Happy New Year!

two years ago it was my New Year's resolution to replace each bottle of wine that I drink with two bottles until my wine rack was full. I'm proud to say that this goal was accomplished and I maintained a full rack (so to speak). however, something has changed in the last six months. my bottles of wine have slowly been replaced by bottles of vintage beer. most of these in the photo aren't exactly session beers as they average at about 8% alcohol. I think that I need to continue this resolution for 2010 with some added tweaks. my 2010 New Year's resolution is ... buy a second wine rack, continue filling it with wine and keep the first rack for vintage beer. I predict a lot of hazy 2010 mornings.

Happy New Year everyone!

Old Rasputin XII Imperial Stout

last night a few of us got together at the Alibi room to celebrate the holidays. we managed to crack the bottle of Old Rasputin XII Imperial Stout that I gave to Big Love for Christmas. I only had a wee lil' sample of it, but I was in love from the first sniff. there was loads of molasses and dark liquor in the nose. I tasted bitter chocolate while a couple of us said it tasted a little like port. alas, my 2 ounce sample was quickly gone. Big Love will have to elaborate on this one and I'll have to start busking outside Brewery Creek to afford another bottle.

anyway, Merry Christmas, Tipplers!

A Tippler's Roadtrip Part 2: Meandering to Mecca

After a couple of nights in Vegas and a couple in the Bay area, we started up the Northern Californian coast in attempts to be at North Coast Brewing for lunch. the road to Fort Bragg from San Francisco leads you through Sonoma County, which is California's other great wine region. it's a good thing that it was fairly early in the morning when we passed by the wineries as a glass of morning Zinfandel is not as appetizing as a cold afternoon beer. my Dad and I pressed on through to the town of Boonville which is home to Anderson Valley Brewing. I have tried a few of their selections during one of the previous Tippler's Night Out sessions, but I believe that we had limited ourselves to Anderson Valley's IPAs. AV Brewing was very impressive with a full selection of their beer on draught at the tasting bar, a store with beer glasses and accessories, a bottle filled fridge, a cool dog that hung out at the brewery, and an 18 hole FROLF course! of the few samples that my Dad and I selected, the standouts for me were Brother David’s Double Abbey Style Ale and Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. my Dad really liked their Belk's ESB. if you can seek out a bottle of the David's Double, I highly recommend picking up a couple of bottles. it has really long-lasting tastes of rum and molasses and is high in alcohol, bound to keep you warm over Christmas.

after AVB, I took the reigns on the PAR car (yes, that is my golfing Dad's vanity license plate) to drive through the redwoods toward North Coast. it was on this short drive that my Dad revealed to me that my grandfather's last words before he died were, "bloody good beer". it was a response to my uncle asking why he preferred to go to the pub that further away from his house rather than the one that was across the street. can you believe that? he had never told me this before, and I thought it was an obvious sign that I was meant to be a Tippler.

by the time we got to North Coast it was lunchtime and we were ready to refuel. NC Brewing is in a touristy coastal summer town called Fort Bragg and the brewery & pub seem to be the hub of the town with buildings occupying 3 of the 4 corners of the main intersection. maybe I had built up this trip to North Coast too much in my mind as I was slightly disappointed that the pub didn't have any beers on tap that I have yet to try. that being said they had pretty much the entire North Coast line up on tap, except for a few of their limited releases. the pub always has one cask conditioned beer on the menu and I was lucky enough to be there for the last day of their cask condition Red Seal Ale (a JT fav). being familiar (very familiar) with this beer, I has happy to taste the differences between it's conditioned and bottled forms. the conditioning really brought out the smokey flavour that is much more subtle in the bottled version. the cask conditioning also mellowed out some of the hopiness and, of course, softened it's carbonation. I hit up the souvenir shop for some glasses and some bottles of brew and left North Coast a happy Tippler.

remember in the previous post, where I mentioned that Sierra Nevada was a great, widely available West Coast beer? well, in Northern California and Oregon, there is a second great beer that everyone seems to have - Deschutes. their Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter were at every gas station that we went too and even at The Apple Peddler, the 24 hour pink neoned diner that was at our last stop of the trip, Crescent City. the Peddler had 4 beer choices, Bud, Bud Light, Mirror Pond, and Black Butte... all $2 each. awesome.

the next day of driving was a long one that found ourselves back in Vancouver by midnight. unfortunately the Tippler Trippler had no time to explore any of breweries of craft beer's homeland: Oregon. we managed to go quickly to the Rogue Brew Pub in Portland to pick up the remainder of my Canadian customs allocated beer supply. this consisted of me quickly picking up some bottles that I have never seen or tried before. I hope that I choose some good ones as sometimes Rogue beer is a bit hit & miss. it's too bad my Dad and I couldn't stay for a meal there as the brew pub was a highlight of a previous Oregon trip. come to think of it, I'm OK with missing out on the Oregon breweries, because that gives me an excuse to go back there in the spring. roadtrip anyone?

A Tippler's Roadtrip Part 1: Desert Draughts

I'm back from the pilgrimage with happy tales of tippling. the road trip with my Dad has come to a close after meandering through Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington.

the first stop on the 3273km beer run was Glendale, AZ, to go see the Phoenix Coyotes play. I now understand why this team is bankrupt and averaging a meager 8,000 fans a game. although the stadium is new and in a huge entertainment complex full of bars, restaurants, theaters, and stores, it's in the middle of nowhere. it's a one hour drive from most parts of Phoenix, which is like going to Abbotsford to watch the Canucks play. anyway, unlike most sporting events, the beer at the game was shockingly cheap. $4 got you a 22oz can of Bud, or if you're willing to plunk down another buck, you can get an equally huge bottle of Red Stripe. after the game, we headed to the Yard House to have a look at their legendary beer selection. my little Tippler heart sank as I gazed at their 130 taps of draught beer! overwhelmed by the selection and faced with the time limit of about 2 pints, I had to get my shit together and make some decisions. first up: Dogfish Head's 60 Minutes IPA. we've loved and reviewed this one before, so I won't go into how much I liked it, but this was the first opportunity to try it on tap. it did not disappoint, as the floral hoppiness really seem to mellow out in the keg. I went with Lost Coast's Downtown Brown as my next selection which proved to be a great smooth drinking nut brown ale. I can't remember much more than that as at this point I had been traveling all day and up for more than 20 hours.

