Analysis: Three Pumpkin Beers IV

I used this Thanksgiving weekend as an excuse to continue my methodical pumpkin beer tasting. I completed a tasting in 2010, 2012, and 2013. Each of these previous tastings were based on three seasonal brews. As each year passes, it becomes increasingly difficult to find new subjects for my experiment; fortunately, new craft breweries are popping up all over BC, and each one of these new incubators wants to try to make a pumpkin beer. This year, we had several people contribute bottles, so it was actually a seven beer tasting. I kept the title of this entry the same as past entries though, for the sake of continuity. Here are the results:

1) Phillips Crooked(er) Tooth Barrel-Aged Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkin beers seem to fall into one of two categories: drinkable and light ales that are actually brewed with a great deal of roasted pumpkin, or dark and heavy ales that contain limited pumpkin but a great deal of spices associated with pumpkin and pumpkin pie. Phillips' Crooked Tooth and Crooked(er) Tooth are both on the light side and pumpkin-focused. Even this new release for 2014, which is higher alcohol at 7.3% ABV and rich due to its whiskey barrel finish, is smooth and fairly dry. This was the hit of the night. A

2) Canuck Empire Brewing Pumpkin Patch Ale

I hadn't heard of this Abbotsford brewery before trying this beer, and now I know why. With a putrid cabbage finish and an isopropyl mouthfeel, this seasonal release tastes like a product made by homebrewers who don't know what they are doing. The unanimous failure of the night, this beer was bitter and contained very little pumpkin flavor. Its colour was a light copper, but it was much more pleasant to look at than to consume. F

3) Spinnakers Spiced Pumpkin Ale

I've never been a fan of Spinnakers. However, this was a blind sampling, so you'd think my bias could not be applied. While my eyes could not identify which bomber was produced by Spinnakers, my tastebuds could! To quote some of the notes taken by tasters that night "smoky", "little pumpkin flavour", and "bourbony" were descriptors used more than once. The nose on this badboy was intense too. This is not an easy-drinking beer. Spinnakers Pumpkin Ale is one of those beers that should probably be called a harvest or spiced ale rather than a pumpkin ale. We all graded this one about the same as well. C+

4) Nelson Brewing Organic Pumpkin Ale

I knew that I had reviewed this last year, but we threw it into the blind taste test anyway. What were we going to do, not drink a rare and craft-brewed pumpkin beer?! This beer is actually just so-so, and its bouquet is better than its taste. To reiterate last year's review: "This beer poured a light copper colour and had a nice head. Similar to Fernie's Pumpkin Head, pumpkin was not the dominant flavour. This beer packs a spicy wallop, and two members of our group noted that it tastes a lot like chai tea. This beer was not sweet, so its heavy spice characteristics suit both dinner and dessert." B

5) Cannery Knucklehead Pumpkin Ale

Not a great sign right off the bat: a thin white crown and minimal lacing. Combine these warning signs with the cola colour and lack of squash nose/flavour and you have a drinkable harvest ale rather than a fragrant pumpkin beer. Almost all respondents made a point of noting the non-existent nose, and three of the seven tasters used the adjective "woody" when describing the finish. I thought this beer was pretty solid and that it would pair with food quite well, but it would be hard for me to drink a full pint of it. B-  

6) #9 of Elysian's 12 Beers of the Apocalypse: BLIGHT

This one woke everyone up. This is a beer that wants to be noticed. And not surprisingly, this beer was great because it was made by Seattle's finest brewery. It is like Elysian's Night Owl on steroids: it has the same squashy and fragrant profile but the alcohol is bumped to 7.4% ABV and the spices are infiltrated by potent Vietnamese cinnamon. Two tasters noted a "banana bread nose" and almost everyone found the cinnamon/brown sugar characteristics rounded and pleasant rather than overpowering. Personally, I found this beer a bit on the sweet side, but appreciated how all of the flavours were distinctive and harmonious. A-

7) Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale

I have purchased and enjoyed this beer from the very first year it was produced. While it was my favourite from this year's selection, several people from our group found this beer to lack both spice and pumpkin flavour. I actually like this beer because of this light profile. Unlike most of the ales listed here, I could drink a full pint of this. I find many pumpkin beers to be cloying, but Crooked Tooth's raw pumpkin and acidic nose, combined with its low carbonation and delicate spicing, makes it clean and smooth. Phillips rules! A

Keywords: "best pumpkin beers", "BC pumpkin beers", "Phillips Crookeder Tooth"

Chai Beer Bungle

It is no secret that beer has reigned the beverage scene here on the West Coast for the past four or five years. Coffee was all the rage during the 1990s, fueled by the ubiquity of Starbucks and the promotion of single origin roasts. Residents of the Pacific Northwest went gaga for superfruits around the turn of the century, with pomegranate and blueberry juice hitting the shelves. And the 2000s saw the rise of an increasingly lavish trend in mixology develop. The second decade of the twenty-first century has been all about wobbly pop, and the countless ways in which this pop can make one wobbly.

