It is hard writing a blog. Yes, I know, boo hoo, you have to do research and drink beer. Then you get to shoot your mouth off, figuratively, about what you think about this said beverage. Yes, yes you can feel my pain. Often in my blogs, I ponder food pairing options or try to give a little history. Then I think about whether this flavour is right for the style, what glassware is proper, are there any off flavours, etc, etc. The Appleton ESB halted this process very quickly. The current BJCP guidelines do not have an ESB category, it has been replaced by 11c Strong Bitter. Fullers has trademarked the term "ESB", which might have something to do with this change. Perhaps the Appleton has a little too much diacetyl and not enough hop character to really fit into this category, but that is beside the point. Flavours can be potent memory triggers of past events. The smell of pine can take you to a memorable Christmas where there was a freshly cut tree in the living room. Going to the movies can remind you of a certain place on the waterfront or a numbered pub. See, they are not always pleasant.

One sip of the Appleton pulled my memories to a recent trip to England. It took me right here.
We were walking along the river Thames and stopped off at the pub for a pint and nachos. Actually it was two pints; they were low alcohol and I was gathering Untappd badges. Now that I look back, the Runner was much tastier this the Hoyne. Regardless, the memory recall was there. The pen and notepad were forgotten and the feet rested themselves on the coffee table. A long drink of bitter blurred realities, the room temperature cooled, nostrils filled with the stench that is the Thames and the vacation mindset returned. This brief interlude was quickly dissolved by the sound of my cat hacking up a hairball in the bathroom. Although brief, it was pleasant. This beer gets an 8.

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

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)

Driftwood Naughty Hildegard

Ratebeer not up
Beer Advocate not up
Taste +4

Yup this is an English style bitter for sure. The nose is right with toffee malts, pine, spicey resin hops and a lot of them. The mouthfeel is medium to full and surprisingly creamy. Your taste is just like the nose. It is very hop assertive is the pine and resiny department. The bitterness is barely balanced by the big toffee and bare biscuit malts.

Aftertaste +2

This is oddly clean, but about 30% of the bitterness lasts a long time. The palate is cleansed and coated with a goo of resin and pine malts. It is only slightly astringent.

Alcohol Content +1 - 6.5%

WOOOT

Value +1

If you like your English style bitters and you know who you are. You can come out of the closet; it is OK to love a bitter. This is a bitter you will like. Take Fullers ESB and then intensify the flavour.

Ingame Enhancement +1

This was the perfect refresher after a morning at the gun range. I was mislead; Meterman promised handguns and rifles. They were there but they were AIR RIFLES. It was still a good time.

Overall 9/10

This will please all English bitter lovers. All the flavours were there: pine, spicy, resin and toffee. It was a palate slap of hop happiness.

Howe Sound Baldwin and Best Bitter
Belk's ESB
GI Bitter

Sailor Hagar ESB

Ratebeer 3.35 68th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

This was sampled on tap at the pub in North Vancouver. I hear that their beers are now brewed by Howe Sound. A very good choice.

Taste +3

A mild aromatic hop is on the nose and slightly spicy on the tongue. This meshes perfectly with the caramel fruity (green apple) malts. This is a great ESB.

Aftertaste +2

The nice long, astringent hoppines resides on a bed of earthy malts. Lovely.

Alcohol Content 0 5.4%

Value +1

The beer was great; the food was average for a pub. The clientele also swore way too much.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Gord and I just sat in the pub, drank beer and made origami animals. In retrospect, it might have looked a bit queer. Two North Van guys alone in a sports bar making origami ducks on a Friday night...

Overall 7/10

It was a well balanced bitter; nicely hoppy and nicely malty. Buy a bottle from the adjacent CBAW store and make origami in the privacy of your own home.

Howe Sound Baldwin and Cooper Best Bitter
Bailout Bitter and Carbon Footprints
Belk's ESB Anderson Valley

Phillips Grow Hop

Ratebeer 3.73/5
Beer Advocate Not Rated

This is another wet/fresh hopped beer from a Victoria brewer. Grow Hop is heavily laced with fresh Chinook, so it is sure to be bitter and piney.

Taste +3

Yup its a Chinook, spicy and piney aroma with a slight bit of earthy malts and floral scent. The first sip delivers a good tang of earthy and piney hops. It is a little bitter up front, but is quickly followed with the basic caramel malt.