I have always loved the craft brew selection in the Western States, but sometimes you're in a small town with less choice or need to get beer quickly at a 7-11 or a gas station. if you find yourself in this sort of situation, there's always trusty ol' Sierra Nevada to bail you out. you can find this stuff pretty much anywhere in the Western US and it's GOOD. it's usually the pale ale that is widely available, but this time I picked up 6 of their Torpedo Extra IPA and I was very pleased. it pours a beautiful amber/cooper colour with a just a little bit of a thin head. in the aroma I smelled grapefruit and of course some strong, pungent hops. I was expecting these hops to dominant the taste but I was gladly wrong. the hops managed to balance the full flavoured malt and was highly drinkable even for a beer showing up to party at 7.2% ABV.

after Phoenix, my Dad and I set out to drive back to the 49th parallel. after leaving a bit late, we were extremely lucky to be able to get to the Grand Canyon for sunset and then drive on towards Vegas. the Tipplerness of Vegas is dubious as the search of cheap or free drinks often outweighs the search for quality ones. a couple of 'go to' Vegas beer staples in the casinos are Heineken and Blue Moon (Coor's 'craft brew'-style wit). both are adequate and easy drinking and perfect for a night out in Sin City, although no amount of alcohol or drugs can prepare you for the psychedelic mindcuss that is known as Cirque du Soliel.

blerg ... time has crept up on me. the 2nd post of the trip, through California, will have to come tomorrow. 'ta 'til then.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
A- Draught, 6% alc/vol
Lost Coast Downtown Brown
B+ Draught, 5% alc/vol
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
A- 355ml bottle, 7.2% alc/vol

The Tipplin' Strikes Back - Tippler Kat

we had a second Tippler session last Saturday. I managed to pass out early, leaving my friends to fend for themselves (and leave notes on post-its all over my apartment). luckily, this isn't 1996, or I would have woken up with Jiffy marker all over my face. anyway, here's the first of the tasting notes. from Tippler Kat:
____________________________

The tippling session started with the Unibroue Chambly Noire. This beer looked dark, but didn't taste it. I wasn't sure how to describe it and this left me feeling a little dubious about the whole tasting process. Fortunately, we switched to Coney Island Blockhead, and my words came back to me. The Blockhead was memorable, but slightly off-putting (kind of like a trip to an amusement park that goes slightly awry). This red lager had no head to speak of, a rich red copper colour, and a hard-blooming sweet alcoholic taste. While other tipplers tasted caramel, I was reminded more of brandy (particularly that weird sweet brandy used to fill Christmas chocolates. Everyone felt a little sick and dizzy after a small glass, as if we'd eaten too much cotton candy and rode the teacups.

In contrast, the Southern Tier Jah-va Imperial Coffee Stout seemed like an exercise in restraint (it probably wasn't). This opaque brew smelled like coffee and boasted sweet malts with a delicious chocolaty aftertaste. Despite the 11% alcohol content, it didn't taste boozy at all. Probably because the Blockhead had melted my taste buds.



At this point, Big Love declared himself “pushed to the malt edge,” so we switched to the crisp and piny Anderson Valley Hop Oten IPA. This golden-brown ale was hoppy, but the bitterness was well-balanced and not overwhelming. As it warmed, it became more bitter, but never lost its appealingly bracing qualities.

The North Coast Le Merle had a fluffy head scented with citrus. The beer was hazy golden-brown and highly carbonated. I could taste distinct notes of grapefruit. The aftertaste was quick-fading.

Now determined to throw Big Love over the hops edge, we tried the night's winner, Half Pints' humulus ludicrous. The bright gold IPA offered a clean, smooth hops taste that was astringent rather than bitter. The delicious finishing hops turned it into an unusually beguiling IPA that coaxes and caresses instead of just punching you in the face (at least, that's what my notes say).

Slightly worn out by all the bold beers we had tasted, we took a breather with a can of Red Racer Pumpkin. This inoffensive ale was perfumy with the smell of pumpkin (and possibly bubblegum). It tasted convincingly like pumpkin pie, with spicy hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Then, Tippler Ben pushed us back onto the stout train with Moylan's Imperial Stout. At this point my memory starts to get foggy, but I remember a dark smooth chocolate taste that gripped the tongue. The full-bodied flavour was bitter but luscious. Yum!

At this point, my notes break down. We had all over-tippled and some of us were starting to tipple over. We tried at least three beverages after this, but since I can no longer the type of pizza we ate beforehand, my reflections are probably inaccurate. Although the night started dubiously, I would quite be happy to try Half Pints humulus ludicrous, Moylan's Imperial Stout and the Anderson Valley Hop Oten IPA again.

Pilgrimage to Mecca...

...otherwise known as North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg, California. I'm finally getting a chance to go visit one of my favourite breweries and taste some of their seasonal offerings which aren't available in stores. the trip is still 3 weeks away, but I am one happy Tippler.

Inedit

Estrella Damm Brewery

I got a wee bit excited this weekend during a trip to the liquor store. okay, fine, that's nothing really new. I was searching, as always, for something new to try when I saw this nice and simple looking 750ml bottle. it had a promotional booklet draped on its neck that sold me in two words: Ferran Adria. for those non-foodies that are not familiar, Adria is a chef that associated with starting the molecular gastronomy movement. this movement deconstructs the ingredients of classic dishes and reinvents the dish by using the same ingredients but preparing them in an entirely new way. conversely, a classic dish can be made without using ANY of the original ingredients. if you've gone to a chichi restaurant and had asparagus or espresso or whatever "foam" on your plate, he is to blame for that too. anyway, Indeit was developed by Adria and his restaurant's chefs and sommeliers in cooperation with the Spanish brewery Estrella Damm to be "specifically paired with food". it is described as a brewed blend of lager and wheat beer styles. I'm a little skeptical of the quality of this beer as the Spanish beer that I have tried before were essentially the same as the previously reviewed Portuguese beer - lagers that are easy drinking. light lagers are not exactly my love in life, but I should give this one proper respect. so, I figured that having people over for dinner was a perfect excuse to sample this bottle of Inedit.

the Inedit pours a very light straw colour, with a healthy amount of pillowy head, and has the distinctive murkiness of a wheat beer. the aroma is equally light, but there is a faint candied lemon sweetness. on the first sip, I tasted slight notes of citrus and a little bit of yeast. Tippler Ben has said this of previous pours, but he got a 'gunpowder' taste from this beer. I'm not exactly sure what he means by this, but I like it - it makes the beer sound far more dangerous and risque than it actually is. Tippler Carlea enjoyed the easy-drinking and refreshing nature of the beer and I'd have to agree with her, so refreshing that you could quite easily finish the big bottle yourself. the big standout with this beer, was how it finishes extremely clean. this element worked well with dinner, in that it was a sort of palette cleanser for the next bite of food. personally, I prefer a beer to match the tastes of the food that I'm eating. I'm guessing that Inedit was crafted to be paired with more complex menu items in attempts to showcase the food. unfortunately, this beer, while perhaps showcasing our lasagne, didn't allow itself to shine. my contention is that a perfectly paired beer, will raise the level of both the food and drink.

everything about this beer, appearance, aroma, and taste, is minimal. I'm wondering if these elements were made gentle and subtle as to not interfere with food, or whether it's just gutless. I would suspect that "the world's greatest chef" would would have an equally great palette for both food and drink, so the former must be true. although Inedit is a thoroughly drinkable and refreshing beer, I expected something a little more experimental from the man that makes caviar from green apples.

