Brewing with coffee, this is a great idea. The ethanol calms you down and the caffeine revs you up. Or the roasted flavours of stout and coffee blend nicely, your pick. There are a few ways to incorporate the goodness of coffee into a beer. The first is to just add coffee grounds into the brewing mash. This is the easiest way, but can produce a quite bitter, astringent and roasty beer. Imagine brewing a coffee with warm water for about an hour, you are going to extract all the flavours. Including ones you might not want. I'm pretty sure this is how Black Jackal was made, tastes like it anyways.
Another way is to just add lots of espresso shots. This is quite time consuming but highlights the rich, sweet creaminess of fresh espresso. Swan's yearly Double Shot Porter is made this way.
The middle ground of effort and flavour extraction is the cold brew method. Most of us have tried, or made, cold brew coffee. Just place coffee grounds into cold water, wait 24-48 hours, then remove desired caffeinated liquid. How does the phrase go..." all the jitter but none of the bitter." Spinnakers makes a cold pressed coffee brew and Lighthouse has their Night Watch Coffee Lager. You can either use the cold pressed coffee as strike water, or just add the coffee before the boil.

Excitation = 8/10

The nose is unusually calm with roasted coffee beans and blackberries.  Only a but of roasted bitterness, and not coffee acrid, starts off this medium to full mouthfeel beer. Get your jitter on with flavours of espresso creme, coffee water, dark berries and creamy bittersweet chocolate. The finish is long and roasted with addition flavours of toasted pecans.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content 6.4% +1
Value +1
Appearance +1 Great label with nice description of expected flaavours

Glassware: Snifter, or ceramic mug

Food Pairings:Definitely grilled, heavy meats. You could also pair this with a dessert of tiramisu.

Cellar: maybe, but nope

For those who read all the way to the bottom, there is more. I'm guessing that you are also the people who stay to the end of the credits of an animation movie. Just in case there are extra scenes. I shall be brief. This will be the last beer review. I have been doing these reviews for over 10 years and my heart is just not in it. As you can tell, due to the lack of reviews this year. Also there was no best beer of 2016 article either. It would have been the 2016 Sang, it case you were wondering. Either that or the Twa Dogs Saison. If you want beer reviews, check out Bring Your Porter to the Slaughter, Matter of Beer, or Beer Ye Beer Ye. I might do something in the future, I paid for the web domain for the year. But for now that is all.
Thank you for reading and commenting

Any excuse to buy a six pack of Keepers Stout is a good one. A dead easy beer and cheese pairing is blue and stout. This weeks choice was Cabrales blue from Spain. This Spanish cheese is a mix of raw cow, goat and sheep milk. It is aged in naturally occuring limestone caves for two to four months. In this moist envirmonment, the naturally occuring penicillium mold goes to work. Unlike other blue cheeses, this mould is not injected into the cheese, but allowed to work naturally from the outside in. The result is a pungent aroma that is caracteristaclly blue. Cabrales is a creamy and crumbly cheese which can be somewhat spreadable. If you love that eye watering tart, funky and acidic blue flavours, then this is the cheese for you.


When you add the dry and sweet flavours of an Irish stout, good things happen. The sweet flavours balanced the tart and sour notes of the blue cheese. While the dryness of the stout and bright carbonation worked to lift the heavy creaminess and fat off the tongue. This accentuated the richness of the 45% milk fat blue. A slice of sweet apple brought out more of this stouts chocolate sweetness. Yup, it's an easy pairing and I'm OK with that.

I love beer fairies. There are very few perks to being a beer blogger. Other than the fame and glory, there is not much else. There is no fortune, there is constant abuse and people loosely borrow your format. Perhaps I should be flattered. Every so often, free stuff comes my way. This was my lucky day, I came home to free beer on my doorstep! A wise and daring enigma left this bountiful box for me. I feel obligated to do a review as the accompanying press releases called me a 'champion of craft beer.' Actually it called everyone who got a box the same thing.
I do not have a degree in marketing, nor a degree in economics, nor a degree in behavioral psychology. These defects do not allow me to critique the new packaging. However, Mrs. Left4Beer very much liked the new packaging and found the iconic/naval signal flag theme appealing. Perhaps this is mission accomplished. With the trend in beer packaging to more elaborate and flashy packaging, the simplistic and iconic style of Lighthouse is refreshing. I really like the bottle caps. If there was a T-shirt available I would wear it proudly. hint..hint. This blog is more concerned about what is inside.

