Sample Series – Townsite Brewing Quartz Blended Wild Ale

I was super stoked to see this beer arrive on my door step one day and wanted to feature it on my Sample Series reviews.

Sample Series – BC Craft Brewers Guild & Bomber Brewing Collaboration Oktoberfest Beer

Craft Oktoberfest, or festbiers, are styles that I typically avoid buying locally because they are usually poorly made (sorry, but that’s the truth). It also doesn’t help that you can get some pretty good German imports for a few bucks a can and most of those are pretty spot on. That being said, as someone…

Sample Series – Beau’s Full Time IPA, a West Coast Beer From the East

The local IPA scene lately has been littered with cloudy, New England or Eastern Style IPA’s, which has been a real treat for a while but it can be a bit overwhelming at times with all the fruit and lack of bitterness in the hopped up beers. Because of this, I’ve been craving more West…

Sample Series – A Look At Moody’s Sublime Pineapple Hefeweizen

I’ve always been a little iffy about pineapple beers, never really finding one that I enjoyed. So the thought of a free sample to try out was perfect for my endeavor to finally find a pineapple beer I can appreciate.

BC Craft Beer Review – Four Winds Norwegian Wood Farmhouse Ale

Norwegian Wood is the name of a famous song by the Beatles written about an affair that John Lennon was involved in. It is also, apparently, the name of this beer. However, the similarities between the song name and the beer pretty much end there. Instead of a coy reference to cheap wall paneling, the…

Sample Series – Trading Post Brewing Starts A Bold New Bomber Bottle Program

Gavin Hamilton, a Scotsman who began his career as an apprentice clerk for the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Langley, apparently shot and killed not one, but three bears with a double barrel shotgun on a canoe trip while hunting for wild ducks.

IPA Review – Hearthstone IPA

It’s funny, this beer has been out locally for over a year now and I’ve always had a tough time finding it fresh enough to buy (I won’t buy a canned IPA older than 4 months, I won’t buy undated ones). Every time I found it, it was always a year old, eight months old,…

Sample Series – A Look At Steamworks & Dageraad East of East Van Saison

East of East Van comes in a large format 750mL bottle that retails for about $13 a piece and was co-brewed by Steamworks and Dageraad Breweries for a March 2017 release. This is a bottle conditioned Saison beer, where the carbonation is naturally derived from residual yeast interacting with sugars in the beer (usually topped…

BC Craft Beer Review – Dageraad White Belgian Wheat Beer

In late February 2017, Dageraad Brewing launched a new year round beer called Dageraad White, which is a Belgian style spiced Wheat Beer (aka Witbier). I was very excited to see a year round Witbier on the market, something that has been missing locally in my opinion. In fact, I’d say other than the seasonal…

IPA Review – Fuggles & Warlock Valis Imperial IPA

I’ve generally enjoyed most Fuggles & Warlock beers, but I have to admit I’m really partial to their IPA releases which are always great.

BC Craft Beer Review – Strange Fellows Goldilocks Belgian Golden Strong

Goldilocks is a seasonal limited release beer from Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver, BC that is brewed to a strength of 8.5% abv and sold in a 750mL bottle for around $15 a piece. Although I still found it to be a touch expensive (about the same price as a 4x16oz pack of their regular…

IPA Review – Four Winds & Powell Collaboration Farmhouse IPA

This beer is a unique collaboration effort between Powell Brewery and Four Winds Brewing which was released in 4 packs of 16 oz cans a couple of weeks ago into the market. It has a fairly low IBU of 31 with an ABV of 6.8% and is more of a hybrid style than either a…

Steel & Oak Puts the Wine Back Into Barleywine With En Blanc and En Rouge Winter Releases

Steel & Oak in New Westminster has been known for churning out some unique and interesting seasonal releases that help differentiate them from other BC breweries.

BC Craft Beer Review – Lighthouse Depth Charge Barrel Aged Scotch Ale

Brewed to a strength of 9% abv and aged in Whiskey barrels for an undisclosed amount of time, after trying a few different local beers this week, Depth Charge was the clear choice for Local Beer of the Week.

