legacy liquor store

This is one of Vancouver’s more recent additions to the craft beer scene born out of a vision of enjoyment for the binding elements of life: spirit of community sharing, drink, food, conversation, space, and ideas. Influenced by the natural elements of their beautiful Pacific Northwest backdrop, 33 Acres is fueled by creative thinking, and driven to make the highest quality product available to the city. Along with other new craft breweries in the city, they are hard at work making Vancouver a craft beer destination that aims to rival that of Portland, Oregon. Check out these cleanly crafted and simple sublime brews, and be quick because they sell quickly in this glorious spring weather.

33 Acres Brewing Co. 33 Acres of Sunshine – $6.95
This is my go-to summer brew: easy drinking, refreshing and just plain delicious thanks to the inclusion of orange peel, anise and coriander in the brewing process. A hazy straw yellow, this French Blanche smells like fresh pizza dough on the nose with the coriander, anise and orange coming up big on the end. Palate-wise yeast deliciousness sprinkled with spice, citrus and a thirst quenching finish make this a beer worth revisiting over and over again.

Aaron Morten | Office Liaison | Legacy Liquor Store

33 Acres Brewing Co. 33 Acres of Life – $6.65
This is Vancouver’s approach to the California Common style and a good take on it too. Rusty amber in colour, it has plenty of malt on the nose accompanied by spice and orchard fruit such as apple and pear. On the palate more malt, fruit and spice appear to create a bigger and definitely more complex California common, making this brew a bit uncommon.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

33 Acres Brewing Co. 33 Acres of Ocean – $6.95
No beer line-up would be complete without a pale ale like this 33 Acres rendition. Brassy in colour with an assertive and floral aroma chock full of tropical fruit and fun, all of which pop on the palate once you put the mug to your lips. So take a sip and tip it on back.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

Issac, Andrew, Franck, Dany and Luke of Le Trou du Diable bring a passion for the world of brewing coupled with many years of experience. The original brewers, Isaac and Andrew, have always dreamed of providing their hometown a unique handcrafted product through a brewery worthy of comparison to other Quebec breweries such as le Cheval Blanc, or to major European institutions such Chimay, Bass, Pilsner Urquell, and Fisher. After several set backs and with a bit of elbow grease Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable opened in December 2005 in Shawinigan, Quebec. The name itself “Le Trou du Diable” or The Devil’s Hole, is a reference to a mighty whirlpool called “The Cauldron” located at the bottom of Shawinigan Falls. This name comes from the folk belief that this bottomless hole leads straight to hell; nobody that has entered it has lived to tell the story. Climbing podiums globally Le Trou du Diable has won numerous awards worldwide with their ability to mix old-school styles and new-school brews in both exciting and skilled ways. With a renowned barrel-aging program and award-winning creative designs, Le Trou du Diable offers world class beers for you to enjoy.

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable Dulcis Succubus – $27.55
From deep within the bowels of Le Trou du Diable devilishly delicious things are brewing. Barrel aged in Californian white wine barrels, this brew is hazy and tangerine in colour and pops with notes of peaches, pears and apricots that are all cozily nestled under a musky blanket of deliciousness. Stone fruit and a fantastic showing of brettanomyces all show up once you tip back the glass. This brew is well worth the price of admission… welcome to the dark side.

Aaron Morten | Office Liaison | Legacy Liquor Store

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable La Bretteuse – $27.55
One good Brett IPA deserves another, and Le Trou du Diable serves one up with a bit of Quebecois flare. Clear copper in colour, this beer hints of its 18 months spent in Syrah barrels, tasting of mandarin peel, funky wood and red berries. On the nose, this brew takes a step back from the aroma on the palate, but plays out beautifully with more funk and fruit to keep you sated. Sent straight from the beer heavens, this little gem of a barrel-aged beer wraps up dry.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable Le Sang D’Encre – $9.45
An epic label for an epic stout from Quebec, this particular brew is jet black in the glass with prominent roasted malt, anise and dried fruit on the nose. Coffee, chocolate and more dried fruits (raisins and dates specifically) accompanied by some slight herbal hop show up on the palate, making this medium-bodied, dry-finishing stout a real hit.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

legacy liquor store

newly available at the legacy liquor store in vancouver:

A small craft brewery in Southeast Portland, Oregon inspired by European brewing tradition and Pacific Northwest ingredients, The Commons Brewery, formerly Beetje (Flemish for little) Brewery, started small in the summer of 2010 with nothing more than a single barrel nano system in Mike Wright’s garage. Jump to the summer of 2011 and The Commons Brewery has moved from the garage to a 7BBL commercial space and bottle conditioned beer. Striving to produce brews with moderate alcohol and refreshing, unique character courtesy of yeast strains originating in Europe—truly a beer lover’s paradise—these brews are sessionable and geared towards friends, family and sharing time with one another. So grab a bottle or two and gather ’round!

