Showing posts with label Ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ale. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Sky High Grand Fir by Phillips

Is this the first release of the year? I think so, which is often the way with Phillips. Always with the fast and furious releases. Again with the firsts, this might be the first fir tree beer in Victoria. We have had several spruce tip releases, most notably from Tofino and Axe and Barrel.
Sky High Grand Fir = 5/10


The nose is as you would expect, forest. What was unexpected was the prominent orange crush aroma. It reminded me of a trip to Silk Road Tea House to randomly sniff the essential oil selection. Although, I sometimes feel that most evergreen trees have a slight orange smell.  The aromatic fir oil added an extra spiciness to the medium-light mouthfeel. It tastes just like it smells with an added straw, white bread malt background. Tasty enough, but I don't think I will have another.
Taste +2
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1 Tasty enough for one
Appearance +1 Excellent description of beer flavour considering uniqueness of taste
Food Pairing: I wouldn't try to pair this beer with anything specific, too many odd, prominent flavours. If pressed, perhaps a cedar plank salmon with an orange or lemon glaze. Get your full forest on.
Glassware: Whatever is clean
Cellar: Nope.  

Friday, January 1, 2016

Phillips Thorny Horn Sour Raspberry Brown

This is what I call a pseudo-sour. When I hear the word sour, I imagine tartness from Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus or Pediococcus . The sourness and tartness from this beer is fruit derived, which is just fine.


Thorny Horn = 7/10


The nose has a bit of funk to it, but all I got was raspberry jam and bike tire air. It is all about the jammy fruit tartness on par with cranberry cocktail juice. You do get a bit of chocolate and acidity enhancements. The sourness is fruit derived only.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 6.8%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (label gives reasonable description of flavour)

Glassware: Tulip

Food Pairings: I'm thinking dessert. The fruit sourness would balance a sweet cheese cake. I raspberry or other berry topping would bridge the two nicely.

Cellar: This one might develop more sourness as time passes. If you can still find one, it would be a reasonable addition.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Simplicity Ale by Category 12

I'm trying a new strategy for beer reviews; 30 minutes or less. Mike is posting one beer review a day. I barely get one review per week. Something that caught my attention with week was a new one from Category 12. This beer first appeared at the Drake's Thirsty Chef as a limited release. People must have really talked it up because it is now in bottles. For those keeping tract of numbers, this should be categorized as a 31A Alternative Grain Beer because of the use of the non-traditional grain spelt. Also released this week is a Dubbel, but I haven't found that one yet. It is rare to run into a beer that is simple yet delicious. Most breweries are focused on imperial this, barrel aged that or soured whatever. Not that I mind this trend, but what happened to the simple, flavourful ale. Beers like this rarely get rave reviews, nor do people line up to get their two bottle allowance. Which is too bad because they are missing out.

Simplicity Ale = 7/10


The nose offers up a mild doughiness with a little bit of cereal and all spice. Each sip is no different. There is perfect balance between the clean, cereal and bread dough malts, slightly spicy orange peels and a dry Belgian yeast finish. A medium carbonation cleans the palate and leaves no aftertaste. Simple to drink and simple to describe.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Glassware: A tulip or a convex pokal

Food Pairings: Something on the lighter side. Poached sablefish on risotto or wild rice. Start early in the meal with a fresh goat cheese and spinach salad. 

Cellar: nope

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Road Trip (Lighthouse)

In a previous life, I attended a few business seminars. One piece of advice that stuck with me was about entrepreneurial success. The speaker said, "When everyone is going right, go left for success." Luckily this was a free seminar, because the rest of the talk was rubbish. This beer mirrors that MBA level wisdom. When everyone is making palate burning IPA bombs, try something different. Adding fresh hops to an unchallenging beer style, such as the American brown ale, seems like a good idea. Note that I did not say boring; the Brooklyn Brown Ale is anything but boring. A fairly restrained malt profile would let the hop flavours shine.
This is Lighthouse's first attempt at a fresh hopped ale; I could be wrong about this. Rumour has it that Zeus was used to brew this fresh hopped ale. So what happens when you go left? I review this beer with a bit of trepidation as I will be having dinner with the brewer on Friday.

