Category: stout

beer column

here are my notes from yesterday’s beer column on cbc radio’s on the coast:

As the year draws to a close, let’s recap the beer happenings in 2014.

2014 has been quite the year for craft beer!  So far 20 new breweries have opened up across the province.

I’d like to welcome the newest Vancouver craft brewery:  Strangefellows!  Strangefellows is now open on Clark Drive in East Vancouver.  They are still jumping through hoops to get their lounge endorsement, so currently they’re just serving up growler fills.  Iain Hill, formerly of Yaletown BrewPub, is the brewmaster and he is well-known in the craft beer world for his incredible sour beers.  Strangefellows will have a barrel program, so look for sour beers from them in 2015.  Currently they have a deliciously hoppy pale ale on tap that is a mere 3.8%, a wit, a lager and a brown ale.

Also freshly opened are Category 12 Brewing in Central Saanich and Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse in Terrace.

Cumberland Brewing (ComoxValley), Gladstone Brewing in Courtenay and Hearthstone Brewery in North Vancouver may squeak their openings into 2014.

Numbers-wise that could take us to 23 new breweries in BC in 2014.

Five breweries opened in the Lower Mainland in 2013 (GreenLeaf at Lonsdale Quay, 33 Acres and Brassneck in Vancouver, Deep Cove in North Van, Four Winds in Delta).

That number more than doubled this year.  Among the breweries opened in the Lower Mainland in 2014 are: Bomber, Main Street, Steel Toad, Strangefellows and Postmark in Vancouver, Dageraad in Burnaby, Moody Ales and Yellow Dog in Port Moody, Black Kettle in North Van, White Rock Beach in White Rock, Surlie Brewing in Abbotsford, and Steel & Oak in New Westminster. 

Add to that the out of town breweries opening up tasting rooms in Vancouver – like Howe Sound Brewing from Squamish’s Devil’s Elbow alehouse on Beatty Street and Prohibition Brewing from Kelowna’s tasting room on Hamilton Street.

And all the expanding breweries:  both Bridge Brewing and Powell Street brewing left their original nanobreweries behind in 2014 and opened larger facilities.  Parallel 49 keeps on expanding, and the newly opened Bomber brewing expanded within weeks of opening.  Demand just keeps growing for craft beer and breweries keep expanding to keep pace.

It will be interesting to see if 2014 is the peak year for brewery openings or if the upward trend can continue.

2014 was also a year of many liquor law changes.  I think most people are happy that the provincial government is addressing our very antiquated liquor laws.  Many of the changes are small and just make sense, like allowing patrons to carry their own drinks between areas in an establishment.  Previously a server would have to carry your drink if you moved from the restaurant area to the pub.  Now it is legal to carry your own.  Phew!

But not everyone is happy with the bigger changes to the liquor laws.  For example, the happy hour law change should have made it possible for bars to serve beer at a discounted price.  This has been achieved in Vancouver where bars mark the beers up higher than other places, so charging the minimum price is a discount.  But in many smaller locales, the price of beer actually had to go up to meet the minimum 25 cents per ounce price put on it by the government.  That is hardly a win for consumers or small businesses.

Other law changes such as allowing minors into pubs during certain hours, allowing alcohol sales at farmer’s markets and whole site licensing seem to have escaped complaint.  I guess that means people are happy with the changes… or haven’t even noticed them!

April 1st marks the date the next set of changes take effect, including sale of alcohol in grocery stores and standardized liquor pricing.  These changes have been controversial, so I expect we’ll be hearing more about those as they come into effect, especially if they translate into the higher prices many are predicting.

As for beertrends in 2014, my favourite is the rise of sessionable beers.  These are beers with less than 5% abv.  Full flavour without a staggering alcohol volume is a welcome addition to anyone’s beer offerings.  If you know you’re settling in for several hours of convivial drinking it’s nice to have a lower alcohol option.  (I’m putting my money on sours as the beer trend of 2015).

