Left4Beer

3 Weeds (Lighthouse)

2013-05-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

Summer is approaching so bring on the witbiers. Phillips was their usual trio around, Vancouver Island has a pair, hopefully Swan's Tessier's wit will be out soon and now one is available from Lighthouse. Honestly, how the hell can VIB Beachcomber not win a gold medal at the 2012 CBA is beyond my comprehension. Maybe for the same reason a hoppy pale ale won a medal in the amber lager category. My ranting will end now so we can begin our - brief - lesson. Witbier means 'white beer'. The name is derived from its appearance. It usually looks white from the use of pale malts and wheat with suspended yeast. The addition of spices is also appropriate with this style. Expect to find tastes of coriander, orange peel, ginger and pepper in your glass.

3 Weeds (Lighthouse) = 8/10

Weedy aroma is equal parts yeasty spice, coriander and wheat. The creaminess hides the alcohol well until the warming end appears. The brew can be as simple or complex as you desire. Without too much thought the flavours of creamy of wheat, vague spices and ginger readily appear. If you wish to delve deeper, tastes of coriander, pepper, candied ginger, wheaties and bread can be noticed. A brew destined for patios everywhere.

Glassware: A tulip would work well. If you have a hexagonal Hoegaarden glass, use it now.

Food Pairings: Stick to the lighter but spiced stuff: chick pea curry, spiced tuna salad, poutine (yes Dave, poutine), arugula salads

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 7.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (good description of beer flavour)

Off the Grid (Hoyne)

2013-05-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

Whenever I open a beer of Hoyne I never expect extreme stuff. This is very comforting. Whatever pours from a Hoyne bottle will be solid, highly drinkable and above average in taste. Off the Grid is true to form. It was just - well - nice.

Off the Grid (Hoyne) =5/10

Faint pecans and toast aromas rose from the glass filled with Off the Grid. This followed into every sip with a medium mouthfeel that carried nutty, bready and toasted tastes to the end. The ending was clean with the faintest pecan loaf residue. Lots of people will sip this, stare into their glass, smile and carry on. Perhaps this is what makes a great session beer.

Glassware: Whatever you have will work

Food Pairing: Choose things with bready and nutty flavours. Salami sandwiches, nut burgers, pecan pie.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.3%
Value +1
Appearance 0 (label didn't really describe beer flavour well)

Shatterbier (Moon Under Water)

2013-05-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like such a failure; there were no notes taken about this beer. Sometimes you must do these sorts of things. Not think too much about a beer. Sit back, crack it open and savour the flavours without trying to pick it apart. SNORT, that was funny. Beer pricks never do that. It is true that no notes were taken about this beer. Luckily the little grey cells are still working.

Shatterbier (Moon Under Water) =8/10

Normally when brewers try to blend beer with coffee, they go the easy route. Stick those beans in with a stout or porter and you can't do wrong. Blending that roasted or brunt flavour with a delicate golden ale had me a little leery. But we must not forget that coffee can be roasted and brewed to be light and fruity; a perfect match for the golden ale. The nose was light and fruity with calm, toasted aromas from the coffee meshing well. An expected heavy handed roasted espresso smack never arrived. Perhaps the flavour was similar to a light roasted pour-over. This combined with the mild peaches, floral and effervescence of the golden ale perfectly. I forget what I paid for this beer, but it was under priced. It does look intimidating and the side writing is hard to read, so it will probably linger in the shelves. This is good news for local beer geeks that appreciated an experiment gone well.

Glassware: Chalice. The massive aroma and carbonation needs somewhere to spread. Other options would be a tulip or snifter.

