Beer of the Week - Postmark Brewing Raspberry Fruit Beer

I received a bottle of Postmark Brewing Raspberry Fruit Beer with my Canada Craft Club July 2016 package. For some reason I took the picture, made all of my tasting notes but finish the write-up ... that is 'til now.

Postmark Brewing opened its doors in June 2014. The company's website shows its sponsorship of film festivals and music and there is a reason for that. The brewmaster, Craig Noble, has always loved craft beer but his main profession before opening the brewery was as a documentary film maker.

At Postmark Brewing we are inspired by more than just great tasting sessionable craft beers, we enjoy taking a collaborative approach towards our other passions in life including music, photography, travel, sport, design, events and especially those who are taking risks and making great things happen.

So, how is the beer?

This Raspberry Fruit Beer pours a light amber colour with a slight reddish tinge. I really noticed the raspberries which dominates the aroma.

I was wondering if this would be overly sweet but need not have been concerned. My first sip starts off a little tart and then the enjoyable raspberries come flooding through. The raspberries taste then falls off in the finish which is again tart.

One surprising thing is that as I was typing that last paragraph, I had the sensation of fresh raspberry, like I had a piece of one in my teeth. There are no pieces of raspberries anywhere in this but that taste was the same as when I'm at work and have just finished one of Teena's delicious freshly made fruit salads.

I didn't expect complexity in a fruit beer but found one here. Delicious and refreshing, especially on a hot afternoon when I had it (tasting notes written on July 23, 2016). I had ordered some more of these from Canada Craft Club (they all were delicious!).

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 335 
Breweries 306 
Countries 49

Beer of the Week - Persephone Pale Ale

In this month's Canada Craft Club delivery there was a 650 ml bottle of Persephone Pale Ale from Persephone Brewing in Gibsons, BC. If Gibsons sounds familiar to you, then you're likely old enough to remember The Beachcombers TV series which was shot there and ran from 1972 to 1990. The brewery is named after the tug boat owned by Nick Adonidas, played by Bruno Gerussi, the star of the series.

Persephone Brewery (PBC) is the first and only B Certified company in B.C.

Individually, B Corps meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and aspire to use the power of markets to solve social and environmental problems.

Collectively, B Corps lead a growing global movement of people using business as a force for goodTM. Through the power of their collective voice, one day all companies will compete to be best for the world, and society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity for all.

PBC's brewery and farm is in part owned by the Sunshine Coast Association for Community Living (SCACL), a non-profit organization providing services for people with developmental disabilities, a number of whom work at the farm. PBC's annual fundraising events include the Tough Kegger adventure race and the Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Festival, great excuses to have fun and quaff some delicious brews for a good cause.

PBC also has a sustainability program and reuses their water for irrigation and turning their spent ingredients into compost. They are able to do this as the brewery sits on an eleven acre farm where they grow their own hops. PCB is quite proud that anything they need that they can't grow on their own land is sourced from within the province.

And the beer?

The pale ale pours amber in colour with a small brownish head, There are lots of lacings when I sip so I think I just did a bad pour. I'm a little stuffed up so can't pick up any aroma.

I can pick up taste, though, and this has lots of it. It starts off rather sweet and malty but then the hops come through bringing on some nice little bitterness. It seems that the malt comes back a little in the finish but then is overwhelmed by a bitter citrus.

It's a very nice beer, one that I wouldn't hesitate to have again. I have a credit with Canada Craft and I may order some more of these from them.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 311 
Breweries 279 
Countries 45

Beer of the Week - Corn Hops Imperial IPA

When Teena was in B.C. recently, she brought me back a 650 ml bottle of Corn Hops from Parallel 49 Brewing.

In their own words, here is their story:

Three of Parallel 49’s founders grew up together in East Vancouver less than ten minutes from the spot where the brewery now stands. Mike, Nick, and Anthony had been avid home brewers and craft beer enthusiasts for years before they finally decided to turn their shared passion into a full time gig.

In 2008, the three friends quit their day jobs and opened a restaurant that quickly became known as a mecca for craft beer enthusiasts in Vancouver. As the restaurant business thrived the guys turned their attentions back to the enduring dream of opening their own brewery.

The guys decided that it was time to stop talking and start brewing. They teamed up with Graham With, a respected home brewer; and Michael Tod, a friend with a wealth of sales experience in the BC craft beer industry. The newly assembled Parallel 49 team set out to create the unique brand of Vancouver craft beer that they had been thirsting after for years.

And the beer?

I will say they have a very fun label, a hop coming out of the corn husk. It's pretty bright too but corn in beer reminds me too much of how the macro breweries add so much to their lagers and how light tasting they are. This is, however, an Imperial IPA, so at 8.2% APV, there has to be a nice powerful taste to this.

Corn hops pour a light golden colour with a white head which quickly goes away. The aroma has a citrusy hop note and something else, which I can't identify and don't really enjoy. Perhaps the flaked corn?

The taste is a different story. When I sip, I sense a piny hop note, which then evolves into a layer of wonderful citrus bitterness. Very enjoyable!