I think the “hop of the year” must be Mosaic.  It is very tropical fruity, think mango lemon and pine.  You can try it in Central City’s ISA, Phillips Brewing’s Kaleidoscope and Deschutes Fresh-squeezed IPA.

And finally, I have to mention how happy I am that Rogers Arena and the PNE have added craft beer to their beverage line-ups.  This has been a long time coming and sporty craft beer fans are rejoicing loudly!
 

Beer Picks:

The hobbit Trilogy series of Beers

Central City Brewers + Distillers acquired the right to brew Hobbit beers for the Canadian market back in November.
The three beers should be making an appearance in BC Liquor stores this week.

Gollum Precious Pils is a 5 percent lager
Smaug Stout is a whopping 9.5 percent and brewed with chili peppers
Bolg Belgian Tripel is 8 percent .

Parallel 49’s Sahti Claus is a Finnish style beer brewed with rye, barley and juniper berries.  Traditionally this style doesn’t use hops, but P49 has put Chinook and simcoe in to add to the piney flavour.

Dead Frog’s Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter Stout is a treat!  Not too sweet, not too nutty, and not too heavy hitting at 6.1%.

and the westender article about the perceived craft beer bubble

new releases

from deschutes brewery:

 
Red Chair NWPA | Somewhere in between a big IPA and a well balanced Pale Ale, this seasonal, hop-forward Northwest Pale Ale packs a citrus punch. Don’t wait around or you’ll miss the most thrilling ride of the winter. Ride the red chair.


 
Hop Henge Experimental IPA | Our annual experiment in IBU escalation. New hop processes, experimental hops and boat loads of Millennium, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops result in massive aromas and flavors.      

 

The Dissident | Pucker up! This Flanders-style sour brown ale is hardly ordinary. With tart pie cherries and Brettanomyces, this barrel-aged beer is extraordinary. December 12th release.

 
AltBitter Collaboration with Widmer Brother’s Brewing |  To celebrate Widmer’s 30th Anniversary, they created a beer inspired by two classic favorites: our Bachelor Bitter and their Altbier. Try the 2 barrel-aged component beers and the final AltBitter on December 15th. 

 

from phillips brewing:
December 1st, 2014: Coffee stouts have always held a  special place in our hearts as one of the three original Phillips brews, and this year’s Imperial version–brewed in collaboration with our  friends at 2% Jazz Coffee Co.–is an 8% 650mL double shot!

Pouring a deep black earth colour with a medium tan head, this beer is brewed with freshly roasted coffee beans and then finished with a second coffee addition just prior to packaging.  The flavour is a java-laden journey featuring bright coffee aromas and dry roasted flavours accented with hints of dark chocolate.  Methodically crafted with only the best local coffee, this one-eyed Jackal is no wildcard.

Available at finer craft-friendly private liquor stores as well as BC Liquor Stores for a limited time only.

If you’d like to taste the magic that can happen when you combine roasted coffee beans with malted barley, we’d like to to invite you to pop by the brewery on December 4th from 4-6 for a special draft tasting.
   
 

from mt. begbie brewing:
 
Mt. Begbie Brewing Company Seasonal Release
 
 
Mt. Begbie Brewery is located in beautiful Revelstoke, a small town with a rich history, in the heart of British Columbia’s spectacular Columbia mountain range.

The company is named after Mt. Begbie, a majestic glacial mountain that dominates the Revelstoke skyline.

In turn, the mountain is named after Matthew “Hanging Judge” Begbie, a colourful character from Revelstoke’s early history, who probably would have benefitted from a sip of Mt. Begbie’s soothing ales before rendering his judgements. Read more about the brewery. 

 
BOB’S YOUR DUNKEL
 
          Bob's Your Dunkel      

 
Limited quantities, only available for Private Stores.
 
Brewed in the Dunkelweizen tradition, this is a rich, unfiltered wheat beer (Weissbier) loaded with chocolate and Munich malts, that displays the true banana and clove characteristics of a well done dunkel. Sure to warm your winter nights! 
 
