Parallel 49 Parallelogram Coffee Porter: This beer is brewed in Vancouver, BC at a strength of 6% abv in collaboration with 49th Parallel Coffee Brewers. This is actually an oatmeal porter that contains cold brew Ethiopian coffee from the roaster and 23 IBUs worth of hops. Aroma and Appearance: It pours an extremely dark brown colour, looking like a…
Russell Brewing Luck of the Irish Red Ale: Brewed in Surrey, BC this seasonal release Irish Red Ale has an alcohol by volume of 5% and contains 30 IBUs worth of hops. I enjoyed this on a fairly quiet mid-week St. Patrick’s Day as a nice way to settle down after a busy day of…
Granville Island Brewing: 3 Year Barleywine Vertical – This is the first of many vertical reviews that I intend to write over the course of this blog. A vertical, for anyone who may not know, refers to different vintages of the same style of beer from the same brewer which if tasted at the same time…
Dageraad 10° Belgian Quadrupel: Is the first Quadrupel release from Burnaby, BC based Belgian style brewer Dageraad, which comes in at a strength of 10% abv and is brewed with unrefined sugar to fruit up the fermentation. This beer is can be aged or enjoyed now, per the bottle it’s good for at least three years but…
Four Winds Vexillum Imperial IPA: Brewed in Delta, BC to a strength of 9% abv and 100 IBU’s, I managed to buy this directly at the brewery and consume it on its first day of release so this was about as fresh as it gets beyond drinking it straight from the tank. Aroma and Appearance: It pours…
Parallel 49 Russian Imperial Stout 2015: Brewed in Vancouver, BC at a strength of 11.9% abv this 2015 Russian Imperial Stout bottle was sealed in red wax and was aged in whiskey barrels to give it an extra kick in the flavour department. Aroma and Appearance: It poured a very dark brown colour with a thin finger of…
Driftwood Brewery Singularity Russian Imperial Stout 2015: One of BC’s hardest to find beers as it generally sells out pretty fast, this Russian Imperial Stout is brewed to a strength of 12.2% abv and spends about 4 months in Kentucky Bourbon Barrels before being bottled. Most places put bottle limits on this release (anywhere from 1 to…
Parallel 49 and Gigantic Brewing – From East Van With Love Bourbon Barrel Imperial Maple Stout: Brewed in Vancouver, BC back in February 2013, this Maple Imperial Stout was aged in Bourbon Barrels and brewed to a strength of 11.5% abv with a cool name and an Enjoy After date of January 31, 2015 – something you rarely…
Parallel 49 Barleywine 2014: Brewed in Vancouver, BC at a strength of 11.8% abv with 61 IBUs, this Barleywine was aged in Whisky barrels for 10 months and bottled into silver wax sealed 22 oz bottles. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a clear red amber colour with a small amount of carbonation and a very thin layer of foam.…
Bomber Brewing Blood From A Stone Collaboration: In collaboration with Stone Brewing Compamy to celebrate their BC launch, Bomber Brewing released this 6.8% abv and 60 IBU Red Rye IPA in a screen printed bottle, keeping with the Stone Brewing tradition. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a clear amber colour with medium carbonation and two fingers of ivory…
Bomber Brewing Apex Barleywine: Brewed to a strength of 10% abv with apparently 15 different malts and 73 IBU’s, this barleywine was aged in french oak red wine barrels for 9 months before bottling and was released in January 2015. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a dark red amber colour with minimal foam and some centered carbonation.…
Phillips Hammer Barrel Aged Imperial Stout: Likely the cheapest barrel aged Imperial Stout I have ever seen (like $7 for a 22 oz bottle), this beer is brewed to a strength of 8.3% abv and is aged in bourbon barrels for an undisclosed period of time. Aroma and Appearance: Pours with two fingers of foam, a dark…
Central City / Four Winds Collaboration Maiden Voyage Cedar Aged Pale Ale: In conjunction with the BC Craft Brewers Guild, this is part of a collaboration series which should be continuing soon in the spring of 2015 with hopefully another release, perhaps with different brewers? Maiden Voyage was brewed to a strength of 6% abv, with…
Bridge Brewing Black Rye IPA: A new release from this recently expanded North Vancouver, BC brewery, this darker Rye IPA is brewed to a strength of 5.8% abv and 68 IBUs. Aroma and Appearance: This beer pours a very dark brown with 3 huge fingers of foam (pour carefully) and no visible bubbles. Its aroma consists of…
Four Winds Nectarous Dry Hopped Sour: The fourth unique beer in the Eurus series (aka the one’s in the 750mL bottles), this 5.5% abv dry hopped sour ale has finally been bottled and just hit the shelves yesterday. It’s been in their tap room from time to time, however I haven’t had a chance to try…
Steel & Oak / Four Winds Collaboration Gratzer: This is an old world style of smokey, slightly sour beer brewed to a strength of 4% abv featuring oak smoked wheat malt instead of barley and some lacto-fermentation to give the sour effect. This style almost died out as it was only being brewed in Poland, where it was…