I'm glad I tried it but if I had the chance would not get it again. It's about an 8.2% beer in a large bottle. I'd rather have two or three other lighter APV beers rather than one big imperial one.

If you like Imperial IPAs though, give this one a try if you get the chance.

A picture of the brewery from Mike's Craft Beer.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 288  
Breweries 259 
Countries 45

Beer of the Week - United Front Braun Beer

This week's Beer of the Week, United Front Braun Beer, is a collaboration brew initiated by the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild between two breweries, one old and one new, one from the island, the other from the mainland.

Steel and Oak Brewery is a relative new comer to the B.C. craft beer scene. For 143 years, starting in 1862, there had always been a brewery in New Westminister. Labatt's ended that streak when they closed their brewery in 2005. Local residents, Jorden Foss and James Garbutt, decided that it was time for a new brewery for the city. They hired brewmaster Peter Schulz, who received his training in Germany, and on June 24, 2014, opened their brewery doors. Local residents took to their beer offerings right away that the brewery actually ran out of beer for a week. Now that they are aware of the demand, they have tightened their brewing schedules. They have a tasting room with eight beers on tap and even a tap with lemonade for the kids.

Where Steel and Oak are the newbies, Vancouver Island Brewery is one of the granddads of the B.C., even Canadian craft beer industry, having started its operation in 1984 as Island Pacific Brewery with Garrick’s Head Pub in Victoria being its very first customer. The company changed its name in 1992 to what it is now and started their first bottling operations, having only sold to bars and pubs in draft kegs before that. Vancouver Island's brewmaster, Ralf Pittrof, also has a great amount of experience in brewing old world European beers.

The United Front Braun Beer is a version of a German style Kellerbier, which is made with Vienna malts. Kellerbiers, which translates to cellar beers, are usually unfiltered lagers, with low carbonation and full of aromatic hops. Although they are not brewed much in North America, the style is still very popular in Bavaria, usually served there from a cask.

And the taste?

The Braun Beer is a surprisingly lively ale. It pours a nice coppery colour with perhaps an orange hue. As I said, this is a lively ale and I had expected one much flatter as the above description describes this as this style being low carbonation. Maybe that's not the way with a Braun style beer. It took quite awhile for the head to dissipate and later when I went to refill my glass, I had to be quite careful to keep the head to a normal size. The off-white meringue-like head must keep in the aroma, as I found nothing to detect.

This is a very interesting beer to taste. It starts off a little malty, then comes in a burnt but sweet taste, before finishing with some bitter tones. There is a woodiness to this too. A complicated, multi layered ale. This is not a beer I would have all the time but would definitely have on occasion if I could get it in Toronto.

Thanks, Teena, for bringing this home from Vancouver with you!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 287 
Breweries 258 
Countries 45

Beer of the Week - Barkerville Brewery Sternwheeler Scotch Ale

When Teena was in Winnipeg last month, she brought me back a selection on beer, one of which was Sternwheeler Scotch Ale from Barkerville Brewery in British Columbia.

The original Barkerville Brewery and Brewery Hotel were built in the 1860s in Barkerville, BC. In 1868, a fire destroyed the entire town in just one hour and twenty minutes. Although the town was rebuilt in just six weeks, the brewery was not.

Russell Ovans resurrected the Barkerville Brewery name in December of 2013, only in Quesnel BC, about 80 miles west of Barkerville, which is located inland in BC. Ovans was busy before that. In 2005, he founded a social gaming company which was bought by a huge technology company in 2010. He then moved to Scotland with his wife, and while she attended the University of Edinburgh, Ovans set a goal for himself. Visit 365 pubs in a year!

After returning to Canada, he bought an old gas station, dug out the gas tanks and worked the soil so it passed the environmental assessment and turned it into a brewery. He hired Troy Rudolph as his brewmaster who had 25 year’s experience as a home brewer.

And the beer?

Sternwheeler pours dark brown in colour with an off white, brownish head. Brownish lacings are left behind on the inside of the glass. There is some caramel in the aroma

As usual with Scotch ales, this beer falls on the malty side. The hops in this does a good job in balancing the malt to keep this beer from being the sweet beer I thought it would be. This is a well-made beer but just a bit too malty for my liking. It does make me want to try other beers from this brewery.

It's so easy to fall into the trap of buying only the styles of beer that one enjoys, which is why I really enjoy it when Teena travels and brings me back something different.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 279
Breweries 249
Countries 45

Beer of the Week - Fernie Brewing Companies Quiet Rye'T Rye IPA

Teena came back from Winnipeg a couple weeks ago with a bunch of beer that I can't get here in Ontario. Among them was a single 650 ml bottle of Quiet Rye'T Rye IPA from Fernie Brewing Company located naturally, in Fernie BC.

The brewery opened in 2003 and operated out of the Pask Family barn. They grew in popularity and in 2007 moved to their present building. Looking at the pictures of the brewery, it has to one of the most beautiful settings that I have ever seen a brewery located in.

