Category: moylans

tasting notes

not that i’m behind on my notes or anything…
here’s the past two week’s worth of beernesday tastings at st. augustine’s

september 21, 2011
taster #1
elysian night owl pumpkin ale – 5.9%  brewed with 7 1/2 pounds of pumpkin per barrel and spiked in conditioning with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice
rogue ales chatoe good chit pilsner – 5%  made with rogue farm barley that is floor-malted in small batches
crannog bogtrotter brown ale – 4.8%  a nutty, sweet brown ale with a touch of toffee in the flavour
red truck ipa – wasn’t on the menu

i found the bogtrotter to be a “nice little brown – easy drinking”
the night owl was pumpkin pieish, not overly spiced… “pretty good, but i don’t think i’m ready for fall beers”
the pilsner was practically an ipa, so of course i loved it!
the red truck ipa was “quite nice”

taster #2
russell cranberry wheat ale – 4.7%  we take an already damn fine wheat ale and add cranberries during fermentation!
red truck pilsner – 5%  the light gold beer has a floral taste with a clean finish, a light malt sweetness and a sharp, herbal, hoppy bitterness
skookum old tom ipa – 6%  an ipa style balanced with a belgian malt.  cheers!
tree brewing hophead ipa – 5.8%  the hophead has a nice full body and mouthfeel, without the hoppiness being too overpowering.  a fine ale all around

i found the cranberry wheat to be sour as hell – practically a lambic – and that meant i loved it!
the red truck pilsner was too lagery for me – couldn’t find those hops they spoke of
i love the olde tom – its going on the current top 10 list!!
the hophead is a lovely ipa, but came in second to the olde tom, by a fair margin

september 28, 2011
central city dunkel – 5%  a traditional bavarian dark lager, malty with only a gentle hop accent for very little hop bitterness
moylans imperial hopsickle – 9.2%  enjoy the blast of fresh cascade, simcoe, columbus, ahtanum, and chinook hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly imperial fashion.  pucker up!
rogue mcrogue scotch ale – 8.2%  deep copper in colour, caramel aroma, rich malty flavour with a roated malt background
storm brewing black plague stout – 8%  an irish-style dry stout brewed only in small batches to ensure the freshness so paramount to such an intensely roasted beer

the black plague is definitely roasty, i recall liking this one a lot more in the past
the mcrogue has nice malts and subtle, but apparent, hops
the dunkel had enough hops to keep it from being too sweet – very drinkable
the imperial ipa is a hoppy bastard, very much on the bitter side and oh so boozey – i might just be over the imperial ipas, give me my hops, but give them to me a little less harshly please!

red truck

i hit up a birthday celebration at st. augustine’s on wednesday evening
and got to try the red truck limited release ipa!
(as featured in scout magazine)

when i first got to st. a’s the staff were not aware of the ipa being on the premises
after i told them it had been tweeted about they searched around and asked enough boss-type people until the keg was unearthed and hooked up
yay!

during that time i consoled myself with a deschutes inversion
defintely my go-to ipa
and a staunch member of my revolving evolving top ten beers list

i am very happy that the red truck ipa was found!
the juxtaposition of malts and hops, sweetness and bitterness
was like a perfect tango on my tongue
i really hope there is some left in the keg on sunday when i next get to stop by st. a’s

couldn’t remember if i’d had the lagunita’s lucky 13 before
so i ordered me one
“plenty of light roasted malt to keep it rich and mega-dosed with loads of hoppy – sweet and spicy amarillo goodness to keep it on the edge”
the nose on this one is amazing
i want to bottle that smell, err, well, you know, as an air freshener not a beer
anyway… very floral tasting
hello amarillo!
not gonna crack my top ten
but i would definitely have it again

i wanted to try the brooklyn brewery’s brewmaster’s reserve “the concoction” next
but alas, they ran out just then
(“based off a delightful scotch-based cocktail called the penicillin and combining peat smoked malt, minced ginger, lemon juice and wildflower honey”)
bummer, man

instead i went for the moylan’s nitro e.s.b.
“an english-syel pale ale.  we chose to deliver this beer with a blended nitrogen and co2 gas mixture.  this delivery method provides a smooth and silky texture to the mouth without compromising a balanced hop profile”
definitely english style, very smooth
almost too creamy
interesting end to a much hoppier beginning
but paired much better with the ice cream birthday cake than any of the earlier beers would have!
might have one again some time

#900

wow, this is my 900th post
i sure am chatty!

only two days away from international ipa day
please, if you’re in vancouver
come join in on the pub crawl!!!

