RyansBooze

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Boont Amber Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 5.8% ABV ($7.20 from Sherbrooke Liquor, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)

Pours clear medium amber with a fat finger of off-white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, light spotty lacing. (4/5) Nose is caramel malt, spruce needles, floral and herbal hops. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

One of the better amber ales I’ve tried – probably because it smells fairly highly-hopped. Seems like it’s predominantly dry-hopping, though, since it dominates the nose but is pretty mild on the tongue. Not overly challenging, but mild and pleasant without being boring. (14/20)

My 129th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 123rd by the 2013 Edition, and 135th combining both editions.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Raspberry Wheat Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium gold with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is artificial raspberry syrup, light wheat, faint grassy hops. (4/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (3/10) Light body, low sustained carbonation. (3/5)

Maybe an OK thirst quencher on a hot day. …Then again, maybe not, given the fairly fake raspberry aftertaste. This is getting down into mediocre macrobrew territory – don’t bother. (7/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Tall Ship American Amber Ale at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear pale gold with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is pale biscuity malt, faint leafy hops. (4/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light body, low sustained carbonation. (3/5)

Gotta be the palest “amber” I’ve ever had, and I think they filtered out all the flavour along with the colour. Pretty bland stuff. (8/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Garrison Brewing Company Irish Red Irish Red Ale at 5% ABV ($2.50 from NLC Howley Estates, 341ml, bottle date 5-Nov-2014)

Pours clear red-tinted medium amber with a short off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is caramel malt, bready yeast, maybe slight nuttiness. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, lingering sticky toffee and bitter finish. (4/5)

Pretty straightforward red – not a lot to say about it. Had it, move on. (12/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij De Ranke Père Noël Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7% ABV ($9.99 from South Trail Co-Op, 750ml, best before 08/2018)

Pours clear to cloudy pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is fruity Belgian yeast, caramel malt, slight spice. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Medium body, moderate sustained carbonation, slightly sticky and off-dry bitter finish. (4/5)

Nice departure from the more normal dark and heavily-spiced Christmas beers. Lots of Belgian character with a pleasant festive dessert feel. Lingering bitter finish and an almost-but-not-quite funky horseblankety tang. I like this a lot. (18/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company Mummer’s Brew (2014) American Amber / Red Ale at 5% ABV ($2.63 from NLC Kelsey Drive, 341ml, bottle date 13-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium amber with a short finger of off-white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Nose is mild caramel malt, some roasted tones, minimal hops. (5/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Light to medium body, moderate to low sustained carbonation, fairly rapid mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Despite the name (a reference to an old Newfoundland Christmas tradition of visiting neighbours and performing while in disguise) this doesn’t have any of the traditional “winter warmer” characteristics or spices. Pretty standard amber ale – nothing offensive, and nothing special. (10/20)

5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Route des Épices Spice/Herb/Vegetable at 8% ABV ($2.95 via Beer Club Offering #14, 341ml, bottle date 17-Nov-2014)

Pours clear medium amber with a short finger of off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is muted, spicy peppercorns, rye, pale malt. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter, moderate pepper. (7/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, mildly peppery finish. (4/5)

A little odd but quite drinkable – certainly better than some of the chile beers I’ve tried. The spiciness comes across as mild peppercorns, giving a gentle heat in combination with the rye sharpness and hop bitter. Not a beer for everyone, certainly, but I enjoyed it. Perhaps a little better than the sum of its parts. (16/20)

My 128th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers, 122nd by the 2013 Edition, and 134th combining both editions.

7.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Clown Shoes Beer Pecan Pie Porter American Porter at 8% ABV ($12.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650ml, bottle date 1-Oct-2014)

Pours opaque brown/black with one finger of tan head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, excellent lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark chocolate, coffee, roasty dark malts, bourbon, faint nuttiness. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Full body, low sustained carbonation, sticky boozy and mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

A bit disappointing in that I’m not getting a lot of the pecan – I would’ve liked to try this when it was still Genghis Pecan. For all that, a pleasantly boozy yet well-balanced higher ABV porter. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Aphrodisiaque American Stout at 6.5% ABV ($3.54 via Beer Club Offering #14, 341ml, bottle date 4-Nov-2014)

Pours opaque brown/black with one finger of tan head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark chocolate, coffee with milk, roasty dark malts, vanilla. (9/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (9/10) Full slightly creamy body, low sustained carbonation, sticky mildly bitter finish. (4/5)

Excellent. Nice complexity of bitter flavours from the roasted malts, with the usual suspects of coffee and dark chocolate making appearances, but tempered by a lactose sweetness that adds a milky flavour, assisted by the creamy texture. The hop bitterness is not first apparent, but is gradually revealed during the long complex finish. Another stellar beer from DDC. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

New Belgium Brewing Company / Perennial Artisan Ales Lips of Faith – Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout American Double / Imperial Stout at 9% ABV ($12.20 at Sherbrooke Liquor, 650ml, best before 27-Mar-2016)

Pours opaque brown with one finger of tan head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark chocolate, roasty dark malts, mild dark fruits, faint smoke and salt. (7/10) Taste is mild sweet, mild bitter, mild salt. (7/10) Full body, low sustained carbonation, sticky mildly bitter and salt finish. (4/5)

Not unpleasant by any means, but I have to say I was expecting more of a salted chocolate punch. Both flavours are there, but restrained. Which, probably, is a more sophisticated approach than the beast I was anticipating. (Guess I’m just unsophisticated at heart.) Nicely balanced and restrained almost to the point of delicate. (16/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com