I am the first person to become inappropriately excited over new beers, and I have a particular fondness for seasonal beers. I like pretty much every pumpkin beer I try, and I am also partial to ginger and unusual saisons. But every year these seasonal beers just keep getting more and more outrageous. This year, for the first time, I started dismissing many beers for being too interesting, and criticizing breweries for alienating their fans with over-the-top concoctions. New Belgium's Coconut Curry Hefeweizen was a spicy failure, and Wynkoop Brewing's Rocky Mountain Oyster Ale just shouldn't have been made.

Unnecessary Testicle Beer

While chai-flavoured beer is more understandable than curry or testicle, it still put me on the defensive. I really do like chai tea though, and we all know I love beer, so I wanted to try (and like) both Big Rock's Life of Chai and Whistler's Chai-Maple Ale. Neither of these were "bad" but they definitely didn't work. The Life of Chai was a dark copper colour and was essentially an amber ale with a bouquet and subtle finish of cardamom and rose. It was a fairly light ale though, and was also highly carbonated, which helped with drinkability. The Chai-Maple Ale was a dark oxidized bronze colour with an unpleasantly sweet aroma. It also tasted more like chai than the Big Rock ale, which was perhaps due to filtering the beer through tea after fermentation rather than adding ingredients to the boil, which is the approach Big Rock took. In both cases, I found the initial few sips interesting and then wanted to move on. This seems to be the case with many seasonal and experimental beers. In my opinion, the consumer should be able to drink a pint of most any beer (yes, including barley wines), but I didn't want to do this with either of these tea-based brews...and I definitely don't want to do it with a beer made from bull balls.

Spicy, Interesting, and Undrinkable

 

Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Life of Chai", "Cheakamus Chai-Maple", "Chai beers"

Analysis: Three Pumpkin Beers III

In October of 2010, I reviewed three seasonal pumpkin beers. I found the experience so rewarding that I repeated this squash-based beer tasting last year with three different products. At this point, I have reviewed the following: Howe Sound Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Brooklyn Brewing Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Granville Island Pumpkin Ale, Tree Brewing Jumpin' Jack Pumpkin Ale, Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale, and Steamworks The Great Pumpkin Ale. I scoured the liquor store shelves this year to find three more that I have yet to try. I tried these three with my family using a blind taste test. We added Crooked Tooth to mix this year as well, to see how the winner from last year stood up against these newbs. Here are the results:

Pumpkin Beer Taste Test 2013

1) Fernie Brewing Pumpkin Head Brown Ale

This was the darkest of the three beers we had and the blind taste test revealed unanimous similarities made between this beer and typical winter ales. With a vanilla bouquet and coffee finish, this beer was sweet but was controlled with light hop usage. Two of the tasters argued that this could not be a pumpkin ale! I insisted that it was, although they have a case since the label of this beer states that it is a "brown ale brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg". In my mind, this is not a true pumpkin ale because it does not share many characteristics with typical pumpkin beers and is first-and-foremost a brown ale. Having said this, everyone really liked it, and it was easy to drink due to its low carbonation and and subdued sweetness.  B+

2) Nelson Brewing Organic Pumpkin Ale 
I lived in Nelson for four months, four blocks from Nelson Brewing, and grew to really like their beer. I still buy it today and think that their After Dark black lager is one of the most drinkable and well-made beers being produced in BC. Therefore, I was really excited to try their Organic Pumpkin Ale, as this is the first year that they have made this. This beer poured a light copper colour and had a nice head. Similar to Fernie's Pumpkin Head, pumpkin was not the dominant flavour. This beer packs a spicy wallop, and two members of our group noted that it tastes a lot like chai tea. One person really disliked it because of the after taste, which she associated with Jagermeister. This beer was not sweet, so its heavy spice characteristics suit both dinner and dessert.  B