Fernie Brewing operates what they call the Cheers to Charity program where 100% of all money customers spend on tastings go to local Fernie charities. The program started in 2013 and they have raised almost $10,000 in that time.

So what about the beer?

I couldn't find any proof of this but it's possible that this beer's name "Quiet Rye'T" is a tribute or play on the name of Quiet Riot, a rock band from the 1970s.

The beer pours amber in colour with a slightly off white head. I find rye pale ales have a distinct aroma, and this one has it. One reason I enjoy rye pale ales is that there is nice bite that comes from the rye in the malt, followed by a great hop bitterness. This ale has all this. The bottle says that there are peppercorns in this, but I didn't pick up any pepper or spice in the flavour. Then again, I will always admit that I don't have the best palate either.

It's a terrific beer that I would have again. I would love to be able to buy it from that beautiful brewery in person.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 277
Breweries 247
Countries 44

Beer of the Week - Dead Frog Brewery "The Fearless IPA"

I love the name Dead Frog Brewery. How could you not?

When Teena brought home two of the "The Fearless IPA" from Dead Frog Brewery in Langley, BC, I sincerely hoped that I would love the beer as much as name. But how could a company end up with a name like like that? I discovered the reason from an interview by Kristi Ferguson in The Pulse:

I met with Dead Frog Founder Derrick Smith and Marketing Manager Chris Landsman, who shared their enthusiasm and commitment to innovation in both their brews and their marketing strategies. I had to ask about the name of the company and sincerely hoped there wasn’t a morbid story behind it. On the contrary, the folks at Dead Frog Brewery love frogs! It seems the name was, in part, chosen to reflect the current conservation issues surrounding many species of frogs. Glad to hear it.

Dead Frog opened in 2006 and only two years later after a 300% increase in sales, they were sued by Sleeman in 2008 for its bottles. Sleeman claimed the clear embossed bottle started with John Sleeman’s grandfather over a hundred years ago and Dead Frog’s bottle matched too closely to the Sleeman's bottle design.

Dead Frog owner Derrick Smith explained, “Sleeman does not have a monopoly on clear-glass beer bottles, and that in any event the public is not likely to be confused because of Dead Frog’s prominent name, slogans and frog logo.”

Ultimately Dead Frog went to brown bottles so their beer would be less susceptible to becoming light struck and skunky. Brown bottles protects the beer, clear bottles do not.

Dead Frog also won an episode of 2012's CBC show The Big Decision with Jim Treliving investing, although in the end, Treliving did not invest in the company.

That same year co-founder Derrick Smith bought out his part partners and hired on a new head brewer, Tony Dewald. The Fearless IPA was his first brew.

And how is it?

The Fearless pours a dark amber colour with a slightly off white head, that is quite lively. Thick lacings are left behind when I sip. My first sip is bombarded with piney hops but then comes a heavy trail of  bitter citrus comes through and stays right through the long finish. This is a very excellent IPA that I would have anytime, anytime at all.

Wish I could buy it here in Ontario.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 276 
Breweries 246
Countries 44

Souvenirs from Winnipeg

Traveling is part of Teena's job and gives her the opportunity see much of Canada. When she comes home, she likes to bring along a piece of Canada for me. The souvenirs that she brings to me are in the form of beer, the kind I can't buy in Ontario.

Here is what she brought home from Winnipeg:

• 1 Mississippi Mud Black and Tan from the Mississippi Brewing Co.
• 2 Dead Frog Fearless IPAs
• 2 Farmery Premium Lagers
• 1 Quiet Rye 'T' Rye IPA from Fernie Brewing
• 1 Sternwheeler Scotch Ale from Bakerville Brewing.

A great variety of beer styles, breweries and geographic locations. I have some fun sampling ahead of me for sure!

Beer of the Week - The Beers of Russell Brewing Company

Whenever Teena is away on business, she always comes home with some beer that I cannot get here in Ontario. It's something that I really appreciate especially since there are times she comes back with some pretty heavy bags.

When she came back from this latest trip to Winnipeg, she brought back two beers from Russell Brewery in BC, a Wee Angry Scotch Ale and a Blood Alley Extra Special Bitter.

Russell Brewery, located in Surrey BC, was founded back in 1995. I could not find any information of its history from then 'til the Russell family sold the brewery to Brian Harris in 2004. He is pictured top left.

Brian Harris liked start-up companies. He was involved in a bunch of tech start-up companies. One of them evolved into Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. and another, EFTech Ltd., a huge electronic funds transfer company in Australia.

Most people in their 60s start eying retirement. Not Brian. Instead he did some research and felt he could get into the brewery business and believed he could carve out a niche brewery that stood somewhere between the huge multinational beer companies and the small craft brewery. So he stepped in and bought Russell Brewing.

It seems he is enjoying being a brewery owner ... "No one hates a guy in the beer business," he says, grinning. "It's a fun deal to be in."

