Yukon Red Amber Ale

Ratebeer 3.33 85th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

I wanted to try this beer because it won some award. The splash on the company website reminded me that it was the 2009 Canadian Beer of the Year.

Taste +4

The nose gives a good first impression with sweet toffee but no hops. A slight cherry and fruitiness is the first sensation one notices. The next is toffee followed closely by a slight alcohol warmth. At the end there was a citrus/herbal/floral hop ting that just faded quickly away. The picture does justice to the dark brown and ruby pour with a meringue head.

Aftertaste +1

The ending was juicy with toffee malts, fruit and minimal hops.

Alcohol Content 0 5.5%

Oddly you could taste and feel the warmth

Value +1

I can see why this beer was award winning. There was a lot of flavours packed into this small bottle.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I think this beer was enjoyed in Gord's basement. He was probably playing guitar and I was drinking all his beer. It was a perfect evening.

Overall 7/10

If you are looking for a amber ale that is not ashamed of challenging your taste buds, then this brew is for you. It is big toffee malty, fruity with a snap of hops at the end.

Drop Top Amber Ale
Race Rocks Amber Ale
Spyhopper Amber Ale

The nice man from Deschutes came and spoke to the local CAMRA group. He was nice and spoke very well, but most of us were there for the beer.

Taste +4

The nose was oddly faint, but the taste made up for it. It was very vineous with dark fruits. The mouthfeel was acidic and slightly astringent, but oddly smooth and silky. Alcohol prominence gave warmth and not a burn. There was a bit of earthy and herbal hops.

Aftertaste +2

The mouth puckering and slight astringency only made you crave more. The long lingering herbal hops and alcohol warmth only compounded the problem.

Alcohol ? +1

It was strong but I do not know how strong. The regular bottles are 6.7%

Value +1

Sigh, casks are great until you realize that this beer with never be the same again.

Ingame Enhancement +1

It doesn't get much better than this: good friends, good beer and free beer.

Overall 9/10

It only makes me want to try the bottled Jubelale

Celebration Ale 2009

Ratebeer 3.76 98th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Taste +3

Yes the picture is correct, it does look that red and caramelly. The big pillowy head had good retention but didn't reveal too much nose. This brew was in stark contrast to the last beer I sampled: the Torpedo. The bready and earthy malts were more prominent, with the astringent,resinous and floral hops taking a back seat. As it warmed up more toffee malts pushed the hops aside.

Aftertaste +2

The long astringent, resinous hops coated the tongue.

Alcohol Content +1 6.9%

Value 0

It was good, but not that good.
Ingame Enhancement +1

Still in Seattle sampling great beers. I'm sure how long me palate can last.

Overall 7/10

It was a little malty for an IPA, but still good.

Hop Trip Deschutes
606 IPA Paddock Wood
Slipknot IPA

I miss my creative writing. In honour of the 9 Donkeys of the Hopocalypse, I present the taking of the seven sips. BTW I did not know the Book of Revelations off by heart.

Taste +5

The Flavius opened the first seal and heard with a voice of thunder, "Hops". I saw, and behold, a white head and it went out to conquer the aroma with pine, citrus and floral. When I took the second sip, up came another creature. It was not red but golden in colour. It was permitted to take the hops to the tongue and slay the palate. When opened to the third sip, and behold, a rider with a balance in hand. A voice in the mist said, "three quarts of bready and earthy barley is not enough to balance the hops." On the fourth sip, and behold, a pale beverage and its name was death by hops. It was followed by a medium body, lower than expected astringency and creamy mouthfeel. They were given power over the palate with hop flavours of pine, citrus (grapefruit), floral and light cotton candy.

Aftertaste +2

On the fifth sip a lingering of sweet pine/citrus was told to rest a little longer.

Alcohol Content +1 9%

At the sixth sip there was a great earthquake. The alcohol warmed the throat and seated on the throne of the chest.

Value +1

After this I saw four empties standing at the four corners of the table. There was a loud voice saying, "Do not harm the other IPA's, for this is the best one yet."

Ingame Enhancement +1

Then one of the Pliny the Elders addressed me, saying, "These are they that came out of the great fermentation tank."

Overall 10/10

..and serve him day and night within his pint glass. They shall thirst no more but I shall wipe away the tears when all bottles have been sold out.