3) Central City Red Racer Pumpkin Ale
We all reacted negatively to this beer. Although the pumpkin flavour was arguably the most evident in this beer of the three that we tried, it was also quite hoppy and very tangy. It had an acidic quality too, and the extremely high carbonation did not do anything to improve the drinkability of this poorly-balanced ale. Despite local acclaim, I have never liked Central City beers, as it seems like the unfavourable traits in one beer can be identified in all made by this brewery. It is also strange how this particular beer was unpleasant while previous pumpkin ales made by Central City have been decent. That's another point off for inconsistency!  C

Keywords: "BC pumpkin beers", "Night Owl Pumpkin Ale", "Alex Dawkins"  

33 Acres Brewing Company

I am going to do something I have never done before: review an establishment through the recollection of a conversation I had with the staff.

Setting - A sparse white rectangular room with uncomfortable white stools, white-washed walls, and white Macs on the counter being used as registers.

Characters - Alex (myself), Friend (Ramon), Staff (clubmaster bespectacled hipster)

Enter Alex and Friend, thirsty for beer:
 
Alex: "Huh. No menu or any signage describing our options. Strange."

Friend: "Oh, there's a small white menu near the till. And by till, I mean iPad."

Alex: "Sweet. Man...that writing is small. It's like this place doesn't want us to drink beer. Like you need a password or an ironic tattoo to get the lager flowing. Well there are five taps, let's just ask."

Friend: "Excuse me, what are your five taps?"

Staff: "Ummm, we only have two beers. We just have five taps."

Friend: "Huh. Okay. So the menu here says you have an Amber and an Amber Light? I can barely read this but I think that's what it says."

Staff: " Ummm, no. You are looking at the coluor description.They are both amber. You can't order by colour. One is a West Coast amber lager and one is a hoppy amber pale."

Alex: "So the lager is your light option?"

Staff: "No. Like I said, the lager is made in the West Coast style so it's also hoppy."

Friend: "So they have a hoppy beer and a hoppier beer. Do you want three of the lager and two of the amber?"

Alex: "I...guess? Do you have any other beverages because a member of our group doesn't drink beer."

Staff: "No, only beer.  Would you guys like 1.5 ounce glasses or 10 ounce glasses?"

Alex: "1.5 ounces? That's kind of odd. Umm, all 10 ounce glasses please."

Staff: "Okay. You can just stand at the end of the bar and we'll get working on pouring those."

Friend: "Weirdest. Setup. Ever."

Part Portlandia skit and part exercise in terrible customer service, I believe this dialogue alone indicates that we will not be back to this pretentious bland bunker hidden away in Vancouver's small manufacturing district. The space was put to better use when it was a glove factory, even though the beer is - unfortunately - pretty good. 

Keywords: "Vancouver breweries", "Vancouver craft beer", "Brassneck Brewing"

Spring Beer Review 2013

 

As more and more craft breweries pop-up (three new ones will be opening in Vancouver within the year), more and more seasonal options are appearing on liquor store shelves. Over the past few months I sampled a selection of beers that possessed decidedly springy qualities: light, dry, and moderately hopped. These beers have been designed to help drinkers transition from the warmth and heaviness of winter concoctions to the light and fruity characteristics of summer brews. 

 

Buckman Brewery Apple Beer - A-

 

Buckman Botanical Brewery is a tiny operation located in Portland headed by ex-Rogue brewer Danny Connors. It features low-hop to no-hop brews, which is atypical for Oregonian breweries. Buckman grows many of its own ingredients, and uses additional botanicals from the Portland area. I bought a bottle of their Apple Beer from the Rogue stall at the Portland Saturday Market and only drank it last week back in Vancouver. I was expecting a sweet, low alcohol summer beer which would be closer to cider. My expectations were off. This beer is 8% abv and is only appley in its nose and finish. With a smoky orange colour, biscuity mouthfeel, and bold malt profile, this beer is appropriate for sunny days but is not really quaffable. I'm really glad that they have controlled the sweetness levels with this one. I will definitely be buying this again, and hope to visit their taproom in Portland some time.