His plan is to build up the company to a certain point then sell it. It seems to be the type of thing he has done all his life. "At some stage, it'll become professional," he says, "and that'll be a time for someone else to be doing what I do."

Two years after buying the brewery, he took it public and listed the company on the TSX Venture Stock Exchange. In 2007, shares were worth 70¢. It closed on Friday at just 4¢ a share.

In 2007, he bought Fort Garry Brewing in Manitoba which I have wrote about before. Both Fort Garry Brewing and Russell Brewing are operated as sister companies under Russell Breweries Inc.

In 2007, in a move usually done by major breweries, he had Russell Brewery become the official beer of BC Place. The next year he came out with BC Lions Lager for Lions football fans. Once the deal was done, BC Place turned to the big boys and signed a multi-year deal with Budweiser.

And the beer.

I have mentioned this before. BC loves their big bottles. The two that I am trying today are both 650 ML bottles.

The Wee Angry Scotch Ale won a silver medal at the 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards in The Scotch Ale Group and the same year took bronze at the 2010 Brewers Association World Beer Cup.

Not bad!

"This beer has been brewed with a blend of Scottish specialty malts in the style of a 19th Century 90 Schilling Scotch Ale." The name 90 Shilling comes from the Scottish method of taxing beer. Only the highest quality beers were taxed 90 Shillings. I like the crossed swords on the label.

The Wee Angry pours dark brown in colour with a brown head. Scotch Ales are know for their "malt accent" and this one is no different. Although hops are used, they are not detectable is this brew. Beers like this remind me that not every beer has to be loaded in hops. I am enjoying the malt tones and as the beer warms up, this is a very nice, enjoyable beer.

If someone handed me a glass blindfolded, I would call this a porter, although porters and stouts have chocolate or coffee tones and this one does not. Shows me that I have have much to learn. The medals this beer has garnered have been well-earned and judged by experts who know what a Scotch Ale truly is.

The Blood Alley Bitter is named after "a notorious cobblestone laneway" in Vancouver's Gastown district. Russell introduced this beer back in January 2011.

It pours a deep amber colour with a slight brownish tinge in the head. There are hops to the nose in the aroma. It starts with a bit of a watery mouthfeel but then the fullness of the flavour comes through with a decent hop finish. It is slightly hoppier, more bitter than a normal English bitter, but that's not a bad thing. This is a good beer but not an outstanding beer. I do like it.

Both beers are part of the breweries "Brewmaster Series" and from what I have tried today, Russell Brewing makes quality beers. Maybe I should take a flyer on its 4¢ stock!

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 130
Countries 24
Breweries 113
Provinces 8

Canadians’ Love Affair with India Pale Ale

I found this interesting article on the Macleans magazine website.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Behind the colourful name of India Pale Ale is a colourful history: from the 1820s, the beer was brewed in the English Midlands and shipped in casks down to Brazil, around the Cape of Good Hope, and up to India, where, having aged over the rough journey, it was enthusiastically quaffed by English colonists. Nearly 200 years later, in another former colony, it’s surging in popularity. But why are so many Canadian brewers now making IPAs?

Ironically, given its imperialist history, the style has become a symbol of rebellion. It’s a bold beer, with a copper-to-amber colour, moderate-to-high alcohol content, and, crucially, a hoppy aroma and taste. For craft brewers, it’s a statement against the blandness of mainstream lagers, whose drinkers are slowly catching on—despite their often startled first impressions.

Ralph Morana, owner of Bar Volo in Toronto, recounts his first experience of craft IPAs at a beer festival in 2002. “I went, ‘Oh Christ, how can anybody drink that?’ I was a Coors Light drinker.” Nonetheless, he says, “Once your palate adapts to the bitterness, all you want is more and more and more.” To further his quest for hops, he converted his Italian café into a craft beer bar, where IPAs are his biggest sellers—and not just to stereotypical bearded, pot-bellied craft beer enthusiasts. “If you give it to a girl, they love it: ‘It’s neat; it’s floral.’ ”

India Pale Ale has caught on across Canada, with brewers such as Dieu du Ciel! in Montreal, Half Pints in Winnipeg, and Central City in Surrey, B.C., all gaining accolades for their IPAs. Morana and other local brewers have started crafting their own at Volo, and since 2009, the bar has hosted an annual Cask IPA Challenge, where judges and customers pick the best of a hoppy crop from across Ontario. The competition’s first year featured five or six legitimate entrants (among ambers and other pale ales); this year, there were 26. “Now everybody’s going on that bandwagon,” says Morana.

The IPA does have a history in Canada: in the second half of the 19th century, Molson and Labatt brewed popular IPAs for domestic consumption. But strong-tasting ales fell out of favour after Prohibition, and neither brewing giant now brews hoppy beer. Labatt does, however, own Alexander Keith’s in Halifax, which exported its “India Pale Ale” to Ontario and Western Canada in the late 1990s with great success—its name is a long-standing brand, but craft beer fans have argued it’s not technically an IPA.