Road Trip = 7/10

The aroma is uncharacteristically calm when compared to other fresh hopped beers. The aroma is quite restrained in revealing its earthy citrus vapours. This aromatic tranquility allows the toasted nut and chocolate malts to be a part of this flavour party. Each sip follows the nose with a juicy mouthfeel. If you are looking for the usual wet hopped profile powerhouse, this brew is not for you. I found this beer refreshingly balanced. I also take issue with the bottle format; it is too small. Perhaps this is my failure, two bottles should have been purchased.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 6.2%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Fun label art, but I would like to have seen a better description of beer flavour)

Glassware: There is no suitable glassware style for the American brown ale. The nonic pint or elongated tulip work nicely.

Food Pairings: Rich and roasted foods are idea here. Usually this means BBQing any land based animal. A pulled pork sandwich or poutine would be ideal choices. Rich mushrooms would also compliment this beer nicely. The thought of HUB's tofu Po Boy is making my mouth water.

Cellar: Don't you dare!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Festival Ale (Vancouver Island)


This beer was created for two up island music festivals: Vancouver Island Music Fest and VicFest. The different labels contain the same lightly dry hopped Pilsner-like beer with ale yeast. Before you all start rolling your eyes, just wait a minute. Not every beer needs to be a palate challenging, imperial, wood aged and exotic yeast gastronomic masterpiece. These beers have their place; like at a beer gathering where you debate whether you are tasting are Thompson, Flame or sultana raisins. Beers like the Festival ale are perfect for hot days listening to outdoor music. That being said, I enjoyed this beer. It was simple yet tasty. There was no flavour wheel thought involved.

Festival Ale (Vancouver Island) = 4/10

Straight off the nose draws you in with light citrus and floral aromas. The malts are clean with a little bit of honey and  vegetal chewiness. Lots of carbonation cleanses the tongue and leaves a barely discernible spicy and citrus hop snap. That is it, very Kolsch like. Lots of people will like this beer.

Glassware: Fluted Pilsner or stange. The pictured glass is the wrong choice for this and any other beer. I was too lazy to go downstairs and get the proper glass.

Food Pairings: early dinner course options like salad or cheese and crackers. Lobster, pasta and seafoods are other good options.

Taste +3
Aftertaste 0
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Belgian Black 2013


A yearly repeat beer rarely gets a second mention unless something is different. Dean mentioned that the recipe for Belgian Black was slightly different this year. The taste reflects this.

Belgian Black = 10/10

Last year I mentioned that this tasted like a ramped up Keepers stout. This year a lot of that roast is gone which allows more berries and yeast spiciness to waft out of the glass. Each sip warms and coated the tongue with a glycerin like thickness. Then the flavours come: dark fruits, all spice, and highly conched bittersweet chocolate. Maybe there is a bit of rum and raisin pudding in there too. Each sip and change in temperature reveals something new. Lost is the astringency but gained is a smooth sweet finish. I don't think this is cellar worthy because there are no harsh flavours that need to be mellowed out. After a while that spicy yeast might be lost, which would be tragic.

Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 still great label art

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Thirsty Beaver (Tree Brewing)

I admit it; this was an impulse buy. Rarely do I succumb to point of purchase marketing hijinks. How bad could a $2 can of beer be? Recently more money left my hands to purchase sugar water in a phallic shaped bottle. 

Thirsty Beaver = 4/10

Yup, it's an amber ale alright. The vague nose of buttered toast, caramel cubes is there. Each sip is mediocre with caramel malts, faint citrus and luckily low vegetal. Every creamy sip goes down real easy. For a $2 tall boy can, I was impressed. Sure better than those Holsten offerings.