Seaport Vanilla Stout = 8/10


I liked this beer, and not because it was free. Perhaps I am wrong, but this tastes a lot like Keepers Stout with added vanilla. The nose started off with a hint of earthy vanilla, a dusting of chocolate and traces of well seasoned coffee. A friend of mine brought me a very elegantly worded tap list from the Mute Swan Pub. This list might have influenced that first sentence. Each full and creamy sip peels away layers of roasted astringency, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate and homemade vanilla ice cream. Yah, that tap list influenced me a lot. This beer is good. Tastes like Keepers with Madagascar vanilla. Which is great because every Victorian beer drinker secretly hopes they will get a case of Keepers for their birthday. I know I do, hint, hint. Even better an advent calendar that has a Keepers everyday, with a Shipwreck IPA on Friday. Shipwreck is the new name for SwitchBack IPA.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content 0 5.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 I like the box! Ummm nice new packaging?

Glassware: A snifter if you are feeling fancy, or a nonic if you are in a hurry. Or a La Chouffe glass if you made a super-awesome thrift store find!

Food Pairings: Dessert all the way. A flour-less chocolate brownie with whipped cream would be delightful. Ribs with smoky vanilla BBQ sauce might overload the vanilla pleasure spot in your brain. If you want to try something messed up, may I suggest stew heavy on the chili powder.

Cellar: Yes, in mine. Trust me, I will keep it safe.

This, I believe, is a first for BC craft beer. Notice I said 'craft'. Liquor Plus worked in collaboration with Salt Spring Island Brewing to create one unique beer. Essentially Salt Spring Island brewed a one-off batch of beer and Liquor Plus bought it all. I can think of a few people who would shudder at this idea. But bravo to Rod Phillips of Liquor Plus, for taking a risk to further craft beer in BC. Collaborations like this are not new in Canada. The EPIC Sherbrooke Liquor store in Alberta has worked with a few breweries to create their own beers, the most noteworthy is Paddock Wood.

Creme Brulee Vanilla Stout = 8/10

An inky black pour with a tan head is a sign of a stout that means business. The first point of order is the real caramelized vanilla aroma. It reminds me of Madagascar vanilla in full fat ice cream. A lighter than expected body, for an 8%ABV brew, touches almost every stout flavour. There are berries, milk (lactose), caramel, faint coffee, vanilla creamsicles and cola. The slight tongue slickness is easily overlooked because the long finish is all sweet, milk chocolate and vanilla. It is a sweeter stout, but not excessively so. People will like this beer, especially fans of the Lighthouse and Phillips chocolate porters. The Creme Brulee flavours are not robust enough to warrant cellaring. This beer is only available at Liquor Plus starting this upcoming Monday, March 25th. How did I get my hands on a few bottles? I would like to think my l33t blogging status places me into the in crowd. Most likely, Rod let me buy a bottle early so I would not harass him all weekend.


Taste +3 (Bonus points for organic malts)
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 8%ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Good description of flavour and elegant label)

There are some beer reviews that are biased from the start. This is one of them. I love coffee and I love beer. My 'indestructible'  Saeco espresso machine is almost dead. I have even dry hopped espresso before. This is another local beer formula that seem to work. Swan's, Hoyne and Canoe make a coffee infused something.


Black Jackal = 8/10

You must love coffee to fully enjoy this brew. The nose consists of espresso grounds and not much else. Each mouthful is chewy, powdery and astringent from the espresso roast. This tastes like blender processed, dark chocolate covered coffee beans. It is hard to pick out a flavour that is not coffee related. I am OK with that. Do not drink that beer to close to bed, you might have difficulty sleeping. This warning comes from first hand knowledge. Your dreams will be long with images of dry cocoa and coffee grounds.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Always great art and description of beer flavour)

Other coffee beers
Swan's Double Shot Porter
Hoyne Voltage Espresso Stout

I like a good milk stout. They were brewed to be healthy for you. This was back in the day when English brewers were doing their darnedest to give beer the appearance of a healthy beverage. Milk was good for you, so but milk in beer and it would also be good for you. Sounds right to me. The modern day milk/sweet stout doesn't contain milk. However, it does contain lactose. This lactose is undigestable by beer yeast and remains to provide a thick and sweet flavour. The classic example is Mackeson Stout which clocks in at a whopping 3.0% ABV. Left Hand Brewing makes a great milk stout. So how does the Leviathan Milk Stout by Phillips stack up?


