At a time when all the new IPA’s seem to be hazy, low on malt flavour and absent of any bitterness, this beer stands up amongst them and says FUCK YOU! Just when I thought I could no longer be shocked or impressed by relatively clear, strong chewy imperial IPA, Melvin brewing just goes ahead…
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.
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 […]
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…
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…
Long Trail Brewing Space Juice Double IPA: Brewed in Vermont, this intergalactic inspired beer is made to an Imperial strength of 8.7% abv with 82 IBUs with of Galaxy, Mosiac, Citra, Ella and Columbus Hops. If you are looking for a beer to pair with the new Star Wars movie, this is a great choice! Aroma and Appearance:…
Mt. Lehman Blue Capri and Central City Thor’s Hammer Barleywine: I have to start this post by giving a full on shout out to Ken Beattie from Eureka Beer Guide who introduced me to pairing blue cheese and Barleywine together. It truly created what he refers to as a “Eureka Moment” when I first tried it…
Dieu Du Ciel Péché Mortel Barrel Aged 2013: This is a barrel aged variant of the Coffee Imperial Stout Péché Mortel, which is brewed to a strength of 9.5% abv and spends about 12 months in Bourbon Barrels before being bottled. It’s interesting to barrel age a coffee stout as coffee flavours in beer mellow significantly over…
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…
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…
Hill Farmstead Brewery Anna Vermont Honey Ale: Brewed in Greensboro, VT at a strength of 6.5% abv this beer contains 20% raw wildflower honey from Vermont and uses their house saison yeast. Hill Farmstead is one of those breweries that you hear about, but rarely see in my neck of the woods. Unless you go to…
Fiddlehead Brewing Second Fiddle IPA: Brewed in Shelburne, VT this Double IPA comes in at a strength of 8.2% abv with 80 IBUs in an easily crushable tallboy can sold in 4 packs. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a nice clear copper colour with 3 fingers of foam and an average level of carbonation. The aroma is…
Deschutes The Abyss (2014) : Brewed in Bend, OR at a strength of 11.1% abv with 86 IBUs, this beer is made with black strap molasses, licorice, cherry bark and vanilla while being blended with carefully aged Abyss from oak bourbon barrels (6%), new Oregon oak barrels (11%) and pinot noir wine barrels (11%). Needless to say, this…
Natural Pastures Comox Brie & Category 12 Saison: Admittedly, I am a huge fan of brie cheese (who isn’t right?) so you’ll likely see a lot of brie cheeses or similar varieties on this blog because I find them to be utterly delicious. For this pairing, my intention was to couple the spices from a…
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…
Chimay Brewery: Located in Chimay, Belgium this is a Trappist brewery operating out of Scourmont Abbey who famously brews the three beers pictured above for worldwide distribution. They use water from wells inside the monastery and put all profits towards the maintenance of the monastery itself or towards community charitable social services provided by the monks. They also…
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…
Dieu Du Ciel Barrel Aged Equinoxe Du Printemps Scotch Ale: This is a special Scotch Ale brewed in Quebec to a strength of 9.1% abv which is both infused with maple syrup and aged in bourbon barrels for 12 months. It is brewed once a year in January to be released on the first 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…
Craft Beer Review – Half Pints Brewing Burleywine Barleywine – Brewed in Winnipeg, Manitoba this Barleywine comes in at a strength of 10.5% abv and 75 IBUs. I was very pleased to get a chance to try this beer as some barleywines are very hard to come by since they are often brewed in smaller batches. Aroma…
Russian River Blind Pig IPA: This was a bucket list beer of mine that I was super excited to try and it did really live up to its name. Brewed in Santa Rosa, CA to a strength of 6.1% with 70 IBUs this beer is meant to be drank as fresh as possible, my bottle was…
Samuel Adams New World Tripel: Day 24 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring a 10% abv Oak Barrel Aged Tripel from the Boston Beer Company itself. This is one of those beers I have seen on the shelves many times and for whatever reason I simply passed it by thinking it was a fancy bottle…
Dieu Du Ciel – Rigor Mortis Abt: Day 19 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring This Belgian Quad Abbey Ale from Montreal, Quebec. This ale brewed at a robust strength of 10.5% alcohol and has been aged for 1.75 years (bottled in March 2013). Aroma and Appearance: This a pours hazy brown with a thin…
Unibroue Grand Reserve 17: Day 18 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring a 3 year old bottle of this limited release beer. I have always enjoyed this beer and for the longest time it was one of the few Canadian beers you could actually find and cellar for a period of time until recent…
North Coast Grand Cru: Day 14 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring North Coast’s Grand Cru which is a beer brewed with agave nectar, fermented with a Belgian yeast and is aged in oak Bourbon barrels. This beer comes in a 500 mL caged and corked bottle and has an abv strength of 12.9%, which is…
Fremont Kentucky Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged Oatmeal Stout: Day 12 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring a 11% abv Imperial barrel aged beauty of a beer made in Seattle, Earth (just saw this now). This is the 2014 release so it is pretty fresh, however I have another for the cellar that I’ll…
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…