Food Pairings. This is a tough one. Perhaps something light and mildly roasted. Lightly grilled sea bass with a lemon sauce. Welsh rarebit would be nice.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (perhaps the second most elegantly packaged beer in Victoria to date. Hoynes Gratitude is still #1)

Alcohol consumption reduces risk Grave's disease

2013-05-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

For some reasons this study caught my eye (pun intended) . Apparently regular and moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages reduces the risk of developing Grave's Disease. This is an autoimmune disorder that leads to an overactive thyroid. It is rarely life threatening but can cause symptoms of anxiety, irritability, sleeping problems and exophthalmos (bulging eyes). The type of beverage did not matter (beer vs. wine) nor was age or gender a factor. Maximum risk reduction was found in people who drank more that 3 units of alcohol per day. Depending upon who's math you use, that works out to drinking just over one 5%ABV pint a day. So Prost! For your health and make your thyroid happy.

Double Dragon Red Ale 2013 (Phillips)

2013-05-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

This was one of the craft beers that really got me excited, but that was many years ago. Many people, including myself, have felt this beer has been lacking in recent years. Fortunately, this is a good year.

Double Dragon Red Ale 2013 (Phillips) =7/10

The hop nose is very Phillips like, is that Centennial? This combines with a toasted bread and slight plum aroma. Malts follow close behind with a equal mix of plum, toasted bread and grape nuts. While this is quite a malty brew; the hop blast is not forgotten. It slowly builds with all its floral, citrus and herbal goodness. At the end, an alcohol warmth burn the esophagus but does not remove the hop linger. Finally the Double Dragon is almost as good as it used to be.

Glassware: Stemmed Pilsner. There is no really correct glassware for this. Other good options are the nonic or a snifter.

Food Pairings: Roasted and bitter items: grilled steak salad, BBQ pork, mushrooms or brussel sprouts.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8.2%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Still one of the best labels in Victoria)

Festival Ale (Vancouver Island)

2013-05-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

This beer was created for two up island music festivals: Vancouver Island Music Fest and VicFest. The different labels contain the same lightly dry hopped Pilsner-like beer with ale yeast. Before you all start rolling your eyes, just wait a minute. Not every beer needs to be a palate challenging, imperial, wood aged and exotic yeast gastronomic masterpiece. These beers have their place; like at a beer gathering where you debate whether you are tasting are Thompson, Flame or sultana raisins. Beers like the Festival ale are perfect for hot days listening to outdoor music. That being said, I enjoyed this beer. It was simple yet tasty. There was no flavour wheel thought involved.

Festival Ale (Vancouver Island) = 4/10

Straight off the nose draws you in with light citrus and floral aromas. The malts are clean with a little bit of honey and vegetal chewiness. Lots of carbonation cleanses the tongue and leaves a barely discernible spicy and citrus hop snap. That is it, very Kolsch like. Lots of people will like this beer.

Glassware: Fluted Pilsner or stange. The pictured glass is the wrong choice for this and any other beer. I was too lazy to go downstairs and get the proper glass.

Food Pairings: early dinner course options like salad or cheese and crackers. Lobster, pasta and seafoods are other good options.

Taste +3
Aftertaste 0
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Clodhopper Dubbel (Driftwood)

2013-05-01T21:11:00.002-07:00

I have been away for two weeks and there are so many local releases to review. Yes, I know: first world problems. So enough of my whining. The latest release by Driftwood is a locally malted dubbel abbey style ale. Local malt was produced by everyone's favourite Island maltster: Mike Doehnel. Abbey style ales were originally brewed in monasteries. "Dubbel" does not refer to double the strength of the single. Before widespread literacy, batches of beers were labeled with one, two or three crosses denoting their relative strength. Today dubbels are the dark, fruity abbey ales that hit an ABV of around 7%. When you pick up this bottle at your local CBAW store, you will most likely notice the slight premium price for an usual bomber release. I like this idea of supporting truly local products for a nominal premium; keep it up! Enough rambling commentary, how does it taste:

Clodhopper Dubbel (Driftwood) = 8/10

The nose is spot on with dark sugar and toffee aromas with no hop presence. Each sip is thick and warming, but not too much. Hints of chocolate, raisins and toast are layered upon a sherry like backbone. It had a lingering taste of salt water taffy. Hard to tell if that tongue tingling was the alcohol or hops. Either way I liked it. This one might be worth cellaring; hopefully some of that warmth might mellow out. Well done.