Leviathan Milk Stout = 6/10

There were lots of roasted grains on the nose with only the slightest of milk chocolate. A light to medium mouthfeel is unaffected by low carbonation and only a slight creaminess coated the tongue. Sadly lactose sweetness is present but rather lacking. What you do taste is cola, nutty pecans, mild caramel and roasted nuts. The aftertaste is pleasant with dry cocoa and milk chocolate. I think it is a tad high in the ABV and roasted tastes but low in the lactose flavours to be called a milk stout. It's a darn tasty beverage none the less. And hey, some money is going to save the whales.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.5% (a tad high)
Value +1 almost a zero
Appearance +1 it's for charity and nice label art

I love going into BCAW stores. Not just to buy beer - which is nice - but to observe people. My regular haunt is the Hillside liquor store, it is the closest to my house. Most people walk through the front door, open their favourite beer cooler, grab whatever and leave. They never browse. I'm sure you could paint the walls pink and most people wouldn't notice. There are a few things I notice: people drink a lot of FAXE, high alcohol beers sell well on Fridays and people drink a lot of Hoyner Pilsner. Your arm has to be pretty long to grab that last bottle deep in the fridge. The staff also seems to know a lot about beer, or local beer releases are posted in the staff washroom.
Nice clerk, "I see you got the newest one by Hoyne."
Me, "Yup"
Nice, observant clerk. "It's a stout made with local coffee."
Me, "Yup"
Good memory clerk, "It's like the beer he used to make at the other place."
Me, "Yup"
Fictional clerk,"You don't say much, you pompous twerp. I'm trying to be sociable."
"Yup"

Voltage Espresso Stout = 5/10

The nose is fairly straight forward: powdery espresso, slight chocolate and mild earthy herbals. Nothing new in the sip, just a dry stout ending. In the middle is a slight cooling wateriness, but it's nice. Not the most exciting beer of the year, but it is solid and I am sad that my bottle is empty. Well done.

Taste +3
Aftertaste 0
Alcohol Content 0 5.6%

Value +1
Appearance +1 (great art, but should have a description of the beer. I like the random story on the side)

Until recently the foreign extra stout was only a myth. Ya whatever, a strong version of Guinness. This beer is probably exported elsewhere because it tastes boring. It recently became available in the US; hopefully Canada will follow soon.


Guinness Foreign Extra Stout= 9/10

Holy Crap! This is an unexpected surprise. The nose eludes to something special: treacle, muddled berries and milk chocolate. It's thick: thick like my inbred cousin from the bayou. And whoa, even Keanu was not this rich. Massive washes of potent crushed berries, dark chocolate and whole fat milk never cease their onslaught. You might need a toothbrush to remove the lingering of chocolate coated coffee beans. Try this beer; you will not be disappointed.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 7.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

BlackHeart Oatmeal Stout
Obsidian Stout and Self Improvement
Drake's Imperial Stout and executive class guilt

I have only one issue with this beer; explanations will come in a moment.

Yes, yes it all smells so very good. Bourbon, bitter sweet chocolate, burnt toast, port and a little bit of vanilla; kinda like a David Bowie cocktail. Certainly the mouthfeel is thick, warming and oddly effervescent for a low carbonated beer. It tingles the mouth like 7-up. Oddly faint at the start and perhaps a bit thin with tickles of real vanilla extract and Kirsch. But only for a millisecond. Now here come the raw cocoa nibs, bourbon, burnt sourdough bread and weak espresso. This mildly astringent foursome leaves a long lasting and dusty coating that never leaves. Even after brushing your teeth, the flavours are still there.

