RyansBooze

Vancouver Island Brewing Thrashin’ Caddy – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 40 IBU (C$6.15 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 26-Jan-2026, acquired 7-Mar-2026, reviewed 7-Mar-2026)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with one fat finger of pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy fuzzy peach, tangerine, . (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration sweetish finish. (4/5)

I don’t dislike this, but it’s pretty adjunct-heavy, with fruit juice dominating the front end. That being said, there’s enough bitter and warming through the finish to remind you that, yes, this is a DIPA. Call it a guilty pleasure, I suppose. (14/20)

This will be my 6,360th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blood Brothers Brewing Swimsuit Seasons in the Abyss – American IPA at 6.2% ABV (C$8.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Jan-2026, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 5-Mar-2026)

Appearance: murky hazy pale gold with a massive fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, tropical & stone fruit, citrus, vinous, cereal grains, hint of resin. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

“w/ Idaho 7, Citra, & Simcoe” I sort of wondered if the colour and head suggested some degree of infection or other brokenness, which was reinforced by the mild aroma despite it being relatively new. But, there’s no off flavours – it’s just mild. Dunno. On the other hand, sure, bonus points for the use of the Oxford comma with an ampersand, and for what is clearly a Slayer reference, maybe mashed up with Sports Illustrated? Nothing special, definitely not worth the elevated price tag when you can get better locally made for less. (14/20)

This will be my 6,359th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blood Brothers Brewing Dream Vine – American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$8.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Nov-2025, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 2-Mar-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical & stone fruit, citrus, cereal grains, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

“w/ Simcoe & Riwaka” Not quite as juicy as I prefer. I know I say this with some frequency, but there really are a lot of respectable offerings out there from solid brewers, so it’s harder to reach that upper tier of performance. This is perfectly fine, but falls just a little short of being great. (15/20)

This will be my 6,358th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Cabin Brewing Company Stargazer – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.00 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 26-Jan-2026, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 23-Feb-2026)

Appearance: hazy medium gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, floral, cereal grains. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration mild bitter finish. (4/5)

No complaints to speak of here, but nothing really breaks through. Good, if not memorable. (15/20)

This will be my 6,356th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Superflux Beer Company Cottontail – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$6.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 12-Jan-2026, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 22-Feb-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, berry, dank pine, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium bitter slightly sticky finish. (4/5)

“brewed with mostly Mosaic and a bit of Simcoe and Citra”. Excellent. Juicy and pleasant, with mild dank. No notes. (16/20)

This will be my 6,355th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie du Bas-Canada Espace Libre – American IPA at 7.0% ABV (C$10.90 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 11-Nov-2025, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 20-Feb-2026)

Appearance: hazy deep gold with one fat finger of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: juicy tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains, faint floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate carbonation, medium bitter slightly sticky mildly warming finish. (4/5)

“Strata et Citra”. Nicely done. I was a little worried about the age of this one, but it’s still quite pleasant (though now I wonder how much nicer it’d have been fresh). It flirts with tending a little too sweet, but never really gets there, and eventually gives way to a pleasantly bitter finish. There’s also a mild warming, but it’s otherwise very drinkable for the elevated ABV. All in all, a very nice offering. (16/20)

This will be my 6,354th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dageraad Brewing Lekkers – Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$6.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 18-Nov-2025, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 18-Feb-2026)

Appearance: clear brown with one finger of loose beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, minimal stringy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: burnt sugar, orange peel, faint Belg-ish esters. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky finish. (3/5)

Not really a “Strong” Dark, but I wasn’t sure how else to classify it. For that matter, there’s not a whole lot of “Belgian” there, either. So, just “Dark”, I suppose? Anyway. This doesn’t really come across as having anything really dominate – which can be good, when it feels balanced, or less good when it feels aimless. This feels a bit more aimless than balanced. Dageraad generally does good Belgian-derived offerings, and this one could use a bit more of that lineage. Just OK. (13/20)

This will be my 6,353rd unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Longroof Brewing Co. January Dry – American IPA at 6.1% ABV (C$5.15 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 18-Feb-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: vinous, herbal, mild funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry crisp finish. (4/5)

I occasionally like dry and attenuated as a change of pace, and this accomplishes that fairly well. It could, however, benefit from a little more… well… everything. Not a lot, just a little. It’s fine, but not great. (15/20)

This will be my 6,352nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blood Brothers Brewing Child of the Sun – American IPA at 5.5% ABV (C$7.65 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 5-Dec-2025, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 17-Feb-2026)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of fine near-white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, white grape, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration building bitter finish. (4/5)

“w/ NZ Cascade & Simcoe” Decent contender. It doesn’t punch above its weight, exactly, but it’s certainly got a fairly emphatic presence for a fairly mundane ABV. Which, don’t get me wrong, is definitely not a flaw. (It might also be a little faded after a couple of months in the can.) Not exactly memorable, but it’ll definitely do. (15/20)

This will be my 6,351st unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sea Change Brewing Co. Sweetheart – American IPA at 6.9% ABV (C$5.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Jan-2026, acquired 10-Feb-2026, reviewed 16-Feb-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of creamy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cereal grains. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish with a slight edge. (3/5)

It’s fine but I feel like I could have scored it a little lower pretty much across the board were I so inclined. That being said, my only real complaint – and it’s a minor one – is that there’s a tiny bit of an edge in the finish, which really doesn’t belong in this style. It’s fine, but there are lots better out there. (15/20)

This will be my 6,350th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com