 
 
Style: Dunkelweizen
Alc./Vol: 8.0%
12 x 650ml
Price: $5.10 /bottle
SKU# 518753

  
 
 

legacy liquor store

This is one of Vancouver’s more recent additions to the craft beer scene born out of a vision of enjoyment for the binding elements of life: spirit of community sharing, drink, food, conversation, space, and ideas. Influenced by the natural elements of their beautiful Pacific Northwest backdrop, 33 Acres is fueled by creative thinking, and driven to make the highest quality product available to the city. Along with other new craft breweries in the city, they are hard at work making Vancouver a craft beer destination that aims to rival that of Portland, Oregon. Check out these cleanly crafted and simple sublime brews, and be quick because they sell quickly in this glorious spring weather.

33 Acres Brewing Co. 33 Acres of Sunshine – $6.95
This is my go-to summer brew: easy drinking, refreshing and just plain delicious thanks to the inclusion of orange peel, anise and coriander in the brewing process. A hazy straw yellow, this French Blanche smells like fresh pizza dough on the nose with the coriander, anise and orange coming up big on the end. Palate-wise yeast deliciousness sprinkled with spice, citrus and a thirst quenching finish make this a beer worth revisiting over and over again.

Aaron Morten | Office Liaison | Legacy Liquor Store

33 Acres Brewing Co. 33 Acres of Life – $6.65
This is Vancouver’s approach to the California Common style and a good take on it too. Rusty amber in colour, it has plenty of malt on the nose accompanied by spice and orchard fruit such as apple and pear. On the palate more malt, fruit and spice appear to create a bigger and definitely more complex California common, making this brew a bit uncommon.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

33 Acres Brewing Co. 33 Acres of Ocean – $6.95
No beer line-up would be complete without a pale ale like this 33 Acres rendition. Brassy in colour with an assertive and floral aroma chock full of tropical fruit and fun, all of which pop on the palate once you put the mug to your lips. So take a sip and tip it on back.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

Issac, Andrew, Franck, Dany and Luke of Le Trou du Diable bring a passion for the world of brewing coupled with many years of experience. The original brewers, Isaac and Andrew, have always dreamed of providing their hometown a unique handcrafted product through a brewery worthy of comparison to other Quebec breweries such as le Cheval Blanc, or to major European institutions such Chimay, Bass, Pilsner Urquell, and Fisher. After several set backs and with a bit of elbow grease Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable opened in December 2005 in Shawinigan, Quebec. The name itself “Le Trou du Diable” or The Devil’s Hole, is a reference to a mighty whirlpool called “The Cauldron” located at the bottom of Shawinigan Falls. This name comes from the folk belief that this bottomless hole leads straight to hell; nobody that has entered it has lived to tell the story. Climbing podiums globally Le Trou du Diable has won numerous awards worldwide with their ability to mix old-school styles and new-school brews in both exciting and skilled ways. With a renowned barrel-aging program and award-winning creative designs, Le Trou du Diable offers world class beers for you to enjoy.

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable Dulcis Succubus – $27.55
From deep within the bowels of Le Trou du Diable devilishly delicious things are brewing. Barrel aged in Californian white wine barrels, this brew is hazy and tangerine in colour and pops with notes of peaches, pears and apricots that are all cozily nestled under a musky blanket of deliciousness. Stone fruit and a fantastic showing of brettanomyces all show up once you tip back the glass. This brew is well worth the price of admission… welcome to the dark side.

Aaron Morten | Office Liaison | Legacy Liquor Store

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable La Bretteuse – $27.55
One good Brett IPA deserves another, and Le Trou du Diable serves one up with a bit of Quebecois flare. Clear copper in colour, this beer hints of its 18 months spent in Syrah barrels, tasting of mandarin peel, funky wood and red berries. 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.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable Le Sang D’Encre – $9.45
An epic label for an epic stout from Quebec, this particular brew is jet black in the glass with prominent roasted malt, anise and dried fruit on the nose. Coffee, chocolate and more dried fruits (raisins and dates specifically) accompanied by some slight herbal hop show up on the palate, making this medium-bodied, dry-finishing stout a real hit.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

link love

stupid fda rule may screw farmers

how to carry a case of beer on your bike

 

trappist breweries – ancient traditions and modern realities

 

liquor control licensing amendment act

 

best news ever for all you carnivorous lovers of beer
and if it is from foxnews, you know it must be 100% true

ten best american cities for craft beer
no surprises on this list!