Singularity 2012 (Driftwood) = 10/10 UNDER PROTEST

Here is my complaint -this is what a beer prick does, right? I paid $10.95 for this beer. This is a fricken embarrassment. Brooklyn Black Ops sold for how much, $25+? We had some Deschutes roll by at $20+. Heaven knows how many people opened their wallets and handed over red bills for two Dogfish Head bottles? This beer is as good - or better - than any of these other ones. And we only paid $10.95! If this beer priced this way near the front till at Bottleworks in Seattle, there would be black friday like riots. I have had a Dark Lord 2009, thanks Dave, and Driftwood's was nearly as good. Perhaps I am bitter that this beer did not crack the $14 mark as I predicted. Might be the 11.8% ABV talking: 11.8% heheh.. snort. Price valued products accordingly. My wife spent $25 on a bottle of wine today and we never blinked. I bet my Singularity will make my palate happier than her French Merlot. So there! Honestly, if the high end beer scene wants to grow, Victoria's brewers must act like it deserves it. That being said; I plan to buy 4-5 more and cellar them. I would have done so at $15!


Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 (11.8% wink)
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Uber-elegant wax dipped bottle)

This brew hails from Centralia, Washington. Usually I just drive past this town. Because of this beer, I stop and visit.

Dick's Cream Stout = 7/10
Ratebeer 3.47 92nd percentile
Beer Advocate 81%

Sweet balsamic and chocolate liqueur were a surprise to my nose. Despite the shock, a creamy, chocolate toast with slight balsamic vinegar was a great comeback from this jet black fluid. The low bitterness left a creamy coating of chocolate and sweet vinegar.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content 0 5.5%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Farsons Lacto Stout
Stockyard Oatmeal Stout
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

An impy stout matured in Speyside whisky casks. nuff said. BTW if you are quick enough: Veneto has North Coast 8 ball imperial stout on tap. Well worth the crazy parking!

Paradox Speyside (Brew Dog) = 9/10
Ratebeer 3.79 99th percentile
Beer Advocate 91%

The aroma gave only a faint warning of what was to come. Calm vanilla, sherry, peat and wood can't be too dangerous right? Wrong! BAM. A full-on glycerin slick sip burns the throat. Oddly easy drinking for 10%ABV. Name the cask flavour and it was there: bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, sherry, chewy coffee and port. The port and coffee didn't hang around for the linger.
I realize that this description is not long enough to full detail the awesomeness of this beer. Fatigue plays a major factor in brevity. 

Taste +5
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 10%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Other Imperial Stout reviews
Ten Fidy Imp Stout IN A CAN
Russian Gun Imperial Stout
Mikkeller Black Hole

This will be a tough week for me; so many new beers to try. The line up this week is the Belgian Black by Lighthouse, the first two beers from Hoyne, and a frozen barley wine from Phillips. I choose the Lighthouse first.

Belgian Black (Lighthouse) = 9/10

Most beer geeks in Victoria will be familiar with the nose; it smells like a ramped up Keepers. There is nothing wrong with this. I love Keepers stout. The air just oozes aromas of berries and roasted bitter chocolate. Each sip is just as your would expect: low carbonation, full mouthfeel, thick, chewy and warming. Heaps and heaps of flavours emerge. Some are expected; namely the bittersweet dark chocolate, coffee, berries and dark fruit. Not expected was the faint spiciness (allspice) and rum cake. The spiciness is most likely due to the Belgian Ardennes yeast strain used. The astringency from the bittersweet carried a long linger of warming alcohol and spice. Very tasty and well worth trying, maybe more than once.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1
Appearance +1 Get bottle and art by Michelle Landry

Ratebeer 3.94 100th percentile
Beer Advocate B

It's a stout and it's big. Please insert the word 'big' in front of every word used to describe this beer. Aromas of vanilla, sweet chocolate, alcohol and wood are everywhere. To taste this beer is similar to licking a spoonful of honey. It's thickness coated the mouth with roast, earthy hops and burnt coffee. None of these big flavours would go away. Truly excellent.

Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 13.1%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Mikkeller Beer Geek Weasel
Ten Fidy
Russian Gun Imperial Stout

I have never been a fan of flavoured porters and stouts. Just give me the good stout and put the fruit in a smoothie for the morning. Usually the fruit is there to hide the fact that you are drinking a pretty lame porter or stout.