Taste +3
Aftertaste 0
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance 0 (almost got a +1 for the beaver)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Son of the Morning (Driftwood)

So do you want the good news, or the bad news first? Bad news it is. I tried the Son of the Morning by Driftwood last night. Perhaps the name of the beer is in homage to the greatest strong Belgian pale ale, Duvel. Duvel means 'devil' in some Flemish dialects. In case you haven't Googled it already: Son of the Morning is another name of Lucifer. Check out Isaiah 14:12-15 for reference about the dark angel's throw down.  Judging by the rest of the label, I don't think they were referring to Venus. Was there truly Witchcraft used to make this beer? The pentacle in the label background hints at this fact.

What did the beer prick think?

Son of the Morning = 3/10

Perhaps I judge the beers from Driftwood a little harsher because most of their releases are awesome. I felt this one of was lackluster. Lets compare it with BCJP guidelines for a strong Belgian Ale. The aroma was heavy with the alcohols and earthy spices/hops. These esters became apparent as soon as the cap popped. Lots of fruit alcohols, fermenting pear and apricot baby food, and light Christmas cake. A little too burning perhaps. The earthy coriander spice was a nice touch. No luck in finding the long-lasting fluffy-white head. Strong Belgian ales should hide their alcohol well. Alcohol burns for the first few sips; luckily it numbs that tongue and you can pick out the flavours. Fermented pit fruits (apricots, pears), Rogers golden syrup, coriander and miscellaneous spices can be coaxed out of the golden elixir. At the end, a long burning alcohol washed away everything for a dry, mouthwash like finish. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, this is not a bad beer. It does have many outstanding benchmark brews. If you don't believe me, pick up a Duvel or a Delirium Tremens. Duvel should be at every BC Government liquor store. Rumour has it that Delirium is on tap at Vis a Vis in Oak Bay.


Taste +2
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 10%
Value 0
Appearance -1 (found the label undescriptive and offensive. Had to hide it from my daughter)

Other strong reviews
Delirium Tremens
Batch 666 Swan's
Rayon Vert (Green Flash)




Saturday, March 17, 2012

Hoyne Dark Matter

This is the fifth release by Hoyne. It is perfect timing that they released a dark ale around St. Patrick's Day. It is too dark and roasted to be called a nut brown and there is not enough hops to be called a English bitter. Let's call is a dry style stout.


Hoyne Dark Matter = 7/10

This is not a powerhouse of flavour, but it is very nice. The nose is heavy on the roasted coffee beans and dry, toasted grains. From the smell you can predict the flavour. At the start a roasted astringency tingles the mouth and sets up the stout like follow through. The predictable burnt toast, dry cocoa and hidden dark berries are a welcome wash for the tongue. A dusty ash and bittersweet chocolate are an afterthought and don't last long. Sadly this brew didn't last long in my glass; perhaps this is the sign of a good beer. 


Taste +3
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content 0 5.3%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Are those the some people in the Down Easy Pale ale camping?)

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Naramata Nut Brown Ale (Cannery)

Recently, a discussion came up about under appreciated beers. The first style mentioned was the nut brown ale. It is true beer geeks will not acknowledge this beer on a tap list. Perhaps we assume all nut brown ales taste like Newcastle. Luckily this is not true.


Naramata Nut Brown Ale (Cannery) = 7/10
Ratebeer 3.06 50th percentile
Beer Advocate 84%

An appreciable roasted pecan, hazelnut and milk chocolate nose was remarkable for a style perceived to be bland. Things just got better with a creamy, medium mouthfeel. It almost could have been on nitro. Hey that's an idea! Try this beer on nitro. Each sip is a pleasant mix of almond butter, caramel, nutella and earthy hops. Smooth is the name of the game here; but not lacking in flavour. I have forgotten how much I liked this beer. Very unassuming, but it always draws you in for another sip.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Other Nutty Reviews
Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Corporal's Bitter Brown Ale

I admit it; this beer was bought on appearance. Who can resist the stubby. Luckily the beer inside was really good.