Aftertaste +2

After the strong snap of hop bitterness, it lingers a long with a dry piney sensation.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Oddly only 5%, very unusual for a strong tasting Phillips hop monster.

Value 0

It was nice, but it tasted like all the other hoppy Phillips beers. It did cool the palate after the hot chili pepper I accidentally ate.

Ingame Enhancement 0

I'm sorry but the Driftwood Satori was a better wet hopped beer.

Overall 5/10

If you like a bitter, hoppy monster then this is the beer for you. Not really a monster more like a asthmatic puma.

Driftwood Satori IPA
Bailout bitter and Carbon Footprints
Redhook ESB

Granville Island Bitter 2009

Rate beer 3.16 56th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

This is one of the seasonal beers that was only available at the Granville Island Brewery. Almost every month they brew a limited release of beers in a variety of styles. I think this is an excellent idea, it keeps things fresh and gives brewers a chance offer new tastes to loyal drinkers. Phillips Brewing also does this, but they are not that good at announcing what is upcoming.

Taste +3

There is an initial caramel and earth sweetness, with a good dose of carbonation. The nose is very pale with just a hint of bitterness. Your ending is a slight citrus bitterness that is not overpowering, but very refreshing.

Aftertaste +1

It is dry and lightly astringent. The citrus bitterness lasted for only a few seconds.

Alcohol Content -1 4.8%

This is meant to be a quaffing beer.

Value +1

This is the sad part with the seasonals; they do not last very long. I have an extra one in the fridge that was going to be a gift for my father. This plan might need to be altered.

Ingame Enhancement +1
After a few pitchers of beer at Canoe Club it was off to see Zombieland. It was definately worth the price of admission; I might even go back on see it again. BTW we had the dark cherry porter and their bitter. Both were nice and drinkable; but I have this thing against flavoured porters.

Overall 5/10

Sadly you will have to wait until next year to try this limited release again. I found it to be a very well balanced and mildly bitter. It was a very refreshing and easy drinking beer. Remember easy drinking does not have to mean flavourless.

Duchy Original Organic Ale
Bailout Bitter and Carbon Footprints
Redhook ESB

Belk's (Boont) ESB

Ratebeer 3.44 84th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +4

The nose is very IPA-like with citrus and floral hops. It is halfway between a hoppy IPA and a true English style bitter. This creamy brew still has the caramel malt sweetness with a little roast of a bitter but is enhanced with a strong citrus and floral hop ending of an IPA. Well done.

Aftertaste +2

The hops leave a very dry and astringent finish with a subdued grapefruit accent.

Alcohol Content +1 6.8%
Value +1

This was a new style to me and thought it was well done.

Ingame Enhancement +1

NFS-Shift is the newest driving game for PS3. I'm a sucker for a good driving game and this one does not disappoint. Who needs sunshine? Just take a vitamin D tablet.
Overall 9/10

This one has a bigger hop profile than your standard bitter. Like I said above, it is sort of a mix between and bitter and an IPA.

Fiddlers Elbow (Wychwood)

Ratebeer 2.92 38th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +3

The aroma is sweet with wheat, citrus hops and grass. Your taste buds are treated to a very light malt sweetness with a bit of nuttiness. The overall feel is buttery and the floral hop crispness was very nice.

Aftertaste +1

All that remains is a faint floral hop residue, slightly oily. This brew is very refreshing.

Alcohol Content 0 5.2%

Value 0

It was a nice beer but it just didn't really grab the palate.

Ingame Enhancement 0

I am really looking forward to some L4D player content maps. Every time I play it is like deja vu.

Overall 4/10

This was an ok English bitter, I though Duchy Organic was better.

Other English style bitters
Bass Pale Ale
Rogue Youngers

Redhook ESB

Ratebeer 3.05 49th percentile
Beer Advocate B-
Taste +3

It gave a big nose and full mouth feel that were the same. Full on roasted malt, bread and toffee filled every inch of your mouth. The added astringency from the bitter grapefruit hops just made it that much nicer.

Aftertaste +2

You were left with a long, long lasting bitter, roasted grain finish. It might be a little much for some people.
Alcohol Content 0 5.77%

Value +1

This was a nice bitter; certainly one I would get again. I paid $6 for a plastic cupful on the Washington State ferry.