Dageraad Anno 2014: This particular beer is a Belgian Strong Ale seasonal release from Burnaby, BC brewery Dageraad who specializes in brewing authentic Belgian beers. It is brewed to a strength of 8.3% abv and was infused with fully ripened Keremeos, BC pears as well as Indian coriander that all go together in this very interesting…
Steamworks Blitzen Belgian Tripel: This is an Abbey Tripel released during the winter months of Vancouver, BC which is brewed to a strength of 9% abv. This beer actually won a silver medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup in Denver, CO and is one I like to pick up once a year to enjoy over the holidays.…
Mission Springs Cranberry Ginger Radler: Is a pre-mixed can of beer blended with ginger infused cranberry and grape juice to bring the alcohol strength down to a very sessionable 3.0% abv. I refer to this as a beer cocktail, because it isn’t just beer and you can make a Radler by adding really any juice to…
Townsite Brewing Bière d’Hiver: A winter ale brewed to a strength of 7.5% abv in Powell River on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, this was one of those beers I kept missing because their distribution is limited compared to other local brands (their local market is 80% of their volume, crazy considering its small 17k population).…
BC Beer Bloggers Local Winter Favourites – This special review is part of a multi-blog collaboration between five BC Beer Bloggers (including a guest from over the mountains in Alberta) where we each chose our top three local winter releases and are blogging about them. Please take a look at the bottom of this review for…
BC Beer Bloggers Local Winter Favourites – This special review is part of a multi-blog collaboration between five BC Beer Bloggers (including a guest from over the mountains in Alberta) where we each chose our top three local winter releases and are blogging about them. Please take a look at the bottom of this review for…
BC Beer Bloggers Local Winter Favourites – This special review is part of a multi-blog collaboration between five BC Beer Bloggers (including a guest from over the mountains in Alberta) where we each chose our top three local winter releases and are blogging about them. Please take a look at the bottom of this review for…
Powell Street Stout: brewed in Vancouver, BC at a strength of 6% abv and 45 IBUs this beer with a clean logo and non fancy name was kind of a nice change of pace for the local brewing scene who seems to be super addicted to crazy labels and pun-filled names (many of which I enjoy, so…
Howe Sound Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale (Aged 1 Year): Brewed in Squamish, BC at a strength of 8% abv, this is the 2013 release of this beer that I cellared (somewhat accidentally at first). Now these beers come in 1L bottles that have a flip top which are easily reusable albeit quite huge. Putting one of these back…
Moon Under Water Pumpkin Pearzen Weizen: brewed in Victoria, BC at a strength of 7% abv, this Weizen style beer is made with fresh local pumpkins and is infused with pears; just the kind of variation I am looking for in pumpkin beers these days. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a cloudy orange and copper colour with one…
Parallel 49 Lost Souls Chocolate Pumpkin Porter: brewed in Vancouver, BC at a strength of 6.5% abv, this recent gold medal winner in the BC Beer Awards Vegetable / Spice category is one of my favourites and it ages reasonably well for up to a year so I tend to buy a few bottles to let…
Dead Frog Weeping Reaper Helles Bock: Is a single batch limited release Helles Bock with blood oranges that is brewed at a strength of 7% abv and 26 IBUs featuring Northern Brewer and Hallertau hops. This beer has by far, what I consider to be, the best label of all the local beers. I actually drank this on…
Four Winds Saison Brett: Is an unfiltered bottle fermented Saison that is brewed at a strength of 7% abv with 28 IBUs featuring Tettnanger and Cascade hops. This delightful beer sat patiently in red wine oak barrels for about 10 months with brettanomyces and lacto-pediococcus to give it a true farm house funk that us beer geeks love so much.…
Barkerville Brewing 52 Foot Stout: I have often complained that BC does not make very many good quality basic Stouts compared to other places, a category somewhat lacking for some reason locally, however in recent years the tide has turned and finally we have some decent one’s in our province. This beer is brewed in Quesnel,…
Persephone Brewing – Double IPA: Brewed in Gibsons, this Double IPA is brewed at a strength of 9% abv featuring Amarillo, Cascade and Columbus hops. Interestingly enough, this is one of the more expensive DIPA’s on the market, often going for $12-$13 a bottle at private stores (this is where a 10% CAMRA discount is handy). I…
Dageraad – Wet Hopped Blonde Ale: Is a Fresh Hopped Belgian Blonde Ale that is brewed in Burnaby, BC at a strength of 7.5% abv and some local Centennial hops. I had been eagerly awaiting this re-fermented bottle and it was something I was super glad to find at a private store recently. Word is the brewer…
Phillips Green Reaper Fresh Hop IPA: Brewed in Victoria, BC at a strength of 6.5% abv this Fresh Hop IPA was a little late to the scene compared to a lot of the other island fresh hop beers with Willamette hops grown in Nanaimo which perhaps were harvested at a different time than the popular…