Corporal's Bitter Brown Ale = 5/10
Ratebeer 3.45 92nd percentile
Beer Advocate 79th

This little brew is a true session strength 4.3%ABV. Fortunately no flavours were skimped over. The nose was a little faint, only a hint of earth, nuts and toffee could be detected. The mouthfeel was almost sparkling. Two words: dry and nutty. Add this to ample earthy, citrus hops, toffee, light coffee and you have a winner. It was a tad hop forward at 84IBU, but who from BC would mind that.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content -1 4.3%
Value +1
Appearance +1 great art and in a stubby bottle!

Beaver Brown Ale (Canoe)
Stuarts Natural Session Ale
Hockley Dark (they sure like their brown ales in TO)

Hockley Dark

This was one of those AH-HA beers. I'm not sure how it got into my glass, but it came in the 1 liter pot-stoppers. The flavours were so unexpected, it sent me off to try more small brewery styles.

Hockley Dark = 7/10
Ratebeer 3.22 74th percentile
Beer Advocate 83%

Not a good first impression beer. The nose is a little watery but the chocolate and roasted espresso earned a second chance. Despite being a little light in the mouthfeel department, the flavours of roasted bread, nuts and light milk chocolate were not spared. Not too much roasted astringency on the finish, which was a nice touch.


Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Other brown reviews
Brooklyn Brown Ale
10W30 Neustadt
Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale


Sunday, January 8, 2012

Currant Noir (Spinnakers)

Can beer bloggers make resolutions? Sure we can; this year I will make three resolutions.

First: Try each new release from Victoria breweries. This will be a tough one because Hoyne will have all new brews. VIB, Moon Under Water and Lighthouse have done many releases last year.

Second: Get the Extraordinary Badge on Untappd. That means you have sampled 1000 unique beers. I'm at 584 already.

Third: I know I have said this before; try and get all my 33Beer notebooks reviewed. This one is a pipe dream.


Currant Noir (Spinnakers) = 7/10
Ratebeer 3.21/5 59th percentile
Beer Advocate (5 reviews)


The nose is mostly tart black currants with a little yeast thrown in. At the start a pronounced black currant flavour coats every dental filling with a pleasant tart/sourness. The slight carbonation carried an afterthought of tastes: apricots, light pit fruits and raisins. Sour currants lingered for a while with it's good friend alcohol warmth. This is not the most unique beer in the world, but the added fruit flavours will appear to a much larger crowd. People who are not usually beer people will enjoy this beverage. The other flavours in the limited release fruit ménage à trois are raspberry and cherries.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8.2%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (nice label art with a good description of beer and local ingredients)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dough Head Gingerbread Ale

Thanks to Jeff K for inviting me to the lovely (yet dated) Vancouver Island Brewery taproom. It is rare that I make a big deal about a beer; I have a reputation to maintain. I was not very excited about this beer, although it was very tasty. What did get me excited was rumours that there would be more seasonal releases by VIB. This is just what Victoria needs to grow its beer scene. With more options from the Island, people with have less desire to turn their palates elsewhere. Lighthouse is now doing special releases. Driftwood has been sending out advancing brews for a while. A locally malted sour beer, brilliant. Phillips just keeps cranking the releases out like Pez from a dispenser. I'm excited to see what Chris and the VIB boys release in the new year. There was even talk of a bomber bottling line. Here is a list of places where you can try this brew on tap.

Dough Head Gingerbread Ale = 6/10

This was a tasty little beer. The nose was just like you would expect after reading the description: cookie dough, cloves, slight nutmeg and cinnamon. The medium mouthfeel gave a slight chewy and tingling sensation from the spices. It actually tasted like gingerbread. A little dry and powdery with nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. These flavours held on for just a little while.

Thanks to Jeff and Chris for doing some painful market research.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.2%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (fun art)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Old Sarsaparilla (Phillips)

This is something fun, a traditional root beer recipe. Sarsaparilla (Smilax febrifuga) was a common ingredient in old root beer concoctions. Traditionally, the root was used and was thought to help treat rheumatism, leprosy and syphilis. The saponins of sarsaparilla root can act as laxatives, diuretics and expectorants. There are other traditional root beer ingredients in this brew, so how does it taste?

