new from phillips brewing

A New IPA Straight from our Hop Devolpment Lab

 

September 15th 2014: Tucked away in a quiet corner of Phillips Brewing Co is a development lab dedicated to exploring the delicious world of hops. It’s a place where different hop combinations yield all sorts of unique IPA hybrid brews which are released in the Hop Box under the Area 52 series. Octofox was one of the early specimens to come out of the Area 52 program, and it was so good we’ve opted to put it out in its own bomber!  It pours a deep golden colour with a soft marshmallow white head.  Full bodied and bright, flavours of citrus are balanced against a pine-bitter hop profile that finishes dry. Octofox is selectively brewed to be broadly enjoyed. Octofox is available from your favourite Cold Beer & Wine Stores now, and BC Liquor stores later this week.

13 Years, 13 Knots, 1 Special Gift

 

September 2nd, 2014: Over the past number years we’ve made a habit of celebrating our anniversary the best way we know how: by exploring the full breadth of our hop addiction and creating some of the biggest IPA’s we could.  To celebrate our 13th Anniversary we’ve crafted another monster IPA called 13 Knots in a Hangman’s Noose, and hung a very special gift around its neck… Hop Drop is an artisanal hop liqueur crafted to celebrate the hop flavours that we covet in our beer.  We distilled real hops into an incredibly potent hop elixir, where explosions of fresh pine and bright bitterness are balanced in a blanket of soft sweetness.  Its depth of flavour is robust enough to enjoy on its own poured gently over ice, or it can be ‘dropped’ into another beer to instantly raise the ABV and infuse bright a hoppy flavour.  If added to 13 Knots, it raises the 11.9% ABV to—you guessed it—13%!     To get your hands on this limited Anniversary beer—with the Hop Drop on-pack—be sure to stop by a private craft focused liquor store.  If you miss this special on-pack don’t worry, Hop Drop will be made under the newly minted Phillips Fermentorium so stay tuned to find it year-round in private liquor stores.

beer column

these are my notes from yesterday’s on the coast beer column wherein i made stephen quinn taste hop elixir (i am so very cruel to him):

This is “Hop Drop”, a hop elixir/hop liqueur made by Phillips Brewing in Victoria.  They made it to go along with their 13^thanniversary brew, called 13 Knots in a Hangmans Noose.  The beer is an 11.9% imperial ipa, which if you add the 29% elixir to it, bumps up to a 13% even hoppier beer.

“Hop drop is an artisanal hop liqueur crafted to celebrate the hop flavours that we covet in our beer.  We distilled real hops into an incredibly potent hop elixir, where explosions of fresh pine and bright bitterness are balanced in a blanket of soft sweetness.  Its depth of flavour is robust enough to enjoy on its own poured gently over ice, or it can be ‘dropped’ into another beer to instantly raise the ABV and infuse bright hoppy flavour.” 

The elixir will eventually be available on its own from Phillips’ new Fermentorium on a year-round basis and is just downright delicious. They weren’t lying when they said you get pine explosions blanketed in sweetness.  And yes, it is potent.  Half of the bottle, or .75 of an ounce near about knocked me on my derriere.

I am not nearly so fond of the anniversary beer itself.  I find it too much of a hop slap to the mouth.  I definitely prefer my ipas on the unbalanced side, but find this one goes too far from balance for me.  And then dropping the liqueur in takes it even further over the top.

Is this elixir a gimmick?

I’m not sure whether or not anyone else will jump on the elixir bandwagon, but putting hop oil in beers is something beer geeks have been doing for years.  I know people who pick up hop oil from the homebrew shop and take it with them to places like stadiums where you can only get macro lagers, and put a few drops into those to make them hoppier and more palatable.  Like the infuser idea, branding a product makes it appear to be more of a gimmick, but the idea behind it has been around for ages.  Experimenting with beer is fun.  Lots of people do it via brewing their own beer – for everyone else there are infusers and hop elixirs.

