RyansBooze

Border City Brewing Company Pale Ale – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$3.00 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 7-Oct-2021, acquired 4-Nov-2021, reviewed 5-Nov-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, grass, biscuity malt, light earthy pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly astringent finish. (3/5)

A pretty straightforward traditional APA without a whole lot to talk about, positive or negative. Grass competes with citrus for dominance, but neither are particularly emphatic, nor do they overwhelm the biscuity malt. Finishes fairly clean, with a mild, almost-tart astringency. (14/20)

This will be my 5,112th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Odin Brewing Company Odin’s Quest – American Pale Ale at 5.2% ABV (C$2.85 at Collective, 355 ml, packaged on 12-Jul-2021, acquired 4-Nov-2021, reviewed 4-Nov-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, biscuity malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (4/5)

Nice one: juicy citrus and tropical fruit on a clean malt base. Just a tiny bit sweeter than I’d like, but still crushable and refreshing overall. My biggest complaint here is the baby-sized can – after the day I’ve had, I could use a real pint! (16/20)

This will be my 5,111th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Annex Ale Project Loud Hailer – American IPA at 6.6% ABV (C$4.99 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Sep-2021, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 3-Nov-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, oily citrus, pale malt, resiny pine, melon. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Secondary sources say this is hopped with Mosaic, Cryo Citra, Strata, and Eclipse. Slightly more bitter, and dryer in the finish, than a typical NEIPA – which I appreciate. Actually, I pretty much appreciate everything about this one, and like it a lot. (16/20)

This will be my 5,110th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Hypha Project The New Normal – American IPA at 6.5% ABV (C$5.35 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 24-Sep-2021, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 2-Nov-2021)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical & stone fruits, biscuity malt, light pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Columbus, and Simcoe. A good example of, yeah, what can reasonably be called the new normal: big dry hopped-derived aromatics on a neutral malt while maintaining restrained sweetness, a soft body, and semi-dry finish. There’s certainly nothing about this one that I don’t like. Yes, it could stand to be juicier, but that’s almost always associated with more sweetness, which I’d consider a negative. All in all, I like this one. (16/20)

This will be my 5,109th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Microbrasserie Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Hibernus – Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 10% ABV | 10 IBU (C$15.41 at Beer Club Offering #12, 750 ml, packaged on 21-Mar-2014, best before 21-Mar-2019, acquired 11-Oct-2014, reviewed 1-Nov-2021)

Appearance: clear cola red with two fingers of rocky beige head, excellent retention and heavy well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: complex, candi sugar, dates, vinous grapes and red berries, banana, caramel, mild spice, faint earthy funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, low bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, slightly sticky warming finish. (4/5)

We’re now more than 7 years in the bottle, and over a year since my review of my second-last one of these. It’s still pretty good, but there’s a hint of an almost mildewy earthy funk that wasn’t present last time. Fair to say at this point, it’s past its peak and on a downward slide. (15/20)

This will be my 5,108th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Great Notion Brewing & Barrel House Are We Safe In Here? – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$8.95 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 14-Jun-2021, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 1-Nov-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, juicy citrus & stone fruit, cereal grains, hint of floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Secondary sources say this is hopped with Strata, Vic Secret, and Citra – and that seems legit. Probably a little faded due to its age, but still pretty solid even so. I’d like to try it fresher. (16/20)

This will be my 5,107th unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Arcadia Brewing Co. Go Back to The… West Coast IPA – American IPA at 6% ABV (C$4.50 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 28-Sep-2021, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 1-Nov-2021)

Appearance: clear medium goldwith two fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: resiny pine, caramel, citrus, hint of floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering building bitter finish. (4/5)

A very straightforward traditional West Coast-style IPA, with oily resiny pine on a caramel backbone, with a little citrus (and maybe a hint of floral?) behind. Literally exactly what it says on the label, and done sufficiently well to escape out-and-out boredom – but not sufficiently interestingly to kick it to the next level. (15/20)

This will be my 5,106th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie du Bois Blanc Germain Alt IPA – English IPA at 5.8% ABV (C$5.67 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 24-Sep-2021, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 31-Oct-2021)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grass, citrus, caramel, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

Meh. A boring, malty, English-style IPA. Although I’ve drunk many beers in hotels, I think this is probably my first hotel-branded beer – and it’s about as characterless as a hotel room. (12/20)

This will be my 5,105th unique Untappd check-in.

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Township 24 Brewery Hijacked Kayak – American IPA at 5.7% ABV (C$4.55 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 29-Oct-2021)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grass, stone fruit, melon, citrus, mint. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

The label says this is hopped with Ariana, Calista, and Meridian. Calista (Callista?) are a new one on me. Yakima Valley Hops says it’s new in 2019, with a mild alpha and stone fruit, grapefruit, and raspberries, and that it “shines in delicate styles like pilsners”. Meanwhile, Meridian is typically associated with saisons and wits. In other words, the hop selection doesn’t seem all that on-point for NE-style “hazy” IPAs, and that’s pretty much consistent with my take on this one: it really isn’t all that IPA-like (or all that hazy, for that matter), and is actually almost pilsner-like. There are no real off notes here, but it’s definitely not very interesting. (13/20)

This will be my 5,104th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

42 North Brewing Company Borderland – American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$6.95 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 19-Oct-2021, reviewed 27-Oct-2021)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: stone fruit, melon, citrus, resiny pine, toffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: smooth medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweet lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Brewer notes say this is hopped with Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, Simcoe, & Summit. I’m not sure why that’s giving me a stone fruit aspect front and centre, but citrus is much further in the background than I would have expected. Malts are not emphatic, but what there is tends to a bit darker, more toffee than caramel. (14/20)

This will be my 5,103rd unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com