Samuel Smith's India Ale -- Four Beers

First of all, let me say that IPAs are my favourite beers.

Then, let me add that "American IPAs" are my favourite IPAs, and that British IPAs, though possibly more true to the genre, aren't as true to the hops. They *are* hoppy, they *are* delicious... but they're softer. A little mellower. A little... waterier. A little more like an ale, and a lot less like hop soup.


This IPA is a quality examplar of the British IPA family. It's got great colour and a delicious, amber-y taste. But it's also got a lot of malt, and almost comes off sweet rather than bitter. I've honestly had reds that are more hoppy than this, and it actually kind of reminds me of one. It's still a quality beer, though.

4 out of 6.

Rickard's White Ale -- Four Beers

Rickard's White is a "Belgian-style, wheat ale"--and by Belgian they mean unfiltered. To me, this means that the beer is pleasantly fruity. To some, this means it's sweet. And it's true, it does have a bit on the sweet side, but I never really find beer to be exactly dry, not compared with almost any other alcoholic beverage. But back to the beer. I find it fairly standard for an unfiltered beer. It doesn't go out of its way to taste like much of anything except a beer with its yeast still in it, though there are some specifically citrus undertones to the fruit--probably because, in its standardness, it's "supposed" to be garnished with orange. (Personal note: don't really like orange garnish.) Its carbonation is probably the one way that this beer stands out from other unfiltereds. It's got a fairly effervescent quality, probably, what with being so sweet, why my uncle said it's like drinking pop--but I heartily disagree. Drinking it in Spring is like getting ready for Summer. I think it would be perfect for a drink on a patio. Overall, though, it's good, but only because the style is good. I'm also glad it's from a major distributor, bringing a wider variety of beers to the uneducated, Canadian masses.




Of note: As far as I know, there are two specific styles of unfiltered beer: Belgian, and Hefeweizen (German?). With a hefeweizen, to pour it, you're supposed to swirl the bottle before and half-way through pouring, to kick up the settled yeast so that it is poured into the glass. With a Belgian, while I would still swirl it to kick up the yeast, I've also heard tell that you're not supposed to drink the yeast that has settled and clotted at the bottom, that it's actually not good for you. I haven't died or anything, and as you can see in the picture, it's definitely in there. But what's the difference, between a hefeweizen (and I've swirled the real ones imported from Germany) and a Belgian? What's the difference between the yeasts, that some of it clots and some of it doesn't? Is it top and bottom yeast? If anyone ever reads this, and happens to know, lemme know?

Tree Brewing Co.'s Hop Head IPA -- Four Beers

Not for the faint of hop, "Hop head" is fairly accurate, and I've got to give it points for that (a favourite phrase of mine, by the way). It was almost soapy, but I can't care 'cause I love hop. It could be more balanced with a titch more malt, but I'm still going to give it four. Go local microbreweries knowing what real beer is! And for knowing what the story is and printing it on their label to educate the masses!

Lagunitas' IPA -- Four Beers

This is an excellent IPA. "Suicidally hoppy" is right. Nothing but hops, all the way down, in this one, but by no means in a bad way. Even with such a powerful hop kick, it's still gentle enough to be light and leave only a little aftertaste. It has what I think of as a "tight" carbonation too, where you don't feel bubbles or excess gas in your mouth, but there's a tingle all through your mouth, as if the bubbles were just smaller than usual somehow. More like champagne than pop. I don't remember the price, but I'll check later. A four if it's cheap, a three otherwise, and it'll definitely become a regular for me. [Update: now that I'm rating out of six beers--what was I thinking rating out of five beers and not six?--it's a four either way.]

[Label text:
-Thanks for choosing to spend the next few minutes with this special homicidally hoppy ale. Savor the moment as the raging hop character engages the IMperial Qualities of the Malt Foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!
-Life is Uncertain, Don't Sip!]

Anderson Valley's Boont Amber Ale -- Four Beers

Anderson Valley's one of my favourite breweries, ever. Every beer is packed full of flavour, even if I don't necessarily like all of them. But, I can talk about those in another post. For now, I'm drinking the amber ale. Like I said, I don't always like the flavours. It's not malty or hoppy, just amber. But it's a pleasant amber, feeling full in your mouth without any of the negative side-effects like sweetness or bitterness that others might, though there is some toastiness right at the end that I really like. I'll give it a four, but really it's probably more like a three because it costs the same as the other fantastic Anderson Valleys (not an incredible amount, but still enough), but without all the greatness of the others.

[Cap texts:
- One a day is all we ask
- Because beer is not a spectator sport
- Comfortingly expensive
- Once you hop, you can't stop]

Paddockwood's Rye IPA -- Four Beers

I think it's fitting that my first beerpost is of an IPA. If you keep reading this beerblog, and I keep writing it, you'll soon learn that I'm not just a cerevisaphile, but a hophead.

This beer, and a few others, are quickly convincing me that Paddockwood is a fantastic microbrewery. And Canadian! Other than... that one that makes Maudite etc., the only Canadian microbrewery I know, and I'm proud to say it's in Saskatoon. Paddockwood's beers are consistently full-flavoured; I'd feel comfortable picking any beer of theirs at random to try, because I know I'd enjoy it.

The Rye IPA is a great beer, though I wouldn't really say the rye entirely adds anything distinctively rye--that is, if you didn't tell me it was a Rye IPA, I wouldn't've thought it weren't a regular IPA. But, for an IPA, it really does a good job. It's a whole mouthful of hops, but without getting soapy like some super-IPAs do, and without losing a light aleness. The only reason I won't give it five stars is the price: here in little old Moose Jaw, at least, it was sold by the bottle, at almost $5. And I hate paying that kind of price, even when they're pouring it for me.