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.
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.
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…
Holy Mountain The Third Nail Belgian Pale Ale: Brewed in Seattle, WA this beer is aged in white wine barrels and was made in collaboration to celebrate the third anniversary of a local bar called The Pine Box. This release was apparently limited to 69 cases and I’ve since learned that it was their first…
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…
Crooked Stave Surette Provision Saison: Labelled batch 15 and born in 2014, this sour saison is brewed to a strength of 6.2% abv. Crooked Stave in Denver, CO is one of those breweries I’d heard of, but never had a chance to try their beer (other than in a collaboration format) until it recently appeared all…
Almanac Farmers Reserve Blackberry Ale: This is a sour blonde ale that is infused with blackberries, aged in wine barrels and brewed to a strength of 7% abv. They use a blend of American and Belgian wild yeasts and a sourdough starter to ferment the beer in multiple barrels, eventually blending it together before bottling it.…
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…
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…
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.…
New Holland Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout: Brewed in Michigan to a strength of 11% abv, this stout is aged in Bourbon barrels for at least 90 days prior to bottling. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a very dark brown colour with some red hues, hardly any foam and no visible bubbles. The aroma is oak, chocolate, bourbon,…
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…
Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout 2013: A bucket list beer that I obtained (and have since stocked up on), this monster is brewed to an amazingly high 14.9% abv and is aged in bourbon barrels for 8 to 12 months. This beer was originally brewed in honour of the 1000th batch at their original brewpub many…
Almanac Dark Pumpkin Sour: Day 16 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring a sour pumpkin beer aged in wine barrels that is brewed to a strength of 7% abv by these gypsy brewers who do a lot of barrel aging. I have seen this brewery’s beers on the shelves in the USA a…
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…
Widmer Brothers Barrel Aged Brrrbon 2012: Day 8 of my Advent Calendar exchange with my father, featuring Widmer Brother’s Barrel Aged Brrrbon (2012 version), which is a barrel aged imperial version of their seasonal all. It is brewed at a strength of 9.4% abv and is part of their Alchemy Project lineup of barrel aged beers.I have…
Uinta Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Barrel Aged Ale: Brewed in Salt Lake City, UT at a strength of 10.3% abv this monster 750mL bottle of beer was aged in oak barrels and is very highly rated online. I think the art on the label is pretty great, and t was nice to see this bottle corked with…
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…
As a Father’s Day gift this year, I decided to take my dad to the Washington Brewers Festival (Friday night only) to go and try some different offerings from our neighbors in the South. I have tried a lot of Washington beers and been to different festivals here before and they always seem to be…
Russell Brewing – Nectar of the Gods Wheat Wine Ale: Is a local Surrey brewed Wheat Wine at a mega strength of 10% abv that was aged in Whisky barrels and was enjoyed at home in a snifter glass. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a cloudy orange copper with 1 finger of white foam and some small sporadic bubbles. The aroma…
Evil Twin Disco Beer: Brewed in Holland by this gypsy brewer, this Imperial IPA comes in at a strength of 10.5% and was aged in white wine Chardonnay barrels according to the label and was enjoyed at home last night. Aroma and Appearance: It has a monster head (that stays forever, so pour carefully) and is loaded with lots…
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