IPA Review – Superflux Colour & Shape

Superflux Colour & Shape IPA: Formerly known as Machine Brewing who operated out of Callister’s co-op model brewery, Superflux is the new operating name for these folks who made themselves known as masters of IPA’s and hop forward beers

BC Craft Beer Review – Four Winds Mona

Steamworks Flagship IPA: A recipe “4 years in the making” according to the brewery, this recent BC Beer Awards Gold Medal Winning IPA celebrates the invasion of the NE IPA (aka North East, aka New England) variety of IPA’s into British Columbia. Perhaps ignited by the likes of Heady Topper or other eastern USA breweries […]

IPA Review – Melvin Asterisk Double IPA

Melvin Asterisk DIPA: Described as the cousin of 2X4 on Melvin’s website this 9% abv Double IPA is my choice for IPA of the week for a few reasons.

BC Craft Beer Review – Steel & Oak Baltic Porter

These folks have been consistently brewing interesting and high quality seasonal releases since they opened up so I felt their recently release Baltic Porter was worth of being my inaugural Local Beer of the Week recommendation

IPA Review – Twin Sails Slam Dank

Twin Sails has been pumping out all kinds of unique and interesting IPA’s lately and I felt this one deserved to be called out as my first IPA of the week

BC Craft Beer Review – Steamworks Flagship IPA

Sierra Nevada 2016 Beer Camp Six Collaboration Beer Review – When More is Less and Less Isn’t More

Relying upon the success of the 2014 Beer Camp Collaboration 12 Pack of Beers (all of which I reviewed individually here), the 2016 version was reduced from twelve to six unique beers typically sold in a $25 pack that contained two of each beer, making it great for splitting with someone. This year’s Beer Camp collaboration featured…

BC Craft Beer Review – Parallel 49 Brews Brothers Vol. 2 Mega Review

Parallel 49 Brews Brothers Vol 2: This year’s Classic Rock themed Brews Brothers Vol 2 twelve pack is a large multi-brewer BC pack of craft beers featuring a whole different set of breweries from last year’s collaboration pack, which was once again were brewed together at the Parallel 49 brewery in Vancouver, BC. Volume 2 retails for…

BC Craft Beer Review – Old Yale Brewing Yeti White Stout

Old Yale Brewing Yeti White Stout: This is a white stout hybrid style beer brewed in Chilliwack, BC to a strength of 8% abv using Belgian pilsner malts, peated malt and oats with the addition of Himalayan truffles in the brewing process. It’s interesting to see that they’re clearly building on their successful Canadian Beer of the…

Why A Barrel Aged Beer Doesn’t Have To Be High ABV – A Salute To Powell Street Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter

I occasionally ponder why some of the delicious barrel aged beers out there always seem to be brewed to massive, hard to finish in one sitting, put you to sleep alcohol strengths. For example, it often takes me at least 2-3 hours to finish one 22oz bottle of barrel aged Imperial Stout simply because it…

BC Craft Beer Review – Howe Sound Ascension Triple IPA

Howe Sound Ascension Triple IPA: Brewed by a Squamish, BC brewery, this massive IPA comes in at a strength of 11% abv with 75 IBUs worth of hops. This is the first time I can recall a Triple IPA being bottled and released in BC in a large enough amount to be distributed at private…

BC Craft Beer Review – Dead Frog Brewery Wet Hop S.M.A.S.H

Dead Frog Brewery Wet Hop S.M.A.S.H.: A surprise release from Dead Frog in Aldergrove, BC, this fresh hop beer features fresh locally grown Centennial hops and Pale malt from Armstrong, BC making it a full on British Columbian ale that was released mid November. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a pale golden colour with one finger of…

BC Craft Beer Review – Yellow Dog Brewing Play Dead Fresh Hop IPA

Yellow Dog Brewing Play Dead Fresh Hop IPA: Brewed with fresh Mosaic hops from Yakima, WA this IPA comes in at a strength of 6.8% abv with 75 IBUs. I can honestly say, after having at least a few of these, that this is one of the best fresh hop beers I have ever had. They knocked…

BC Craft Beer Review – Russell Brewing Farm Fresh IPA

Russell Brewing Farm Fresh IPA: A latecomer to the fresh hop market, this IPA is brewed to a strength of 6.5% abv and features 48 IBUs worth of Centennial, Cascade and Chinook hops from Chilliwack’s Sartori hop farm. I was surprised to see a fresh hop release from Russell to be honest, I wasn’t expecting them…