Phillips’ Fermentorium will be making more than just the Hop Drop.  It will be interesting to see if they just move on to distilled beverages like vodka and gin, or if they have more interesting liqueurs, or other boozey options to drop into beer, up their sleeves.

 

Beer picks:

Let’s go with golden ales this week, an oft-overlooked style.

Dead Frog’s Big Stump spruce golden ale is available at the liquor store in 650 ml bottles

Persephone goddess golden ale is available in six pack cans from the liquor store

Barkerville prospector’s peril blonde ale is available at Brewery Creek and the Granville and 11^th liquor stores, and on tap around town, including St. Augustine’s.

link love

i’m still on vacation!  love easter long weekend!
but in case you’re not…
i offer you this small token of link love

port alberni homebrewer trying to crowdsource himself into craft brewing

with all the hype about session beers lately
let’s go back a couple of years to when it was still just an idea
and get craftbeer.com’s definition of sessionability

five american hotels that are conveniently nestled among great craft beer venues
aka rooms with a brew

if you’ll be in vancouver on may 10th (i won’t be, i’ll be in portland attending the cider riot kick-off party – yay me!)
you may just wanna hit the cbc for the microdistillery festival

vancouver island brewing celebrates 30 years of brewing with an anniversary imperial red ale

Okanagan Spirits BC Hopped Whisky is going to be released this Spring and the image is a little sneak peak of the label.

The idea behind the ‘Final Proof Master Distiller Series’ was to allow the creative nature of our Distiller Peter von Hahn to develop a series of small batch specialty and unique whiskies that we will release over time.

The first release will be BC’s first ‘Hopped Whisky’.

Barrel aged for five years, this whisky offers a well-balanced flavour that starts with spicy malt notes and finishes with a dry a hoppy kick.

BC’s first hopped whisky is priced at $64.95 and is expected to sell out quickly.

legacy liquor store

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Elysian Brewing Nightowl – $7.85

Straight from Seattle comes one of the finest pumpkin beers available on the market today. Hazy and tawny in colour when poured into a glass, accompanied by a myriad of spices associated with the season (allspice, ginger, clove, etc.), its caramel, starchy malt and of course pumpkin flavours all come together to produce a medium-bodied beer that is not only amazingly approachable, but also extremely quaffable. Don’t miss out on this fantastic beer.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Moon Under Water Year One – $12.55

Happy Anniversary, Moon Under Water! After one year under new ownership and a revitalization that has been truly remarkable, a single-batch Red Wheat Wine ale has been produced to mark the occasion. Hopped throughout with Citra, and fermented dry with three yeasts on yellow birch to create an outstanding beer to be enjoyed with friends, this one-of-a-kind offering is worth grabbing before it’s gone, because year two isn’t coming for another 364 days. Big fan of this up and coming brewery!

Ryan Hooper | Assistant Manager | Legacy Liquor Store

Red Racer Pumpkin Ale – $6.15

’Tis the season for pumpkin, spice and everything nice, and Red Racer certainly isn’t going to let us down in that regard. This autumnal brew pours the same colour as the autumn leaves – copper and orange. Sweet pumpkin flesh, citrus and highlights of spice fill out the nose, while pumpkin, cloves and cinnamon balance one another to produce a tasty beer for these chilly days.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

i absolutely loved the moon anniversary cask at gcbf
i strongly suggest picking up a bottle of the red wheat wine while you can!

legacy

new beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Deschutes Brewery – Class of ’88 Barley Wine – $12.55

25 years ago a beer renaissance occurred across the country and a passion for craft beer ignited. In honour of those 25 years of delicious beer, Deschutes, in collaboration with North Coast and Rogue, have opened a door to the past. Deep orange in colour with notes of caramel, pine and citrus on the nose, this brew offers more caramel, pine and citrus on the palate. A tasty treat from ’88.

