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?
West Coast Beer Geek 
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.