BC Craft Beer Review – Spinnakers Sooke Harvest Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Spinnakers Sooke Harvest Fresh Hop Pale Ale: Brewed in Victoria, BC with fresh hops grown in Sooke, this Pale Ale comes in at a strength of 5% abv and features 40 IBUs worth of fresh Cascade, Chinnook and Willamette hops. This is the first time I can recall seeing a Spinnakers fresh hop beer on the…

BC Craft Beer Review – 33 Acres of Ocean Fresh Hop Pale Ale

33 Acres of Ocean Fresh Hop Pale Ale: Another new BC fresh hop offering featuring fresh Centennial hops, this beer is brewed to a strength of 5.3% abv in Vancouver, BC. The brewery used their regular Pale Ale label and hand stamped the words”Fresh Hop” onto some 4300 bottles of this release. I of course, managed to get…

BC Craft Beer Review – Ravens Brewing Fresh Hopped ESB

Ravens Brewing Fresh Hopped ESB: Newly opened in 2015, Ravens Brewing in Abbotsford, BC brewed this beer to a strength of 5.75% abv with 50 IBUs of hops from the Valley Hops farm in Abbotsford. It’s great to see a beer like this come from a brand new brewery as it’s not something you see…

BC Craft Beer Review – Yellow Dog Brewing Alpha Dog Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Yellow Dog Brewing Alpha Dog Fresh Hop Pale Ale: Brewed with fresh Citra hops from Yakima, WA this Pale Ale comes in at a strength of 5.2% abv and 60 IBUs. What’s interesting about this beer is that it is made from fresh hops outside of BC in one of the most famous hop growing…

BC Craft Beer Review – Persephone Harvest Goddess Golden Ale

Persephone Harvest Goddess Golden Ale: Brewed as part of three fresh hop releases in 2015 (and new for this year), this Golden Ale is brewed to a strength of 5% abv with fresh Golding Hops from their own hop farm. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a clear golden colour with two fingers of foam and just a few…

BC Craft Beer Review – Central City Red Racer Wet Hop Pale Ale

Central City Red Racer Wet Hop Pale Ale: Available only at the brewery and brewpubs (or in a draught tap filled growler to go), this Wet Hop Pale Ale is brewed in Surrey, BC to a strength of 5% abv and is presumably a fresh hopped version of their standard Pale Ale offering. Unfortunately it doesn’t…

BC Craft Beer Review – Powell Street Fresh Hop IPA

Powell Street Fresh Hop IPA: Last year Powell killed it with their fresh hop release called 95 Pounds of Wet Hop Goodness, so I was thrilled to see this year they upped their game by making a 7% abv unknown IBU fresh hop monster of an IPA. These are still on the shelves locally, I suggest…

BC Craft Beer Review – Townsite Brewing Timewarp Wet Hop Pale Ale

Townsite Brewing Timewarp Wet Hop Pale Ale: Fresh hop season continues and this review features one from Powell River, BC that was brewed to a strength of 5.5% abv with 60 IBUs worth of fresh hops from nearby Windfall Farms and apparently some hops from Texada Island – and I thought they only grew other “crops” on…

BC Craft Beer Review – Bridge Brewing Fresh Hopped Red IPA

Bridge Brewing Fresh Hopped Red IPA: Fresh hop season finally kicked off in BC in late September and there are lots of new fresh hop options in town from all the new breweries who managed to get their hands on some fresh hop cones. One of my first bottles of the season was this new one from…

BC Craft Beer Review – Four Winds Wildflower Saison

Four Winds Wildflower Saison: This variant from Delta, BC brewer Four Winds is brewed to a strength of 6.5% abv with 30 IBUs. It’s infused with both chamomile and elderflowers to give some unique botanical properties, being a seasonal release that is a part of their Eurus series (aka the really fricken good ones). These limited…

BC Craft Beer Review – Driftwood Brewery Obscuritas Dark Sour

Driftwood Brewery Obscuritas Dark Sour: This is a 7.6% abv sour beer released recently in BC with a lofty description and a pretty freaking cool looking label on it. I’d love to tell you more about the beer, but there’s literally no information about it posted anywhere, so I guess they were going for the mystery…