New Belgium Brewing Transatlantique Kriek - B+

 

Most people assume fruit beers are going to taste like alcopops. I blame coolers and improperly made lambics for this assumption, for the fermentation process in beer-making transforms fruits to shadows of their former juicy selves. Adding fruit to the boil or cooled wort does impart fruit flavours, but the added yeast will consume sugars from these fruits and create a drink that is much more subtle and earthy than any cooler or cider. As with most beers that are part of New Belgium's Lips of Faith series, the Transatlantique Kriek is complex, expensive, and completely original tasting. This beer starts its journey in Europe, where it begins as a naturally-fermented (using wild yeasts floating in the air) and sour kriek made by master brewer Frank Boon in the Lembeek region of Belgium. This authentic and tart lambic is aged for two years and then shipped to New Belgium in Colorado where it is diluted with a golden, Belgian-style ale. The addition of this golden ale cuts the acidity of the European kriek and helps to round out the beer's finish. This was an interesting and satisfying drink, but one that I will probably not crave on a regular basis.

Parallel 49 Hay Fever Saison - B-

 

I like most of Parallel 49's beers, but Hay Fever is the only one that I buy regularly to drink at home. Saisons are becoming more and more popular in the Northwest and are a bit hard to define as a style of beer. This type of beer originated as a low alcohol, bottle-fermented beverage that was made in the fall, aged over the winter, and then cracked in the summer before the next batch of malt and hops was available. It was originally a yeasty and drinkable pale ale with a dry finish. It is largely the same nowadays, except saisons are generally 6% abv and above, and hoppiness can vary a great deal depending on the brewery. Hay Fever pours a cloudy straw colour, lighter than many saisons, and has a nice tart finish. It is springy and appropriate for hot weather, but has enough hops to demand respect.

Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Brassneck Brewery", "Vancouver Craft Beers"

Winter Beer Review 2013

I have not only been dabbling in barleywines this winter, I have also been riding the craft beer wagon to Hoptown. Having a friend who brews - combined with the opening of Vancouver's Portland Craft, combined with my frequent visits to the States - has resulted in a regular imbibing of rare and wonderful beers over the past while. Here are some unique beers my girlfriend and I have sampled over the past month:

Maui Brewing Coconut Porter - A-

I instantly liked this beer for two reasons. The first is that Maui Brewing went against my expectations by avoiding sweetness with this porter. When I bought this I was hoping it wouldn't taste like a Mounds bar, and it didn't. This beer has a dry, toasted coconut finish, which is better suited to sipping on the beach than a caramely winter beer that tastes like a candy bar. The second reason is that Maui is a practical, environmentally-conscious brewery. For example, they only use aluminum, and every can displays an explanation of why glass bottles are so inefficient when considering the production and consumption of beer.

New Belgium Brewing Biere de Garde - B

Before commercial yeast strains...and industry cleaning standards...and the conglomeration of independant breweries, brewers often made batches of beer in the winter to have on-hand in preparation for the unpredictability of summer heat and the naturally ocurring yeasts floating through the air (and fermentation vats) during the hot months. This type of beer is now commonly referred to as saison and farmhouse ale, and it was known as biere de garde ("beer for keeping") in northern France back in the day. 

New Belgium, based in Colorado, is making some awesome beer right now. They have a line of progressive beers that they call the Lips of Faith series, and the Tart Lychee Belgian Sour from this line was one of my favourite beers last year. Their Biere de Garde from the Lips of Faith series has been brewed with Michigan's Brewery Vivant, and it packs a wallop. Maybe it had something to do with the whimsical chickens on the bottle, or maybe it had to do with the fact that this beer advertises it is made with orange peel, but I was expecting a light, dry farmhouse ale. Instead, I got a copper-coloured, Sorachi Ace hopped, high alcohol beast that was more invigorating than refreshing. It's not that it was bitter (it sits at 18 IBU), but it was soooo complex. A satisfying beer, but bold!
  

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout - C

All of this winter beer drinking has raised the recurring question: what is the difference between a stout and a porter? The short answer is vernacular and semantics. There is a lot of crossover, and historical misuse has made clear definitions nearly impossible. However, online research has resulted in a simple - and perhaps simplistic - way to distinguish one from the other. Stouts, and especially dry stouts like Guinness, should only use two-row barley and should have zero to miniscule amounts of hop aroma and flavour. Porters historically contain a variety of barley types, crystal malts, and hops. With these two definitions in mind, I often seek stouts during these cold dark months because they are rich and easy to drink. Sadly, pretty much every one of the some fifteen "stouts" I have sampled over the past two months are hoppy and/or sweet, which I find becomes oppressive if consuming these types of beer regularly. I was hoping for something along the lines of Maui's Coconut Porter with Lagunitas' Cappuccino Stout, but it was a far cry from the well balanced flavour and dry finish of the Hawaiian beer. It tasted like someone just poured old coffee into a batch of hoppy porter rather than integrating the grounds into the brewing process. And it was really flat to boot. My search for the ideal porter continues! 

Analysis: Three Pumpkin Beers II

In October of 2010, I reviewed three seasonal pumpkin beers. A few years ago, I sampled the Howe Sound Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Brooklyn Brewing's Post Road Pumpkin Ale, and Granville Island Pumpkin Ale. Of these three, I liked the Howe Sound Ale for its rich nutmeg flavour and warming 8% abv. Last week, I tried three different pumpkin beers to ring in the fall season. I tried these with my girlfriend and family, and we sampled them through a blind taste test. Let's just say we easily reached a consensus.

1) Tree Brewing - Jumpin Jack Pumpkin Ale    

From bottles of their Mad Cap White Ale to tallboys of their Thirsty Beaver Amber, I have never enjoyed the beer made by Kelowna-based Tree Brewing. I just don't like anything about them: I hate Kelowna, their branding is tacky, it tastes like they use adjuncts, and their beers are flabby and one-dimensional. Having said this, pumpkin ale is definitely one of my favourite flavoured beers, so I was eager to try Tree's Jumpin Jack. This beer is highly carbonated and super sweet. The nose is dominated by brown sugar and cinnamon, and there is very little evidence of pumpkin being added...in the bouquet or the flavour. There was zero lacing on our glasses and the beer was a nondescript amber colour. If a Tree fell in Kelowna, would anyone give a care? C 

2) Phillips Brewing - Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale 

Smooth and more pumpkiny than spicy, this is yet another stellar beer by Phillips. This is my favourite BC brewer, and I'm always excited to try their seasonals. Unlike many autumn and pumpkin ales, Crooked Tooth is only 5% abv which makes it really easy to enjoy one (or two) of the 650ml bottles without getting squashed. It pours a hazy light orange and the yeast used results in a moderate, creamy head. There is little evidence of hops in the finish, yet this comforting ale finishes clean. A

3) Steamworks Brewing - The Great Pumpkin Ale

Recently available in liquor stores, Steamworks beer is equally tasty in bottles as it is straight from the vats in their downtown Vancouver brewpub. This beer has a similar profile to Tree's Jumpin Jack - the copper/amber colour, the small head, the emphasis on spice rather than pumpkin - but Steamworks actually knows how to make a well-balanced beverage. Despite the brewery adding "100 lbs of pumpkin directly to the mash", nutmeg and cloves dominate the palate with this brew. This is pleasant though because the malt and squash cut the spice and provide the beer with a biscuity taste. Not amazing, but well made. B-

Keywords: "BC pumpkin beer", "Alex Dawkins", "Phillips Crooked Tooth"

Bellingham's Elizabeth Station

There is only one thing preventing me from moving to Bellingham in order to patronize this outstanding business on a daily basis. Well, two things, because I have an incredible girlfriend who is currently studying in Vancouver...but Elizabeth Station seriously needs espresso-based drinks! They have everything else I love in the world: obscure beers on tap, a cereal bar, a broad range of candy, and one of the largest canned and bottled craft beer selections in the Pacific Northwest. However, they only serve filtered coffee, which is a bummer. Before I was lucky enough to explore Elizabeth Station myself, a friend from Bellingham had difficulty describing the store to me: “It’s essentially a convenience store, except the proprietor has dedicated 80% of his inventory to delicious, rare beers and meads from the West Coast. Like, you have to look hard for things like milk and bread because there is so much friggin’ beer everywhere.” He actually did a good job of describing it, but it is hard to understand how amazing this place is until you experience it for yourself. 

The last time I visited Elizabeth Station, I bought two beers that I would highly recommend. You may be able to find them in a specialty beer shop, if you live in the Pacific Northwest. The first was New Belgium Brewing's Tart Lychee Ale. Dominated by lychee and cinnamon flavours, the sweetness of this complex brew is counteracted by the yeasts that the brewers have used, which provide the beverage with a puckering dryness. It's a perfect balance of sweet and sour, and the 7.5% abv really ties the room together. The second spectacular beer I bought was Sound Brewery's Humulo Nimbus Double IPA. One can't help but be intimidated by the title "Double IPA" but Sound's take on this Northwest-specific brew is totally approachable. With IBUs under 80 and tropical-tasting hops, this is a bold yet drinkable India Pale. It is mildly carbonated and slightly amber in colour, which also sets it apart from many bottled IPAs made in Washington and Oregon. 