Conor Marshall | Beer Department | Legacy Liquor Store

Old Yale Brewing – D. O. Ale – $7.55

In tribute to the Vancouver punk band D.O.A., this collaboration with CBC music and Old Yale Brewing Co. hits all the right notes (insert rimshot here). Pouring a deep brown in colour with sweet caramel, molasses and toasted malts on the nose, it follows up with honey, brown sugar and nut on the palate, with a little bit of smoke playing backup. Enjoy with your favourite D.O.A album.

Jordan Cran | Floor Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

Phillips Brewing – Monkey Drummer & the Incomplete Octave (12^th Anniversary Ale) – $7.65

Happy anniversary, Phillips! Twelve years of great beers right from our own backyard. Celebrate with a delectable IPA that delivers a hop bomb you’ll never forget. Full-bodied and a golden straw yellow, this beer offers massive notes of pine and citrus that repeat on the palate, in addition to a faint earthy presence, leaving you wanting more. Get your fill, because 12^th anniversaries only happen once.

Evan Doan | Beer Department | Legacy Liquor Store

legacy

new beer offerings at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Brooklyn Brewery – Silver Anniversary Lager – $18.90
Happy Anniversary, Brooklyn, 25 years of excellent brewing and many more to come! Brewed to the strength of a dopplebock, this lager uses four different malts in addition to Cascade, Willamette, and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh and Saphir hops. Pouring dark amber in colour with notes of citrus, toasted malt and butterscotch on the nose, aromas that carry through on the palate before fading into a spicy hop finish, this brew is an excellent way to celebrate 25 years.

Tree Brewing – Hop Head Black IPA – $7.85

Nestled in the BC interior, Tree Brewing consistently churns out some spectacular seasonal beers, their Hop Head continuing the trend. Five hops and six malts can be found in this dark brown, nearly black beer. Biscuits, citrus (think grapefruit) and a little pine are all found in the aroma while smoke and chocolate lead the pack on the palate followed closely by citrus and pine. A dangerously quaffable brew.

Russell Brewing – Nautical Disaster Barleywine – $11.25

A new Golden Stag winner has been chosen and with it comes a new beer from Russell. Based on homebrewer David Shea’s recipe, this Barleywine uses four different malts and undergoes a three-hour brew to produce a complex beer. Drink it now, or let it mellow out for a year and see what a little elbow grease and ingenuity can do for you.

legacy liquor

fabulous beers now available at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Stillwater Artisinal – Beer Table Table Beer – $12.95An East Coast American Craft Beer you can really quaff. Brewed to meet all the imbibing desires of brewer Brian Strumke, this Belgian pale ale has a little bit of everything. Light and golden in colour with spice, pineapple, citrus and brett owning the bouquet, with malts and a touch of citrus rounding out the palate. A beer worth checking out.

Tasted by Chris Bonnallie – Beer Supervisor at Legacy Liquor Store

Parallel 49 – Hopnotist – $8.25
Happy Birthday, Parallel 49! Their gift to us is their Hopnotist single hop (Mosaic to be specific) Imperial IPA, appearing hazy amber in the glass with notes of tropical fruit and grapefruit to envelop the senses. On the palate more tropical fruits and citrus can be found, balanced with sweetness. The bottle is also 3D, which is amazing.

Tasted by Evan Doan – Beer Team

Phillips – Electric Unicorn – $7.45
You can thank the folks at Phillips for this perfect sunny day brew, a white IPA pouring hazy pale yellow with a bouquet of coriander, spice and orange zest. On the palate more coriander and orange are found, accompanied by floral hops and wheat, making for a quaffable and delicious beer.

Tasted by Conor Marshall – Beer Team

Parallel 49 – Humphrey Biere de Garde – $6.95This style of beer calls the Nord-Pas-De-Calais region of Northern France its home. Rosewater is used in the actual brew itself, a crystal clear amber that smells of flowers, cereal and biscuit, while in the mouth more floral presence and biscuit notes are found. A unique and tasty brew from East Vancouver.