Pliny the Elder and adrenaline shots
Racer 5 IPA and the Bailout
Hop Stoopid Ale

Torpedo Extra IPA (Sierra Nevada)

Ratebeer 3.75 98th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

The torpedo is a magical dryhopping device.
From SN website "The device essentially works like an espresso machine. A stainless filter basket is packed full of whole cone hops loaded into the vessel and sealed against pressure. The device is then placed in the fermentation cellars ...The flow of beer out of the tanks, into the Torpedo and back into the fermenter can be controlled to extract different levels of flavor, aroma and bitterness. " The Torpedo IPA is also one of the few beers to use the Citra variety of hops.


Taste +4

The nose is oddly faint but a light citrus and pine does emerge. It pours a deep amber/garnet with little head retention which is not surprising because there is little carbonation. Like any good IPA there is sweet citrus, pine with a slight astringency. It is really not that bitter. The hops range from sweet tangerine to a mild cotton candy. You can barely make out the bready and toffee malts.

Aftertaste +2

There is a slight warm coating left on the tongue with a good dash of citrus, pine with a bit of herbal.

Alcohol Content +1 7.2%

Value +1

Hop Head Approved.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Still in Seattle sampling beers. I accidentally bought this one in Victoria recently. It was as good as I remembered it.
Overall 9/10

Torpedo is a big IPA. Everything is there: the tangerine citrus, cotton candy, pine and barely enough toffee malts to hold it together.

Phillip's Crazy 8's
Brockton IPA
Red Racer IPA

KellerWeis (Sierra Nevada)

Ratebeer 3.62 96th percentile
Beer Advocate A-


Taste +4

After the pour, the standard pillowy head emits a pronounced lemongrass, yeast and wheat aroma. Things become nonstandard when the creamy, medium mouthfeel fluid offers no tartness at all. Without this tart distraction you are able to enjoy the lemons, big bananas and wheat flavours. There is a hint of clove spice at the end. Oddly this hefe holds its nose right until the end.
Aftertaste +1

A slow fading reveals creamy bananas and a mild clove spiciness.

Alcohol Content -1 4.8%

There is a surprising amount of flavour for such a low alcohol beer.

Value +1

Truly a great hefe.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Still in Seattle enjoying great beer. The flavours keep getting better and better.

Overall 6/10

Don't let the low score fool you. This hefe has it all: a big citrus and yeasty nose, with a very refreshing and drinkable profile.

Tree Brewing Hefe and I get by...
Marin Hefeweiss
Granville Island Hefeweizen

New World Porter (Avery)

Ratebeer 3.7 98th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +4

This brew pours with the hugest, fluffiest head. You cannot see through this black fluid, but the edges do offer a ruby glow. The word here is sweet, sweet, sweet; not without balance. You also get some big roast, bitter chocolate and juicy resinous hops. As you fill up don't forget to notice the creamy mouthfeel with low carbonation.

Aftertaste +2

Gee.. a porter with a long lingering of roasted bitter chocolate; never saw that coming. The dry and slightly astringent linger: shocking. Smartass sarcasm aside, it was good.

Alcohol Content +1 6.7%

Why can't anyone make a 6.9% brew?

Value +1

This was the 5th beer I sampled tonight. If I can taste this one, it must be good.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Oh forget it!

Overall 9/10

I know..any porter that is half decent get a 9/10; but this one deserves it. The uber-roastiness did not overpower the chocolate and juicy hops.

Sleemans Fine Porter (Bleck)
Elysian Perseus Porter
Black Boss Porter

Winter Gale (Canoe Club)
Winter Warmer

Ratebeer 3.31 65th percentile
Beer Advocate C+

Taste +4

The taste can be described as big and complicated. It was very malt assertive with toffee, caramel and lightly spiced. That was just the nose. The full mouthfeel gave a big wallop of plum, bourbon, mulled spiced, candied sugar and alcohol burn.
Aftertaste +2

There was a long lingering of dark fruits and alcohol. The hop content was minimal.

Alcohol Content +1 8%
Value +1

This is one Canoe Club beer I might pick up and store for a year or two.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Ok, I admit this is just being used to bump the score up. It was a pretty good beer.

Overall 9/10

Cheers to Canoe for brewing a great winter warmer. It was a very sweet, complex and rich brew.

