Powell Street Brewery – Old Jalopy Pale Ale: The all mighty Canadian Brewing Awards 2013 Beer of the Year, brewed in Vancouver at a strength of 5.5% and 40 IBU’s – poured from a hard to find bottle into a glass at home. I manage to walk into a liquor store who had lost track of one case for a while, just as they put it on the shelves with a limit of two per person.
Aroma and Appearance: Pours a light copper with a whole bunch of foam and lots of fast tiny rising bubbles with a nose of tangerine, mango and citrus with caramel graininess
Flavour: Smooth creamy texture with bready malt, notes of caramel and soft yet dry bitter finish with a touch of vanilla and pine that lingers forever.
Overall Impression: It lives up to its name, I have had this on tap, from a cask and in a bottle and they all deliver in their own way.
Rating: I give it a 8/10 as in excellent, interesting with some character and a bit of complexity to it. I can see it having the most appeal across many folks (hence the award), if you want to get people into craft beer take the for a pint of Old Jalopy if you can get one. Even in a bottle that had to be about 15 months old, it is still great.
Food Pairing: Pale ales and extra sharp cheddars are the best match, the sharper and older the cheddar the better.
What do you think, was it deserving of the award?
I would say it probably was. They are doing great things with their tiny space. I am looking forward to them moving into their new huge location in August.
Yes, I hope when they expand they bottle more (without over carbonating) – pretty impressive brewery.