Glassware: chalice or goblet. The wide top helps to dissipate aroma and allows space for large head common for this style. In this case I used the Leffe abbey glass.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 7% ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 (nice art and reasonable description of flavour)

Does beer consumption lead to obesity

2013-04-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is the eternal question, "Is the beer belly a myth?" The answer is not clear. Recently, researchers at the University of Copenhagen tried to answer this question. They conducted a review of all scientific literature concerning abdominal and general obesity and beer consumption. Their findings were mixed. French women who drank beer had a bigger waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), while this
occurred in German in Czech men only. Overall, there was no conclusive correlation between beer drinking and obesity. It appears that volume and frequency of beer consumption appear to play a role in weight gain. Men who drank more than 4 litres per week tended to have more abdominal obesity. Drinking frequency also played a role in obesity. They found that frequency of drinking was inversely related to weight gain. This means that binge drinkers were more likely to be overweight than those that consumed the same amount of alcohol daily. There was little evidence than moderate beer consumption, less than 500ml/day, caused beer bellies.
The researchers has a couple of thoughts about why beer drinking might be associated with weight gain. Firstly, in some populations beer drinkers have poorer diets than other beverage drinkers. In the US population, drinking beer was associated with higher energy intakes and reduced intake of fruits and veggies. This was in comparison to wine drinkers.
Secondly, beer drinking is associated with smoking. Something else that has been associated with weight gain. The association with exercise and beer drinkers was mixed. Beer intake was greater in college athletes than lazy students.
So there you have it: science says you will not get fat by drinking a daily pint. Just don't smoke, stay away from the chicken wings and get some exercise.

Rum Barrel Aged Red Ale (Phillips)

2013-04-10T13:08:00.001-07:00

You can try and knock the big guys, but they are giving beer geeks what they want: new releases. This month Phillips released two brews. The Double Dragon red ale and a similar rum barrel aged version. Previous years of DD have been great, but recent releases have been lackluster. Their last month oak aged scotch ale is still in the fridge. Extra time is needed to allow the oak tannins to mellow before sampling. This sounds better than I am lazy and plan to get around to it later. Barrel aging is a wonderful thing; the addition of spirit flavours and tannins can truly enhance a beer. Perhaps Phillips will barrel age tap water one day?

Rum Barrel Aged Red Ale = 8/10

The red ale nose is sweeter than expected; lots of black strap molasses, rum and dry toast around. Also unexpected was the creamy, medium full mouthfeel enhanced by a slight tannic astringency. This beer on its own would be quite boring, but the wood aging added something special. Grape must, cherry cola, nuttiness and rum are a great addition to any malt forward beer. A predictable ending of creamy, barreled rum with treacle follows each sip. Food pairings should include earthy flavours. Perhaps cedar planked salmon or creamy mushroom risotto. Don't stick this one in your cellar; there are not any sharp flavours that need to be mellowed.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 (6.8%) I don't think this is right though
Value +1 (I liked it)
Appearance +1 (As always great label art

Barnacle IPA (Lighthouse)

2013-04-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

The first time I tasted this beer, I was seated on the floor of Eskimodave's apartment. No this was not some sort of beer cult worshiping. Dave didn't have enough chairs and I don't have an aversion to sitting on the ground. Dean passed around this bottle for the beer geeks to try. We were all astounded. It was delicious, fresh and an emerging style of beer. A wheat IPA?! It tasted great, but it will never catch on.
Currently, two wheat IPA releases have come through Victoria. I believe VIB struck first with the Flying Tanker. This brew will be returning in summer, as it is a hybrid of the currently available Beachcomber Ale. Phillips followed with the Electric Unicorn. Perhaps they were both following the Belgian White by Lighthouse. Regardless, I digress. What do you get when you cross a familiar hop profile with added wheat malts? Two words: awesome! Wait for it, the bomber release of the Barnacle IPA is very soon.

