BC Craft Beer Review – R&B Brewing Raven Cream Ale

R&B Brewing – Raven Cream Ale: Is a local Vancouver brewed cream ale that comes in at a sessionable strength of 4.8% and 18 IBU’s that won gold at the 2011 BC Beer Awards. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a darker brown colour with lots of tiny bubbles (you know the song) and a generous 2 fingers of…

Craft Beer Review – Phillips Schottleweizen

Phillips – Schottleweizen: This oddly named dunkleweizen wheat beer is brewed in Victoria, BC at a strength of 7.5% and was enjoyed in a 22 oz beer glass to help turn down the evening as the sun went down. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a dark amber-brown with 2 fingers of foam and loads of small bubbles in the…

Craft Beer Review – Whistler Brewing Black Tusk Ale

Whistler Brewing – Black Tusk Ale: This limited edition “Ale” is brewed by Whistler Brewing (pretty sure it’s more of a stout than a mild ale) at a strength of 5% and was poured into a 22 oz beer glass at home. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a very dark amber colour that appears black in the glass with…

Craft Beer Review – Howe Sound Lager

Howe Sound – Lager: This is a Dortmunder style lager that is brewed in Squamish, BC at a strength of 5.5% and was poured from a can into a tall glass on my patio. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a hazy golden copper colour, with two fingers of foam and I saw some slow rising bubbles make their way…

BC Craft Beer Review – Hoyne Dark Matter

Hoyne – Dark Matter: Brewed in Victoria, BC this mystery style (I say it’s a Stout) beer comes in at a strength of 5.3% and was enjoyed in a snifter at home. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a very dark brown with a finger of foam and no visible bubble action. Aroma is smoke, a touch of darker fruits and…

Powell Street Brewery Dive Bomb Porter

Powell Street Brewery – Dive Bomb Porter: Another somewhat rare bottle find from Powell Street Brewery is their Dive Bomb Porter, brewed at a strength of 5% alcohol with 33 IBU’s enjoyed in a snifter like glass from a 22oz bottle at home. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a dark brown with a ridiculous amount of head…

Whistler Brewing – Pineapple Express Wheat Ale

Whistler Brewing – Pineapple Express Wheat Ale: Brewed in Whistler, BC this wheat ale comes in at 5% alcohol, served in a glass from a 22 oz bottle at home. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey colour with minimal foam, rapid small rising bubbles in the middle of the glass and has an aroma of oats…

Four Winds – Saison

Four Winds – Saison: Brewed in Delta, BC and part of their standard lineup, this unfiltered Saison comes in at a strength of 6.5%, with 30 IBU’s and was enjoyed at home moments ago. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a hazy copper with three fingers of foam and random rising bubbles with an aroma of pepper, coriander, lemon and…

Four Winds – Triplicity

Four Winds – Triplicity: Brewed in Delta, BC from the the hottest emerging brewery in the province right now, at an uber strength of 9.0% with 33.3 IBU’s poured from a 750mL bottle into a goblet glass. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a nice clear copper, super foamy and has a swirling vortex of bubbles constantly rising…

Powell Street Brewery – Old Jalopy Pale Ale

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…

Bridge Brewing – North Shore Pale Ale

Bridge Brewing – North Shore Pale Ale: This local North Vancouver micro brewed craft beer is a Pale Ale with a strength of 5.5% alcohol level, 30 IBU’s and was poured from a 22 oz bottle into a glass at home. If you have ever been there (and you should go visit them), you will be amazed…

Local Craft Beer – Parallel 49 Nitrogen Series ESB

Brewed in craft central Vancouver, BC comes Parallel 49’s Nitrogen Series ESB (5.0% alc, vertically poured at home from a nitrogenated bottle). Aroma and Appearance: Pours a dark amber like colour with a decent, but not amazing nitro head of foam with the typical cascade effect and has an aroma of floral hops and malt. Flavour: Mild floral hops flavour and…

Local Craft Beer – Hoyne Hoyner Pilsner

Brewed in craft central Victoria, BC comes Hoyne Brewing’s Hoyner Pilsner (5.3% alc, poured at home from a 22oz bottle in a tall glass). Aroma and Appearance: Pours a clear straw yellow with 2 inches of white foam in a tall skinny glass, full of fast rising bubbles with a grassy hay like aroma and the standard…

Big Ridge Brewing – Casks of March

Casks of March event at Big Ridge Brewery: Featuring 7 different casks from 7 unique breweries this even was held in the Surrey, BC Big Ridge Brewery Location. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but with no cover charge and 7 sampler tickets for $13 I was certainly interested in attending this event, and…

BC Craft Beer – Four Winds IPA

Four Winds IPA: Brewed locally in Delta, BC at a strength of 7% abv and 70 IBUs, this is one of my favourite local IPA’s because it has a good balance of malts and hoppy bitterness, while still managing to highlight both quite nicely. Aroma and Appearance: Pours a hazy pale amber with a thick lacy three…

BC Craft Beer Review – Four Winds Pale Ale

Brewed in Delta, BC comes Four Winds Pale Ale (5.2% alc, poured at home from a bottle) in my opinion the breakout brewery of the year last year. These are available in four packs. Aroma and Appearance: fresh floral, citrus and a bit of a tropical aroma, pours copper coloured with minimal foam and not a lot of…

Cannery Brewing Naramata Nut Brown Ale

Brewed in Penticton, BC comes Cannery Brewing’s Naramata Nut Brown Ale (5.5% alc, poured at home from a can). Despite the name, you can get these in bottles as well, however to stay true to the name I picked up a can to try it out. Aroma and Appearance: nose of nuts, earth and sweet molasses,…

Local Craft Beer – Bowen Island Artisan IPA

Bowen Island Artisan IPA (5.5% alc, poured at home from a can) ‎Aroma and Appearance: golden with small bubbles, very mild floral and grapefruit aroma and a nice foamy head that fades away Flavour: grapefruit hops, crisp with a bitter and dry finish, but not at all comparable to IPA kick from North Western IPA’s. In…