B-
750ml bottle, 4.8% alc/vol

The Tipplers' Night In ... Review by Big Love

An outcome of being a procrastinator is that one often finds that one has the last word on a matter. This can be good or bad and, as it is unintentional, it rarely has any specific advantage. In this case, I find myself the fifth reviewer of the evening to register my thoughts, and, to tell you the truth (not that I would consider lying to any of you...really), I am unsure what I can add to the discussion. However, as a dedicated professional, I find myself compelled to at least try.

The evening featured a wide variety of styles and tastes. The 3 Monts was a great opener--the smell of apples and white grapes and the feel of champagne make drinking it very pleasant indeed. The Oro de Caladaza is a really odd beer, with complex Belgian-style yeast and a faint taste of sweet pickles (thanks for that, deebag). The Delerium Tremens had a lovely balance of sweet and sour, with a very short taste and virtually no aftertaste. The mahogany-hued Traquair House Ale brought out tastes of candy and caramel. I favour Traquair's Jacobite Ale slightly over this, but it is a wonderful beer nonetheless. The highlight of the evening for me was the Unibroue 17, which features a plethora of tastes--some spicy, some sweet, some savoury--which all slip out subtly from underneath a strong, sweet malt. The Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout was black, syrupy and almost impossibly sweet, with tastes of smoke, nuts, caramel and oak making it a truly complex brew. The Pike Tandem is a well balanced beer with a hint of fishiness. I was very intrigued by the Sara Buckwheat beer, which was, not surprisingly, very 'wheaty'. I flaked out after the Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale, but not before marvelling at its bright, almost flourescent yellowness. It has a mild taste, but its subtleties (if indeed it has any) were lost on my well used palate by this point in the evening.

All in all, the event was a smashing success. It goes without saying, I suppose, that I very much look forward to part two...

The Tipplers' Night In ... Review by Deebag

it's been a week and a half since our epic beer-a-thon. I thought that since these various ales, wits, stouts, and porters were so good, I'd remember all the fine details and subtleties to them. unfortunately, after sampling 14 of them, my brainbox was left to rely on the progressively illegible notes that I had made that evening. the other Tipplers have weighed in, some more poetic than others (literally), but here's what I thought. (I'll do my best to get the beer names & websites correct):

3 Monts (Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre) 8.5% alc/vol
the aroma was straight-up apple for me and was reminiscent of Strongbow cider. very light in colour with a dense, foamy head. a balanced taste that coats the whole mouth. sweet fruit and apple tastes. B+

Oro de Calabaza Artisan Golden Ale (Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales) 8%
I think that I ruined this beer for everyone. as soon as I tasted it, I yelled "PICKLES!", because that's all I could taste. loads of foam, very cloudy in colour (like real apple juice/cider). after the pickle taste, there was a bitter after taste that lasted and lasted. my notes say, "unique - not sure if I could do it again". B-

Delirium Tremens (Huyghe Brewery) 8%
a beer named after alcohol withdrawal that's packaged in a clay bottle with pink elephants and dancing sunglassed alligators on it?! Tom Cruise must've been drinking this stuff on the set of Risky Business. there was no head and loads of sediment - but, I should point out that I got the last pour from the bottle. the other Tipplers had far different pours than me. this one had the most substantial malt of the first beers sampled. with the heavier malt was a slight fish taste (in a good way). again, my profound notes just say, "yum!". A

Traquair House Ale (Traquair House) 7.2%
the aroma was of dark liquors such as rum with some maple syrup. the colour was the same as Dr. Pepper (which I believe is the same colour as Coke, Pepsi or any other cola. I'm not sure why my mind raced to the Doctor first). the comforting deep roasted malts tasted of chocolate. the hops balanced these malts off well and lingered for a bit. B+

Unibroue 17 (Unibroue) 10%
I've been holding on to this anniversary bottle since last Christmas and it was well worth the wait. it poured with just a little bit of head and had an undetermined sweet aroma. it wasn't a fruit aroma -- brown sugar, maybe? sweet at first, then some spice and then a yeasty mouth coating. loads and loads of malt, hops, and alcohol heat! the over-the-topness of the 17 reminded me of a Dogfish Head beer. this one is a true dark winter ale. A

Bourbon County Brand Stout (Goose Island Beer Co.) 13%
no head, no carbonation, and no light is getting through this - the motor oil of beer. all that I can say is malts, malts, malts - they are thick and heavy in this stout. this is where my favourite beer note was made. I wrote, "I'M PARALYZED - make sure to emphasize that in the review". B (but, I'd like to try a whole bottle to figure this one out as this was a small 355ml bottle split 5 ways)
my notes for the next 3 beers have very little info and are as follows (word for word):

Pike Tandem Double Ale (Pike Brewing Co.) 7.5% | ice tea colour; taste:fish (?)
Sara Buckwheat Ale (Brasserie De Silenrieux) 6% | aroma:weed; taste:Belgian beer for someone that likes Kokanee.
Limfjord's Porter (Thisted Bryghus) 7.9% | thick-ass head; aroma:smoke; taste:BBQ.

for some reason a bit of clarity came with the notes on the last two selections.
Blue Dot Double IPA (Hair of the Dog Brewing Co.) 7%
the aroma was HUGE on this one... ultra citrusy. the citrus continues right through the tasting. floral hops are thoughout the taste too - the start, middle, and finishing hops play very well with the citrus. a classic Westcoast IPA. A-

Kiwanda Cream Ale (Pelican Brewery) 5.1%
a treat after so many high-octane brews, this cream ale hit the spot. it has to be the strangest cream ale that I've ever seen; it's colour is golden like a lager. there wasn't much of note in the aroma. did Ben just pour a lager into this Pelican bottle and reseal it? hmm... I wonder. I liked the taste at the time, but this is as much a cream ale as Alexander Keith's is an IPA. anyway, I'd like to give this one another shot when I am less drunk, as Pelican's other beer is amazing.

The Tipplers' Night In ... Review by Tippler Kat

Here is a haiku about Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout:

Darkness drinks the light
and gives only the scent of
walnuts in return.

Kat's notes on the evening (also in the form of haiku):

Chris says “Pickles!” just
like I am thinking. I turn
and say: I know, right?

Evening of plenty!
Can't agree on “beers” or “beer”
Which is more dirtbag?

The Tipplers' Night In ... Review by Tippler Curtis

Curt's notes on Unibroue 17

Robust, hard candy
sweet and thoroughly
malty (I am told).