Barnacle IPA (Lighthouse) = 9/10

The nose is familiar to everyone who likes to switch up their favourite beer. There is something else: cream of wheat. Tropical fruit aroma is still a major player but it is tempered with the creaminess that only wheat can provide. Gone is the gripping hop IPA bite, replaced by the creamy smooth southern half hop linger. Is this a hop showcase powerhouse: no. But it is something that will draw you in sip after sip.

I was recently asked about appropriate glassware selection: fricken Cicerones. I chose the quarter or 1/8 yard beer glass. This is the signature glass by Kwak. This is not correct glassware selection, but I found two of these glasses at a thrift store for $4! I had to show them off. What about food pairings? Perhaps a breaded sea bass with a fresh lemon squeeze. For the vegans out there: try a quinoa salad with arugula, Mandarin oranges and pine nuts. To make my neighbour happy, try it with the pulled pork poutine and corn bread.

I am really, really trying hard to hold it together. Dean promised me a growler of their upcoming maibock release, so I am emptying my growler of Barnacle IPA. Despite what you all think, I don't really drink a lot of beer. When I drink; I drink well. So a maibock? I love bocks: strong lagers are where it's at. There are currently no bright, spring time patio bocks. Unless you wanna suck back a Holsten big boy can. I sense a lack of cohesion, so ..good night.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 8%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (mine is a growler, which is awesome)

Creme Brulee Vanilla Stout (Saltspring Island)

2013-03-22T23:16:00.001-07:00

This, I believe, is a first for BC craft beer. Notice I said 'craft'. Liquor Plus worked in collaboration with Salt Spring Island Brewing to create one unique beer. Essentially Salt Spring Island brewed a one-off batch of beer and Liquor Plus bought it all. I can think of a few people who would shudder at this idea. But bravo to Rod Phillips of Liquor Plus, for taking a risk to further craft beer in BC. Collaborations like this are not new in Canada. The EPIC Sherbrooke Liquor store in Alberta has worked with a few breweries to create their own beers, the most noteworthy is Paddock Wood.

Creme Brulee Vanilla Stout = 8/10

An inky black pour with a tan head is a sign of a stout that means business. The first point of order is the real caramelized vanilla aroma. It reminds me of Madagascar vanilla in full fat ice cream. A lighter than expected body, for an 8%ABV brew, touches almost every stout flavour. There are berries, milk (lactose), caramel, faint coffee, vanilla creamsicles and cola. The slight tongue slickness is easily overlooked because the long finish is all sweet, milk chocolate and vanilla. It is a sweeter stout, but not excessively so. People will like this beer, especially fans of the Lighthouse and Phillips chocolate porters. The Creme Brulee flavours are not robust enough to warrant cellaring. This beer is only available at Liquor Plus starting this upcoming Monday, March 25th. How did I get my hands on a few bottles? I would like to think my l33t blogging status places me into the in crowd. Most likely, Rod let me buy a bottle early so I would not harass him all weekend.

Taste +3 (Bonus points for organic malts)
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 8%ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Good description of flavour and elegant label)

Belle Royal 2013 (Driftwood)

2013-03-19T23:25:00.001-07:00

It is with great trepidation that I open this bottle of Belle Royal Sour Cherry Wild Ale. Opening a bottle of Driftwood used to be a feeling of great excitement; now that has been replaced by apprehension. You may have noticed that there was no review of the Singularity 2013 this year. Others couldn't care less what I think. This is the third sour by Driftwood. The Bird of Prey was a glorious thing. The Mad Bruin was also a solid performer but paled in comparison.

Belle Royal 2013 (Sour) = 7/10

Sitting in French and Appalachian oak does funny things to a beer. It gives the nose a funky, muddled cherry aroma. The sip is mild at first with the predictable tart cherries, wool blanket and oak tastes. What is lacking is the sweet vinaigrette. Perhaps all I want is for every sour beer to taste like Rodenbach or Monk's Cafe. Then the lemon and pineapple acidity wash over the tongue with a slight numbing sensation. It feels like my tongue is being digested by fresh pineapple enzymes. The ending is very dry, refreshingly tannic with a slight fruity rawness. If someone gave me this drink blindfolded I would have guessed it was a sangria with too much pineapple juice and oaked chardonnay.
Upon reading my above review, it sounds so horribly pompous and biased. Buy this beer, you will enjoy it. It is mildly sour, tart, fruity and very refreshing. I has hoping to relieve my first sour beer experience. Your first bottle of Rodenbach Grand Cru will forever be the unobtainable benchmark. Mestreechs Aajt is a second best.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (great art as always with good description of flavour)