Green Flash Barleywine
Phillips Burley Wine 2008
Tree Midwinter Spiced Ale

Why am I the last to hear about these awesome experiments? Healthy male subjects were dosed up with alcohol (0.82 g/kg) and then asked to preform a mind-wandering reading task. In case anyone was curious, I would have received a six pack of standard 5% beer. These sorry guys only got to drink vodka and cranberry cocktail. Once nicely sauced they were asked to read a book and keep track how many times they lost focus. The researchers actually called it 'zoning out'. To make matters more challenging, they were asked to read Tolstoy's War and Peace. Before starting the experiment, the subjects were asked if they had read this classic piece of literature. Oddly none of these 21-35 year old males had read the book.
Can anyone guess the results? Sauced males were more likely to have a wandering mind; about 25% of the time. When asked what they were zoning out about, they reported thinking about the book about 6.75% of the time. Often they were thinking about "sensory states, such as hunger, thirst, and other consummatory motives." Consummatory motives? After a six pack, what do you think 25 year old males are thinking about?
In summary the researchers concluded, "that a moderate dose of alcohol simultaneously increases mind wandering while reducing the likelihood of noticing that one’s mind has wandered." I might have noticed a little bit of bias. Perhaps if they were allowed to read Sports Illustrated or Wired the results would be a little better.

24-Mile Blueberry Pail Ale (Phillips)

The claim to fame for this latest Phillips brew was that all ingredients were obtained within 24 miles of the brewery. The barley malt was grown and malted locally and the hops came from Saanich. This may not seem like much, but it actually is quite a big deal. The carbon footprint of beer (and wine) is not really that big. It is something special when a company can make it even smaller.


Taste +3

I was surprised how mild the brew smelled. The nose was very lager like: pale, grassy, lettuce with a slight acidic blueberry waft. This 'Pail' ale was the colour of a faded purple stuffed animal with little head retention. Sipping this beer also gave no surprises. There was pale grasses, mild nuts (pecans), and lettuce with a tart astringency similar to that found in dried blueberries. The medium mouthfeel was surprisingly carbonated and effervescent. Overall a very refreshing beer; almost ciderlike in sweetness. The blueberries were there, but they were not a dominating flavour.

Aftertaste +1

The slight berry astringency faded along with the floral and lightly spicy hop ending.

Alcohol Content 0 5%


Value +1

This was not a beer I would buy again, but I really liked it for a few reasons. Firstly it is very tasty and unique. The second is that it shows initiative. I love the idea that all of the ingredients for this beer were grown right here in the Greater Victoria area. It makes the carbon footprint for this beer comparatively small. Very few brewers are using local ingredients; to my knowledge only Rogue Ales is making a local ingredient beer.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I biked home carrying this beer; so my carbon footprint got even smaller.

Overall 6/10

This is a great beer, not only for flavour but for the planet. The floral, pale ale was greatly enhanced by the local tart blueberries. Well done.

Unibroue 17 can save the planet
Bailout Bitter and Carbon Footprints
Swan's Raspberry Wheat

Captain Sigs Northwestern Ale

Ratebeer 3.56 95th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

So Ratebeer calls it an IPA. Beer Advocate calls it an American Amber/Red Ale. Rogue calls it an India Red Ale. So what would BJCP call it, Style 14B subsection A? I love a good odd-ball beer; one that does not fit the mold. There is an idea for a new beer floating around in my head. I will enter that in a homebrew contest and rock the beer world! Perhaps I should scale my back my dreams. If I am lucky the judges will not spit it out and yell "WTF!"

Taste +4

Sigh..Yet another big citrus (tangerine), floral nose and a huge meringue like head. The medium astringency and slick caramel malts has now captured my attention. Before I can beg for more, the citrus and resin hops kicks you in the back and says, "Welcome to my Castle!" I love that song by the Evaporators; it is a little ironic that the Youtube file name contains the letters "u, c, f and k." This all mixes well with the accessorized roasted, pine and full mouthfeel,

Aftertaste +2

Both the song and the beer leave a long taste in your mouth. The song is all bad; the beer is nice with caramel and citrus/pine hops.

Alcohol Content +1 6.2%

It gives that 14.5 Plato number again. I do not want to be reaching for my calculator while sampling a beer!