The Tipplers' Night In ... Review by Tippler Ben

Wow, I like how the comments I made became less informative as the night when on. In a way I found it easier to enjoy the beers that weren't the same and, on looking back, I really enjoyed the Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale a bit more than the rest. It was the least over the top in comparison to the high calibre beers we had that night. On another night it probably would not stand out as much, but it had unique characteristics that I have never seen in a cream ale. Unibroue 17 was just as amazing as I remember and after tasting it, I feel it to be one of their best beers. The Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout was intense, though highly enjoyable. 3 Monts was a pleasure to finally try but, maybe because we tried so many Belgium style beers, I lost a little on the palate for all of them. Hair of the Dog Blue Dot was booming with it's over-proof alcohol and citrusy flavour, but it did make me long for Pliny the Elder in the same category. Limfjords Porter was a treat for the abstract. I usually detest smokey beers, but this one worked. I found it was less formidable and more fermentable (ha!). I had never had the Traquair House Ale before which was also a wicked treat. I think what was scariest of our fall line up was that the beers we had averaged 8%, which is dubious when sampling many beers in an evening. Thanks for hosting Deebag and when will we tackle the rest and more?

Steamworks' Great Pumpkin Ale

Steamworks Brewing Company

today has been a bit of a foodie day, starting with a 9am wake up text from Tippler Selma stating: 'learning how to brine & stuff a turkey today with a chef in kits... wanna come?'. not how I was expecting to start my day, but I'm game. for some reason, Selma's failed bid on a stuffed, cooked and delivered turkey from Chef Brian at Mon Bella Bistoria instead resulted in getting a great lesson on how to dress and cook a turkey. this lesson, as most lesson's should, came complete with a bottle of Sumac Ridge Stellar's Jay sparkling wine. thank you Selma & Chef Brian!

as there will be a lot of great paired wines at dinner tomorrow, I decided to grab some beer from Steamworks. ladies and gents, I introduce to you - THE GROWLER. 64 oz of Steamworks Great Pumpkin Ale is in my fridge, chilled and ready for tomorrow's feast. I described this beer to Tippler Chris as 'liquid pumpkin pie', which didn't seem to impress him. He tried it a couple of nights ago and felt that it wasn't as sweet as I made it out to be. when I went to fill up the Growler, the bartender gave me a nice little sample of it, and Chris was absolutely right. Steamworks has definitely toned down the sweetness on this year's batch. but, what this ale is not lacking are those classic pumpkin pie spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger. I'll have to update this after a full tasting, but the little bit that I tried has gotten my taste buds excited for tomorrow (that, and the anticipation of an amazing Thanksgiving dinner).

[on a side note, I highly recommend the Growler for home beer consumption. in Vancouver, Steamworks and MJG Breweries allow you to get this filled with any of their tap beers. while the shelf life is short (2 days), Growler's are inexpensive ($11/64oz), have essentially no environmental impact, and most importantly, provides you with really fresh beer.]

***__________________UPDATE_____________________***
I had a couple of pints of this on monday, so I have a better assessment of the beer. again, all those spices really came through in the taste. there is a little more sweetness than I had originally thought, a little reminiscent of root beer with some caramel. it wasn't very lively, but I'm going to blame that on the fact that it was a draft beer poured into a twist-off Growler bottle 24 years earlier - carbonation lose was inevitable. overall, it was a really nice seasonal beer with a two pint limit.

The Tipplers' Night In

last night, some of us Tipplers got together to drink and make notes on an impressive selection of beer. the only criteria was to bring a couple of beers that were probably new to us. Tippler Ben, had just come back from a tour of micro breweries in Portland, so he (as usual) came well stocked. for some reason, I thought that we wouldn't have enough bottles to sample - as you can see from the photo, I was dearly mistaken. anyway, as most people left their tasting notes in my apartment, our thoughts on some of the 14 (!!) bottles sampled won't be up right away. stay tuned.

Riptide Pale Ale

Lighthouse Brewing Co.

Uh...wait.

Okay, I got it:

I have only vague memories of the television show "Riptide", but...

No. Forget it. I can do better than that:

*

Actually, I think I'll just copy out my tasting notes, and we can all stop pretending:

Ugly labelling. Very ugly.
Lively carbonation.
Light coppery hue.
Mild smell. Malty. Hint of honey?
Nice hop/malt balance. No sign of alcohol/yeast. Malt is pretty plain. Hops come up a bit at the end.
Okay. Nothing very subtle, nothing special. Pretty mild and palatable for all.
Better cold.
Easy to drink.
Not my favourite local micro, but still beats anything by the major breweries.
Won't offend anyone (unless they look at the label).


C

Old Stock 2: Review Boogaloo

North Coast Brewing Co.

in a shameful review from earlier in the summer, Big Love disgustingly wrote about North Coast's Old Stock Ale while he was drunk! disgraceful. I thought that I would revisit this beer and provide a level-headed opinion not tainted by pints upon pints of "..I looove you, man" juice. (I'm guessing that typing the words man and juice together will accidentally bring a few unsuspecting Google searchers to this site. if so .... hi, new friends! there's plenty more innuendo in our other reviews, so stay a spell!) well, I thought that I would be able to sample this with a fresh mind, but I'm pretty sure I was drunk by the third sip. I had to photograph this beer beside my hardbar bottles as at 12% ABV, it seemed appropriate. 12%?! I'm a little shocked that it was only 12%. I could smell the alcohol in this one from across my apartment. granted, my apartment isn't very big, but it's no yurt.

the 2008 Old Stock Ale poured the colour of iced tea with deep, deep orange hues. the head went away instantly and this bottle had little to no carbonation. I've read other reviews of this beer, including Big Love's, stating that the carbonation was very lively, so I'm not sure what's up with this. the aroma was straight up rum! very sweet with a very hot smell of alcohol. just taking a whiff of this one instantly relieved my headache. I was a bit startled when that alcoholic heat didn't come through as strong in the taste, in fact the Old Stock was very smooth. big sweet fruits (hi again, accidental Googlers!) were delivered at first and finished with some sour ones. I tasted plum, grapefruit, honey, vanilla, and some wood. as the beer warmed up, the ratio of these taste began to change. at room temperature, the wood tastes really dominated. although I loved this beer overall, I have to admit that I tossed the final two sips down the drain as I the woodiness was too much for me (I know, I know).

this beer is not going to be for everyone. at 12%, it's not really sessionable nor an easy-drinker. from watching documentaries on the Discovery Channel, I gather that Old Stock Ale is the beer equivalent of an African safari or a trip to India, more of an adventure than a holiday.

A-

60 minute IPA

Dogfish Head

A Haiku Revu:

Sweet caramel malt
Nuts and hops, yes nuts and hops
Over the top? No.