Lighthouse Road Trip Fresh Hopped Dark Ale: Brewed in Victoria, BC comes another local fresh hop brewed ale which is brewed to a strength of 6.2% and an undisclosed IBU. Admittedly it took me a little longer to find this than I wanted it to as it most non-Vancouver liquor stores didn’t get it until recently, but it’s…
Persephone Brewing – Harvest ‘Fresh Hop’ IPA: Brewed in Gibsons, this fresh hop IPA comes in at a strength of 6.5% with an undisclosed IBU rating from fresh Cascade and Centennial hops that they grew themselves on their own hop farm. I am really enjoying this year’s local fresh hop offerings so I was more…
Dageraad De Witte with Passion Fruit (2015): This year’s version is a Sour Fermented Belgian Wheat Ale brewed to a strength of 5.2% but this time with the addition passion fruit and a healthy dose of dry hopped Citra hops. It’s great to see a brewer use some creativity to change things up with their…
Dageraad Randonneur Saison: Is a genuine Belgian Style Saison that is brewed locally in Burnaby, BC by a very stylistically dedicated Belgian brewery which comes in at a strength of 6.4% abv. Saisons were traditionally brewed for farm labourers, often at much lower abv’s so they could drink it through they work day and still function. This…
Tin Whistle Penticton Harvest ‘Fresh Hop’ Honey Pale Ale: A later addition to the fresh hop lineup that is made with night harvested cascade hops from Lilloet, BC and wildflower honey from BC, this craft beer is brewed at a strength of 5% abv. The label claims it is brewed under a full moon every year,…
Dead Frog Bucking Black Sheep Buckwheat IPA: A new single batch limited release which also comes in White, this Black IPA is brewed at a strength of 6.5% abv with 41 IBUs made up of Galaxie and Centennial hops and was brewed in August 2014. I had already quite enjoyed the regular buckwheat IPA so was interested to…
Hoyne Brewing Wolf Vine Fresh Hop Pale Ale: This common contender in the Fresh Hop beers in BC category, this Pale Ale is brewed at a strength of 5.3% ABV and an undisclosed IBU of fresh Centennial and Cascade hops from the Sartori Cedar Ranch Farm in Chilliwack, BC. This is probably the easiest fresh hop beer…
Powell Street Brewery 95 Pounds of Wet Hop Goodness: Another local Fresh Hop beer, this one obtained from Bottle Jockey in Burnaby, this is a Pale Ale brewed at a strength of 6% abv and 30 IBUs featuring both Cascade and Centennial Hops. Now if you recall Powell Street won Canadian Beer of the Year with…
Granville Island Brewery Mad Dash Fresh Hop ESB: Obtained from the brewery retail shop a few days ago, this fresh hop ESB was brewed onsite at a strength of 5.6% abv with 45 IBUs of fresh centennial hops from the Sartori Cedar Hop Farm in Chilliwack, harvested fresh and quickly transported into boiling wort on Vancouver’s…
Driftwood Brewery – Sartori Harvest Fresh Hop IPA: This is the hardest beer to find in BC, it often sells out within hours and I only manged to get one as I was away when it was released in stores on September 25th. This craft beer has a lot of hype, they take freshly harvested Centennial…
Dead Frog Bucking Sheep Buckwheat IPA: A new single batch limited release (which apparently also comes in Black) this craft beer is described as a golden IPA brewed with buckwheat on their website. It is brewed at a strength of 6.5% with 35 IBUs featuring Citra and Centennial hops in Aldergrove, BC. Now buckwheat is not wheat,…
Howe Sound Brewing Total Eclipse of the Hop Imperial IPA: This is a Imperial IPA brewed in Squamish, BC at a strength of 8% abv with 90 IBUs of 6 undisclosed varieties of hops. It comes in a 1L flip top bottle that Howe Sound Brewery is known for, which is named a pot stopper according to their…
Townsite Brewing Perfect Storm Oatmeal Stout: This is a stout brewed in Powell River, BC at a strength of 5.5% with 30 IBUs featuring Columbus, Cascade and Golding hops per their website. I haven’t had a lot of great BC stouts so I like to try different one’s to see where the gems are. Aroma and Appearance: This pours…
Russell Brewing – Hop Therapy ISA: I had been meaning to pick this up to try it because I really like the DIPA version, however I was hesitant because it was only offered in 6 packs and I don’t buy a lot of those – however I guess Ninkasi was watching over me as I managed…
Howe Sound Cloudburst Lemongrass White IPA: This IPA was release in Feb 2014 I believe as a spring seasonal beer and was discovered in a recent cellar clean out effort where I grabbed bottles that were in the now or never stage, mostly IPAs at this point. It is brewed at a strength of 6% abv with…
Deep Cove Brewers University Brew Off IPA: This IPA was the winning beer in a brew off between two local University home brewing clubs SFBrew (SFU) and BrUbc (UBC) competing in the Hops Connect Cup University Home Brewing Competition (as reported on Canadian Beer News). It was originally dubbed Hop-A-Rella, released in April of this year ant…
Deep Cove Brewers Sun Kissed Tea Saison: I have been doing a bit of a cellar clean out and found this beer sitting there just begging to be opened on the last day of August (aka the last true day of summer in Vancouver, BC). This beer is brewed in North Vancouver, BC on the way…
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