BC Craft Beer Review – Yellow Dog Brewing Play Dead IPA

Yellow Dog Brewing Play Dead IPA: This beer is brewed in Port Moody, BC to a strength of 6.8% abv with 75 IBUs. Their IPA was recently released in tallboy style cans which is the perfect size for a drink like this and can be found in most private liquor stores. Aroma and Appearance: Play Dead IPA pours…

BC Craft Beer Review – Strange Fellows Nocturnum Dark IPA

Strange Fellows Nocturnum: This beer is brewed in Vancouver, BC at this new place that has a flair for the strange and unusual. It comes in at a strength of 6.5% abv with 65 IBU’s and should be available in 473 mL cans very soon, making it a little easier to get a hold of for the…

BC Craft Beer Review – Parallel 49 Brews Brothers 12 Pack Mega Review

Parallel 49 Brews Brothers: A first of its kind in BC, the Brews Brothers 12 pack is a large multi-brewer BC collaboration pack of beers that were brewed together at the Parallel 49 brewery in Vancouver, BC. This variety pack of beer, which retailed for $25-$30 in stores across BC and Alberta, is likely all sold…

BC Craft Beer Review – Category 12 Brewing Unsanctioned Saison

Category 12 Brewing Unsanctioned Saison: This beer is brewed in Victoria, BC to a strength of 6.9% abv, using their house Belgian yeast and 27 IBUs of Zythos hops. Unsanctioned Saison also features Pilsner, Belgian Caravienne and Rye malts according to their website. I’m always game for a good Saison style beer and this had gotten some…

BC Craft Beer Review – Old Yale Brewing Vanishing Monk Witbier

Old Yale Brewing Vanishing Monk Belgian Witbier: I received this beer as a part of a solicited review sample pack where the brewer has offered me a sample of beer and asked me to review it. Vanishing Monk is a Belgian Witbier that is brewed in Chilliwack, BC to a strength of 5% abv with a…

BC Craft Beer Review – Moody Ales Hardy Brown Ale From A Crowler

Moody Ales Hardy Brown Ale: This beer is brewed in Port Moody, BC to a strength of 5.5% abv and came in a giant 946mL sized can more commonly known and trademarked as a Crowler. Moody Ales launched these on December 18th, 2014 (apparently the first one’s in Canada to do so) and they will fill them…

BC Craft Beer Review – Dageraad Sri Lanka Belgian Dubbel

Dageraad Sri Lanka Belgian Dubbel: This is a really interesting Belgian Dubbel which is brewed to a strength of 7.5% abv featuring tamarind and kithul treacle; two things I knew nothing about prior to drinking this. Sri Lanka by Dageraad is a single release small batch brewed beer, so if you are interested in trying it…

Persephone Brewing – Review of 4 Single Hop Beers Aka A Hopizontal

Persephone Brewing Single Hop Series 2015: Brewed in February and released about a week apart from each other, these beers are the result of a special single hop brew project by this Gibsons, BC based brewery. I really love it when breweries make single hop beers, as it is fantastic for palate training as well as…

BC Craft Beer Review – Parallel 49 Rye The Long Face Imperial Rye IPA

Parallel 49 Rye The Long Face Imperial Rye IPA: This beer is brewed in Vancouver, BC at a strength of 8.5% abv with 86 IBUs worth of Chinook, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial hops. It uses both rye and barley malts to give it some different characters to a typical IPA and was just released a couple weeks ago.…

BC Craft Beer Review – Fuggles & Warlock Bean Me Up Espresso Milk Stout

Fuggles & Warlock Bean Me Up Espresso Milk Stout: Brewed in BC by current gypsy brewer Fuggles & Warlock, this beer has 5.7% abv, 24 IBUs and is infused with Salt Spring Island brand Metta Espresso coffee and brewed with lactose to give it a creamy milk texture and flavour. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a very dark…

BC Craft Beer Review – Powell Street Right Kind of Crazy Double IPA

Powell Street Right Kind of Crazy Double IPA: This is a 150 IBU hop monster of a beer brewed in Vancouver, BC to a strength of 9% abv. According to their website description it is made with Columbus, Amarillo and the new Azacca hop variety so I guess move over Mosaic, the beer world has a new…