A-

Palo Santo Marron

Dogfish Head

The aged among us will remember that blind taste testing was all the rage in 'real' advertisements for all sorts of stupid consumer goods in the Eighties. For instance, we were always hearing that nine out of ten people preferred the taste of Pepsi over Coke, or vice versa if the ad was for Coca Cola. The idea, I guess, was that, in our blindness, the unbiased truth could be uncovered.

When deebag approached me about doing a blind review for the Tippler, I immediately expected a trick--was he going to give me Budweiser and, without my preconceptions, I would like it, and therefore be exposed as a fraud? Then who would ever trust my opinion again? My reputation as a fine and discerning critic would be destroyed before it was made!

I wasn't too sure, but, as it turns out, when someone puts a beer in front of me, my uncertainties are easily squashed by my lust for that sweet, sweet barley nectar, and I agreed instantly.

This beer was particularly intriguing to me because it was blackness personified; I held it up to the light and felt as if I was witnessing an eclipse. By some sort of sorcery, it seemed to absorb colour and deny light. It as a little scary, actually, but I was reassured that this was indeed beer by the brew's thick brown head.

Before I put my nose anywhere near the rim of my glass, I could smell the smokey, chocolaty aroma of this beer and, especially, the strong scent of alcohol. It smelled more like brandy than beer, really. I braced myself for an intense tasting experience.

It was indeed a strong beer. Tasting started with a very, very sweet malt, with aspects of vanilla, caramel, and over-ripe fruits (plums or cherries perhaps).
Then up came the alcohol (and oh how it comes!). Lastly, as one would expect, came the hops--not too strong, but big enough to complicate the deep sweetness of the malt and the heat of the alcohol. Such strong elements make for a long aftertaste, to be sure, and I felt like I was still chewing this beer for minutes after tasting.

I was pretty sure this wasn't Budweiser, and was not the least bit surprised when deebag revealed it as Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron which, at 12% alcohol, must be marketed and sold as malt liquor in the U.S. The Palo Santo Marron has an interesting origin, which you can read about here, if you are so inclined.

This is a superb beer; powerful and intense, with all sorts of things to taste. It is definitely not for everyone, but it is for me, so I recommend it highly.

A

take one down, pass it around...

I went a bit crazy last weekend at BC Liquor's massive signature store. this lil' deebag has a lot of work ahead of him.

I got 99 problems, but a beer ain't one

Brooklyn Brewery

I didn't plan on this being a 9/11 tribute beer, but while watching tonight's live Jay-Z benefit concert, the headliner asked the crowd before Brooklyn: Go Hard, "is Brooklyn in the house? is Brooklyn in the MFing house?". the crowd cheered to reveal that Brooklyn was indeed in the MFing house and to my surprise, Brooklyn was also in my MFing house too - in the form of Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout. I have kept this lone bottle in my fridge since last winter and finally all things pointed towards drinking it. I should denote that I generally love stouts. for me, the two best things about fall and winter are sweaters and stouts. so, I may be a bit biased in my opinion. that being said, let's look at this bottle.

this stout poured like most, extremely dark with a thick 1" head. the head wasn't as fluffy as say a Guinness, but it performed the same, in that it lasted the duration of the tasting. the aroma came off a bit sweeter than expected. there are, of course, chocolate notes along with some burnt coffee, plums, and caramel. with the colour of used motor oil and an ABV of 10% (!!), this imperial-style stout may send liver shivers to some, but I couldn't wait to put pint glass to mouth. the deep roasted malts hit you first, then the malts sweeten up for a second and there's a nice little bitterness at the finish. I definitely tasted coffee and some chocolate, but the finish left a Marmite taste with me (a good thing, in my books). I'm guessing that there is a huge amount of hops used in the brewing process to counteract the heavy roast malts, but it never feels that way. I liked the overall balance of tastes at play in this one and made this as smooth an imperial stout as I have had (even at 10%). a visit to the Brooklyn Brewery has now been added to my Brooklyn to-do list after first going to Williamsburg to make fun of hipsters and then seeing a Mos Def show in his home borough.

A

I should mention that in addition to this being a great beer, it is of exceptional value too. I picked up this 355ml bottle at a BC liquor store for $2.75. if you break that down into a price to alcohol ratio (and the Scottish side of me will), it is the same price as the cheapest beer sold in BC.

www.thejudicioustippler.com

telling people that your blog is called The Judicious Tippler is sometimes countered with, "The Whatlicious Whatler?". getting the blogspot web address stuck in their mindbox is even more difficult. so, we've made it a tiny bit more concise. although, you can still find us at thejudicioustippler.blogspot.com, we nabbed the dot com URL and you can also find us at thejudicioustippler.com. tell your friends!

Pelican Brewery's Doryman's Dark Ale

Pelican Pub & Brewery

the Tippler is switching up gears for this review as this will be our first blind beer tasting. friend of the Tippler and knit knut, Kat, was given a glass of Doryman's Dark Ale by Oregon's Pelican Brewery and was asked to share her opinions of it. it goes as follows.

Disclosure: I watched a handful of YouTube videos featuring baby orangutans before I sampled this beer. The footage of a six-month old ape clasping a French bulldog might have skewed the results in a positive direction.

Orangutans or no orangutans, I like brown ales, so I was pleased when Deebag poured me a dark beer, slightly darker and more opaque than Coca-Cola. There was a half-centimeter of dense yellowish head, which quickly thinned.

The beer was barely carbonated, with a pleasant smooth mouthfeel. Taking a sip, I instantly identified the dominant flavour as “beer”, with hints of caramel. The taste was full but faded quickly and cleanly to hops. The hoppy aftertaste faded quickly as well. This rich but mellow beverage is a great pick for early fall nights, when the nights are getting cooler and beer isn’t all about cooling off.

Fire up the YouTube! I would like some more orangutan videos and another glass of whatever this was!

A-

He'Brew Re'View

Shmaltz Brewing Company

my volunteer duties for this year's Vancouver International Film Festival led me to the Fraser Valley this weekend. while making a stop in Abbotsford (a/k/a Biblevania), I decided to check out the selection of beer at one of their liquor stores. to my extreme surprise, amongst the ho-hum offerings were 6-packs of New York's He'Brew Genesis Ale. not to my surprise, these 6-packs were covered in dust - this may be "the chosen beer", but obviously not by Abbotsfordians.

the Genesis Ale pours a clear dark orange and brown colour. the bubbles are not very lively and produce little head. for the head that is there, it dissipates quickly. the aroma is very bready (in this case, I'll go with bagely). there is something sour in the mix that pleasingly reminds me of a Belgian double or triple. the pleasant bageliness is backed up in the taste (although a little thin) but is quickly erased by the heaviness of the hops. the hops really coat your tongue with bitterness for a spell, but as more sips go down, the less the hops stay out to play. the shtick of the beer's name and packaging give this one some bonus points, but ultimately this is a highly drinkable beer that lacks a good malt to hop balance.