Absolute Darkness (VIB)

2013-03-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

This the forth bomber release by VIB. A unique India Dark Ale release is the flavour this quarter, even if the style name is unspeakable. Like always, VIB lets loose the marketing machine and highlights something local. In this case it is the Horne Lake caves and campground. The very busy release party had several people promoting this Island attraction. Well done for supporting Island events.

Absolute Darkness = 7/10

The first thing to hit you is the grassy and floral hop nose. It is quite pronounced, but I don't seem to mind. This grassiness takes a backseat to the sip of equal parts floral, lemongrass and slight spruce hop assertiveness. Then the dusty, milk chocolate and toast malts make an appearance. They are all in perfect balance, but the floral grasses never really go away. The aftertaste reminds me of lavender candies I got from Harrods. It is a tasty beer and no doubt people will enjoy it, but something is out of sorts. Maybe the nose is a tad too grassy and the body a little thin, but these are my delusions of beer critic grandeur speaking.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 6.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (supercool glow in dark label)

Cabin Fever BIPA (Phillips)

2013-03-05T22:40:00.001-08:00

What are these kids at Phillips doing? The new releases keep coming, or do they? Today it is a Black IPA. No one these days will dare use the 'C' word, but I won't go there. Next week Vancouver Island is releasing an India Dark Ale. Someone might steal the name, but no one can steal our lust for dark, hoppy beers. So is this beer actually new? Well.. check the ABV compared the Phillips Amnesiac: same. Smell compared to Amnesiac: same. The taste is well.. similar. Could this be the Amnesiac with dark malts added? Who knows? Irregardless, it is hoppy and fault free: hence, everyone will love it. I did, but is it actually new?

Cabin Fever BIPA = 6/10

This starts off with the classic, and glorious, Phillips hop nose. Once whiffed, a special set of brain cells is dedicated to its recall. You all know it: part sweet citrus, part floral pine with a hint of spun sugar. An oddly thin mouthfeel delivers the goods: a hop forward astringency with slightly chocolate and bready malts. The ending is smooth, sadly short lived with only an ounce of alcohol warmth. There is just enough grapefruit and pinesol to make the mouth happy. Is there anything wrong with being aggressively popular? Next year, perhaps more dark malts and a thicker mouthfeel please.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8.5%
Value 0 It is good but not really new
Appearance +1 always great art.

Smokeshow Rauchweizen (Moon Under Water)

2013-03-05T22:03:00.001-08:00

Rauchbiers are rarely pretty beverages. This uniquely smoked beer dates back to the days when all malts were dried by wood fires. Often the smoke left residual flavours which were transferred to the beers. Modern malting methods do not use wood smoke anymore. If one wishes to taste history, search out beers from the town of Bamberg, Germany. Many breweries there still use beechwood to dry their malts in creating these characteristic beers. The definite example, with its memorable label, is Aecht Rauchbier Marzen. Sadly, it is rarely found in Canada. The initial smokiness is hard to take, but after a few sips it grows on you.
Why the sudden interest in smoked beers? I have no idea. Perhaps it is brewers wanting to experiment with forgotten styles. Personally I would have hoped they would try to brew a Gose instead. Maybe it is the local fascination with bacon and its smoky flavours. This is also something I do not understand.

Smokeshow Rauchweizen = 7/10

There was only the mildest of wood smoke surrounding the bready and fruity malts. It tasted the same from start to linger, which was good. The pleasure was pale fruits, mild apple and whole wheat bread with a tannic/astringent addition from the smoked malts. I couldn't drink too many, but the one I had was very enjoyable.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 always better from the source

Black Jackal (Phillips)

2013-02-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

There are some beer reviews that are biased from the start. This is one of them. I love coffee and I love beer. My 'indestructible' Saeco espresso machine is almost dead. I have even dry hopped espresso before. This is another local beer formula that seem to work. Swan's, Hoyne and Canoe make a coffee infused something.