Value +1

This beer must be F'in good, look at all the numbers on the side:80 IBU, 77AA, 36oL. WOW.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I have to substitute a current experience for the ingame enhancement. Tonight was the M60 unlimited ammo mod for L4D2. Never has there been so many zombie bits fly!!

Overall 9/10

This is a good beer. Ignore the stupid, self indulgent review. Buy this PNW hoppy beer, drink it and start your own beer blog to review it. I will link to you. Is it coincidental that the homebrew I drank cave a Three Beavers Red Ale bottle - I think NOT!

Three Beaver (Howe Sound)
Double Dragon (Phillips)
Hop Head Red Ale (Green Flash)

Celis White

Ratebeer 3.12 60th percentile
Beer Advocate B

The story of Mr. Pierre Celis is a good read. Roger Protz had a good summary on his website. For those who want the Coles notes version, here it is. Man get sad as the last brewery in Hoegaarden closes. After drinking with buddies he decides to reopen brewery. It does super awesome and life is good. Due to poor business planning he makes some mistakes and sells soul to big company. Big company gets bought by Interbrew and replaces soul with efficient brewing techniques. They also take his cool beer glass design. Man retires and tries to brew beer in states. History repeats itself except Miller buys soul. Man moves back home to Belgium and starts brewing again.

Taste +4

The nose of history is tart with lemon, orange and wheat. History tastes very similar with lots of unfiltered wheat tartness, oranges, lemons and a balanced hoppy spiciness. The mouthfeel is medium, creamy with lots of carbonation. It tastes a lot like Hoegaarden, only better.

Aftertaste +1

Slow lingering of orange and mild spices.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value +1

History tastes great. If you like wheat beers, or the Hoe, this will certainly impress you.

Ingame Enhancement +1

This was last bottle at Spinnakers in James Bay. I could not believe my eyes; it was instantly snatched up.

Overall 7/10

This is the way a Belgium wheat/wit beer should taste! Unfiltered goodness, with tart wheat, oranges and lemons. It was refreshing to the last drop.

Estrella Damn Inedit
Belgian Wit - Granville Island
Swan's Tessier's Witbier

Session Premium Lager (Fullsail)
Ratebeer 2.87 39th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +4

I have never been a lager fan, but this one won me over. It was brought back from the States by accident; I asked for the black lager instead. Sometimes mistakes are for the best. This is a really good and cheap beer. The pour had ample carbonation and the nose was rich with straw and grasses. There was also light honey and some vegetal (just enough to be good). Lots of carbonation usually produces a creamy and medium mouthfeel. The taste was fairly clean with a hidden bit of floral and spicy hops. Malts were certainly forward and displayed the standard pale honey, grass and lettuce.

Aftertaste 0

Clean, dry and palate cleansing.

Alcohol Content 0 5.1%

The word session is misleading.

Value +1

This is a good American style pale lager.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I went through a whole case of this stuff and loved every bottle.

Overall 6/10

There is a lot to be enjoyed in a quality pale lager. If it is done right the grassiness and vegetal plays just above the floral and spicy hops. Session Lager is done right.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager and hard science
Old Towne Bavarian Lager and Beer Hacking
Lucky Force 8 (100th review special)

Grolsch

Ratebeer 2.52/5 19th percentile
Beer Advocate C+

The need to include a photo is lacking; almost every beer drinker recognizes their distinctive bottle.

Taste +3

This infamous beer was sampled on tap at Clive's Lounge. I was not expecting much because the nose was barely noticeable, maybe a slight iceberg lettuce aroma. The very carbonated, light-medium mouthfeel brew gave a greater mineral flavour than expected. Luckily the grasses, straw and spicy hops came up strong to round out the taste.

Aftertaste +1

It was a clean ending, but a slightly soapy residue coating on the tongue. This was good for a lager.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value 0

This was a good beer, but not worth a repeat purchase.

Ingame Enhancement 0

On the walk home from Canoe Club I stopped into Clives for a quick pint.

Overall 4/10

This is a good lager and deserves to be tried once. I would try to avoid the green bottles; many reviews on ratebeer mention the word 'skunk'. Perhaps the can or on tap would be a better option.