B

NatureLand Organic Amber Ale

Pacific Western Brewing Company

I'm a sucker for packaging. so, when I saw a new box of bottles on the the liquor store shelf, my eyes locked directly onto it. the new box belongs to PWB's NatureLand Organic Amber Ale. I had previously tried their organic Lager without much fanfare, and have never really felt compelled to try PBW's other organic offering. however, throw the beer in some freshly designed package and apparently I'm all over it, like irony on hipsters.

my opinion of this beer maybe skewed due to the anemic arsenal of brews that have previously come out of PBW. I mean, these are the guys that have brought us such classics as Dude Beer, TNT (now available in an 8% Lager), and Ironhorse (all aboard - choo choo!). history aside, I tried my best to be impartial for this tasting.

right of the bat, the pour came out surprisingly beautiful - a golden, honey colour with a fluffy head and extremely lively bubbles. maybe this will be the PBW's crown jewel. the aroma was very sweet, reminiscent of caramel. first, I tasted some decent bready malts which disappeared quickly and were replaced by some skunky finishing hops, which didn't match the malts at all. the bitterness lingered a lot longer than expected and not in a good way. after finishing half of the bottle, the bitterness started to taste very chemically and metallic; an unfortunate taste for any beer, let alone an organic one. the more I drank, the more I saw wrong with this beer. any positive reactions to the appearance and smell were erased by that lasting chemical taste. with the bulk of the 6-pack remaining in my fridge, it looks like I now have a few bottles of this left over to pawn off onto house guests.

C
if you're looking for a good organic BC beer, look towards the offerings from the Nelson Brewing Company which is now 100% certified organic.

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Bear Republic Brewing

yet another California selection has found it's way out of my fridge and into my belly. this time it's Red Rocket Ale from Bear Republic Brewing located in Healdsburg, just north of San Francisco. I was expecting this to pour a similar colour as the previously reviewed Red Seal Ale, but it come out of the bottle a deep, dark brown. this was shocking to me as it looked more like a porter than a red ale. along with the deep hue was a huge thick head that remained for the duration of the tasting (... I wish I could say that about myself! [queue a rim-shot and a fat sidekick yelling, HEY OHHH!]) the taste shocked me as much as the colour did. there are very complex roasted malts here - I'm guessing that there's a few at play. I tasted coffee, some smoke, and maybe some bourbon. the over-the-top malts are counteracted with some over-the-top finishing hops. even with these big tastes, the balance of the two result in something very memorable. so much so, that I tried this beer a week ago and I'm still remembering all the taste details today. a brain numbing 6.8% ABV is attached to this ale, preventing it from being a real session beer (for me, at least), but it's definitely a good one to either start or finish the evening with.

A-
(purchased at the ever-awesome Brewery Creek Liquor Store. I've seen it at a few stores around town including Viti and at Everything Wine. so far, it's not available the regular provincial BC liquor stores.)

Lost Coast Indica India Pale Ale

Lost Coast Brewery

this will have to be a quick review as my already slow and poor typing skills have been further impaired by a recent kitchen accident. luckily, the flapper is on my non-beer guzzling hand, so last night I skipped on down to the Alibi Room for a few pints. first up was a pint of Lost Coast's hop-heavy Indica IPA. although the lights were down at the bar, you could still tell that the Indica had a mellow, hazy orange hue. it had a piney and floral aroma which was weaker than most West-Coast IPA's tend to be. on to the good stuff; the taste. I tasted some citrus at first, but once the hops kick they linger for a stretch after tasting. there's also a slight herbaceous taste that loiters with those hops (it didn't occur to me until just this second that's probably why this IPA is called Indica). the Indica is not a balanced beer by an means, which seems to be another IPA tendency from the batty-for-hops Californians. I would've liked to have some more malt to back up those cascade hops.

C+

since The Tippler got started, I've come to realize, not surprisingly, that I can only review the first beer of the night. on subsequent pints, subtlety and nuance are lost on my tongue as well as in my demeanor. that being said, I can't really say much about my next pint other than it was ... what's the word... good. my friend, Ellie, attended the Great Alaska Craft Beer Festival in May. I was asking her about some of the festival favs, and she said that there was an overwhelmingly good response to a mixed beer which was one half chocolate stout and one half raspberry ale. I was intruiged, so we decided to do a version of this from the Alibi Room's offering. Ellie wanted to use a $20 bottle of raspberry lambic in the mix, but I wasn't drunk enough or rich enough to use the lambic in this experiment. we went with a chocolate porter (which I believe was from Phillips Brewing) and Granville Island's limit release raspberry wheat ale. the waiter appreciated the experimental drinking and told me of a few beer mixtures that he likes. the raspberry taste was quite faint, so the ratio needs to be adjusted a bit, but otherwise the result was very tasty. I think I've just opened up a new drinking realm.

Bohemian Lager

Trader Joe’s Brewing Company

After a long week of work I am eager to open this Czech-style pilsner and give it a proper, uh, reviewing. It pours a golden blonde colour, light and very clear. Lots o’ bubbles. It is nice to look at, but I am more excited to get to the tasting part.

I smell wheat, and that slightly buttery aroma that seems to follow certain wheat malts around. Also, there is something fishy here. I don’t mean suspicious, mind you (some people who have been drinking with me will know I have a tendency towards this). Enough sniffing, though. Let’s get this one in me, yes?

It is sweeter than I expected, with a pleasant mild hop taste. It has a hint of that familiar European lager taste, but only a hint—the malt gives it more complexity. There is no sign of fish in the taste, thankfully. It is very carbonated, which gives it an exciting mouth feel (yeah, I said “exciting mouth feel”—savour it, kids).

The sweetness clings a bit to the aftertaste, which seems to cover over anything else that might otherwise be happening here. Overall, I find this sweetness a little bothersome, and I detect no bitterness at all. It is a good lager, and more interesting than some, but, ultimately, does not really impress me much. A decent quaffer at a low, low price (for those of you who live in the U.S.).

C+

Breakfast Lager - Gordon Biersch

Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.

do you remember in the last review when I said it was Do the Right Thing hot? well, that was a couple of days ago. now, it's Backdraft hot. my office doesn't have air conditioning, as it was built to LEED standards, so we've hooked an elaborate combination of fans and duct work to circulate the air. the set-up is working, but with 20 plus computers in a small space, we're still running at 5C hotter than the outside world. with my job, I have to resist the day-drinking urge all the time as I finish the workday at 1pm. but, today the heat is forcing me to drink beer (...at 9am no less). the morning beer is something I usually attribute to camping, which normally consists of warm cans of whatever is leftover. today I magically found a Gordon Biersch Marzen Auburn Lager hiding in the back of the fridge. I think this appeared from a co-worker's recent move.

this Marzen has a very sweet nose from the malt and yeast, that give it a distinct aroma - a mix of honey and Marmite. it is WELL-hopped for a lager, with the bitterness balanced out well by the luscious malt. being stored in the back of fridge, the bottle is probably a few degrees colder than it should be, but it's the exact temperature I need right now. "as clean a lager as I have ever tasted", is how I described Krusovice Imperial Lager. if the Kruovice was clean, this Marzen sits on the other end of the lager spectrum, as the roasted malt finish and hops last and last. maybe not the session beer that the Krusovice is, but delicious nonetheless.

