Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Scotch Ale’

[Craft Beer] Brews Brothers – Collaboration Drinking over Hangouts – Part 2

Posted in Beer, Bryan, Craft Beer Series, Drinks, Product Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 22, 2015|

[Editor’s Note: After being MIA for a month, we are finally posting Part 2 of the Brews Brothers coverage. Sorry, you beer fans had to wait this long!]

Last time we talked, Colin and I had just finished the first 6 beers in our Brews Brothers boxes. Now it’s time to finish those bottles and share our thoughts and opinions. Enjoy!

Brews Brothers

Les Portes Du Penitencier – Black Table Saison – with Townsite Brewing

Colin – This smells really bready, then has like a fruity ester that comes in after the bread.

Bryan – It has a decent smell. Like it might be something good, but I remember not really digging it.

Colin – Well, it certainly is boring. It just tastes, I dunno, bland. Do you get bland?

Bryan – Yeah, I had this one before and wasn’t that impressed. The opening gives you hope and then it kind of disappoints.

Colin – It has a nice taste up front, but fades into a really meh aftertaste. I think the roasted malt gives it a little more up front, that’s why it begins so nicely, but then it just sort of dies at the end.

Bryan – I can’t really argue with that.

Tiger in your Tank – Kellerbier – with Steel & Oak

Colin – That’s definitely smokey!

Bryan – Call me crazy, but I feel like I’m getting some bubblegum smell in with that smoke.

Colin – That’s possible though, sometimes the esters can give that essence.

Bryan – It’s an interesting blend, not something I would expect. But it’s good.

Colin – You know, I’ve had a few Kellerbiers and I didn’t really like them. But I’m digging this. I don’t think they usually have smoke, but I’d say that’s the Steel & Oak spin on it. Everything I’ve heard from them is how they’re the masters of smoke.

Bryan – They’re really established themselves here as the guys that do that well. Like how Four Winds have shown they’re awesome with Brett, S&O have shown they’re the best around at using smoked malts.

Colin – I like this. It’s got a good malty base with a smokey finish. It’s an enjoyable take on the style.

Stormy Monday – N2 Smoked Brown Ale – with Persephone Brewing

***I decided to follow the “Invert To Pour” instructions on this supposedly nitrogenated brown ale. I was rewarded with beer all over the table, floor, and my pants. I should have known better.***

Bryan – That went well.

Colin – That was the worst nitro pour I’ve ever seen in my life. Look at that, there are no cascades at all. This is terrible. They shouldn’t even call this a nitro.

Bryan – Brutal. (more…)

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

[Craft Beer] Vancouver Craft Beer Week Wrap Up Part 2

Posted in Beer, Bryan, Craft Beer Series, Culinary Events, Drinks, Product Reviews, Vancouver, Vancouver Craft Beer Week, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 16, 2014| 1 Comment »

Continuing from Part 1 of my list, let me finish off telling you about the beers I tried:

The List (Continued)

Four Winds Brewing – Phaedra

So far, I haven’t had a Four Winds beer that I didn’t like, and I’m happy to see that tradition continue. This Rye Wheat IPA didn’t blow my mind like the Juxtapose Brett IPA did, but it certainly didn’t disappoint either. Definitely worth drinking.

Four Winds

Mill Street Brewery – Vanilla Porter

Last time I was in Kitchener, I had a flight of Mill Street beers. I didn’t like a single one. I couldn’t even finish the paddle. So I approached this booth with a bit of trepidation. Fortunately it was totally unfounded because their Vanilla Porter is actually really good! Absolutely worth a try.

Parallel 49 – Tricycle Grapefruit Radler

This is the kind of beer that really benefits from a hot, cloudless day. Here I was, sweating away, skin doing its best “cooked lobster” impression, when bam – a fist called refreshing hit me in the face. It’s hard to say how much, if at all, I would like this on a cool, winter night, but when I drank this with the sun beating down on me, it tasted great.

Parallel 49 Tricycle Grapefruit Radler

Steigl – Grapefruit

Compared to the other tasty fruit beers available, this one was decidedly lacking.

Cannery Brewing – Squire Scotch Ale

One of Cannery’s year round releases, the Squire Scotch Ale is one of the better scotch ales I’ve had recently.

Cannery Brewing

Mission Springs – Lemon Ginger Radler

Another fist named refreshing. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[Craft Beer] Vancouver Craft Beer Week Wrap Up Part 1

Posted in Beer, Bryan, Craft Beer Series, Culinary Events, Drinks, Product Reviews, Vancouver, Vancouver Craft Beer Week, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2014| 3 Comments »

Another year, another great Vancouver Craft Beer Week come and gone. I had the pleasure of partaking in the wrap-up event this past Saturday at the Olympic Village Event Grounds and let me tell you, it was a beauty.

It was a bright, sunny day, and over 70 breweries were on hand to share their hoppy wares with us. If that sounds like a lot…it’s because it is. As much as I would have loved to sample every new and interesting beer I could, it simply wasn’t possible to do so (although I tried).

Vancouver Craft Beer Week Closing Event

Events like this can be a double-edged sword for breweries and beer fans alike. On the one hand, it’s a great way to sample all kinds of awesome beer and hang out with like-minded beer enthusiasts. For breweries, the power of exposure cannot be understated. On the other hand, with so many beers to sample, the variety inevitably wrecks your palate, making it difficult to form a realistic opinion on many of the brews, particularly ones sampled later in the day. This becomes a problem for the breweries as well, how to stand out, how do you make your beer/brand stand out when so many people can’t taste the nuance in your brew anymore?

I think the pros far outweigh the cons, however. Otherwise events like this wouldn’t be so successful, and continue to grow and expand. You can count me as one of the people happy about that.

The List

With regards to the actual beers, I kept a sort of diary on my phone of what beers I sampled and what I thought of them. So without further ado, here’s the list (in no particular order):

Steel & Oak Brewing Co. – Beechwood-Smoked Hefeweizen

S&O is opening up this year just a few blocks from my condo, so I was very excited to see what my possible future watering hole had to offer. Jorden, Jamie and Pete didn’t disappoint with their excellent Beechwood-Smoked Hefeweizen. I admit I was dubious at first – I’m not usually a fan of smoked beers – but this is absolutely one of the better Hefes I’ve tasted. Score one for the new guys.

Steel & Oak Brewing Co.

Powell Street Craft Brewery – Old Jalopy

The 2013 Canadian Beer of the Year. This is one of the best pale ales you’ll find. Though the market is becoming more and more crowded with great competition, Old Jalopy still holds up well.

Storm Brewing – Orange Creamsicle, Basil IPA, Imperial Flanders Sour Ale

Brewmaster James Walton is known as a “mad scientist”, and for good reason. (more…)

Read Full Post »

%d bloggers like this: