RyansBooze

Micro-brasserie Le Trou Du Diable La Morsure American IPA at 6.5% ABV

Pours a cloudy straw with an enthusiastic persistent fluffy head and moderate sticky lacing. Nose is complex – citrus, pineapple, pine, biscuity malt, earthy herbal tones. Taste is similar, with grapefruit bitterness and pine resin, crackers, a slight herbal pepperiness, and an off-dry finish. Medium- to light-bodied, with low residual carbonation and a lingering bitterness.

“Compulsive Strong Ale” indeed. It’s only 6.5%, so it’s hardly heavy-duty, but la morsure (“the bite”) comes from hops, not ABV – which is just the way I like it. Interestingly enough, the quote on the back of the bottle reads «Le bonheur est dans l’amertume» (“Happiness is in bitterness”) which I think sums it up nicely. Got fairly thick with sediment towards the end of the bottle, but that’s hardly a negative for a bottle-conditioned ale. Pleasant and worth trying.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze

Micro-brasserie Le Trou Du Diable Shawinigan Handshake Weizen Bock at 6.5% ABV

Pours a cloudy straw with a foamy two finger white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and moderate spotty lacing. Nose is very Belgian – lots of bananas, cloves, and bubblegum, with just a hint of cinnamon and spruce. Taste follows suit, with a distinct peppery bite. Medium bodied, with decent carbonation and a lingering off-dry finish.

This bottle had quite a bit of residue around the neck and cap, but it appeared to be just yeast, with no off flavours in the nose or taste. Definitely a characteristic weizenbock, with a strong clove character. Just as a little aside of Canadiana, the dude on the label looks nothing like the skater hippie who Chrétien actually throttled (the “Shawinigan handshake”), and actually bears a strong resemblance to Don Cherry.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze

Goose Island Beer Co. Honker’s Ale English Bitter at 4.3% ABV

(On tap) Pours a clear copper with one finger of fluffy head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, heavy lacing. Nose is predominantly biscuity english malt, faint pine and citrus hops. Taste follows suit, with a mellow caramel sweetness followed by a mild bitter finish. Mouth feel is medium-bodied, with low carbonation and and off-dry bitter finish.

Not my favourite style, I admit. But as it goes, not bad. The malt isn’t overwhelming, and is decently balanced against the mild bittering. It’ll do, I guess, but I won’t have a second.

7/10 #ryansbooze

Goose Island Beer Co. India Pale Ale IPA at 5.9% ABV

(On tap) Pours a clear light gold with one finger of fluffy head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. Nose is bright pine and citrus hops against toasty biscuit malt. Taste follows suit, with grapefruit hops followed by mild malt and finishing with a lingering bitterness. Mouth feel is light- to medium-bodied, with low carbonation and an off-dry bitter finish.

Not bad at all. A fairly straightforward IPA, but not at all unpleasant. Easy drinking, with a pleasantly crisp texture and a decent hop profile.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze #1001beers

Left Coast Brewing Co. Hop Juice Double India Pale Ale at 9.7% ABV

Pours a murky orange amber with a short off-white head diminishing to a thin skim and patchy lacing. Nose is caramel malt, pine and citrus hoppiness. Taste is caramel malt followed by pine resin and mango. Mouth feel is medium-bodied with low carbonation and a slippery, buttery texture.

Too sweet for my taste – a DIPA (especially one called Hop Juice!) should be dominated by hops, not malt – yet I find that malt dominates in both the nose and the taste. No date code on the bottle, but I wonder if this one is past its prime?

6/10 #ryansbooze

Boston Beer Company Samuel Adams Rebel IPA American IPA at 6.5% ABV

(On tap) Pours a clear gold with a fluffy white two finger head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and spotty lacing. Nose is pleasantly hoppy, pine and citrus, with a mild malt background. Taste is similar, with decently balanced piney hops and biscuity malt, with a pleasantly peppery aftertaste. Mouth feel is medium-bodied, with mild persistent carbonation and a lingering bitter finish.

This is a pretty decent A/IPA. Restrained hoppiness, but also not too malt-forward. Nothing earth-shaking, but a very drinkable IPA.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze

Lagunitas Brewing Company Censored (The Kronik) American Amber Ale at 6.75% ABV

Pours a clear medium amber with one finger of frothy head diminishing gradually to half that, moderate lacing. Nose is sweet caramel malt, bread and yeast, with only faint hops. Taste is hoppier than the nose suggests, but still dominated by a rich, earthy sweet malt. Medium-bodied, with moderate persistent carbonation and a lingering bitter finish.

Not bad for an amber ale. I usually prefer hops to malt, but this makes for a nice change of pace. Not to mention, the hop bitterness does come through more in the flavour than you’d initially think based on the aroma. Quite pleasant.

8/10 #ryansbooze

Sin City Brewing Co. Sin City IPA IPA at 6% ABV

(On tap) Pours a cloudy orange with a fat finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate patchy lacing. Nose is initially sharply hoppy – floral, citrus and mango – against a caramel malt background. Taste is sweet malt and floral, earthy hops. Medium-bodied and slightly chewy, with mild to moderate carbonation and a bitter finish.

Not bad, but not great. The nose developed a little cheese/vomit sourness as it warmed, and the flavour reflected that as well. Not to overstate it, but it’s definitely there.

6/10 #ryansbooze

Boston Beer Company Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider at 5% ABV

I don’t know how to rate this. It’s apple juice.

No, really. There’s absolutely nothing in the aroma or the flavour except apple juice. Flat as a board and zero alcohol. If it’s really 5%, it’s a 5% you could give your kids on the sly. I’m not exaggerating when I say it tastes like apple juice and nothing more or less. And I honestly can’t say whether that’s good or bad.

It’s sweet – really sweet – but not sickly, because (as I may have mentioned) it tastes like apple juice.

Hell if I know. It sure as hell ain’t “crisp”, but it ain’t bad, either.

6/10 #ryansbooze