Despite the fact that, as Keith’s brewmaster emeritus Graham Kendall notes, it’s a “higher hopped product” than mainstream lagers, the beer doesn’t have what the Beer Judge Certification Program considers the “moderate to assertive hop bitterness” typical of an English IPA (much less the stronger bitterness of an American IPA). Not that Kendall is concerned: “We don’t see a need to hop it more. It would so change the character of the beer that it would drive people away.”

The ubiquity of Keith’s has left some craft brewers bitter. “We’ve had complaints that our IPA was wrong,” says Stefan Buhl, brewmaster at Tree Brewing in Kelowna, B.C. “Some people are confused. But as soon as we talk to them, they are usually pretty receptive. First you have a bit of tingling from the hops, but two or three sips in, you get quite a complex profile.” Originally brewed in 2000, Tree’s Hop Head was the first bottled “American IPA” in Canada—a style that further accentuates the hoppy aroma and taste that made the original English IPAs age well across their long voyage. Like Kendall, Buhl speaks of pleasing his customers, but he wants to prod them as well. Three years ago, Tree started brewing a super-hoppy, eight per cent Double IPA, because it felt loyal customers “might want to have a different challenge.”

With names like Boneshaker and Smashbomb, Canadian craft IPAs aren’t to be trifled with. And yet, at their best, they offset their deluges of citrusy hop flavour with a sturdy malt backbone. Perhaps in the future, this balance will even bring hoppiness back into the mainstream pint. And if craft brewers achieve their bitter revolution, what will they do for an encore? According to Morana, “Sour is the next wave.”

Beer of the Week - Driftwood Brewery Farmhand Ale

Sadly this is the last beer I have from Teena's recent west coast trip.

Driftwood Brewery is in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, which is at the southern end of Vancouver Island about 100 KM (62 miles) away from Vancouver.

The brewery set up shop in 2008, buying "3rd hand" equipment from a brewery in West Yellowstone, Montana. Jason Meyer, Kevin Hearsum and Gary Lindsay did everything in the brewery from brewing the beer, to selling and delivering. They must have done it all well too as not only was the beer popular in Victoria but also across the Strait of Georgia.

By spring 2010, they were at full capacity and had a hard time keeping up. So they expanded staff, got a dedicated sales rep for Vancouver and ordered in more tanks.

Sounds like a success story to me.

The website describes the Farmhand ale as "Our interpretation of this Southern-Belgian farmhouse ale uses a partial sour-mash and the addition of freshly ground black pepper. We use a very unique strain of yeast from Belgium to add further layers of spice and complexity to this rare style of beer."

The label has the description "A traditional Belgian-style Saison. Originally produced on the farm for seasonal workers during the harvest. Tart malt is balanced with flavours of fruit and spice from our unique strain of Belgian yeast"

I love Saisons and ales made with Belgium yeast. I am excited about this beer and hope it lives up to my expectations.

The beer pours copper in colour with a small head. It is a clear, not cloudy beer. I mention this as the Saisons I have had (admittedly very few) have been unfiltered. Lacings do remain along the side of the glass.

The aroma is amazing. I can smell the added pepper and smell citrus. It has a powerful, fabulous fragrance. My nose is not the best for tasting and usually I sense very little which is why I make more than a big deal of it here.

This is a nice tasting beer. It starts with the citrus and then the pepper comes through. Citrus and pepper remain in the finish. It is a very refreshing beer but I feel I could have done with less pepper. Spice is a part of a Saison but I feel the pepper takes away from this.

Would I have one again? Oh definitely! It is a very nice beer. If you have a chance to try this one, you should.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 118
Countries 23
Breweries 102
Provinces 8

Phillips Longboat Chocolate Porter

I'm pretty lucky.

Teena does some traveling with her job and when she does, she always brings me home some local beer. This is why I have already tried 3 different and excellent beers from Phillips Brewery from Victoria B.C., even though it is not available here. Now I get to try a fourth, Phillips Longboat Chocolate Porter.

The description from the brewery website ...

"We'd say that Longboat is a classic chocolate porter, but lets face it, who's ever heard of a chocolate porter? It is, however, a rich dark ale, with a distinctive chocolate finish. Comes in a 650mL bottle, cause 341mL just isn't enough!"

It pours black in the glass with a good long lasting brownish head. Lots of lacings line the glass as I sip. There is an aroma of roasted malt.

According to the bottle, cocoa powder and chocolate flavour have been added to the usual beer trilogy (yeast, hops, malt and water. The chocolate flavour does come through when sipped. I'm not that crazy about it, though. I've had many fine chocolate stouts before but this chocolate porter just does not stand up.

The mouthfeel is a little watery and that wonderful porter taste is not there. I love Phillips brewing but definitely would not recommend this one.

Beer of the Week - Granville Island Imperial IPA

Great craft brew history happened on the west coast in B.C. back in the 80s.

North America's first brewpub, the Horseshoe Bay Brewing Company, was opened by John Mitchell and Frank Appleton in 1980. In 1984, Canada's very first craft brewery opened in Vancouver, Granville Island Brewing.