Black Jackal = 8/10

You must love coffee to fully enjoy this brew. The nose consists of espresso grounds and not much else. Each mouthful is chewy, powdery and astringent from the espresso roast. This tastes like blender processed, dark chocolate covered coffee beans. It is hard to pick out a flavour that is not coffee related. I am OK with that. Do not drink that beer to close to bed, you might have difficulty sleeping. This warning comes from first hand knowledge. Your dreams will be long with images of dry cocoa and coffee grounds.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 8%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Always great art and description of beer flavour)

Other coffee beers
Swan's Double Shot Porter
Hoyne Voltage Espresso Stout

Choc-O-Holic (Spinnakers)

2013-02-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

I heard this beer did so well that Spinnakers had to buy some beer back to stock its own off sales. This is believable, it is a darn tasty beer with everyone's favourite ingredient. The trend in Victoria beers is to go after the chocolate porter market. Makes sense, apparently Phillips Longboat porter is the best selling bomber in BC.

Choc-O-Holic = 6/10

Campfire mixes well with cool berries to make the nose happy. A roasted astringency starts an enjoyable sip of lagered berries and bittersweet milk chocolate. The mouth feel is medium with an odd cooling sensation. At the end, a dry cocoa dusting leaves a vague nutty finish. The Misses enjoyed it; that is the sign of a good chocolate porter. Very nice.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 7.75% (How did they get that number?)
Value +1
Appearance 0 Art was OK

Twenty Pounder DIPA (Driftwood)

2013-02-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Last time I did not like this release, it was almost too painful to drink. Hops are awesome and all, but you do not need to overwhelm us. Yes, there are a whole crap load of hops in here. This time it seems almost palatable. I will be brief, I have a few reviews to finish tonight.

Twenty Pounder = 8/10

The hop presence is unmistakable. It's nose reveals almost every PNW hop aroma you can fathom; I picked up on the pine, resin and pomelos. Is it possible to smell with your tongue? Your tongue senses the hop flavours before they arrive. The heavy bready, malt base provides ample sweetness to deliver this burning hop wash to your stomach. I might go and grab a TUMS. This might sound unflavourable, but in actuality it is not. The drinkability of this double digit IBU beverage is surprising. Your tongue never really loses its sweet citrus coating/numbing. This might do well with a bit of aging.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1 (barely)
Appearance +1 always great art

Bottle Rocket ISA (Phillips)

2013-02-20T13:08:00.001-08:00

It is a rare occurrence that I buy a six back of beer. It's a beer ticker thing. I am glad I did, this is a pretty decent beer. While it may be a copycat of another style, it is a welcome trend. We need more highly hopped, lower ABV beers. It is nice to get all those PNW hops flavours and still be able to feel our noses. I would still call a brew sessionable only if it was under 5% ABV.

Bottle Rocket ISA = 7/10

This brew is more than just Blue Buck malts with Hop Circle hops. Everything you want is there: floral citrus nose with a hint of pine. You might want to pour it into a glass to get all that. It sips with a decent chewy astringency. The malts are bready sweet and the hops are bright with multi-citrus and pine flavoured gumdrops. This beer is not a flavour powerhouse, but I am sad that my six pack is gone. It was lightly challenging on the palate and enjoyable.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5% ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 (nice can art and good description of beer flavour)

Blackstone Porter - Driftwood

2013-02-15T23:06:00.000-08:00

I gotta get these backlogged reviews underway.
Part 1 - The Rant. Driftwood has always been putting out awesome stuff, but there is not much really new. Every year we get the Sartori (yay) and the Old Cellar Dwellar (double yay) and a sour (BOORAH). But it is all getting a little predictable. The only thing new this year was the demonic Son of the Morning. I think that beer is still on the shelves, which tells you something. The T-shirt was great. Luckily we will never get tired of drinking Fat Tug.
Part 2 - More Rant - I tried the Singularity 2013. Sad to say I got an infected bottle. It tasted like jolly rancher candies and nail polish; oxidation gone wrong. I can forgive a bad bottle and try another, but not at $11 a pop.