Tasted by Evan Doan – Beer Team at Legacy Liquor Store

Stiegl Radler – $3.50
A tasty Austrian beer that is enjoyed by cyclists to refresh and replenish necessary electrolytes (believe it), it’s 50% beer, 50% grapefruit juice and 100% awesome. Hazy straw in colour with intense notes of grapefruit on the nose and more grapefruit pulling through on the palate paired with a light crisp finish. Yum!

Tasted by Aaron Morten – Office Liaison at Legacy Liquor Store

Lagunitas – Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale (6-Pack) – $20.25
This California brewery swings for the fences with all its beers and they connect every time. Hazy amber in colour with hard floral notes, sugar and spice on the nose followed by abundant malt, citrus (grapefruit in particular) and hop on the palate to ensure a thirst-quenching finish.

Tasted by Conor Marshall – Beer Team at Legacy Liquor Store

VIB hermannator anniversary release

Vancouver Island Brewery DECEMBER 3, 2012 Media Release! Greetings! Our Brewery Elves have been hard at work dipping collector’s edition Hermannator bottles by hand for your cellaring pleasure… 25 years and multiple world class brewing awards later, Hermannator is bock…in a collector’s edition bomber! For a limited time Vancouver Island Brewery is offering its Hermannator Ice Bock in collector’s edition 650 mL bomber bottles. These 25th Anniversary Edition bottles celebrate an unprecedented beer legacy and are a return to the vessel the beer was originally sold in back in 1987. When Vancouver Island Brewery first brewed Hermannator in 1987 it was intended as a special winter batch for the breweries closest friends and family. It quickly became evident that this beer was something special as year after year the number of people demanding a taste of this unique brew grew after each limited release. Now 25 years and multiple world class brewing awards later, Hermannator is still crafted in small batches and is ready to make a limited release appearance for its Silver Anniversary. “To be able to brew a beer for over 25 years and have loyal customers coming back each year to enjoy this beer is a very rewarding feeling” stated Jim Dodds, General Manager at Vancouver Island Brewery. “We wax dipped each of these bottles by hand and while looking sharp, this will also help with any ‘cellaring’ local beer aficionados may want to undertake.” Hermannator tends to age quite well, between 1 – 3 years with the complex flavours of this brew slowly changing over time. Still crafted in small batches once a year and only bottled in limited quantities, this German Eisbock is in high demand. The 650 mL collector’s edition bottles will only be available directly from the brewery’s beer store at 2330 Government Street in Victoria, starting on Saturday December 8th. The brewery is also hosting an open house and cask tasting event for Hermannator Ice Bock on this same day from noon – 6pm. This is a great and somewhat uncommon opportunity for beer enthusiasts to come down, sample Hermannator Ice Bock from a cask and go on a brewery tour to see how the local brewery crafts their award winning beers. Please feel free to bring a non-perishable food item as donation to cover your admission. About Vancouver Island Brewery In 1984 Vancouver Island Brewery started with the mission of crafting local, all natural craft beers for Islanders to enjoy. Beginning with the careful selection of the finest quality ingredients, we use skill and patience to handcraft our family of ales and lagers in small batches. Our goal is to bring our passion for craft beer to the brewery each day and brew unique, flavourful beer for you to enjoy. Hermannator Cask Event – Saturday, Dec. 8th Join us at the brewery from noon – 6pm on Dec. 8th for your chance to sample Hermannator Ice Bock on cask and purchase your 25th Anniversary 650 mL bottle. 650 mL Hermannator collector’s edition bottles are only available for sale at the brewery and won’t last long so please get yours while quantities last. Hermannator 650 mL bottle: $9.95