JT friend, Brewer Ben, introduced this beer to me a while back and told me that the brewer, Dan Gordon, was the first American graduate of a famous beer engineering program in Germany. a further look at the Gordon Biersch wikipedia entry, shows that Gordon Biersch also brews under contract for Costco and Trader Joe's. from a recent trip to Seattle, I can tell you that the Trader Joe's beer is ridiculously cheap. now that I know it's made by someone reputable, I'll be guzzling it by the six on my next visit.

B+

A Confession and a Drink Made For Tweens

alright, here's my confession. I made a Shandy yesterday. and I liked it. a lot. I know Big Love will be very disappointing to hear of this development, but it's been Do the Right Thing hot out this week and I was in need of a cooling bevvie to deal with it. the Shandy has been on my mind ever since it was suggested to a JT reader as an alternative to the high octane brews that her boyfriend prefers. my experience with Shandy's has been hit, miss & now hit again. the first one that I had was in a Pub in Wales or West England with my Grandpa when I was 14. I can't remember whether I actually enjoyed it, because I was just so excited that I was allowed to drink in a pub. Shandys served in the UK are almost always made from lager and lemonade. UK pub lemonade is lemon pop - Sprite and 7-Up are even considered lemonades. so, when I tried a Shandy years later, I turned up my nose and ordered an ale. I had had a Shandy made with lager and Jamaican ginger beer a few years back and have always remembered how good it was. so, when the thermostat hit it's peak and I was well into my second shirt, I knew it was time to forget about those English pub Shandys and make a stellar one.

the key to the Jamaican Shandy is the ginger beer rather than the lager, so I went with a decent quality one called Old Tyme. with the lager, you can go pretty cheap. I went with a Stiegl from Austria, as the tall boys were on sale. I tried a a couple of different ratios of beer to ginger beer. first, I went with the classic 50/50 ratio which was far too spicy for me- the punch from the ginger in Old Tyme is more of a haymaker than a jab. so, I added some more lager and got to a much more tolerable 75/25 ratio. the spiciness of the ginger played well off the sweetness of the lager. the two individual tastes never really meld into one, like a fruit beer might, but the result was nonetheless satisfying. after mixing in a nearby park and some shade under a tree, I was one rack of BBQ ribs away from a perfect summer day.

Beer Wars continued...

I never mentioned this in the last post, as it has to be seen to be believed. so, after trying every video editor in the books, I finally have the scene uploaded to YouTube. I need to get that 8 year old from the "I'm a PC" Windows ads to edit video for me. (I guess this would be considered a spoiler, as it comes at the end of the film.)

Beer Wars (... and a dissapointing Wheat Ale)

I decided to give North Coast's Blue Star Wheat Ale a second chance last night after being disappointed by the first tasting. the conclusion: this beer is not for me. I like refreshing Hefeweizens in the summer, but North Coast's wheat offering had few of the qualities that I was craving. there was little to no citrus aroma and it didn't have that classic banana taste of a wheat ale. this unfiltered wheat's most distinct characteristic was it's yeasty aroma and taste. unfortunately, it was absolutely middle of the road. North Coast was been nothing but good to me, so I'll let this one slide.

the highlight of the night was watching a pretty interesting documentary called Beer Wars. it looked at the command that the big 3 American brewers (now the big 2) have over the American 3 tier system of liquor distribution, their acquisition of store shelf space and how these prevent craft brewers from entering the market or expanding there current position. it brought quite a few issues to light that I had never really thought about before. it talked about how the multitude of craft breweries are shrinking the major's market share. so much so, that the bigs are trying to take back their share by putting out "craft beers" of there own. they usually buy out small craft breweries, shut them down, and then produce these "craft" beer in their massive breweries under the same name, compromising the quality of the original product. an example used was Green Valley Brewing's Organic Wild Hop Lager, which is actually just an Anheuser-Busch product brewed at the massive Bud brewery in Fairfield, California. the film itself was not the most effective doc I've seen, as it had a heavily biased stance to the little guy (which is like preaching to the choir). think Michael Moore, not Errol Morris.

other Beer Wars highlights include the interviews with craft brewers such as Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery. he appears throughout the film speaking of his love of beer, his love of turning people onto his beer, and his hatred of the big 3. Dogfish Head is widely respected as one of the finest and most unusual craft breweries in America. we get a good glimpse of Sam's brewing process and the history of his brewery. while shooting, he was in the middle of constructing a $9 million expansion, doubling his brewhouse from 50 to 100 barrels. this is probably a major reason why we are finally seeing some Dogfish products in Vancouver beer stores. while ever-expanding, Sam and the Dogfish crew maintain the brewery's 'mom & pop' appeal. there's a great scene where he answers a call from a drunk customer on the company's 1-800 comment line. he seems as happy to talk to her about beer as she is to drink it. so, if you're Dogfish day-drinking and have an itchy dialing finger, you might get to talk to a master brewer of a master brewery.

Black Hills' Nota Bene & Chateau des Charmes Gamay Noir

Black Hills Estate Winery
Chateau des Charmes

sometimes, I taste a beer or wine that changes the way I think about it's rivals. I ask myself, "why haven't I been drinking THIS all along?" Black Hills' Nota Bene is one such wine. unfortunately, the answer to my previous question, in the case of wine, usually comes down to cost. but, in this case it comes down to availability. the limited release of Black Hills' Nota Bene, mixed with it's exceptional quality and reputation, have ensured that this wine sells out every vintage. I'm lucky that the wine nerdiness of my friends Deanne and Bruce equates the beer nerdiness of Big Love and I. so deep is their love of good wine, they were motivated to drive to Oliver, BC purely on the rumour that the folks at Black Hills were to release a few more cases of their 2006 Nota Bene. the rumour was truth, and they picked up their maximum allotment of 2 bottles (1 /person). through family wine trading, they have acquired Nota Bene vintages from 2005-2007. back to this wine shortly.