Old Sarsaparilla (Phillips) =7/10

Two words: delicious, delicious. Not your usual ale; this beer is something unique. The aromas are full, spicy with nutmeg and that real rootbeer smell. Not that A&W crap but the good Henry Weinhards stuff. This beer's tastes are all herbals and spices. The spice rack flavours include: cloves, nutmeg, dusty roots and cooling menthol. At the end, a dusty ginger and nutmeg taste is all that remains of this effervescent brew. I couldn't drink a lot of it, but I'm glad to have tried it. Well done!

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 Fun, retro old west style label

Other spiced beers
Saison Du Buff
Tree Spiced Reserve


Monday, November 21, 2011

Phillips Ancient Brown Ale

All proceeds from the sale of this beer go to the Ancient Forest Alliance.I like that, but how does the beer taste?
Phillips Ancient Brown Ale = 5/10

I have not been enthused by the Phillips releases this year. This one I like. It has a simple nose: dry, ashy with burnt nut aromas. There is quite a bit of astringency from the roasted flavours. The taste is simple- yet complex. At first you get a dry and burnt/roasted sip of powdered cocoa and pecans. Then the slight fruitiness arrives followed by their friends toast and chocolate coated peanuts. Their impressions of powdery, burnt almonds don't intrude for long. The Ancient Brown Ale is not a powerhouse of flavours but I liked it.

Taste +2
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Noir De Dottignies (De Ranke)

Still committed to getting ahead on all my reviews. Only about 300 more to go.

Noir De Dottignies (De Ranke) = 7/10

Ratebeer 3.54 94th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Everything about this brew is big. The nose is big, perhaps a bit heavy on the alcohol side but dark fruits, roast and citrus still peak through. Noir grabs your tongue early and hits with a one-two combination of alcohol slap and citrus hop bite. Once the burn vaporizes away, you get a complex mesh of plum, raisins, cocoa and dark sugar. You are visited once again in the aftertaste by an unrelenting spicy, citrus hop linger.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1
Appearance 0 (boring label)

Wellington County Dark Ale
Petrus Special
Chambly Noir and Video Game Help





Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wellington County Dark Ale

From now on all old beers will be speed reviews. I have 8 33beer books to go through and 2 beer schools to write up. Brevity is the name of the game.

Wellington County Dark Ale = 6/10

Yup, it's another dark ale. All the required flavours are present and accounted for: bitter chocolate malts, lightly roasted, caramel and no hops This brew is almost a stout but not quite; just a little thin and too effervescent. The light to medium mouthfeel made this a very drinkable can. Think of it as a gateway beer to the Dark Lord stout.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Iron Spike Blonde Ale

No preamble today, no education, just the facts. I actually might finish writing up a 33beers notebook soon. This is another Toronto special by Railway City Brewing.

Iron Spike Blonde Ale = 4/10

Ratebeer 2.73 28th percentile
Beer Advocate B-

This has more flavour than one would expect from a blonde ale. The nose had quite a bit of toffee, fruit and was slightly spicy. There was DMS aroma also, but it worked. The creamy and slightly astringent mouthfeel was just like the nose. It only added a bit of chewy bread and subdued spiciness. The aftertaste was short but nicely spicy with caramel. From the describtion it is not really sounding like a blonde ale.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content -1 4.3%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Pinkus Munster Alt
Golden Ale Salt Spring
Saint-Martin Blond

Monday, June 6, 2011

Spitfire

Now this is an English standard brew. I can remember sipping this beer in a nook somewhere.

Spitfire by Shepherd Neame = 6/10

Ratebeer 3.02 48th percentile
Beer Advocate B

The nose was surprisingly productive. Lots of toffee, fruits, toast and spicy hops. It had great balance between the toffee coated toast with citrus and peppery hops. A good bitter should be underwhelming and enjoyable; this describes the Spitfire perfectly.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content -1 4.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 Classic English flashy label

RedHook ESB
Fiddlers Elbow
Sailor Hagar ESB