link love

b.c. brews spring sampler packs released

food republic’s list of power craft breweries

brewer’s association beer can awards

elysian men’s room red now in six packs

green flash goes retro:
Fall 2012 marks our 10 year anniversary and Extra Pale Ale was the first-ever Green Flash success. A celebratory reminder of the beginning for us – and also about how much our style and craft beer culture has evolved over the past decade. While this early Millennium American-Style Pale is from a time less hoppy, we think our 2012 redux is the perfect summer vintage: crisp, refreshing and bubbling with nostalgia. Debuting on May 16th in the Green Flash Tasting Room and draught for national distribution!



beernesday tasting notes

phew!  all caught up now!

november 2, 2011
big al harvest ale – 5.4% four pounds per barrel of fresh yakima sorachi ace hops offer big citrus and fresh lemon flavors and aromas which we paired with deeply refined malt flavors mark this rich and warming medium-bodied amber ale
lovely!  love the sorachi ace!  very rich and full-bodied
elysian bifrost winter ale – 7.5% taste is bold and balanced with a good amount of citrus and earthy hop bitters to offset the malt character
yes, yes, yes!
crannog insurrection ipa – 5.4% a pale amber malt body emphasizes munich and caramel malts, with enough sweetness to hold up the rather large volumes of fresh cascade and golding hops
light malt with perfect hoppiness, not my favourite ipa but such a joy to drink!
big al brougham bitter – 5.5% english-style pale and crystal malts combined with aromatic, floral english hops create a smooth, balanced medium-bodied beer
very english, but nicely hopped
big al ipa – 7.1% chinook, cascade and glacier provide bitterness, assertive citrus fuit and earthy hop flavors, and the long lip smacking finish to this delicious ipa
yes, very assertive citrus batman, almost too citrusy…

november 16, 2011
russell brewing marzen – 5.5% marzen is a copper-coloured lager with rich, toasted malt aroma balanced by the clean bitterness of german hops and distinct noble hop aroma
paired nicely with nachos, me likey!
big al harvest ale – see above
maltier than i remembered, not how i wanted to end my night
elysian men’s room red – 5.6% amber in color with a light hop aroma and toasty malt finish
too malty after my hoppy ipa choices, but i still love it!
rogue brutal bitter ipa – 5.8% an imperial bitter with exotic traditional floor malts, citrusy, hoppy flavor, stupendous hop aroma
delightful! glad to see it back!
new belgium ranger ipa – 6.5% this clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: cascade (citrus), chinook (floral/citrus), and simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor
i love this one!!!

november 30, 2011
i was not feeling my oats this week (or is that my barley?)
rogue mcrogue scotch ale – 8.2% deep copper in colour, caramel aroma, rich malty flavour with a roasted malt background
i found it quite caramely and damned fine, even if i couldn’t finish it
taylor’s crossing mad scow stout – 4.2% a dark irish ale having a rich, roasted coffee bitterness and a smooth creamy finish
i got very sweet coffee and a thinner finish… not sure what all the fuss is about on this beer
but that could have just been my general malaise speaking
deschutes jubelale – 6.7% a dark, malty celebtation ale with layered flavors and beautifully balanced hopping
again, maybe it was just my malaise, but i found this one very barleywinesque and not to my liking
north coast beer engine red – 5.5% a cask conditioned version of red seal ale.  malt and hops are beautifully married in this full-bodied, copper-red pale ale
i found it rather thin and murky, all at the same time
but all in all it was a lovely little red ale
cannery wildfire ipa – 6% this unique dark ipa is an intricate and exciting blend of hops, coupled with a rich malt foundation producing this fine ale with a complex character, dark colour and lingering hop finish
i do like this one – so dark and hoppy and satisfying
wish i’d felt better and could have had another!

cask night

three cask nights for me this week!

hit st. augustine’s on monday for the granville island ginger

according to my server the cask blew up real good
there was ginger coating the ceiling
definitely there was a whole lot of ginger pulp in my pint
cloudy with a huge ginger nose
much thinner ginger on the palate, but very definitely a ginger beer
not bad…

and then because it was actually sunny out we stayed for more
see – it was sunny!

amanda and i both ordered samplers
bridget went straight for the backhand of god (followed by inversion ipa and fat tug ipa)

we both went for the deschutes twilight summer ale, the john john juniper and red racer raspberry wheat ale
i rounded mine out with elysian’s perseus porter

deschutes twilight summer ale, 5%:  a lighter, et full flavored, aromatic ale for the long days of summer
so much body, yet so crisp and light
oh deschutes how i love thee and they divine brews!

rogue john john juniper, 5.2%:  a hint of cucumber and a sprucey note in the aroma followed by a juniper bite mid palate finishing with a soft oakiness
for me, thank dog, i’m not getting the cucumber, just the spruce and fosh darn it, i like it – a lot!  it bites back!

central city red racer raspberry wheat ale, 5%: infused with raspberries from the fraser valley, this wheat ale is crisp and clean with a subtle fruitiness
oh yeah, that’s a wheat and it has raspberries in it… its okay for a fruity wheat ale.. but i’m gonna stick with the yaletown for my pink beer needs

elysian brewing perseus porter, 5.4%:  gives off a strong coffee nose and tastes slightly smoky and malty with a dry-roasted coffee aftertaste
roasty, toasty, smoky and malty – yup.  bitter aftertaste, guess that’s the dry-roast coffee they’re talking about… bitter

we also had dinner
from the feature sheet, which is 15% off on mondays…

amanda had the beefy biscuity thing

i had the prawn pesto feta sun-dried tomato pizza

then i had an elysian men’s room red
damn i like that beer!!

tasting notes

march 23, 2011
beernesday
st. augustine’s

bit of a short beer menu this week…
but short at st. a’s is insanely long for most other places!

began my evening with a sampler

northcoast brewing scrimshaw pilsner
st a’s says: 4.4%  has a subtle hop character, a crisp, clean palate, and a dry finish
i say:  pretty good.  not going to be a favourite, or even something i have a full pint of…

elysian brewing co. men’s room red
st a’s says:  5.6%  amber in color with a light hop aroma and toasty malt finish
i say:  i like it.  red and hoppy!  its not an amber, its not an ipa, but it sure it their love child!

taylor’s crossing mad scow stout
st a’s says: 4.2% a dark irish ale having a rich, roasted coffee bitterness and a smooth creamy finish
i say:  yes there’s coffee bitterness, yes, its smooth and creamy but it feels kinda thin to me (gwen agrees)

vista d’oro homestead estate cider
st a’s says: 7% an exceptionally dry and tart normandy-style cider made from apples of 50 year old apple trees on the winery’s estate
i say:  is this a lambic?  cuz good lord its sour!  can’t say i recommend it and i’m damned glad they only gave me a shot glass of the stuff

after my sampler was imbibed
i had another couple of pints of the men’s room red
i was going to go with the driftwood fat tug
but that seems to be in regular rotation and i thought i’d best get me as much of the men’s room while its available!
and you know what, i liked the men’s room down to the last drop
i hope its on the menu again this week!