Back in 2005, Teena and I went out west and visited Whistler and Vancouver. While we were exploring Vancouver, of course, we stopped into Granville Island Brewery. I scanned the picture from our album and of our visit which is on the right.

I ordered a 4 beer sampler. The beer was set on an indicated area of the place mat, to be sampled in a particular order and each spot on the place mat had a description of the beer being sampled.

I loved it!

The brewery operated as an independent until 2005 when it was bought by Andre's Wines. Andre's renamed itself later as Andrew Peller.

In 2006, they won 6 medals at the world beer championships.

Then in October of 2009, it was announced that Andrew Peller was selling Granville Island to Creemore Brewery, which is owned by giant Molson Coors.

Molson Coors bought beloved Creemore Brewery back in 2005. The beer world was ready for Creemore products to go downhill. Instead, Molson left Creemore untouched and allowed it to run its operation as it saw fit. Their beer still remains excellent.

So what is the situation with Granville Island?

A fellow on the BarTowel Discussion board said he knew some people who worked for Granville and "that the big brewery has been very supportive of them. While the main brands are now all made at the parent brewing facility, all the GI seasonals are made at the island brewpub. Beyond marketing and distribution advice and assistance, not once have the corporate overlords told them what to brew or how to brew it."

Molson/Coors unveiled Six Pints Specialty Beer Co. this past Monday to launch its regional Creemore Springs and Granville Island craft beers nationally. Six Pints will distribute Creemore (found in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec) and Granville (British Columbia and Alberta) across the country. The first step will be to launch B.C.-based Granville beer into Ontario within the next few weeks.

It's happy to note that I am trying a seasonal made in very limited quantities from the island brewpub.

The company describes this beer as "Combining local and English malts with Pacific Northwest hops and special yeast, our Imperial IPA is complemented by a unique citrus-peel bitterness that’s excellent for toasting Vancouver’s 125th birthday this year. Cheers, Vancouver!"

Time for a taste.

It pours brown in colour with a short head. I did pour aggressively but still only a small head appeared. There are lots of lacings that do remain on the glass.

At 8.2%, it is considered a strong beer, called an Imperial IPA, and from the west coast, I am expecting a full flavoured, hoppy bitter beer. I am pleased that right away I can notice the hops in the fragrance.

And the taste?

Yes! I am pleased. The hops are there to start and proceed to get stronger right through to the finish and the finish is long.

This is a fabulous, west coast-styled IPA, the kind I really enjoy. It is only out in limited release, though, so if you love an Imperial or West Coast IPA and can get hold of this, I recommend you do so.

Beer of the Week - Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA

B.C. does not seem to sell beer in small vessels.

When Teena came home from B.C. on Monday, she had 6 beers for me in her suitcase but it was so heavy she had to remove some clothes. I always appreciate that she does these things for me.

Five of the bottles were 650ml but I had to laugh when she pulled out the Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA as it came in a full litre bottle!

Howe Sound Brewing is also an Inn located in Squamish, B.C. It looks very scenic!

The brewery does come with a pedigree too. In 1980, John Mitchell and Frank Appleton fought the provincial regulators and finally managed to open up North America's very first craft brewery on Horseshoe Bay on Howe Sound. As a side note, Howe Sound is North America's southernmost fjord. I didn't know we had fjords in Canada!

But back to the story ...

John Mitchell helped design the Howe Sound Brewery when it opened in 1996 and was their first brewer who developed many of their original recipes. He keeps an ongoing relationship with the brewery to this day.

And the beer?

It is named after the Devils Elbow rapids (pictured down to the left) which is a grade 4 rapid on the Elaho River, just north of Squamish, B.C.

It pours with a big head, that takes a long while to disappear, leaving behind a large amount of lacings. It is brown in colour and I can sense a hop note in the aroma.

Much like other IPAs I have tried, the better ones, the flavours change during the process of a sip. It starts with a nice bitterness and then morphs into something else, sweetness maybe, before the hops take over in a very long enjoyable finish.

I really liked this beer and would not hesitate to try others that come from Howe Sound. With 1 litre bottles, though, it would be difficult to down a 6 pack in a day!

Mt Begbie Nasty Habit IPA

"Allow yourself to be seduced by our nasty habit. A generously hopped IPA balanced by a diabolical blend of rich specialty malts and pure mountain water. A wicked ale that leaves you lusting for more."

I like the sound of that! It's what they have on the side of the label.

Back in March of this year, Teena was out west on business and brought me back a Mt. Begbie Tall Timber Ale which I featured as a Beer of the Week. I finished the article with "This is a nice, enjoyable beer. Makes me hope one day to be able to try more from this brewery."

Well, Teena was out west again, this time on vacation with her sister Sarah and brought me back a delicious sounding beer from Mt Begbie, Nasty Habit IPA. She knows I love hops and I love IPAs. I love her too and for more reasons than hauling beer back for me when she is away.

I hope this stands up to the bragging on the label.

