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

legacy

new beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Breakside Brewery – India Pale Ale – $7.85
You’ve all been asking for it, and it’s finally happened! Breakside beers have finally landed in our cooler. This Portland brew pours a beautiful transparent orange with a pile of citrus and citrus hops on the nose. More citrus in the form of grapefruit and orange accompanied with a bit of pine on a malt background represent the palate, while a medium body and dry finish close out this tasty Oregon treat.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Pyramid Brewing – Hefeweizen – $6.65

It’s time for some Hefeweizen, and these west coast gentlemen have produced a fine rendition of this cloudy and delicious beverage. A hazy pale lemon with wheat, grass, slight orange essence and floral hops can all be found on the nose, aromas that carry through on the palate with a touch of lemon tartness on the finish. Crisp and refreshing, it’s a fabulous Hefe for any thirsty individual.

Mike Dolan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Townsite Brewing – Said the Ale – $7.55

Part of the CBC music radio craft beer collaboration, ‘Said the Ale’ is a Belgian pale ale from the folks in Powell River pouring dark copper in colour, with notes of dark fruit and yeast as well as herbal hops in its bouquet. Raisin and dark malt are the stars on the palate with herbal hops playing backup as a dry finish rounds out this delicious beer.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

link love

fox news takes time away from making up stories about celebrities and gives us their top ten summer beers, including 21st amendment’s hell or high watermelon and pyramid apricot ale

toronto beer festival, take 18
the toronto star says its finally growing up from frat-boy drunk fest into a caskapalooza craft beer event worthy of beer geek attendance

imperial pilsners the wall street journal thinks you should try
including odell double pilsner
i do love me a pilsner!

r&b in collaboration with the pride society of vancouver
has brewed a special beer for vancouver pride
check out toast vancouver’s preview of the g’ale golden ale

and the vancouver courier reports on the three new beer spots coming to mount pleasant
nigel and conrad’s brassneck brewery
mark james group’s new brewery
restaurant and brewery for main street pilsner

cask night

last night’s cask at the yaletown brewpub was their pale ale dry-hopped with cascades
and it was a good one!
rumour has it there’s a stout cask coming up…

because it was martini night (and that’s not my scene)
we left yaletown for rogue wetbar and more beer
because we follow rogue on twitter we got to try one of their new beer cocktails for free!
i love free!
and i love a bellini, so i went for the beerlini
pyramid apricot beer with bellini slush
it makes for a murky drink, but damn, its delicious!

then i had to have a pint of the hopworks abominable winter ale because they still had some available at rogue as their rotating tap
guess it isn’t officially spring for a couple more days…

job love

sometimes the whole working for a living thing is a-okay
and i don’t just mean on pay day!

today the office field trip was to the liquor store
i love getting to stock the office fridge with beer!

now keep in mind that i am slowly indoctrinating my work peeps
so no judging the choices – the fridge looks so much better than when i started here!

portland

my friend is on her way to portland
i am jealous
i have a trip in the works, but not for at least another month dammit!

anyway
in advising her of where she HAS to go i came across this site that provides pub crawl suggestions
so if you haven’t yet purchased the beer goddess’ guide, which of course you need to go do now, this site can tide you over

tasting notes

from last week’s beernesday at st. augustine’s:

i began my night with a sampler
dead frog’s christmas beeracle!  5%  a festive, rich, warm amber ale with a medley of spices including cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
cannery’s no jail pale ale:  3.05% a lower-alcohol beer with an authentic ale taste!  a clean, crisp ale with a bright hop finish and about 40% less alcohol than conventional beer
salt spring’s golden spike ale:  5%  voted “best golden ale” at the canadian brewing awards
paddock wood’s london porter:  5.3%  a dark ale based on a recipe from 1850 which lets chocolate malt take the lead.  smoother than stout, but still holds a deep roast profile

i very much liked the christmas beeracle!
gingery goodness (reminiscent of the steamworks ginger from last spring)
and no vanilla!!
i would definitely have this one again
and i don’t say that about many christmas or winter ales
bridget liked it a lot too!

the no jail was a little thin
very pale in colour and quite crisp
i didn’t really find that hop finish they spoke of
you could definitely session this one
and what’s not to like about a beer you can have one of and still drive afterward?
but i probably won’t have it again

i’ve had the golden spike before, but didn’t remember that until i tasted it
apparently i am not a golden ale fan because i really didn’t like it
(neither did bridget)
i like a roastier malt

the london porter was fabulous
very light and refreshing for a dark beer
malty without cloying chocolate or espresso
i would definitely have this one again

next up for me was a bottle of the pyramid snow cap 2010:  7%  deep mahogany in colour, this full-bodied winter warmer is crafted with roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and is generously hopped

yup, its dark and the mahogany comes through in the light
quite clear
and no vanilla!
nicely malty, not too sweet
no over the top flavours
just good reliable maltiness

brooklyn brewery’s penant ale ’55:  5.1%  a classic english pal ale, brewed with the prized maris otter malt and fuggles, willamette and cascade hops.  maris otter is an old malt variety that yields an incomparable biscuity flavor.