Blackstone Porter = 7/10

A spot on porter nose always brings joy. Roasted Fry's cocoa tins, bittersweet chocolate and fruit infused coffee. The sip continues unchanged with minimal roast and a pleasant astringency. This porter is just thick enough to lengthen the flavour until you desire another taste. Your cravings draw you in quickly thereafter. The ending is cocoa powdery and dry. Well done.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 6%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (always great art and description of flavour)

Leviathan Milk Stout (Phillips)

2013-02-10T21:22:00.002-08:00

I like a good milk stout. They were brewed to be healthy for you. This was back in the day when English brewers were doing their darnedest to give beer the appearance of a healthy beverage. Milk was good for you, so but milk in beer and it would also be good for you. Sounds right to me. The modern day milk/sweet stout doesn't contain milk. However, it does contain lactose. This lactose is undigestable by beer yeast and remains to provide a thick and sweet flavour. The classic example is Mackeson Stout which clocks in at a whopping 3.0% ABV. Left Hand Brewing makes a great milk stout. So how does the Leviathan Milk Stout by Phillips stack up?

Leviathan Milk Stout = 6/10

There were lots of roasted grains on the nose with only the slightest of milk chocolate. A light to medium mouthfeel is unaffected by low carbonation and only a slight creaminess coated the tongue. Sadly lactose sweetness is present but rather lacking. What you do taste is cola, nutty pecans, mild caramel and roasted nuts. The aftertaste is pleasant with dry cocoa and milk chocolate. I think it is a tad high in the ABV and roasted tastes but low in the lactose flavours to be called a milk stout. It's a darn tasty beverage none the less. And hey, some money is going to save the whales.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.5% (a tad high)
Value +1 almost a zero
Appearance +1 it's for charity and nice label art

Swan's Legacy Ale (Barley Wine)

2013-02-06T13:30:00.002-08:00

Andrew at Swan's was a little late this year with his barley wine release. It was with good reason; the Legacy Ale was aging in a tank for eight months. Patience pays off.

Legacy Ale (Swan's) = 10/10

Barley wines in Victoria range from painful to bland; this one falls perfectly in the middle. There is enough sherry, sweet raisins, dark fruits and earthy hops to make your nose happy. The body is assertive, yet sippable and creamy without being overly warming. Each sip is complex enough to appeal to everyone. The first time barley wine drinker will enjoy the warming alcohol attack with dark fruits, raisins and hints of chocolate. The beer geek will love oxidation gone right with sherry notes and challenging earthy and herbal hops. Everyone's palate will be pleased by the long finish of syrupy raisins and warm sherry. There is enough complexity that cellaring will improve flavours. Do not delay, this is a very limited release.

Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Just bonus points to get up to 10 points)

Upcoming Trappist Beer School, Feburary 17th

2013-02-06T13:07:00.003-08:00

The next beer school is called: "Trappist Triumph; Take Monday off." This school is in honour of a virtual friend that I will be meeting in real life. So we shall have all seven original Trappist beers in the same room, at the some time. This is a rare occurrence for anywhere in the world; other than perhaps Belgium.

Email in early to reserve your spot,Sunday, February 17th, 7:30ish at Clive's Classic Lounge in the Chateau Victoria. Here is a list of the beers to be sampled:

1. Achel - a Belgian Blonde
2. Orval - the classic
3. Chimay White
4. Westmalle Dubbel
5. Rochefort 8
6. La Trappe Tripel
7. TOP SECRET - and no, it is not the one you are thinking of

As always you are there to learn. There will be history, glassware lessons, food pairing suggestions, a cheese plate to nibble on and prizes. The same format as always: bring a pen, your palate and $30. The cost is higher this time due to expense of adding extra and expensive beers. Email me or leave a comment to reserve your spot. There will be only 17 spots for this event. Do not delay as this school is already half full.