When I cracked the top and took a whiff, lots of floral hops came to the nose. I asked Teena to sample the aroma. Let's just say she does not appreciate hops the same way I do. It pours a coppery colour, which I expect for an IPA with a good head, which leaves behind lots of lacings along the sides of the glass.

And the taste?

It is not as hoppy and bitter as I expected from the aroma, which I know comes from dry hopping but did expect a hoppier, more bitter beer. This I would consider maybe a pale ale instead of an India Pale Ale.

That's not to say it is a bad beer. It's an OK beer. I was surprised that with a 6% APV, it had a very watery mouthfeel. Not much taste to start but builds to a decent bitterness in the finish.

This is a disappointing IPA, not one I would get again.

Phillips Hoperation Tripel Cross Belgian IPA

You can almost hear the sirens as you pop the cap on this bomber. This IPA slams hop first into a classic Belgian yeast to create a superfortress of flavour.

This is what it says on the side of the label. I also like how the bomber on the label is dropping hops from the bomber.

I was quite excited when Teena unpacked this brew from her suitcase when she returned from her trip to B.C. with her sister, Sarah. I have had a 2 brews for Phillips before, the Phillips Amnesiac Double IPA and their Hop Circle IPA. I loved them both. Now I have one more to try!

It pours cloudy so it's definitely is unfiltered. It is amber in colour, a nice white head which dissipates slowly leaving behind lots of beautiful lacings. The aroma has nice floral hop notes.

OK, now I need to have a sip.

I have not been able to really determine what a Belgium IPA is. My only experience so far was with a Belgium beer, Urthel Hop-it. Sipping this one I have a better understanding. IPAs are bold with in-your-face hops. Belgium IPAs sneak up on you.

It starts with a nice hop bitterness, not overpowering. Then comes a bit of a yeasty taste before the hops again take over in the finish leaving a long pleasant bitter finish. The Hop-It was very much the same.

This is a very, very enjoyable beer. I would love to have more.

Another, what I perceive to a definition of a Belgium IPA, is it seems to be an excellent session beer, one you feel you could sit down and have 3 or 4 ... maybe 5. I found this with the Hop-it too. Problem is that it weighs in with a hefty 8% APV so really only one or two would do.

I have not yet had a beer from Phillips Brewing in B.C. that I have not loved.

And Teena brought home one more for me too. Can't wait!

A Suitcase Full of Beer!

Each year Teena and her sister Sarah go away somewhere together for the May 24 weekend. Sarah lives in Halifax and Teena is in Toronto so they don't get too many chances to get together.

This year they went to Whistler and Vancouver in BC. When Teena came back, in her suitcase for me she had a teeshirt a shot glass ... and beer!

New beer from breweries I have had beer from before and beer from previously unexplored breweries. The suitcase was full and heavy and Teena needed to remove a jacket and a bag to stay under the weight restrictions for the flight home or it would have cost her an extr $75!

Six bottles in all and all are large 650ml bottles except for the Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA which is a big ole litre!

And I'll write about all of them.

You may wonder what is on each end of row of beer. Rum!

Well traveled rum too. You see, Sarah knows that Teena and I love Smugglers Cove rum from Nova Scotia and only available in Nova Scotia. So the two mickeys (or "pints" as this size is known there, something that is constantly under discussion between Teena and I) traveled from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, took a drive to Whistler, back to Vancouver, and flew back to Toronto, where it is currently being enjoyed.

Thanks, Teena! Thanks. Sarah!

Updates on the beer to come ...

Beer of the Week - Tree Brewing Cut Throat Pale Ale

Teena was out in Kelowna BC a few weeks ago and brought me back one of their local beers, Cut Throat Pale Ale by Tree Brewing which is located in downtown Kelowna.

I have written about Tree Brewing before when I gave their Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale a favorable review. It was a sweeter beer than I expected and now I get to try something hoppy from them. On their website, Tree describes their Cut Throat Pale Ale as a West Coast Pale Ale made with hops and five different malts.

The beer pours a light copper colour which, as the picture shows, you can see through. As the head melts away, it leaves behind those lacings which I love to see. It shows that the beer is made with good malt with no additives. I can detect some hop notes when I take a whiff.

And the taste.

It starts off with a slightly bitter hop bite which grows a little more through the finish. It is a good beer, not a great beer and, like the Thirsty Beaver, would make a good session ale. It is not, I would say, a West Coast Pale Ale. If it was, it would be far more hoppier.

After having two of their beers, I would say Tree does a good enough job that I would enjoy trying one of their hoppier products, like their Hop Head or Hop Head Double IPA.

Beer of the Week- Beers of Tin Whistle Brewing

When Teena was in BC last month, she brought me back quite a few beers that I can't get here. Among them were two bottles from Tin Whistle Brewing in Penticton, BC.

If you are wondering why there is no hyperlink when for the name of the company. here's why....

I have researched the web like I always do and could not find a website. In fact, I could not find out much of anything about this company. So to the bottle!