4 – 5:45 at yaletown brewpub (with a cask of iain’s ipa dry-hopped with simcoe)

6 – 6:45 at railway club (with ipa on special)

7 – 7:45 at malones (with ipa specials and an appetizer for the group)

8 – 8:45 at steamworks

9 onwards at rogue wetbar (with ipa specials on crannog insurrection, moylan’s ipa, central city ipa and driftwood fat tug)

no tickets
no muss, no fuss
just show up at the venue(s) at the appointed time and join in on the ipa adoration
hop aboard, they’re expecting us!
let’s make this an event to remember

hoppapalooza

glutton for hop punishment that i am
not only did i attend hoppapalooza yesterday,
i’m going back to the alibi for more today!

what a good deal that was

$49 for all the beer i could swill
plus delicious chili for dinner
(there were several chili choices, including the veggie one i had)
and the program! 
what a great idea, and a fun read
not just a list of the beers available, its a novel about the craft beer movement in vancouver
chock full of inside jokes
and original artwork for the cover
definitely one for the archives

of the 40 some odd kegs and 5 casks
i got almost half way through trying them yesterday
(i do not hold out hope that i will finish the list tonight though – i shoulda gone with half pours yesterday)
my original plan was to start at the top of the list and work my way as far down as i could
but people kept suggesting beers i couldn’t miss, so i took their suggestions and between those went back to following the list

1.   gary’s imperial roach-a-palooza, one sniff and i thank all that is holy that hops are medicinal!
2.   bear republic ryevalry, which even though its a tripel, i actually enjoyed it
3.   dan & matt’s rocket to russia bourbonated imperial stout, holy bourbonation batman!  this is one enormous beer, with such a fabulous dark head
4.   tofino brewing’s ipa, absolutely delicious!
5.   elysian dragonstooth imperial stout cask, dark roasty toasty chocolatey
6.   ninkasi brewing’s the believer double red ale, dry and delicious and made me very happy, which seemed to be the consensus – i think this one might have been my best in show vote
7.   rogue’s xs series imperial ipa, which i didn’t enjoy – i was getting coriander and didn’t want to be
8.   tariq’s wrath of khan ipa, as good as i remember from the spring sessional, contender for my best in show vote (again)
9.   brooklyn brewing’s east india pale ale, poor little understated classic american ipa, not “in your face” like the northwest ones, i probably should have started with this one if i were to properly appreciate it
10.  hopworks’ abominable ale, “smells ah-mazing! yes, yes, yes, yes”
11.  tree’s double hophead ipa, which i just didn’t love
12.  moylans’ hopsickle triple hopped imperial ipa, “so f’ng good – it tackles you but doesn’t blindside like the bottle does”
14.  howe sound’s total eclipse of the hops, which i found “lovely”
15.  driftwood’s fat tug ipa, at this point my notes devolve into hearts, and the tug got three
15.  iain hill’s brick and beam ipa, two hearts
16.  vern’s imperial ipa, two hearts

yes there are two fifteens and no thirteen on my list
apparently i can’t count very well after 12 tasters!
i returned to the roach for my final beer as everyone there endeavoured to kill the roach!

also had sips of the pike brewing douple ipa, which i want to love, but it was just too pedestrian
and the north coast beer engine red seal, which i found “okay”
and the st. bernadus abt 12 quadruppel, which i liked, go figure

could this event be improved upon?
i’m sure there’s something, but i can’t find a single thing to complain about or suggest to improve
yay vcbw organizers!
yay brewers!

lord help me tomorrow morning after yet another night of hard drinking!

