RyansBooze

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Classic Cut – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Oct-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 5-Jan-2024)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, citrus, pine, floral, grass. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

I mean, I’d criticize this for being old-fashioned, but they basically straight-up say their intent was to create a classic IPA, and this is that. It would have been a great beer a decade or two ago, so well done? I guess? Still, pretty hard to get excited about it… (15/20)

This will be my 5,730th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

S.Y.C. Brewing Co. Thank You – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$5.13 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 13-Dec-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 3-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of creamy white head, good retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, tropical fruit, pale malt, light pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry medium duration sharply astringent finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes refer to a “generous dose of Galaxy hops” but don’t actually say it’s single-hopped. They also don’t actually say they used champagne yeast, but they call it a “Champagne IPA”, so, I dunno, you tell me. I see what they were going for here, but I’m not convinced it entirely worked. In particular, the dry finish is accompanied by a fair amount of astringency, which I consider a negative. In my opinion, it’s right around or a little below average for this brewery (for n=33, μ=7.5 & σ=0.52). (14/20)

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7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Container Brewing Destination – American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.2% ABV (C$5.13 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Aug-2024, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 2-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy and particulate-laden pale amber with one fat finger of fine pale ivory head falling off to a tenacious cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, resiny pine, cereal grains, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration mildly warming finish. (4/5)

Press release says Citra and Equanot hops, and though there’s no readable date code it’s a one-off, so I’m going with a packaging date the same as the press release.    Pleasant enough hop profile in the aroma and well-balanced flavour, with a smooth  oaty body and a surprisingly mild warming through the finish. Definitely drinks a lot easier than one might expect for a DNEIPA.(15/20)

This will be my 5,727th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trillium Brewing Company Double Dry Hopped Franklin Park – American IPA at 7% ABV (C$14.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Oct-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 1-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of loose pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, tropical & stone fruit, cereal grains. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Brewer says hops are  El Dorado and Amarillo, malts are American 2 Row Barley, Flaked Rye, and C-15. This is a great beer, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to have gotten it locally – not only because it’s a great beer, but because it proves how far the local scene has come in the past few years. It used to be the case that the only way to get truly great beers was to travel to various (mostly American) destinations, or to have someone mule some in for you. Now, there are local producers (I’m looking at you, Cabin and The Establishment) making truly world-class beer that can stand alongside the best in the world with no excuses – and I can buy three of them for the price of one of these. (17/20)

This will be my 5,726th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Anchorage Brewing Company Medicine Woman – Triple IPA at 10% ABV (C$11.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 22-Jun-2024, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 1-Jan-2024)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, cereal grains, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry warming finish. (4/5)

Medicine Woman indeed – if that doesn’t cure you, you’re beyond hope. Sweetish but not cloying fruit nectar dominates, with clean malt and just a hint of dank. Definitely doesn’t drink like it’s double digits. Hell, it’s almost worth the price. (17/20)

This will be my 5,725th unique Untappd check-in.

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Trillium Brewing Company boat under train under car under plane – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$13.25 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 17-Oct-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 31-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and minimal spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus zest, cereal grains, stone fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, malts are Pilsner, Maris Otter, and White Wheat. I probably had unrealistically high expectations here, but come on, it’s Trillium! (In Alberta, no less! How cool is that?) And that’s to suggest this isn’t damn good – it is – but it’s not, like, next-level great. Though, to be fair, it’s intended as a recovery drink version of PoCoToB (which I’ve not yet had), so the light character would appear to be completely by design. (16/20)

This will be my 5,724th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Double Hopnosis – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV | 70 IBU (C$7.65 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 13-Nov-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 29-Dec-2023)

Appearance: clear deep gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, citrus, caramel, light tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)

I guess it should come as no surprise that I rated this almost exactly the same as its single (Cold IPA) progenitor that I had back in September. Like that one, there’s s something here that just doesn’t excite me – call it a bit of a plodding, unfocussed nature? It seems like, despite them throwing a whole bunch of hops at this, it still doesn’t really pop. Pretty, though. (15/20)

This will be my 5,723nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Lil’ Helper – American IPA at 6.1% ABV (C$5.26 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Nov-2023, acquired 28-Dec-2023, reviewed 29-Dec-2023)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and well-defined soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, light resiny pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation falling off slightly flat through the finish, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

Cute – the label includes removable self-sticky gift tags. I’m not sure what other than that makes this a “festive” IPA, but that’s probably just as well – I was worried there might be peppermint or some such, and I’m completely appreciative that there isn’t. The aroma is good, but the taste slightly fails to follow through, and the finish falls just slightly flat. Decent, sure, but it isn’t one of Cabin’s best, and in fact falls just little short of average for my experience with them (for n=35, μ=7.8 & σ=0.55). (15/20)

This will be my 5,722nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

White Pony Microbirrificio A Wish Full Of Dreams – American Double / Imperial Stout at 11.9% ABV (2023 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #24, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 14-Dec-2023, reviewed 25-Dec-2023)

Appearance: opaque black with one finger of fine beige head, good retention and moderate spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: boozy chocolate, red berries, mild nuts, slight metallic. (8/10) Taste: high sweet, high bitter. (6/10) Palate: full slick body falling off slightly in the finish, low carbonation, slightly astringent lingering bitter warming finish. (3/5)

This does some things right, but others not so much. The aroma is promising, but the flavour fails to fully deliver. And despite the fairly full albeit slightly high-ABV slick body, it seems to drop off a little thin in the finish, with a slight metallic note becoming a little astringent. I mean, this isn’t a complete failure, by any means – but it’s also not a complete success. (14/20)

This will be my 5,721st unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com