Please forward this to any other craft beer loving friends who might like to attend. As always plan for a safe trip home.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again,
Ian
www.left4beer.com

Belgian Black 2013

2013-01-30T22:28:00.001-08:00

A yearly repeat beer rarely gets a second mention unless something is different. Dean mentioned that the recipe for Belgian Black was slightly different this year. The taste reflects this.

Belgian Black = 10/10

Last year I mentioned that this tasted like a ramped up Keepers stout. This year a lot of that roast is gone which allows more berries and yeast spiciness to waft out of the glass. Each sip warms and coated the tongue with a glycerin like thickness. Then the flavours come: dark fruits, all spice, and highly conched bittersweet chocolate. Maybe there is a bit of rum and raisin pudding in there too. Each sip and change in temperature reveals something new. Lost is the astringency but gained is a smooth sweet finish. I don't think this is cellar worthy because there are no harsh flavours that need to be mellowed out. After a while that spicy yeast might be lost, which would be tragic.

Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 still great label art

Top 10 Victoria beers of 2013

2013-01-20T11:16:00.001-08:00

This year was a great one for Victoria's craft beer lovers. Every major brewery released a few seasonal bombers. Moon Under Water changed hands. Hoyne celebrated its first birthday. 2012 was also the year that growler fills started to gain more traction. So which brews did the beer prick feel made top marks? It was a tough choice.

1. Siren Imperial Red Ale by Lighthouse = 11/10

This brew gave every Victorian hophead what they really wanted for Christmas. There were massive citrus hops balanced with equally massive toasted, fruity malts. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of this beer in the future.

2. Singularity 2012 by Driftwood = 10/10

This under priced, barrel aged malt monster traveled more than I did last year. Usually consistent year to year.

3. Switchback IPA by Lighthouse = 9/10

Depending upon who you talk to, this IPA currently sits on the top of the BC IPA podium.

4. Belgian White by Lighthouse = 9/10

This is starting to sound like a broken record. Dean has been a busy brewer this year.

5. Flying Tanker by VIB = 9/10

Everyone and their homebrewer released a white IPA this year, I felt this one stood out. Perhaps it was that spicy Weinhenstephan yeast.

6. Eric Jourdan NW Amber Ale = 9/10

For a prize winning homebrew that didn't really adhere to any style, it sure went far. Tasted dang good too.

7. Belgian Black by Lighthouse = 9/10

A ramped up Keepers with a Belgian yeast strain, how can you go wrong?

8. Victorious Weizenbock by Moon Under Water = 9/10

Massive esters and fruitness were the game plan for one of Clay's first brews.

9. Gratitude by Hoyne = 8/10

This was the best winter warmer in town. Rich fruitiness, biscuits, sherry and warmth were just the things one needed by the fireplace. It was the most elegantly packaged beer in Victoria.

10. Sartori by Driftwood = 9/10

Always a seasonal favourite. You know something is good when it sells out within days of its release.

Honourable Mentions

Not everyone can be in the top ten. In no particular order:

Black Swan Imperial Stout by Swan's
I never got around to reviewing this beer, which was a major oversight. It was delicious. Thick, fruity, chocolatey and slightly oaked. This is a great beer. Perhaps the best imperial stout in Victoria.

Beachcomber by VIB = 7/10
I have no idea how this beer did not win a gold medal. Looking forward to its return in spring.

Pandamonium by Phillips = 9/10
Outrageously hopped. That is all.

Baltic Porter by Spinnakers = 8/10
The lightly smoked malts was a nice touch.

Cygnet Ale = 5/10
Low alcohol beers tend to past by unnoticed. This one had major ester and fruity flavours for something at only 4.2%.

And now the rest
Pott's Pilsner by Moon Under Water = 7/10
Mad Bruin by Driftwood = 8/10
Amarillo Single Hop IPA by Phillips =8/10
Wolf Vine by Hoyne = 7/10
Electric Unicorn White IPA by Phillips = 8/10
Red India Ale by Moon Under Water = 8/10