link love

for the april/may deschutes newsletter, click here

especially exciting for me is the return of hop in the dark!
HOP IN THE DARK

Available late May-September
Are you afraid of the dark? It appears not. In 2010, Draft Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine called Hop in the Dark one of the top 25 beers of the year! This ominous looking liquid combines Northwest hops with roasted malts to create a black tinted India Pale Ale type beer. Its aromas come from Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, and Centennial hops that float over a gentle undercurrent of velvet malt complexities.
Take the plunge – a hop, if you will – into this delectable Dark Cascadian Ale. Available in 22 oz bottles or on draft wherever Deschutes beer is sold. 6.5% Alc. by Vol. / 75 IBUs

for the moylan’s newsletter, click here

for the rogue phillips pairing dinner, click here

for the huffington post article about flying dog’s raging bitch ipa, click here

tasting notes

from beernesdays all the way back in january when i was on the wagon
quotes and bons mots from those who were imbibing:

amanda:
on the rogue mogul madness:  i taste the hops and only the hops, maybe in another year [i will appreciate it]
on the lost coast raspberry brown ale:  of course i love it – very berry raspberry, not so chocolate
on lagunitas brown shugga:  uggh
on storm highland cream ale:  love, love, love, so creamy, so nutty, not so dark but yum and caramel finish
on hopworks 7 grain stout:  strong, hello america! yum, espresso taste that is so good!  can taste the 7 grains, not sure what they are, but good!  like having a shot of espresso with a shot of alcohol
on moylans’ irish stout:  low hops, defs malty, roasty & rich 4 sure, not chocolately or coffee flav like most.  delish

bridget:
on the crannog backhand of god:  makes the day bearable

gwen:
on russell’s black death porter:  mediocre, wouldn’t pint it
on north coast old rasputin:  mediocre, wouldn’t pint it
on hopworks 7 grain stout:  favourite, had a pint
on central city red racer oatmeal stout:  mediocre, wouldn’t pint it
in general:  unamused by the stouts today

tasting notes

okay, so i’m just gonna admit it right from the top of the post
i got pretty darned drunk at beernesday this past week
not that i don’t usually get somewhat drunk, but this was a bit beyond the norm
people were doing beer shots from the divet of my clavicle… it was one of those kinda nights

so, my tasting notes are even worse than usual
but let me give you what little i can!

began and ended with a pint of the rogue dry hopped st. rogue red:  5.2% named the world’s best pale ale at the world beer awards.  reddish copper in colour, a roasty malty flavor, with a hoppy-spruce finish.
i love this beer!
it makes me happy – must be all them hops
i can see why its the world’s best ale
its a maltier darker ipa… divine, simply divine

my sampler was supposed to be an ode to hops in various styles
but it ended up being rather disappointing…
paddock wood 606 pale ale:  5.4%  featuring a blend of cascade, amarillo and willamette hops on top of a solid malt base.  the finish is balanced with rich, aromatic hop profile
eel river brewing organic india pale ale:  7%  brewed with the finest organic malts and hops, this ipa features a bright-minted copper color and a crisp, yet smooth hop bitterness
longwood brewpub extra special bitter:  6%  a deep copper coloured, malty ale, moderately hopped
howe sound boomer’s canadian red ale:  5%  a strong, malty red ale with aromatic cascade hop nose

i loved the paddock pale ale – great hop balance and lovely flavour.  my favourite of the sampler.. a pale ale over an esb and an ipa?  who’d a thunk it?  but why not, all my favourite hops were well represented and made themselves known.  i’d drink this beer again, and often!
the eel river?  my notes read “i hope to fuck this beer has gone off cuz its fucking awful”.  so there you have it.
the longwood esb was very malty.  definitely very light on the hops.  “not that bad, but really not the esbs i’ve fallen in love with.  just too malty for me”.  so if you’re buying, i won’t turn it down, but i’m not gonna buy it for myself!
the howe sound promised me aromatic cascade hops.  i didn’t find them.  which i found disappointing. boo hoo hoo.

katy tried the lost coast great white:  “drinkable but not so hoppy.  not my favourite.  on a hot summer day i would love it”
and the vancouver island hermann’s dark lager:  “dark and creamy and warmy”

i tried a sip of the cannery blackberry porter – and found it fruity as hell without being sweet, so i’m a fan!

as for bottles, i sampled the moylans hopsickle triple hoppy imperial ipa: 9.2%  this is a “hop” tribute, worthy of a king’s imperial court!  enjoy the blast of fresh tomahawk, cascade and centennial hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly imperial fashion.  pucker up!
fabulous – delicious – wonderfully hoppy!
but i wanna know, is it the tomahawk hops or just that there are three times as much hops in general that is giving it that extra boost of hops flavour over the regular three c’s?