Thanks for your time! I hope you enjoyed the update and can make it down to the brewery on Saturday, Dec. 8th for a tasting of Hermannator Ice Bock. Sincerely, Adam Ball 250-361-0007 2330 Government Street Victoria, BC V8T 5G5 Vancouver Island Brewery

hermannator’s back

Vancouver Island Brewery OCTOBER 25, 2012 Press Release! Greetings! Our Brewmaster has been hard at work crafting our Hermannator Ice Bock seasonal brew… Brewing up a classic Hermannator Ice Bock turns 25! When Vancouver Island Brewery first brewed Hermannator in 1987 it was intended as a special winter batch for the breweries closest friends and family. It quickly became evident that this beer was something special as year after year the number of people demanding a taste of this unique brew grew after each limited release. Now 25 years and multiple world class brewing awards later, Hermannator is back on local beer retailers’ shelves, ready to make a limited release appearance for its Silver Anniversary. “To be able to brew a beer for over 25 years and have loyal customers coming back each year to enjoy this beer is a very rewarding feeling” stated Jim Dodds, General Manager at Vancouver Island Brewery. “Since 1984 we have loved brewing unique flavorful beers and Hermannator holds a special place in our hearts here at the brewery.” A multiple gold medal winner at the World Beer Championships, Canadian Brewing Awards and also recently taking gold at the 2012 British Columbia Beer Awards, brew master Ralf Pitroff credits Hermannator’s quality ingredients and unique brewing tradition as recipe’s for this beers success. “What makes this beer so unique is that it takes up to 3 months to brew and mature from start to finish. Because the brewing process is so intensive and complex, there are few beers like it in Canada”. Pittroff also says that using a signature blend of chocolate and caramel malts creates a dark chestnut coloured beer with a full body and rich malt flavour. At 9.5% alc. by volume, Hermannator delivers a smooth, but assertive flavour with hints of plum, chocolate and a warming brandy like finish. Crafted in small batches once a year and only bottled in limited quantities, this bavarian style Ice Bock is in high demand. Many local customers expect it to sell out well before the holidays are over. This is true testament to the craft beer savvy of local beer enthusiasts. The highly anticipated 25th Anniversary edition of Hermannator Ice Bock hit store shelves on October 24th and is available while supplies last. About Vancouver Island Brewery In 1984 Vancouver Island Brewery started with the mission of crafting local, all natural craft beers for Islanders to enjoy. Beginning with the careful selection of the finest quality ingredients, we use skill and patience to handcraft our family of ales and lagers in small batches. Our goal is to bring our passion for craft beer to the brewery each day and brew unique, flavourful beer for you to enjoy.

Thanks for your time! I hope you enjoyed the update and didn’t spill any beer on your laptop in the process. Sincerely, Adam Ball 250-361-0007 2330 Government Street Victoria, BC V8T 5G5 Vancouver Island Brewery

pandamonium

i snuck a very quick trip to biercraft into my busy yesterday
because they posted that they had just tapped the very last known keg of phillips’ 11th anniversary brew, the pandamonium
and… since i had been remiss on trying it when it was still available in bottles
i figured i’d better hop on over there when the universe gave me one last chance to try it!

look how shiney bright it is!
holy crap, is it ever a bitter little hop monster though
ay carumba!

glad i finally got to try it
but i won’t be going out of my way for another one
if you’ve got a bottle you aren’t going to drink though, i’ll happily take it
that 11% went right to my head!

i found it wasn’t well balanced
but what the heck, i do like me a bitter little beer
and it sure paired nicely with those almost bbq flavoured chips they serve at biercraft!

August 13th 2012: A year ago we celebrated 10 years of brewing with a 10% Double IPA, and this year there was only one way to follow it up: Turn it up to 11!
So we dialed up the malt and hops across the board, and are celebrating 11 years of beers with Pandamonium–a double IPA monster. Brewed to 11%, we loaded hops into the pre-boil, and then added more hops every 11 minutes over a 111 minute boil for a grand total of 11 hop additions (plus a dry hop).
Hopquakes like this don’t come around very often and we only turn 11 once, so enjoy this brewtiful beast while you can! Pandamonium 11th Hour IPA is available for a limited time at finer craft-focused liquor stores.