Eye Pee Ehs: Nothing Pale About These Ales

A certain ladyfriend, known to some as the Erroneous Ginger Magnet, has been preaching the praises of India Pale Ale to me over the past few months. IPA to beer drinkers is kind of like beer to non-beer drinkers in that it initially seems quite bitter and is basically an acquired taste. I had relatively little experience drinking IPAs prior to 2012, and associated them with old men, buttloads of hops, and beer nerds. However, a trip to Portland in mid-May and my recent adventures with the Erroneous Ginger Magnet have revealed some of the joys that IPAs can provide.

An important thing to keep in mind when dabbling in India Pale Ales is that they range a great deal in bitterness, hop characteristics, and alcohol content. Due to their very nature (an ale high in antibacterial hops and alcohol that originally aided in preservation when beer was being made in the UK for export to, you guessed it, India), IPAs are potent and very flavourful, but there are many ways to make them. West Coast IPAs, for example, are unique in that they often contain fresh Northwest "C" Hops, which include Centennial, Cascade, Chinook and Columbus varieties. Hops from this part of the world are piney, grapefruity, and lingering. They will literally put hair on your chest. East Coast and British IPAs, however, use hops (such as Admiral) that are less sappy and more grassy. While the UK is just starting to alter their IPA-making methods in order to jump on the North American IPA bandwagon, they are generally low gravity and quite malty.

Here are some of the more memorable IPAs that I have tried over the past month and a half:

Alameda Huckleberry Hound IPA (Portland, OR) - 6/10

"What am I? Who did this to me?" These are two questions that I was asking myself in the wee hours the other week, after a night of IPA and burrito pounding, but these are also two questions that the Huckleberry Hound is always asking itself. Part summery fruit beer and part West Coast IPA, this is a beverage in the midst of an identity crisis. It's not a "bad" beer due to the skill of Alameda's brewers, but it is not a harmonious beer. If you see this on a menu, I suggest you get a lambic or IPA, and just encourage a pal to buy this so you can have a taste.   

Alameda Yellow Wolf Imperial IPA (Portland, OR) - 7.5/10

I had this at Portland Craft last month and was impressed with the drinkability of this bold beer. Imperial IPAs are also known as Double IPAs and they are (without providing an uber nerdy technical description) just IPAs with abvs between 7%-10.5% and an extreme amount of hops. The correct amount and hops must be used to counteract the malty characteristics generated by the high alcohol, so it is hard to avoid making a beer of this style toooo hoppy or toooo alcoholy. The Yellow Wolf is unfiltered, mildly carbonated, and packed with grapefruit characteristics to distract you from that 8.2% alcohol content. I couldn't drink more than one of these though, due to its thick, murky aspects. 

Tenaya Creek Hop Ride IPA (Las Vegas, NV) - 6/10 

A 6 on the ABCD Scale? Yes, but not because this is a bad beer...rather due to the fact that this is a forgettable beer. I had this at St Augustine's in Vancouver and remember liking it, but not loving it. When there are forty taps to choose from at an awesome establishment like St Augustine's, you should avoid selecting a beer that you don't love.

A Paddle Full of IPA

Left Coast Belgian IPA (San Clemente, CA) - 8.5/10

If Darth Vader was a West Coast IPA, then Luke would be a Belgian Tripel. West Coast IPAs are bitter and sappy, while Belgian ales are spicy and smooth. So how could these nemeses of the beer world join forces to create a drink that is big and bold yet luscious and smooth? The answer lies in the yeast, and also in the relatively low alcohol content, which is 6.2% in this case. Slow-moving Belgian yeasts often create esters that are floral and spicy, which can be delicious in an IPA that contains appropriate hopping. Good job, Left Coast!

Phillips Hoperation Tripel Cross Belgian IPA (Victoria, BC) - 7.5/10

I like every wobbly pop that Phillips makes and have probably spent more money on this company's product than on any other beer. They are cautious brewers, who value distinct traits and clean flavours...which is totally different from the brewers at, say, Burnside Brewing (see below). Like the Left Coast above, Phillips has combined Northwest hops with a Belgian yeast to produce an IPA that is smooth and aromatic. Phillips' Tripel Cross is higher alcohol than the Left Coast beer but less complex. 