moylans dragoons dry irish stout:  8%  dry, roasty and incredibly rich in flavour.  dragoons dry irish stout is made with a unique blend of imported hops and malted barley from the uk.  this award winning stout is brewed in the irish tradition to commemorate gen. stephen moylan, irish-born commander of the 4th continental dragoons during the american revolutionary war
appropriate drink for the night before remembrance day??
yes very dry and roasty and flavourful
delicious little stout!

ballast point big eye ipa:  7%  one of the very best big, hoppy west coast ipas.
my notes:  “oh yes, now that’s a lovely bunch of hops. xoxoxo”
apparently i liked it, i really liked it!
good thing there’s a bottle in the beer fridge!

and then pints of driftwood’s fat tug ipa and hopworks ipa
my notes simply give them three hearts
i was past note taking by that point
yay me!

moylans hopsickle imperial ale

next up is moylan‘s hopsickle imperial ale
its triple hopped!
so i’m very much looking forward to some incredible hoppy goodness!

not an ipa, it is quite balanced between the intense hops and its malts
quite the big head on a vigourous pour
hoppy nose
dark caramel colour
9.2% (yay!)

the bottle and the website say:
“This is a “Hop” tribute, worthy of a King’s Imperial Court! Enjoy the blast of fresh Tomahawk, Cascade and Centennial Hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly imperial fashion. Pucker Up!”

““Prohibition in this country ended our brewing tradition,” Moylan explained. “Budweiser and a few others moved in fast and captured many of the larger markets. Now we’re entering into a new phase of beer brewing. I think you’ll see it continue to grow.” In fact the craft brewing market share grew by 7% in 2004.”

beer tasting

i love my busy life!
it does make it hard to make longer posts in a timely fashion though!

craft beer tasting at firefly on july 20th was amazing!
and not just because they let us sample the tactical nuclear penguin!
(omg – i got to try the tnp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

we began the evening again with a kokanee – just to make sure that everyone knew the difference between the craft brews (aka good beer) and the mass market offerings (aka piss).

so almost first up was r&b’s red devil pale ale.
english style pale ale – not a red or amber ale despite its red colour “hoppy floral aroma and malty sweetness, which are followed by a slightly dry and very refreshing finish.”
i especially love this one for its colour – beautifully coppery and clear; good head and carbonation; fabulous hop and malt balance, but maltier than other pale ales:  totally tasty stuff!
and what a great label!

moving along, next we sampled the wells bombardier ale
an english style ale.  good head and carbonation.
bridget found it had a bitter cherry note at the end.  i just got a malty finish… they say it has caramel notes and milk chocolate.
i had to take a big sniff to get the peppery nose it advertises.
not my favourite beer of the evening.

moylans ipa was next.  its not my favourite ipa, but at a tasting any ipa is a happy addition if you ask me!
“provides a stimulating assault on all senses… a deep golden hue that nearly winks at you from the glass”
totally hoppy nose, great head, caramel colour
and i do get the sweet malt and spicy hop finish as advertised.

samuel smith nut brown ale
“brewed in open top slate tanks that allow the yeast interaction with the air that gives the beer a floral nose”
very creamy head, darker red colour, fruity (appley) nose
smells like it will be too yeasty for me, but its palatable for a small glass – too much apple juice taste for a whole pint of it

dupont saison
“slightly cloudy yellow-coloured ale with high carbonation, fruity and spicy aromas and tastes, and perceptible, somewhat quinine-like bitterness”
high enough carbonation to require a cork!
total yeasty nose
yup, its cloudy… but chunky not an even opaqueness
i actually found it drinkable
but wouldn’t enjoy a bottle.

cantillion kriek
holy sour batman!!
“100% lambic made with fresh morello cherries and real spontaneous fermentation.  complex sourness with slight aroma of cherries and barnyard”
pinky red in colour, and oh so carbonated – also required a cork
i always said i wasn’t a lambic fan… i think i was wrong
i’m not gonna say they’re my favourite and i want to drink them every day, but the more i got into this one, the more i liked it and poured myself a second jot!

i would like to sincerely thank firefly for putting on these fabulous tasting sessions,
for letting us all try the tactical nuclear penguin
and for showing me new beer styles i might not have bothered to try on my own