vcbw 2014 collaboration brew

new stout specific beer glass

 

 

legacy liquor store

newly arrived at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Brasserie Le Trou Du Diable Le Sang D’Encre – $9.45

An epic label for an epic stout from Quebec, this particular brew is jet black in the glass with prominent roasted malt, anise and dried fruit on the nose. Coffee, chocolate and more dried fruits (raisins and dates specifically) accompanied by some slight herbal hop show up on the palate, making this medium-bodied, dry-finishing stout a real hit.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Nøgne Ø Tiger Tripel – $10.65

From the cold shores of Norway Nøgne Ø delivers a Tripel with a bit of Scottish inspiration. Golden brown in colour with rich ripe notes of stone fruit (peach and apricot) and a blend of spices such as nutmeg, pepper and anise on the nose. More stone fruit presents itself on the palate with even more spices like cinnamon, clove and a bit of paprika. Deceptively drinkable and just plain delicious, I say well played, Nøgne Ø.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

The Bruery Oude Tart – $21.35

A world-class beer through and through, this California take on a Flanders red is a deep, dark brown in colour, like mahogany. Flemish funk owns the nose with hints of tart berry and leather, while the palate is tart and dry with plenty of cranberry and black currant. This brew will make you say “wow” with its complex aroma and palate. Simply fantastic.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

legacy liquor store

new and delicious beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Ommegang Take the Black Stout – $11.25

Now this is a stout that even the brothers at Castle Black can call their own. As dark as the abyss itself, this beer is darker than the fates of those that venture beyond the wall. Roasted dark malts, smoky oak and Belgian yeast own the nose of this beer while the palate is all about chocolate, mocha and warming alcohol. This medium bodied beer is rich, delicious and perfect for these cold months. Remember, winter is coming.

Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

Burnside Thundarr the Bavarian Imperial Wheat Ale – $7.55

Don’t let the fact it’s a wheat ale turn you away; this imperial beer can hold its own amongst the dark beers that dominate the season. German through and through, boasting a hazy golden appearance and an aroma dominated by banana, clove and citrus and a flavour profile that is all about that German hustle, specifically orange peel, lemon peel, coriander, banana and clove, this light-bodied brew hides its ABV well at 7.2% with a quaffability that is out of this world.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

Alameda Stubs Old Crow Hazelnut Porter – $7.95

A waxed bottle means two things: a lot more difficulty getting to the beer, but a beer that is well worth the extra work. This particular brew is nearly black in colour with a dark tan head and aromas of chocolate, espresso and vanilla that leap from the glass, while in the mouth rich and medium bodied with all sorts of roast malt flavours, chocolate and a defining nuttiness. A spectacular American Porter that has been taken to the next level courtesy of defining hazelnut flavours.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

beer column

my notes from yesterday’s beer column on cbc radio’s on the coast:

It’s officially Fall. That means its time to talk about autumnal beers.  
 
Once the hot weather and long patio evenings of Summer fade into Fall people tend to put down the wheat beers and lagers and instead pick up a spiced ale, or a stout. Often lighter beers, in both presentation and alcohol content, make way for heartier and higher alcohol beers. We’re not yet at the winter ales point, or very high alcohol percentages of barleywines; we’re still adjusting to the colder temperatures and enjoying the leaves falling off the trees. This is an in-between season and that is reflected in the beers that are associated with Fall.

We just had thanksgiving, a time which heralds the return of pumpkin beers to the shelves of liquor stores and the taps of bar-rooms. Pumpkin beers tend to hover around the 5% alcohol mark, but feature heartier malts and spices that evoke the harvest season and crisp fall air. 
 