Kells Irish Style Lager (Rogue)
Red Stripe
Stiegl

Red Canoe Lager

Ratebeer 2.8/5 27th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +3

I will admit this was the fourth pint of the night and my palate was getting a little tired. This would have been a good beer to try first; it seemed to be the best. The nose of vague of honey and grass with just enough vegetal to be pleasant. Luckily a medium bodied lager hit the palate gracefully. The standard flavours were there: honey, grass, lightly spicy but mostly floral.

Aftertaste 0

Very clean with a dry ending.

Alcohol Content 0 5.2%

Value +1

This was a very quaffable and yet flavourful lager.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I was feeling no pain and actually enjoying watching hockey.

Overall 5/10

Some lagers get a bad rap for being boring pale yellow beverages. This one does not fit that mold. It was sweet, lively and flavourful.

Session Black Lager
Holsten Premium 100th review
Tennent`s Lager

River Rock Bitter (Canoe)

Ratebeer 2.93 36th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +3

This was impressively hopped for a brewpub bitter. It had a great balance of slight roast, caramel, citrus bitterness and grasses. The nose was oddly absent, but the taste made up for it.

Aftertaste +1

Very clean, with just enough citrus/fruit linger to keep you craving for the next sip.

Alcohol Content 0 5.2%

Value +1

This one I might bring home for my Father; he is a bitters fan.

Ingame Enhancement +1

This beer renewed my faith in the quality of beers at Canoe Club. It was a great bitter.

Overall 6/10

A great bitter in the Northwest Style. It had a great balance of caramel malts with the citrus hops we all crave.

Granville Island Bitter
Youngers Special Bitter (Rogue)
Baldwin and Best Bitter (Howe Sound)

Beaver Brown Ale (Canoe Club)

Ratebeer 3.32 75th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +2

Enjoyed on tap at the Canoe Club Pub. The roast nose was above average but there was a bit of vegetal in there. It was malty forward with a slight fruitiness. The taste was the same as you would expect from the nose. It has a light to medium mouthfeel and slightly creamy. I thought it was a bit thin.

Aftertaste 0

Very clean finish with just a hint of roasted malts.

Alcohol Content 0 5.6%

Value 0

I did taste nice and fresh, but as it warmed up more of the vegetal came forward.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Had over dinner with my main man Geoff (note happy person in the photo). This pub has great food and solid beers.

Overall 3/10

It was a good malt forward beer, roasted and easy to drink. I would have scored higher if the vegetal was not present.

Howe Sound Nut Brown

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Ratebeer 3.74 98th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

To get a full appreciation for grandness of this beer, please read the Ratebeer description.

Taste +5

Whenever you open a bottle of Dogfish Head, you expect great things. Once the cap came off you know things were going to be good; the aroma was ripe with citrus, pine, slightly fruit and vanilla. Over every taste bud was draped a creamy citrus, vanilla and oak blanket. Picture a 90 minute IPA with the added goodness of wood notes, vanilla and resin.

Aftertaste +1

The creamy ending was all tangerine and grapefruits.

Alcohol Content +1 10%

Yup, that explains the warmth heading down my gullet.

Value +1

This is a good and strong IPA with the added benefit of French Oak aging.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Still in Seattle. This brew renewed my love for beer after the Paulaner Oktoberfest palate shattering.

Overall 9/10

This glorious brew blends two great ideas: a strong IPA and wood aged beer. This is one beer you must try before you die.

Red Racer IPA
Innis and Gunn Rum Aged Cask
Hop Stoopid IPA

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

Rate Beer 3.3 82nd percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +1

I must have gotten a dud beer, this one smelled awful. The nose was skunk (mild) and vegetables, but not too bad. My sips were somewhat pleasant with grasses, green apple, honey and a slight effervescence. It had a very pale taste and certainly easy to quaff back a few.

Aftertaste 0

Not much there; it just vanished clean.

Alcohol Content 0 5.8%

There was no hint of alcohol at all; no warmth either.

Value 0

It was a very drinkable, but boring, beer.

Ingame Enhancement 0


Still in Seattle, but not loving this beer.

Overall 1/10

I know the Oktoberfest style is supposed to be a mild, drinkable beer, but this thing was bland. Maybe I did get a dud bottle; I dumped most of it down the drain. Life it too short to drink bad beer.

Buckerfields Lederhosen Lager
Coney Island Freaktoberfest