Alas, I should have started here as their website is listed on the label, www.tinwhistle.ca. The only problem is that the link takes you, not to the brewing companies website, but the website "TinWhistle.ca - #1 Source for Tin & Penny Whistles!'

Now I'm interested. What is a tin whistle? To the right is a picture of a few. Turns out a tin whistle is a style of flute used mainly in Celtic Music. In fact if you care to hear what they sound like the Tin Whistle link has many videos on it. 

Nice of the brewery to promote this musical instrument!

All I could find on the brewery was from BC Beer ... "A small brewery producing English-style ales. Started in 1995 by local entrepreneurs with an interest in beer but little brewing experience. With the help of brewery consultant Frank Appleton, they soon got up to speed. Products were initially sold in kegs and 650ml bottles. The brewery was sold in the winter of 1998, although ownership has remained local. After flying low on the radar for a while, the brewery has produced some solid products in recent years"

I have two to try, so first off I am going to have a Killer Bee Honey Dark Honey Ale.

Somewhere I read it uses 4 honeys and a bit of spice. It comes in a 650 ml bottle and weighs in at 6% APV.

It pours a very dark brown colour. You can't see through this beer. It has a very malty aroma. The head is brownish in colour and leaves behind very nice lacings as it disappears.

It is not as sweet as I expected it to be. Listed as a dark ale, it seems more like a stout with hints of coffee and chocolate coming through from the roasted malt. It is a very smooth beer with a slightly bitter finish which comes not from the hops, but again from the roasted malt. At 6% and being dark, I expected a fuller tasting beer. This is not, in fact, it is a little like a porter light. Only at 6%, it;s the other side of a light beer. A good beer, but not one I would run out to buy.

Next up is the Black Widow Mild Ale. Not sure what to expect as at 5% it is not a light beer so am unsure what to expect.

Like the last one, this too pours a dark brown colour. The head is thicker and takes longer to melt away. Lacings too are fuller down the side of the glass. The roasted malt again comes to the front but with this one is also complimented by a slight hoppyness. It is a fuller, more complex taste than the honey ale. I enjoyed this beer and am very happy that Teena brought this one back for me to try.

I still can't figure out why they call it a mild ale though.

Also can't figure why they don't have a website of any kind. In this day and age it is very important for a business.

Once again, thanks, Teena, for thinking about me when your away!

Beer of the Week - Phillips Amnesiac Double IPA

Teena was in B.C. recently and brought me back some beer that I am unable to get here. Knowing that I am a huge hops fan, she made sure that there were 2 Double IPAs from Phillips Brewing.

The last time that Teena was out west, she brought me back a Phillips Hop Circle IPA. Of that I wrote, "This is a very good beer. I would enjoy trying this on cask or on tap. Also, I would like to get hold of some of their other brands, especially the Amnesiac Double IPA"

Wasn't I happy to see then that she brought me back, not one but two of the Amnesiac Double IPA!

How does the company describe this beer? "Not for the faint of heart. The bigger meaner cousin of Hop Circle IPA"

Now an IPA, or Indian Pale Ale, is a style of beer known for it's hoppiness. Many years ago it was brewed in England and then shipped via the old sail ships to India to satisfy the troops stationed there. As beer can lose its flavour over time, this beer was heavily hopped to keep its taste over the long voyage. Hops are also an all natural preservative which in helped to keep the beer from going bad during the long, hard hot journey.

I saw this saying once and loved it. You will hear it again from me. “Hops are to beer what grapes are to wine.”

So what is a Double IPA?

There really is no definition. Imperial stout is a term used for stouts which were over-hopped, over malted and over-alcoholed for the long trip from England to Russia. But isn't that is what an IPA is? Over-everything for the trip to India.

The best definition I found was on Beer Advocate, "Take an India Pale Ale and feed it steroids, ergo the term Double IPA. Although open to the same interpretation as its sister styles, you should expect something robust, malty, alcoholic and with a hop profile that might rip your tongue out. The Imperial usage comes from Russian Imperial stout, a style of strong stout originally brewed in England for the Russian Imperial Court of the late 1700s; though Double IPA is often the preferred name."

This beer weighs in at 8.5% APV and comes in a 650 ML bottle. I am looking forward to it.

Time for a taste ... or two.


The beer pours a deep copper or light brown in colour with a long lasting head. It has been sitting for 3 to 4 minutes in front of me and still holds a lot of head, which is surprisingly creamy looking. On the first sip or two, there are lots and lots of lacings evident along the side of the glass.

This is a very nice balanced beer. I can smell the floral hop notes before I take my first sip. Lots of hop bitterness when tasted, but not in a "smack your face' way. That wonderful hop bitterness is present through the entire taste experience and in its long finish, but not in an overpowering way.

I love this beer! This is what I search for in a perfect beer. Phillips have achieved that perfect balance between malt and hops and let the hops win, which is what I look for.Problem is that it does not taste like an 8.5% beer which could be dangerous.

I have now had two beers from this brewery and am in love with it. One day, hopefully, I will be able to pay it a visit.