r&b hoppelganger

oh the r & b hoppelganger
what a lovely local ipa
and a great way to get my hop fix

i was reminded of my love for this brew at wild rice the other night
i was there for a wedding reception
and the host bar offered keiths or sleemans honey
so that’s what i drank until they ran out
once i was on my own, i very happily switched to the ipa
nothing makes me happier than an ipa
especially an aggressively hopped ipa
my night ended well!

so well in fact that i decided to have another hoppelganger the other afternoon
sitting outside on the deck in the october sunshine in a tank top sipping hoppelganger with a good friend
what a great way to spend a couple of hours!

from the bottle: “rick and barry (r&b) invite you to try our hoppelganger india pale ale.  we created our ipa for beer lovers who appreciate an assertively hopped brew.  well-balanced with a skillful combination of five hop varieties and premium english malt, hoppelganger has the generous flavour and clean finish you have come to expect from our local vancouver microbrewery.  at more than 45 ibus, this beer has a mild, hoppy aroma followed with aggressive hop bitterness… and is not for the faint of tongue.  enjoy this superior mystical brew at 10 – 12 degrees c.”  6%

from the website:  “R&B’s Hoppelganger IPA is a Northwest style India Pale Ale, created for the true beer connoisseur. An assertive blend of Crystal, Columbus, Chinook, Mt. Hood, and Cascade Hops, is added to premium English, French-Belgian, and Canadian malts to create a fresh floral aroma and generous malt flavour, so emblematic of true Northwest-style I.P.A.s. Hoppelganger’s clean and slightly sweet finish is followed by an aggressive hop bitterness. At 45 IBU’s, this beer is definitely…NOT FOR THE FAINT OF TONGUE!!!”

Browns Social House

i had cause to be out and about near 10th and alma, and in need of sustenance, so i stopped in at Browns Social House.  i’d never heard of this chain before, and can’t imagine why not.  i guess i just don’t get out as much as i’d like to pretend i do.

their beer selection leaves an awful lot to be desired, but the atmosphere and the food were pretty fabulous.  and the bathroom was pretty darned wonderful, and you know how i like a good bathroom in my drinking establishment.

featuring only granville island, okanagan spring 1516, guinness, sleeman’s honey brown and grolsch on tap, they also carry the following bottles:  coors light, kokanee, sol, sapporo, guinness and strongbow.  like i said, not much of a selection.  they do offer sleeves of the taps for $3.95 or pitchers for $14 on sundays and mondays.  the “social lager” specially brewed for them by granville island brewery tasted pretty much the same to me as regular gi lager, but at only $4.95 i felt it was most palatable option.

the food though, the food was fabulous.  i had the cowgirl salad and dynamite roll combo – fabulously delicious, i’d totally go there again just for that meal.  although it might take me a while to do so – kits is not my usual stomping ground.

and i liked the decor, particularly the industrial look ceiling, all the light fixtures and the embroidered leather bar stools.  nice place to watch the game and people.

verdict:  thumbs way down on the beer selection, thumbs way up on the atmosphere and food.  i’d definitely go again, just not with a beer loving friend!