A few great choices for local pumpkin beers would be:
 
– Parallel 49’s Schadenfreude, an amber lager laced with all-spice for those who prefer a more subtle pumpkin flavour;
– Red Racer Pumpkin Ale, a rich and creamy pumpkin pie in a can for those looking for a just slightly sweet pumpkin beer;
– if vanilla and cloves are more your thing, go for the Steamworks Pumpkin Ale.
 
Brown ales are an often overlooked beer style, but are perfectly suited to the Fall season:
 
– Parallel 49’s Old Boy brown ale is one of their year-round offerings that comes into its own in the cooler weather. ;
– Howe Sound’s Rail Ale Nut Brown, Cannery’s Naramata Nut Brown and Dead Frog’s Nut Brown are nuttier, richer versions of the brown ale. All are available year-round, but are particularly satisfying beers for the Fall season.

Stouts and porters also make their way back into glasses come the Fall.   But what the heck is the difference between these two styles anyway?

I wish it was as easy as 1, 2, 3 or a, b, c, but with stouts and porters it just isn’t. The Porter style was born in the 18th century pubs of London. It tended to be a blend of younger pale ales and darker old ales that the porters favoured. The recipes of the original porters are lost to the annals of time, but the ideals around the name live on and beer lore has it that industrial brewers tried to mimic this blend that the porters of the time favoured and sometimes made a very strong version of the brew which was referred to as a stout porter. Eventually the word porter was dropped and stout became its own style.
 
Fast forward to today and try to tell the difference between the two. Speaking very generally, stouts are brewed with roasted barley. This means coffee and dark chocolate notes as well as a dry bitterness on the palate, so if your dark beer has more pronounced and deeper roasted notes to the nose, as well as a more pronounced dry bitterness on the palate, it is probably a stout. Porters are commonly perceived as sweeter on the nose and palate. Furthermore, the color range for stouts is darker, ranging from dark brown to black, while porters rest more firmly in the brown spectrum. But not absolutely. Cuz it just can’t be that easy!
Stouts contain a wide range of specialty ingredients, from oatmeal, to chocolate, and even to novelty items like bacon and peanut butter. Porters also manifest in numerous forms, from relatively mild to strong, from rather standard production to smoked and barrel aged beers. This diversity makes any simple distinction between the two styles almost impossible. Often it is just down to the brewer and what they want to call the deep dark beer the are brewing.
A few local examples of these arbitrary styles are:
– Crannog’s Backhand of God is an amazingly malty on the coffee side of roasted malts, kind of stout. Deep, dark and delicious. Not to mention totally organic and sustainable. This one is not available in bottles, so you’ll have to enjoy it on tap at various places around town, including the Railway Club;
– also only available on tap is Storm Brewing’s Black Plague stout, which is a dry Irish-style stout with licorice root and cocoa;
– on tap around town as well as available in bottles is R&B’s Dark Star oatmeal stout. Oats give the beer a nice creaminess.
– Powell Street – when you can get it – makes the Dive Bomb Porter, toffee, coffee, cocoa and a little bit of hoppiness in this one;
– for something a little bit different, Cannery Brewing adds blackberries to their porter for a nice bit of fruitiness. I hear this beer makes for great blackberry pancakes!
– for the chocolate lovers out there, Lighthouse’s dark chocolate porter will satisfy your next chocolate craving.
Also of note:  Brassneck Brewing is finally open! The eagerly anticipated joint venture of Nigel from the Alibi Room and Conrad, formerly head brewer at Steamworks and the mastermind behind the pilsner that won best in show two years running at the BC Beer Awards, opened its doors two weeks ago. You won’t find any of their beers in bottles, so you’d better stop by the Main Street tasting room to sample their beers and fill your growlers. You’ll also find Brassneck beers on tap around town.
Speaking of the BC Beer Awards, I’m very much looking forward to them on Saturday. There are still tickets available. Everyone should come out and sample the beers of British Columbia… and enjoy Stephen Quinn as host!
There will not be tickets available at the door, so please go online to to purchase yours – quickly, while you still can!