Burnside Brewing Alter Ego Imperial IPA (Portland, OR) - 7/10

I drank this from the source and found it oddly smooth. I always brace myself for a citrus-based punch to the chops when taking a first sip of an unknown IPA, but this amber-coloured ale was surprisingly sweet and subdued. It contains 99 bittering units, which is almost as high as you can get, but the toffee and woodiness provided by the malt really mellow out the hops used in this. It's a weird one, and one that I probably wouldn't feel like drinking from a bottle. 

Keywords: "St Augustine's Vancouver", "craft beer Vancouver", "Double IPA" 

Microbrew Review

I average about nine beers per week. I don't drink a lot, but I drink regularly. I wonder which is better when considering long term health. I know binge drinking can wreak havoc on one's internal organs, but I also know that the chronic use of pretty much any substance can aggravate cells and lead to cancer. But I digress...the consistent consumption of fermented malted beverages enables me to try a slew of varieties and brands. It seems as though whenever I feel I am on top of my beer game I browse the shelves of the government liquor store or a specialty shop and spot a new craft beer. This becomes even more discouraging when I consider the fact that many small-batch microbrews aren't even bottled! I suppose I should be excited rather than discouraged by the prospect of an endless array of new beers to try. Here are a few of the craft beers I have tried for the first time over the past few weeks. Please note that some of these companies have been bottling for a while...I just hadn't tried them.

Mill Street

Named after the business' original site in downtown Toronto, this Scarborough-based brewery started as a successful brewpub, akin to Vancouver's Steamworks or Portland's Lucky Lab. Its popularity was acknowledged on a national level when it won 'Canadian Brewery of the Year' at the Canadian Brewing Awards not two but three years in a row, beginning in 2007. While I have read that Mill Street only bottles a selection of the overwhelming twenty-four draughts that they brew, I find that the Seasonal Samplers they release to provide a representative swatch of their skills. From the current sampler, I found the English-style Extra Special Bitter and Franconian Bock to be unique tasting and well suited for winter imbibing. I've tried bock beer before, but never this particular style, which originates from northern Bavaria. It is a strong, biscuity lager...and Mill Street even imports the malt from Bavaria for this brew! I found the Stock Ale, the Organic Lager, and the Coffee Porter to be fairly one-dimensional. The lager was definitely over-carbonated. Mill Street beers are like Torontonians: slick and intriguing on the outside, but generally disappointing on the inside.

Fernie Brewing Company

Look out world, beers from the Kootenays and Rockies are acquiring bottling machines and are making frothy, delicious waves in the Northwest beer scene. Although a brewery has existed in Fernie since 2003, it moved to a larger facility in 2008 and purchased a bottler two years ago. They have also revamped their packaging (something Nelson Brewing should do!) and started to distribute sampler packs, like Mill Street Brewing. I haven't tried all of Fernie's products, but I generally enjoy what I have tested. Last week, I bought a six pack of First Trax Brown Ale and a bottle of their summery What the Huck huckleberry wheat beer. First Trax has won a few medals at Canadian beer events, but I prefer Phillips' Ancient Brown and Cannery's Naramata Nut Brown. First Trax leaves no tracks; that is, there is very little lacing evident, and it is a bit watery for a brown ale. What the Huck would be great on tap in the summer. It is basically a rich hefeweizen, and the huckleberry is primarily noticeable during the finish. Perhaps it is due to the fact that they import all of their hops, or perhaps it is due to the immaturity of the brewery, but there is something that interferes with my desire to keep buying this beer. Perhaps I need to try Fernie's  silly seltzer fresh from the keg.  

Mt Begbie Brewery

What is better than small batch, domestic craft beer? Small batch, domestic craft beer made by an uber nerd! Owner and brewmaster, Bart Larson, has a PhD in Nuclear Physics and he applies his evil genius skills to making beer that will blow your socks off. At least his Powerhouse Pale Ale and Nasty Habit IPA will lick you for a loop...I haven't tried his milder beers yet. The hops used in Nasty Habit leave your palate coated in a pleasant pine and grapefruit patina, and the lacing is evidence of good protein levels and 6% alcohol content. I really like the pale ale too, mainly because the hops are subdued. Some pale ales try hard to convince us that they are of the colonial variety, while they should actually contain the hopping of an amber or APA. Based in Revelstoke, this tiny brewery is another example of small  towns in the Selkirk/Kootenay region growing and developing a demand for an alternative to Kokanee.   


