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing I Love You With My Stout Imperial Stout at 12% ABV (C$$4.44 via Beer Club Offering #15, 355 ml, bottle date 31-Dec-2014)

Pours deep brown with deep amber highlights, one finger of dense beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is roasty malt, dark chocolate, liquorice, dark fruit, nutty and vinous. (8/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, moderately strong bitter. (8/10) Full body, moderate carbonation, slick and warming finish. (4/5)

Starts off with a sweet, almost honey-like, dark malt, giving way to vinous dark fruits and finishing with a lingering bitter and alcohol warming. That’s not to say the double-digit ABV is intrusive, because it certainly isn’t. Flavours are complex, changing and opening up as it warms. Big and bombastic, for sure, but not overly hot even when young. I’m going to cellar one and see how it develops. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Gigantic Brewing Company Intensify Belgian IPA at 8.1% ABV (C$10.75 at Sundance Wine Market, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear pale amber with two fingers of dense off-white head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is floral, tropical fruit, citrus, pine resin, slight banana, light caramel. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter, slight earthy funk. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

A decently well-balanced combination of both Belgian and IPA flavours, with a little funk. Nothing too interesting, but nothing unpleasant, either. I could go for another one of these. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Freudian Slip Barleywine at 10.3% ABV (C$4.55 via Beer Club Offering #15, 355 ml, bottle date 1-Dec-2014)

Pours clear deep amber with a short, short-lived head, minimal lacing. (4/5) Nose is burnt sugar, dark fruits, floral, faint oak. (7/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Medium body, prickly sustained carbonation, off-dry and boozy warm finish. (4/5)

Barleywines don’t tend to be my favourite style, but this one is quite pleasant. Not too heavy or sweet, with an understated ABV. Not quite a sessionable every day drinker, but not far off. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Low Life Pilsener at 5.5% ABV (C$3.32 via Beer Club Offering #15, 355 ml, bottle date 3-Dec-2014)

Pours slightly hazy pale gold with one finger of loose white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Nose is herbal, grassy, pale bready malt, some citrus. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Light to medium body, prickly to moderate carbonation, off-dry and crisp finish. (4/5)

A non-traditional but pleasant pils. Definitely hoppier than a true pilsener, and with a heavier body – but those aren’t negatives as far as I’m concerned. I guess the truth is, I want every beer to taste like an IPA. This one tends to that flavouring, so it’s a win with me. (15/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Evil Twin Brewing Molotov Cocktail American Double / Imperial IPA at 13% ABV (C$4.55 via Beer Club Offering #15, 355 ml, bottle date 6-Nov-2014)

Pours slightly hazy deep gold with one finger of medium ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, tropical fruit, pine, citrus. (7/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Medium to full body, moderate carbonation, slick slightly syrupy and warming finish. (4/5)

A big DIPA with a well-integrated double digit ABV that comes through as a pleasant boozy warmth in the finish. It’s definitely more sweet than I would prefer, but not overwhelmingly so – I’d prefer more hop-forwardness. Good without being great. (15/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Ninkasi Brewing Company Total Domination American IPA at 6.7% ABV (C$8.29 at Quarry Park Co-Op, 330 ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear medium gold with two fingers of dense ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is pithy grapefruit, pine, caramel malt. (7/10) Taste is low sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, dry slightly astringent and metallic finish. (4/5)

Pleasantly dry IPA with a well-integrated ABV and pronounced but not overwhelming bitterness. The slight metallic note in the finish is a bit of a negative, but overall a solid performer. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Oatmeal Stout at 7.5% ABV (C$6.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 20-May-2019)

Pours a solid inky black with two fingers of medium chocolate brown head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, café latte, mild liquorice and dark fruit. (9/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Full bodied, low sustained carbonation and a mild bitter finish. (4/5)

A very nice coffee and oatmeal stout, but not quite as smooth as the Brunch Weasel. There’s a little bitterness in the finish that I found completely absent in the Brunch Weasel, and fact is, on a dollar-per-ABV basis, the price is about the same. Comparing $10.49 for the 10.9% ABV Brunch Weasel, to $6.09 for the 7.5% ABV Breakfast, I’d go for the Brunch Weasel over this. (17/20)

My 144th from the 2010 Edition (138th from the 2013 edition), and 154th combining both editions.

8.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

To Øl Dangerously Close to Stupid American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.3% ABV (C$7.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, best before 11-Mar-2016)

Pours cloudy pale gold with a fat finger of dense ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is pithy citrus, pine, peaches, mango, caramel malt. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, strong bitter, mild peppery spice. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

Lots of flavour and a very well-behaved ABV. And yeah, it’s a 100 IBU hop bomb, but it’s not overwhelming, because it’s fairly well-supported by the caramel malt. I like it. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Baird Brewing Company Brewer’s Nightmare Rye IPA American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$4.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 330 ml, bottle date 12-Jun-2014)

Pours hazy deep gold with one finger of dense off-white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderately heavy lacing. (4/5) Nose is pithy citrus, pine, caramel malt, grassy rye. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter, moderate peppery spice. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly spicy finish. (3/5)

Went into it with pretty low expectations, given the swing-and-a-miss quality of the last two Baird Beers I tried. But actually, not bad at all. The rye is mild, giving just a little black pepper edge to a decently bitter underlying IPA. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com