lovely stuff this
the maris otter are a fine malt
this would make a great session beer
tasha is not a big fan – but it does make her want a hot dog!
i would prefer a bit more of a hop profile, but that’s hardly a surprise
i’d have it again
i might especially like to have it at a ball game, hot dog or not!

anchor brewing company christmas ale 2010:  5.5%  aroma and flavours of figs, cherries, plums, vanilla, caramel malts, raisins, nutmeg and other winter spices.  medium-bodied with low carbonation and malty, spicy mouthfeel.

i didn’t like last year’s christmas ale, but this year’s isn’t bad
i don’t love it, but its alright!
quite fruity, but not too sweet
and the vanilla isn’t overwhelming
glad i tried it, but i won’t have another

and finishing off my night, i had to go with the southern tier pale ale again – i love this stuff!!!

maxim’s top 25

the 25 best new beers in america
according to those people who know their smut, maxim magazine
(from the february 2010 issue – i’m a bit behind in my smut)

butternuts beer & ale – porkslap pale ale
widmer brothers – drifter pale ale
great divide brewing – hoss rye lager
new belgium – hoptober golden ale
victory – helios ale
oskar blues – ten fidy imperial stout
pyramid – haywire hefeweizen
boston beer co. – samuel adams noble pils
sierra nevada – torpedo extra ipa
clipper city – marzhon
anheuser-busch – bud light wheat
21st amendment – brew free or die ipa
dogfish head – indian brown ale
northcoast brewing – old stock ale
foothills brewing – sexual chocolate imperial stout
deschutes – green lakes organic ale
upslope brewery – upslope pale ale
intercourse brewing – blue ball porter
ballast point – calico amber ale
new glarus – fat squirrel brown ale
brooklyn brewery – local 1 pale ale
barley brown’s – tumble off pale ale
firestone walker – union jack ipa
harpoon – ufo white wheat
sly fox – phoenix pale ale

well, doesn’t that just give me a whole ‘nother great long list of beers to try?
good thing i’ve already tried the 21st amendment and the pyramid… only 22 to go!

(side note:  i’ve been to intercourse pa, which i bet is right beside wilkes-barre where intercourse brewing is located… my evangelical great aunt even bought me a teeshirt that says “intercourse university” on it – because apparently even god has a sense of humour… still have the shirt… poor thing must be over 20 years old now and i still wear it proudly.  i am a geek…)

beers i wanna try

more for the ‘beers to drink’ list:

crooked line – tilted smile imperial pilsner
pyramid – juggernaut fall seasonal red ale
long trail brewing – imperial porter
amnesia brewing – copacetic ipa
amnesia brewing – desolation ipa
amnesia brewing – dusty trail pale ale
shmaltz brewing – rye double ipa
21st amendment – back in black
full sail – spotless ipa
lagunitas brewing – lucky 13 red ale
rj rockers brewing – rockhopper ipa
sweetwater brewing – dank tank magnum ip

red truck blueberry

the drinking forces came together at st. augustine’s last evening with a primary and a secondary goal, both of which were achieved.

first on the agenda was to sample red truck’s limited purple haze blueberry blonde ale.  this was extremely easy to accomplish, but we managed to do it with great aplomb, style and delight.

st. augustine’s describes it as:  “6.0%  Deep purple in colour with a pinkish head, light blueberry aroma and tartness plus a dry finish.”

they didn’t lie.  it was all that, and all four of us enjoyed it.  at least initially.  bridget only got half way down her sampler glass before she tapped out.  alison and i got all the way through our samples but felt that perhaps that was quite enough blueberry goodness for us.  not truly surprising as not a one of us actually likes wheat beers/blondes.  amanda, wonderful counterpoint to our wheat hating ways, loved it of course.  it was right up her alley.  but she too declined to have a whole pint of it.

second on the agenda was to share and catch up and enjoy the conviviality of good friends having a few drinks.  also achieved with great ease, aplomb and delight.  damn, we’re good!

amanda rounded out her sampler with the lost coast tangerine wheat ale, pyramid audacious apricot (of course) and central city’s raspberry wheat ale.  she may have found a new favourite to challenge her usual audacious apricot love – the tangerine.  she says:  “a delish’ taste, the aroma of the tangerine – prior to a sip – sucks you in.  brings to memory a cold one, back in south africa and grabbing a fresh tangerine off the tree – a delightful surprise, a competitor to audacious apricot.”

amanda also tried the merridale estate cidery house cider.  st. augustine’s says “6.9%  Light, dry and effervescent and made with locally grown apples.”  amanda says:  “a real organic taste – home grown!  the essence of crab apples and cinammon touch the nose… aftertaste is very natural apple taste… the fresh off the tree, crunch taste.  a tad bit sweet, not as dry as they profess it to be, but delightful.  only a 1 pint for this fruit cake.”

i sipped amanda’s cider, and quite enjoyed it, but did not venture to try it in a snake bite.  i am falling down in my challenge to myself to find the ultimate snake bite.  fortunately i plan to live for at least another 50 years, so i have plenty of time to meet the challenge.

more on everyone else’s samplers and pint choices later!