Blueberry Oatmeal Stout = 8/10

This changes everything. The nose a bang-on for a good stout. There is rich, bittersweet chocolate, roasted grains and juicy blueberries. Alcohol warmth from start to finish only sets things up for a good flavour run. Every sip parallels the nose but the blueberry sweetness was a little syrupy. Still, the long linger was excellent and only made me want more.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 7.5%ABV
Value +1
Appearance 0

This was a draft selection from Bar Volo. At first I was very excited about visiting this beer bar. The reviews from Toronto beer bloggers were praising. It only got better as I saw the person next to me jot in is notebook as he worked his way through a flight of beers. Every few minutes the barman would walk over to talk to him: this was my kinda place. I sat down, now it is my turn. Then everyone left and no service at all. I could have choked on a peanut (if there was one) and nobody would notice for hours. It was almost comical; none of the staff even looked at me. Finally I got a beer after waving my arms like a drowning sailor. But he never returned until I sent a semaphore message. Oddly he returned very quickly as I got up to leave.

John By Imperial Stout = 5/10

Ratebeer 3.71 98th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Lots of roast in this nose; maybe a little too much. Needless to say these was burnt vanilla and roasted coffee everywhere. This was a nice impy stout but not stellar. It had everything you wanted: wood notes, vanilla, bitter sweet chocolate and a malt that changed with every sip. But somehow it was just not doing it for me. Perhaps it was the unusual about of alcohol in the nose and taste.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8.7%
Value 0
Appearance 0

Old #38 Stout
Habit Espresso Stout
Labyrinth Black Ale

This was enjoyed on tap at the Railway Club; a great place for guys like me to go and get picked up by cougars. It made me feel youthful again; I have a young face so I was almost as old as these ladies. Luckily they left me alone so I could enjoy my beer and watch the band.

This is a beer that has reached cult status; like Rogue's Dead Guy and Fat Tire. It might soon be a CAMRA Victoria requirement that members drink at least two pints a month of this beer at Christie's pub. That way the pour will always be fresh.

Back Hand of God Stout (Crannog) = 7/10

Ratebeer 3.24 66th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Oh glorious burnt nose: speak to me your tales of roasted Tim's coffee and bitter chocolate. Nourish my palate with your dark chocolate shouts and licorice whispers. I will forgive the stale Tim's coffee rings on my tongue because your thinness is desirable. There is no need to coax one last tickle of roasted bitter chocolate; yet it is short lived.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.2%
Value +1
Appearance +1

The Great Irish Stout Blind Taste Test
Blackheart Oatmeal Stout (Nelson)
Old #38 Stout

It's a stout, but luckily not a disaster

Tsunami Stout (Pelican) = 8/10
Ratebeer 3.87 99th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Now this is a stout. The nose is all about the roasted chocolate and dark fruits. Each sip also pays tribute to the style: creamy, no alcohol with vanilla, roasted chocolate and faint offering of dark fruit. These tasty bits grab on to your tongue and never let go. It was not overly sweet, but just right.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 7%
Value +1
Appearance 0 (lame label)

Green Flash Stout and Frustration
Hockley Stout
Pot Hole Filler

I was happy to find this beer in Toronto. It won the gold medal at the 2009 Canadian Brewing Awards. All the beer mag 'experts' rave about this beer; what do they know. Pfff.

Russian Gun Imperial Stout = 10/10
Ratebeer 3.53 94th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Apparently they know about good beers. For a high ABV stout the nose is awfully faint. Only the barest of roast and sweet licorice could be detected. A mild alcohol warmth started things off, but the big star was the roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate and licorice. No amount of dental hygiene could remove the oily coating this beer felt behind. Long after the tongue scraper was put away, the alcohol still exerted its warming effects.

Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 8.4%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Singularity (Driftwood)
Pothole Filler (Howe Sound)
Longwood Imperial Stout

A milk stout tastes just like it sounds. It has an added sweetness due to the addition of lactose sugars. They are usually low in alcohol and the sweetness tempers the roasted flavours.

Farsons Lacto = 3/10
Ratebeer 2.83 35th percentile
Beer Advocate C

This is not a brew for the average beer drinker; it is quite sweet. The faint nose of roasted chocolate and condensed milk does not give away the first sip. It is velvety and creamy on the tongue yet lacks a roasty and hop presence. Milk chocolate dominates the taste and lacks the bitterness associated with stouts. The wet and creamy chocolate at the back of the throat fades of quickly and clean. It was OK, but I have had better milk/sweet stouts.

Taste +3
Aftertaste 0
Alcohol Content -1 3.4%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Hitachino Nest Lacto Sweet Stout
Stockyard Oatmeal Stout