Double Mountain Killer Red Fresh Hop IPA: Brewed in Hood River, OR at a strength of 7.2% abv and 88 IBU’s of fresh Perle and Sterling hops this beer was a product of a good hop season for their grower so they expanded their Killer line to include an India Red Ale which I was excited…
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…
Deschutes Chasin’ Freshies: Brewed in Bend, OR at a strength of 7.4% with 65 IBUs featuring fresh Mosaic Hops (yeah that’s right, fresh Mosaic people!), I was super excited to see this beer make it’s way into my fridge and oh my it delivered! Aroma and Appearance: It pours with a clear golden yellow, some minor carbonation and…
Fremont Brewing Cowiche Canyon Fresh Hop Ale: Brewed in Seattle, WA at a strength of 6% abv, this fresh organic hop ale featuring Citra and Simcoe was a nice change of pace from the local BC fresh hopped beers just to try some different fresh hops more than anything since there aren’t a lot of fresh varieties available…
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…
The Alchemist – Heady Topper Double IPA: this brewery in Vermont currently only make this beer which happens to be the fourth highest ranked double IPA on ratebeer and number 11 overall beer in the world. Lets face it, this is a bucket list beer and I was privileged enough to try one recently. It is brewed…
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…
Sierra Nevada/Bells Brewery – Beer Camp Across America Maillard’s Odyssey: A collaboration with Bells Brewery this Imperial Dark Ale was brewed at a strength of 8.5% abv and 40 IBUs. Another brewery that has not come across my fridge or cellar is Bells Brewery who seems to make a lot of high quality beer that I will try and find in the future.…
Cantillon Gueuze Lambic: Brewed in Brussels, Belgium at a strength of 5% abv with a new modern flag themed label, this 100% spontaneously fermented Lambic beer is the newest release in BC private liquor stores to which I was excited to try and then subsequently stock up on. Per their website this Gueze is a blend of…
Firestone Walker – Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA: If you search this beer on the internet, you will notice that ratebeer has it on the top 10 Black IPA’s of the world which is always exciting to find a beer that higly regarded, however sometimes can cause you to over anticipate the beverage and therefore feel…
MOA Brewing Company – Imperial Stout: Continuing with more New Zealand craft beer which has gained some serious distribution into BC thankfully, I opened this 10.2% abv Imperial Stout which is aged in Oak Pinot Noir barrels, is hopped significantly (over 100 IBUs) and comes in a 375 mL bottle that is corked. As you can see…
Lagunitas – Night Time Ale: This California Black IPA is brewed at a strength of 8.2%% abv and was enjoyed on the patio a couple weeks ago during a bit of a dark beer marathon to get through some darker times. Aroma and Appearance: It pours with two fingers of foam with a dark mahogany like colour and…
Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout): Brewed in Michigan at a strength of 11.2% with 70 IBUs and is aged in oak bourbon barrels. This “bucket list” beer is one I got recently in trade as well as this super awesome Three Floyds Teku glass which worked great for the beer. This particular one was bottled in…
Lighthouse 15 Year Anniversary Ale: Aged for about a year, this limited release ale was hard to find and was brewed at a strength of 8% abv to celebrate their 15th year anniversary in August 2013. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a dark and reasonably clear amber, bubbly with an inch of foam. The aroma is dark fruits…
21st Amendment Brewery – Lower De Boom Barleywine: I found a 4 pack of these 11.5% abv and 92 IBU cans hidden on a bottle shelf at a huge store (with a few others) just sitting there not looking like a typical barleywine. Needless to say I always try new barleywines, so split a 4 pack…
Moylan’s Brewery Old Blarney Barleywine: Brewed in Novato, CA at strength of 10% abv with 62 IBUs, this barleywine and was poured from a 22 oz bottle into a snifter glass at home. Aroma and Appearance: This one poured a dark amber with some small bubbles on the side of the glass that lead to just a…
Dageraad – Blonde : Is genuine Belgian Blonde Ale that is brewed in Burnaby, BC at a strength of 7.5% and was enjoyed at home from a re-fermented bottle that was poured into a traditional Belgium Beer glass. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a cloudy gold (or blonde) with a thin layer of foam with some bubbly carbonation in the…
Green Flash Hop Odyssey Black IPA: Is a darker black IPA brewed in San Diego, CA at a strength of 7.2% abv and 85 IBU’s which was enjoyed at home poured from a 22 oz bottle into a beer glass. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a dark amber with two fingers of tan foam and no visible bubbles.…
Stillwater – Debutante Farmhouse Ale: Is a Beire De Garde brewed in by this Gypsy Brewer at Pub Dog Brewing Company in Baltimore, MD at a strength of 6.4% abv and was enjoyed in a snifter glass. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a cloudy copper colour with 2 fingers of lacy foam, lots of small bubbles and a…
Dieu Du Ciel – Rigor Mortis Abt: This Belgian Quad Abbey Ale comes from Montreal (Go Habs Go!!!), Quebec and is brewed at a robust strength of 10.5% alcohol and has been aged for 1 year. Aroma and Appearance: This a pours hazy brown with 1 finger of foam, no observable bubble action and has an aroma…
Oskar Blues “Ten Fidy” Imperial Stout: Brewed in Colorado at strength of 10.5% (hence the name), this Imperial Stout came from a can and was enjoyed in a snifter like glass. Aroma and Appearance: This a pours very dark brown, with a thick syrupy texture a touch of foam and some little bubble action just below the…
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