Ingame Enhancement +1

You heard me right; beer on the ferry. WOOT.

Overall 7/10

A nice mix of bitter and IPA styles.

Youngers Special Bitter (Rogue)

Ratebeer 3.49 85th percentile
Beer Advocate B+
Taste +3

This will most certainly be a bitter; you can tell from the citrus hop bitterness that permeates the room. Once the nose gets closer, you can pick up a slight nuttiness and malt sweetness. The first thing to hit your tongue is the citrus hop and carbonation bite. This is followed with a medium malt sweetness, very bright, mixed with light citrus and cloves. Overall a very refreshing swig.

Aftertaste +2

All the flavours drift around and cleanly head off to leave a nice residual citrus bitterness. The bitterness just won't stop.
Alcohol Content -1 4.8%

True bitters are meant to be refreshing and not knock down beers.

Value +1

This was a great bitter. I will get this one for my Father at Xmas.

Ingame Enhancement 0

I think I knitted a sweater for a homeless dog this night.

Overall 5/10

Rogue always brews good stuff. This is no exception.

Meterman: Any luck trying to reduce your carbon footprint?
Flavius: Yup, I sold the Suburban and bought a Smart car. I am eating more organic foods.
M: That is a good start.
F: But I now have to make six trips to get all my kids to school.
M: Sigh. Well at least there are fewer pesticides.
F: Yup, Kiwis jet fresh from New Zealand. Free range eggs from Poland...
M: You do know that they produce organic kiwis and eggs in Victoria.
F: No Way. I have seen those kiwis farms; they spray the kiwi trees.
M: That was the farmers dog you idiot!

Bailout Bitter (Howe Sound)

Ratebeer 2.92 not rated
Beer Advocate A

Taste +3

With only the faintest nose of hop bitterness, I wonder if it would actually be a bitter. Yup, but it was the sweet tangy bitter, not the dry grapefruit hoppy style. These flavours all floated on a sweet pale malt ocean. A good attempt at a English style bitter. Well balanced between the toffee malts and light floral citrus hops.

Aftertaste +1

Very light coating of bitterness was left, almost a light pale ale style.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value +1

This was a nice bitter, I think their best bitter was better. The 1 liter pop-topper costs about $7.

Ingame Enhancement 0

I played singstar with friends. No glasses shattered so it was a good night.

Overall 5/10

It is a nice refreshing bitter, enough said.

Howe Sound Baldwin and Cooper Best Bitter

Rate beer 3.26 62 percentile
Beer Advocate A-


Taste +3

This was a nice beer. Very light hop bitterness in the nose with hints of nuts. The taste was a pleasant surprise; very light hop bitterness, grass and hollow malt and honey sweetness. It was very refreshing; an excellent example of a English style bitter.

Aftertaste +1

Slight warming tingle with the following hop bitterness.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value +1

I got this on tap at the Oak Bay Rec Center lounge. How is that for a hip and happening place?

Ingame Enhancement +1

It was almost like L4D in the lounge. Many of the patrons were rotting and moaning.

Overall 6/10

Who would have guessed that one could find good beer at the Rec Center.

Duchy Original Organic Ale (England)

Rate beer 3.06 48th percentile
Beer Advocate B

This is an effort of Prince Charles HRH The Prince of Wales to try and foster organic farming within England. Duchy Originals makes all sort of stuff; cookies, jams and soups. The most significant in our eyes is the beer.

Taste +3

It pours a nice amber colour with little carbonation. The first whiff calls out English bitter; light hoppy aroma with bread and raspberries. The flavour is all English bitter style; very smooth and slightly bitter. The bitterness is not from the hops, more of a tart apple or toast.

Aftertaste +1

Truly a pleasant balance of bitterness and sweetness that finishes quick and clean.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Could we maybe get a 5.1% sometime?

Value +1

This is $3.50 for a full pint (500ml). Cheaper than a pub. It is actually the cheapest of all English import bitters; very odd for something organic.

Ingame Enhancement +1

These days the zombies are scared. Nightware has a dedicated server so we have them cornered.

6/10

Duchy is a very quaffable English style bitter. Well worth the money if you like this style of beer, or if you want something organic. Maybe you are into Prince Chuck?