I am a slacker. I have not reviewed a beer for weeks. That is it! I commit to review a local beer every weekend. Luckily it is the summer and new releases are scarce. Sometimes I wonder why I do it. It is not as though this blog has a great number of readers. There is little fame and even fewer fortunes derived from blogging. Perhaps it is the community (small) and the creative process. Kinda like brewing itself. You take raw ingredients, add knowledge and you produce a unique and desirable product. That is the theory.
But I digress. This is another Victoria area beer collaboration.  Salt Spring Island is a little far away, but they are close enough. I had some reservation about this beer. Both of these breweries are known for unleashing diacetyl (D-bomb) beers. Now you put them together...

Una Mas = -1/10


Ratebeer no ratings 
Beer Advocate no mention

Oh yes, there is the diacetyl and sulfur I was dreading. It is mixed in with a cracker aroma and slight lager character. There is a bit of lemon and cream corn in there too. The mouthfeel is light to moderate with medium carbonation. Chewiness is the best way to describe the sip. Add that to crackers, a slight lemon and mixed citrus flavours. It is the aftertaste that really gets me; quite slick and sticky. I don't think I finished the bomber. Lets not talk about the pint I had on Canoe's patio. This is not going to be posted on Twitter or anywhere else. Some people quite liked this beer.

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

Glassware: Standard lager glass

Food Pairings: Nope

Cellar: I'm sure this beer will see a lot of shelf time

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

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

Canoe Club Bavarian Copper Bock

Ratebeer 3.11 42nd percentile
Beer Advocate A- (2 reviews)

Taste +3

The nose carried a good dose of caramel, toasted malts and slightly floral hops. Each sip was the same as the nose suggested; a malt forward beer with toast and hints of citrus and floral hops. There was a bit of vegetal in there to add some medium body.

Aftertaste 0

It finished clean and dry, with maybe a little green apple left over.


Alcohol Content +1 6.3%

You could not tell; there was little alcohol presence or warmth.

Value 0

It was nice, but I would not buy a bottle to bring home.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Meterman and I were out to rip up the town. We partied hard but were at home and in bed by our wife imposed 10pm curfew.

Overall 5/10

The Bavarian bock was caramel/toasted malt forward with just enough floral and citrus hops to keep the sweetness from running away. This is good restaurant beer; flavourful, not overly challenging but will appeal to the masses.

Hermannator Ice Bock and Zombie Wedgies
Winterbier Doppelback and Hops can save my prostate
Phillips Springbock

There was a packed house at the Canoe Club Brewpub when the 2010 version of Habit Espresso Stout was unleashed.

Ratebeer 3.76/5 (7 votes)
Beer Advocate A- (2 votes)

Taste +4

There is no photo because the lighting was too dark. No matter, everyone knows what a stout looks like. The blackest of black with a big tan head, that's what a habit looks like. The first thing to hit you was the aroma. It is all coffee, with roast, wood and campfire. The creamy, medium mouthfeel is dominated by thin espresso and smooth, faint toffee malts. The coffee taste was a little thin, like a Nescafe or that new Starbucks powdered coffee stuff. After the coffee left, a light dash of sweet chocolate glanced around briefly.

Aftertaste +1

The mild, thin bitter coffee finished quite dry. There was a slight coffee astringency that faded too quickly.

Alcohol Content 0 5.5%

Value +1

This glass was free, but I would have bought another.

Ingame Enhancement +1

It was a good, but brief, night. I ran into Jeff from Vancouver Island Brewery before dashing off to buy Spinnaker's Spring Cask Festival tickets. A perfect night immersed in Victoria's vibrant craft beer culture.

Overall 7/10

If you like coffee and mild stouts, this is the beer for you. Even though I thought it was a little bit thin, it is a great brew that will appeal to everyone. Well done.

Mikkell Beer Geek - Weasel
Stone Bitter Oatmeal Stout and Failure
Bete Noire Paddock Wood

Canoe Club Dark Cherry Porter

Not rated on ratebeer or Beer Advocate

Great, another flavoured porter. Why can't we get a plain porter anymore?

Taste +3

This one is very drinkable, with a nose of roasted malt and general sweetness. But the taste is more defined, darkly sweet cherry syrup that is not too sweet. This is paired with a rich, roasted chocolate backbone.

Aftertaste 0

It was very clean like water. If I had to say something it would be a slightly sweet, roasted bread.

Alcohol Content 0 ?

I didn't see it listed but I assume it was 5% or less.

Value +1

Despite being a flavoured porter, it was good.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Two words - Zombieland! This movie is hilarious, go and see it.

Overall 5/10

All the beers on tap at this Victoria Brew Pub are excellent.

Tin Whistle Chocolate Cherry Porter and Playing the Field
Raspberry Porter Tree Brewing
Swan's Coconut Porter