Category: cascadian brown ale

casks

yikes –  very behind on my timely posts…
the cask last week at the railway was leann’s candy dish
and it was delish!
tasted like a patio
and that wasn’t just me saying so, i heard it echoed around!

i dunno what i was thinking, but somehow “candy dish’ equaled peppermint or uber sweet in my mind
but it wasn’t
not at all
it was fruity, and tart-sweet
it tasted like summer
like what you’d want to be drinking on a hot and sweaty patio
reminiscent of a fuzzy peach candy, but less sweet

the next cask is lundy’s collaboration grapefruit ipa
thanks r&b for actually letting lundy help make it!

the whip was initially offering the vcbw cascadian dark ale cask on sunday afternoon
so i had me a pint
while the grapefruit ipa chilled to the right temperature

the vcbw cascadian dark ale

while maltier than i like a cda, it was most drinkable

the grapefruit ipa in the fridge

then i made the grave mistake of needing food

and not just any food…
i had jalapeno peppers on my taco salad
so i kinda blasted my palate before the grapefruit ipa was tapped
doh!

i did not enjoy this lovely cask to its fullest
everyone else seemed to be enjoying it immensely
i am bereft
i too wanted to enjoy it immensely
damned jalapenos!

ouch!

my head, she aches!
the folks at work suggest it may be related to all the beer i drank over the weekend
i think they might be onto something!

so far my vancouver craft beer week has been fabulous!
definitely worth some head aching mornings!

saturday’s dead famous pub crawl, while not rocking my world as much as last year’s four beers and a funeral did, was a very good time
folks showed up in costume (famous dead people in case you didn’t figure that out from the name of the crawl) and progressed through the crazy weather from cinema to yaletown brewpub to the backstage lounge to dockside, taking an aquabus between yaletown and granville island
as far as i know, no one got stranded on the wrong side of the water!
we were not accompanied by a band this year
but did get serenaded at the backstage lounge by a balkan wedding band
the dockside put on the hockey game for us and fed us a big bbq dinner
and there were buttons!
who doesn’t love a button?
i went dressed as james dean and was very excited to find myself a james dean button waiting for me
i felt quite supported in my dead person choice
favourite costume?  the star trek crew who all dressed as the red guys who always get killed!

got to try the vcbw collaboration beer too
its a very palatable cascadian dark ale
not as hoppy as it could be, its definitely more on the malty side

hoppapalooza lived up to the hype
fabulous beers, fabulous beer geek company
lots of laughs, lots of beer sharing
and i got interviewed by the express for shaw television
good times, good times!
photos and fuller review to come
you know, next week after vcbw is all over!

phillips hop box

how brilliant are they over at phillips?
really quite!

they’ve come out with a mixer 12 pack (which i believe bc’ers call a case)
OF ALL IPAs
sorry, didn’t mean to shout
well, yes i did, but i didn’t mean to hurt your eyes/ears

the 12 pack comes with 3 each of the following:
skookum cascadian dark ale
hopcircle ipa
krypton ryepa

and then features a revolving hop monster for the final 3 bottles
currently its the centennial ipa

“the hop box is a specially designed long range hop transport case.  it ensures the hops, liquefied in an amorphous non-crystallizing, yet refreshing barley matrix, are delivered safely to you, the deserving ipa lover.  while the hopbox is purpose built for rapid deployment of the hopcircle ipa, skookum cascadian brown and the krypton ryepa, the hopbox also welcomes random hoppy passengers.  check the window seat for this box’s guest.  turn on, tune in, hop out!”

i already know that i’m in love with the hop circle and i quite like the skookum
so i’m very much looking forward to making the acquaintance of the ryepa and the centennial!

yaletown brew pub

oh how the time flies!
its been a whole week since i made it out to the yaletown brew pub for cask night
and it was a gooder!
cascadian dark ale (aka black ipa)
tasty, tasty stuff!
look how much i was enjoying it!

i was at a work holiday party
so the details of the entire late afternoon, evening and late night are pretty hazy
i know there was lots of wine with lunch
followed by two cascadian dark casks
followed by countless shots and pints of the brick and beam ipa
with not much at all to eat since lunch

i know i made new friends
and even remember a couple of their names
but probably will not be calling them for fear that i embarassed myself in front of them!

oh lord! i love me a cask

had the cask at railway last night
it was the howe sound cascadian dark ale “gathering storm”
tried it kegwise at st. augustines and the alibi
found it hoppier at both of those
so wonder if the keg needed more aging to make them hops come out
or if its just one of those things

either way, its a thing of beauty and a joy to behold
and these types of things make me very happy
as does the great company trying these things
thank you to everyone who tasted them all with me!!
you know you rock, but sometimes you just need to hear it again!

i still think the name, cascadian dark ale kinda sucks
but i do love me a black ipa!!!
hoppy and dark – what a great combination
more, more, more please

and, looking forward to the central city dry-hopped ipa at the railway next tuesday night!!

phillips black toque india dark ale

phillips black toque india dark ale

holy malty first sip!
gotta love the cascading action on the pour though
not a finer sight in the world!
don’t get me wrong, i like lots of other sights too, but none are finer

the bottle says:  “big hop flavours complement this rich dark ale in this ultimate example of fusion between some of our favourite styles of beer!”
6.5%

now, before anyone informs me that the black toque has been discontinued and is now the skookum cascadian brown ale, let me just say that this bottle has been at my house for about a year now
and i have been remiss in drinking it in a timely fashion
but i gotta tell you, i liked it better when it was black toque and called an india dark ale
i am assured its the same beer in the bottle
and what’s in a name, a rose is a rose by any other name and all that
but i can’t help having a preference, okay?

“Previously known as Black Toque: our Black Toque India Dark Ale has undergone a bit of a facelift and will now be known as Skookum Cascadian Brown Ale. The bottles will contain the same deliciously dark flavour you’ve grown to love, just with a brand new coat of paint.”

so, before the beer goes totally off from being insanely old, i figured i had better get with the new and drink up the old!
oh nostalgia!

i’m not finding it terribly hoppy
maybe i remember it as being hoppier
or maybe i’m just such a hop fanatic these days that my hop-o-meter is a bit off
but really, its so much maltier and chocolatier than it is hoppy
still a delicious brew, don’t get me wrong, i just want a bit hoppier…
like that’s news to anyone…