HOWE SOUND TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HOP IMPERIAL IPA

Howe Sound Brewing Co.,  Squamish, British Columbia 

• 8%ABV ,90 IBU
• Pretty decent frothy head off the pour that sticks around for a while
• Nice dark amber colour that’s slightly opaque.
• Slightly unappetizing floral, potpourri aroma, almost unnatural or synthetic, but nothing too bad.
•  Very creamy mouthfeel, coats the whole palate with an enjoyable sweetness that’s slightly bitter giving it an overall great balance.
• The flavour of wonderfully ripe cherries also comes through.
• Great outing from Howe Sound, pick it up most anywhere.

WINTERBEARD: DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY STOUT

Muskoka Brewery,  Bracebridge, Ontario

• 8%ABV
• Very deep rich black with a slight red tinge to it, descent head holds up well.
• Heavily roasted aromas come off right away with the chocolate working it’s way in there a little.  No sign of cranberry on the nose.
• Wow great flavour on this one!  Very smooth, with a light sweetness from the chocolate and malt.  Balancing the sour/tart of the cranberry well.  Very pleasant roasted notes as well for an excellent overall balance
• None of the flavours asserting themselves too much making it extremely well an balanced beer.
• Finishes clean with an enjoyable lingering roasted flavour.
• Definitely worth checking, unanimous favourite of everyone who tried it, also very reasonably priced at $10 per 750ml bottle at Co-op, perfect for sharing!

COMPARISON TASTE: MIKKELLER TEXAS RANGER CHIPOTLE PORTER REGULAR vs. BARREL AGED

Brewed at De Proef Brouwerij Lochristi, Belgium  For Mikkeller

• Both beers are 6.6%ABV
• On the left is the barrel aged Porter, aged for three months in Speyside whiskey barrels.  Pours almost no head, the regular porter(right) pours a great head that lasts for a while.
• The aroma was interesting, both producing quite different scents.  The regular porter smelling very much like chipotle peppers with the spice and smokiness but also having an unpleasant chemical, solvent characteristics.  The barrel aged on the other-hand was quite nice, very faint smell of the peppers but more fruity aromas coming through, sweet citrus and dark cherries.
• The regular porter was hard to get down, very spicy with an almost unpalatable cigarette-like smoke flavour, dry and unpleasant aftertaste leading one of us to deem it “Heartburn ale”
• The barrel aged was quite different, aging had mellowed out the beer considerably, a much more pleasant smokiness comes though, and not just from the chipotle.  More depth to this beer with a balancing subtle malty sweetness.
• Amazing to see the huge difference only three months of aging can bring to a beer!  Check these out and  other Mikkeller brews at Zyn in Inglewood.

MELON HEAD GOLDEN ALE

Paddock Wood Brewing Co.  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• 5.2%ABV
• No head what so ever, hazy semi-translucent golden straw colour.
• Smells like an old dusty wheat silo, that’s slightly sweet.
• Faint chemical type aroma comes through that’s rather unpleasant.
• This beer is bizarrely  tart, considering the aromas.  Very faint lemony tang.
• It is also fairly astringent contributing to its complete lack of finish, flavour just falls off completely.
• Didn’t enjoy this beer very much, but if you’re interested pick it up from Zyn, or Co-op.

DOUBLE DRAGON IMPERIAL RED ALE

Phillip’s Brewing Co. , Victoria, British Colombia

• 8.2%ABV
• Pours a good full head, light and frothy.
• Brilliant ruby red colour highlights through out.
• Smells similar to an IPA with a strong hop bitterness and sweetness without the typical citrus, pine and floral notes.
• Very dry bitterness on the taste with the overall flavours a little flat. The only thing really coming through is a pine tree bitter note.
• Not especially well balanced.
• Perhaps this years batch was not as good as previous years, as I remember this as being a fantastic beer in the past.

BIRD OF PREY FLANDERS RED ALE

Driftwood Brewery, Victoria, British Columbia

• 7.5% ABV
• Unfiltered sour ale, aged in French and American oak wine barrels
• Bright orange-red coloured, cloudy and unfiltered with very little head
• Has a sweet and sour smell, similar to green apples
• Sour, lambic-like flavour. Grapefruit and sour raspberry notes
• Very refreshing summertime beer.
• Lots of effervescent bubbles in the mouth.
• No finish on the palate…would be a good palate cleanser between courses of food.
• Driftwood Brewery is a small capacity operation out of Victoria, and therefore is only available on Vancouver Island and in the metro Vancouver area.

WILD ROSE BELGIAN STYLE DUBBEL

Wild Rose Brewery, Calgary, Alberta

• 7.3%ABV
• No head to speak of, only light film around edge.
• Dark copper-orange colour to light brown and fairly opaque and lots of sediment.
• Strong yeasty aroma, that is sweet and with lots of banana notes.
• Has the typical flavour of Belgian style ales we’ve come to expect, yeasty with sweet banana and maltiness that balances the alcoholic level well
•  Nothing to really set it apart from other beers in this category.
• Overall a good beer from Wild Rose that stays true to the spirit of Belgium, pick it up anywhere Wild Rose is sold, for a limited time.

BLACKSMITH INDIA BLACK ALE

Village Brewery,  Calgary, Alberta

• 5.4%ABV
• Pours a thick head but doesn’t hold up for long, deep ruby red almost black colour is very pleasing.
• Sweet malty aroma dominates but with a subtle lightly roasted cereal notes to balance.
• Very refreshing beer and pleasantly sweet without being to overpowering in any way,
•  The roasted oats comes through only a little leaving the beer feeling slightly one noted.
• A pretty good offering from Calgary’s newest brewery.
•  Comes in 1.89L growlers making it perfect for parties and get togethers.  Pick it up from the brewery.

BELIKIN BEER

Belize Brewing Co., Ladyville, Belize

• 4.8% ABV
• Light head, disapates quickly after pour
• Pale yellow colour, like apple juice….generic beer.
• Translucent and bubbley
• Has a slight vanilla aroma
• Flavour is bland, metalic, corn.
• Belize’s version of every counries corn piss light lager.
• Very cool bottle!
• Only available in Belize. Thank god this beer is not exported. Probably tastes really good on the beach in Belize!

FAT TUG IPA

Driftwood Brewing Co., Victoria, B.C.

• 7% ABV, 80 IBU’s
• Not much head, just a slight gathering of foam around the rim forming to take a glance at this golden coloured hop nectar.
• The aroma is big time west coast IPA…If a pine tree could grow apples and oranges.
• There is also a slight caramel and elderflower aroma happening.
• Very pleasant bitterness, with notes of citrus, pine sap, and a slight soap flavour.
• This beer gives me the warm fuzzies, it’s so good.
• This IPA is well decorated with awards from Canada, and the USA, for a good reason, Its amazing.
• Driftwood is a small brewery on Vancouver Island, it doesn’t have the means of producing more than is enough to service the Island and the Vancouver area. Great for them to keep it local, too bad for the rest of us. If you’re in the Vancouver or Victoria area, pick one up, pick a dozen up, its well worth it.