   
Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "BC beers", "Mt. Begbie beer", "Mill Street Brewery"

Nelson Brewing Company

I recently moved to Nelson - snow sport and weed capital of Canada - for a contract archival job at the Touchstones Museum and Art Gallery and was pleasantly surprised to realise that my new pad is located two blocks below Nelson Brewing. I have seen Nelson's all-organic beer in Vancouver liquor stores but have always been turned off by the company's packaging and graphics. While my grandma always used to say "Never ever judge a fermented alcoholic malt beverage by the graphics and labels used to market it", I find the branding indistinguishable and ineffectually gothic. Such a pithy idiom from Gammy Dawk-Dawk.

Irrespective of my thoughts on their packaging, Nelson beer is friggin' everywhere in town, and I really do love supporting local businesses and breweries. My first experience trying NBC's draught was at Mike's Pub, in the historic Hume Hotel, and I couldn't have picked a better place. Little did I know, Mike's always has at least four taps dedicated to the local brew, so I was able to sample a range of NBC's product. 

The first beer I tried (which was recommended by my landlord the first day I arrived in town) was their Faceplant Winter Ale. I am kind of on the fence when it comes to Winter ales because I often find them too sweet and rich. The vanilla flavour of Granville Island Winter Ale, for example, makes it difficult to drink more than one pint. Even though Faceplant is fermented using molasses and brown sugar, these ingredients tend to add a depth rather than a sweetness to the beer. I would still only want to drink one of these at a sitting, but as a dark ale at 6.5% you only really need one or two.

The second beer I tried was the Old Brewery Pale Ale, which won silver medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards way back in 2004. This is kind of NBC's "house" beer, as it is common in stores and pubs. I enjoyed it, and will continue to order it at the handful of pubs around town, but I found the Cascade and Perla hops a bit sharp. NBC is a hop-heavy brewery...they don't even make a lager! 

As the picture above indicates, I also bought a six pack (or three) of their After Dark British-style mild ale. This is my favourite. With just enough hops to counterbalance the chocolate-roasted, substantial two-row malt (high sugar, low protein...used in many British true ales), this is a robust but very drinkable beer. It pairs really well with hearty Winter meals too, which is perfect since I am in the Kootenays and love making chilli, chicken pot pie, and burritos. Ahhh, the bachelor lifestyle.   


Keywords: "Vancouver craft beer", "Nelson Brewing Company", "Best Canadian beer", "Alex Dawkins"  

Bellingham Beer Lab

What do beer aficionados do when they have become competent home brewers yet cannot afford to construct their own microbreweries? Illicit and home brewing is popular in North America, but there are few avenues for those who want produce beer on a commercial scale and turn their hobby into a career. My good friend, Josh, is one of five brewers behind the Bellingham Beer Lab, a cooperative brewery that will soon be opening just south of the border. 

At this point in time, Black Star Co-op is the only cooperative brewery in North America. Located in Austin, Black Star is a microbrewery and brewpub that meets operating costs through the sale of memberships. Members  pay a one-time or payment-plan annual fee that entitles them to discounts on beer, voting power for the Board of Directors, free birthday beers, and invitations to exclusive members events. Black Star generates day-to-day funds through their bar, by offering growlers for take-away, distributing kegs to local businesses, and selling merchandise. The Bellingham Beer Lab is using a similar business model to Black Star in that their initial memberships cost $150.00 USD and liquidity is maintained through the brewpub. In short, as a member of the cooperative you are a part owner of the business.

The benefits of this business type extend beyond the creation of local entrepreneurial opportunities and the provision of diverse beverage options. This collective structure promotes development and growth in each brewer, as the co-op is viewed as a transitional enterprise to assist brewers in achieving their goal of opening their own, independent breweries. After one brewer moves out, another moves in. This concept of production is also linked to civic pride and community building. Each brewer within the cooperative will have numerous ties to the neighbourhood and region, and will attract a unique client base. Most cooperative business models, including the BBL, make an effort to incorporate local resources. Some BBL brewers, for example, will make an effort to use Washington State hops and domestic barley. The beer produced by the BBL will, therefore, reflect the people, produce, and pride of Bellingham.

Another great thing about this particular project...it will be located just 45 minutes south of Vancouver. You can become a member, shoot across the border, fill up some growlers, and be back in Vancouver for dinner with your fresh, microbrewed beer. Keep up-to-date with how the business is progressing on Facebook. Just search "Bellingham Beer Lab".

Josh (Right) and the BBL Boys at the 'Best of the Bay' Brew Competition

"Alex Dawkins Vancouver", "Bellingham Beer Lab", "Vancouver Beer"