The Commons Brewery Urban Farmhouse – $13.75
A farmhouse ale that fits the bill after a sweltering day working the land. Hazy straw yellow in colour with baking spice, floral hops and a bit of yeast in its aroma, while more spice (coriander for instance), a touch of citrus and a lovely bittering courtesy of Willamette, Golding and Hallertauer make up the palate. Two words: nailed it.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

The Commons Brewery Flemish Kiss – $13.75
Belgian Pale Ale? Yes, please! This rusty, amber coloured beer smells delicious with appearances of funk and raspberry sweetness. Palate-wise, this particular brew shows off more Brett, strawberries, figs and cereal malt. Complex and tasty, it represents Belgian Pale Ale perfectly, and turns up the volume with a bit of funk.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

legacy liquor store

new beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Pyramid Brewing Co. IPL – $6.25

The marriage of Pacific Northwest IPA and lager is one to be cherished, especially one by Pyramid Brewing Co. Hopped with Nugget and Chinook and followed by a dry hopping of Amarillo, Centennial and Sterling, Pyramid IPL is a combination of citrusy hop flavours and the cool, crisp finish of a lager. This brew has summer written all over it.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Four Winds Brewing Co. Juxtapose Brett IPA – $7.55

Four Winds just keeps hitting home runs, and Juxtapose proves no different than those beers that came before it. This Brett IPA has a hazy orange hue and a big tropical nose featuring citrus, pine, bready malts and of course that wonderful barnyard brettanomyces funk, while more tropical fruit, citrus and pine make themselves known on the palate. Well balanced with a lingering finish, this is a beaut of a beer.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable La Bretteuse – $27.55

One good Brett beer deserves another, and Le Trou du Diable serves one up with a bit of Quebecois flare. Clear copper in colour with mandarin peel, funky wood and red berries (this particular brew spent 18 months in Californian Syrah barrels) on the nose, this brew takes a step back from the aroma on the palate, but plays out beautifully with more funk and fruit to keep you sated. Sent straight from the beer heavens, this little gem of a barrel-aged beer wraps up dry.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

firefly’s sour beer tasting

after having attended a couple of previous tastings at firefly, i knew that there are some sour beers that i enjoy, and some that i just can’t stand.  but which are which?
thank dog firefly chose to host a sour tasting night!
now i know what i like, and what i’d rather not ever be offered again!

we sampled the following:

dogfish head’s festina peche (4.5%)
upright brewing’s late harvest barrel aged brown ale (7%)
orval trappist ale belgium pale ale (6.9%)
lindemans’ cuvee rene gueuze (5%)
cantillon’s gueuze 100% lambic (5%)
cantillon’s kriek 100% lambic (5%)
brouwerij de ranke’s cuvee (7%)
storm brewing’s blackcurrent lambic

i found the dogfish head to be more tart than sour
using an old style from berlin, they added some peach flavour
and peachy colour
looks more like a very fruity wine in the glass than a beer
it tastes almost champagney
probably not something i’d buy
but enjoyable nonetheless

the brown ale was aged in a pinot barrel
with pomegranate and several other items thrown in there
yeasty spice nose
fruity, can taste the lactic acid, some oak and some spice
also on the “more tart than sour” side
drinkable, but not something i’d buy

the trappist ale, surprisingly to no one, was too belgiany for me
maybe its the brettanomyces bruxellinsis yeast i can’t stand
brewed by the monks, with a nose of wet horse blanket
i mean really, i’m shocked anyone likes this stuff!
but amanda does
then again, she also likes horses so perhaps the horse blanket smell brings back good memories for her

then we moved on to lambics and gueuzes
i didn’t realize a gueuze was just a blended lambic, but there you go, that’s all there is to it
i don’t love the smell of a gueuze, but it sure does taste better than it smells!
somehow the letting it all sour makes me not mind all those crazy wild yeasts
go figure

the lindemans was a bit champagney and definitely sour
its a blend of young and old lambics
very clear and quite sharp
less barnyardy
this i would drink again
and with the fun champagne cork, its a production to drink it so i’m likely to buy it!

the cantillon is a more traditional product
they use a turbid mash to leave more for the brett to eat through
its a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambics
this product can age in the bottle for up to 20 years – go figure!
its cloudy, softer and more sour
apparently it goes really well with seafood and you can make a mean ceviche with it
i’m sold!  i’d drink this again
and probably buy it to take to a party (or make a ceviche)
its fun stuff!

the kriek is from 2009
its a fabulous red colour that matches my hair quite nicely
important in one’s drink i think
its a 1.5 year old lambic put in a barrel with oooodles of fresh organic cherries
very carbonated with a lovely pink head
pairs well with fatty meats like duck, bacon and blood sausage
also works well as a reduction
i really like this stuff
i’d buy it again for sure
the de ranke cuvee is a mix of 2/3 de ranke sour and 1/3 lambic
aged in the bottle
so its quite acidic
uses crystal malts which are kilned so they carmelize and offer sweetness to the mix
quite drinkable
but i probably wouldn’t buy it
and then as a special treat, chris got james at storm to part with some of his blackcurrent lambic for us to try
fabulous stuff!
yes, its barnyardy
but i like it!
i don’t find it to fruity sweet, but everyone else seemed to think it might be
i’m not tasting blackcurrent per se, but definitely fruit
and i like it!
delicious down to the last drop
please sir, can i have some more?