along with being lovers of wine, Deanne and Bruce are lovers of good food. Bruce has been a chef in many high end kitchens around western Canada and on his day off from plating up hundreds of meals, he spent the day prepping last night's offerings. the first course consisted of slices of perfectly pan-seared duck beast, with an apple and fennel slaw and raspberry gastrique. needless to say, it was delicious. I brought over a bottle of Chateau des Charmes Gamay Noir, which I thought would go well with the duck. we served this Niagara Gamay slightly chilled for a change. this light-bodied wine poured much more purple and deeper than I was expecting. the aroma was very sweet - I smelled cherries and a little pineapple. the taste backed up those fruits along with something a bit spicier. I thought of incense or sort of a cinnamon taste. Bruce tasted anise. it definitely finished much more heaty than it's 13% ABV would suggest, however, it complimented the duck very well. the second course of our meal was a beefsteak tomato, fresh basil, and bocconcini salad that provided a refreshing break in between the meat courses and the wines.

onto this reviewers source of motivation. last night we opened a bottle of 2006 Black Hills Nota Bene to go with our main course of slow mesquite smoked prime ribs, crispy goat cheese potatoes au gratin, and local crisp asparagus - a suitably rich, indulgent meal for such a big red wine. as you can see from the pictures, the prime ribs were absolutely drool inducing - falling off the bone and candied with a rich, homemade BBQ sauce. the wine was decanted for about two hours and when it was poured it was a deep plum colour. the nose was jammy with notes of blackberries. the beautiful medium-bodied Bordeaux-style blend (Cab Sauv, Merlot, and Cab Franc grapes) blanketed my tongue with deep fruits initially and then hints of asparagus or some earthy vegetable. it was as smooth a wine as I have had. settling into this wine, tastes of smokey tobacco, some leather, and plum came through. the more we drank, the more these tastes married into one. this Nota Bene was obviously a wine highlight for my burgeoning palate and definitely worth taking note.

B Chateau des Carmes 2004 Gamay Noir
A+ Black Hills Estate 2006 Nota Bene

ACME California IPA

North Coast Brewing Co.

I have a unique job in that it is high stress yet performed in a low stress environment. I work with four friends that I've known for years, which makes the days in which I lose money easier to take. sometimes, I work from home. sometimes, I work from home and lose a bunch of money. this was one of those days. instead of commiserating with my friends over pints of Tennent's Lager & Boddington's at the pub below our office (...that's right, I work above a pub), I decided to do the at-home equivalent and scavenge my fridge for any leftover beer from last night's birthday celebration for Arianna. two beers left. the first, a bottle of North Coast's ACME IPA, was kindly left behind by The Tippler's own Big Love. the second, a can of Bowen Island Lager, left by Miran. it did cross my mind to crack the BI Lager as it seemed an appropriately cheap drink to be married with my losing day. but, that thought lasted a nanosecond and I reached for the ACME (sorry, Miran - and I can't guarantee that it'll still be in the fridge the next time you visit).

this is the fifth North Coast beer to be reviewed on The Tippler, which means that one-third of our reviews have been dedicated to this one Northern Californian brewery. after this IPA, there's only one more North Coast beer sold at my local beer store to be reviewed - their Blue Star wheat beer. North Coast has been the supplier of most of my beverages this summer, but this is my first taste of their California IPA.

as you can see in the photo, it poured with a nice half inch head and had a high level of carbonation right out of the bottle. both the head and carbonation reduced dramatically soon after pouring. this IPA's colour is beautiful - a blend candied oranges and honey is as best as I can describe it. the aroma is less impressive as the colour with spicy hops hitting your nose first and after I smelled something fresh like lakewater. yeah, I said it... lakewater. I'm talking about that nice first smell of a lake at the start of your two week holiday, not the dank, still, mosquito ridden stench you get by the end of it. there are strong caramel malts that hit you at first which are balanced out by some really nice finishing hops. like a good IPA, these hops linger like a bad house guest. I could still taste the hops from my first sip a good two or three minutes afterwards. on subsequent sips I couldn't really pick out any discernible tastes. the strong malts that I tasted at first seemed to be erased by the hops progressively quicker as the glass emptied. a nice heat came at the end from the 6.5% ABV. I'm not sure if I could make a night out of this beer, but the afternoon bottle that I enjoyed sure helped to ease the pain of a bad workday.

B

Krusovice Imperial Lager

Krusovice Kralovsky Pivovar

lately, my beer consumption has slowed down a bit to make room for some of the selections from May's Okanagan wine tour. of course, when my apartment hit the 30C mark on the weekend, my drinking hand extended to the closest beer in the fridge and not the half bottle of warm red on the counter. luckily, a Krusovice, the oft-mentioned bottle that was initially purchased to get The Tippler rolling, was still holding down the fort in the back of my fridge. my other find from the depths of the icebox, was a pack of tofu that had expired 3 days after my birthday... which was in March. in celebration of tossing out my fridge's only conceivably healthy item, I lit the BBQ and threw on some sausages - the anti-tofu.

I knew right away that this Czech Pilsner was going to be different. when I think of Pilsners, I think of the light hues found in Pilsner Urquell or in Budvar/Czechvar, but the Krusovice poured darker than these. it had very lively bubbles throughout the pour and lasted the duration of the bottle, although the head scattered quickly after the pour. the Pilsner had an aromatic, almost botanical bouquet. this would be from the Saaz hops that are used to brew Pilsners (...that's a fuzzy recollection from my U-Brewing days). the Krusovice Imperial was as clean a lager as I have ever tasted, which was probably enhanced by storing it at my fridge's highest setting. the hops were mainly present in the nose, with no bitterness left for the aftertaste. overall, the taste was quite sweet - not fruit-sweet, more like corn-sweet - and became sweeter as the beer got warmer. I hadn't heard the term "session beer" until I read Big Love's St Ambroise Pale Ale Review (although my liver seems to be very familiar with this label). if ever there was one, the easy-drinking Krusovice Imperial Lager is indeed a session beer.

B

Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale

North Coast Brewing Co.

In the back yard of the house in which I grew up was a little plum tree. Before the bears and racoons moved into the neighbourhood, the tree would bear more fruit than our family could harvest and consume, and plums would fall off the branches and pepper the grass around the tree. In the late days of summer, a younger me would play soccer in that back yard and the sweet smell of the fallen plums would be my constant companion.

There is a deep, sweet, over-ripe plum smell in North Coast Brewing Co.’s Brother Thelonious, named after jazz great Thelonious Monk, that takes me pleasantly back to this memory. It is complemented by roasted malt, burnt sugar and subtly spicy aromas. It pours a dark mahogany colour, with a smallish head and thick lacing.

The taste is deep, deep, deep—chocolate, burnt sugar, a teasing spiciness (not as strong and yeasty as in many Belgian-style ales) and, of course, those late summer plums. A rising alcohol warms and the finish is very sweet and very long for a beer with no strong hop taste.

Like all of the NCBC beers that I have reviewed, Brother Thelonious is complex and wonderful and masterfully created. Actually, I am getting tired of hearing myself gush over them but I think that they are really great beers. Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale is no exception.

A