Beer of the Week - Gigantic Brewing Scrilla

In my latest Canada Craft Club delivery, there was a 650 ml bottle of Scrilla Pale Ale from Gigantic Brewing in Portland, Oregon. The brewery opened in 2012 and makes a year-round IPA. The rest of the time, it appears they do one-offs.

One unique feature of the brewery is that Gigantic Brewing hires a different artist to do each beer label. The artist is given total control of the artwork. They are given the beer name and style and have the freedom from there to do whatever they want.

What is Scrilla? I didn't know either until I looked it up. It's slang for money. The label, done by artist Overton Loyd, looks very similar to a bank note.

And the beer?

Scrilla pours amber with a slight orangy tinge, with a good white head. There are lots of lacings left behind as I sip. Citrus very prominent in the aroma.

The ale starts off a touch watery but then a very nice citrusy bitterness comes through. It's not an overpowering bitterness but quite nice. According to the bottle, the citrus is coming from citra, crystal and simcoe hops.

Scrilla is a very nice beer that I quite enjoyed.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 338
Breweries 310
Countries 49

Beer of the Week - Hopworks Organic Abominable Winter Ale

In this month's Canada Craft Club delivery, I received a 650ml bottle of Organic Abominable Winter Ale from Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB).

The brewery opened in 2007 in a city that is very high on my list pf places to visit, Portland, Oregon, which maybe the craft beer capital of the world. The family owned brewery, started by Christian Ettinger very small, now employs over 130 people in two brewpubs.

In December 2012, the Oregon Sustainability Board presented the brewery with the Governor’s Oregon Sustainability Grand Champion Award which promotes the use of sustainable practices in the private sector.

When looking at notes on the Abominable, I noticed they use Salmon safe hops.

Salmon safe hops .. what?

Salmon-Safe is a non-profit organization that works to keep agricultural watersheds and urban areas clean enough for native salmon to spawn and thrive.

And the beer?

The Organic Abominable Winter Ale pours brown with a slight orangy hue and white head. Lacings, of course, line the inside of the glass after each sip. There is a definite pine aroma to the nose.

The ale starts with a nice little bitterness, maybe a little citrusy, before a fabulous pine bite takes over. I have been craving pine needle bitterness lately and this ale has it. It is not an overpowering bitterness but nicely balanced.

The Abominable is dangerous as it is delicious but goes down easily like a session ale, but comes in at 7.3% APV in a 650ml bottle.

I really wish I had another as I really enjoyed the one I received.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 337
Breweries 309
Countries 49

Beer of the Week - Laurelwood Public House Workhorse IPA

In this months Canada Craft Club delivery was a 650ml bottle of Workhorse IPA from Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. The brewery is located in a city that I have wanted to visit for years, Portland, Oregon.

The opened their doors in March 2001 in a very small location of once was, what else, a brewpub. Since then they have grown to many locations in Portland, including the airport and the Moda Cnetre, home of the city's NBA franchise Portland Trailblazers. They also opened another location in Battle Ground Village, Washington, which is the home of one of the owners Mike De Kalb. The other co-owner is his wife, Cathy Woo-De Kalb.

Laurelwood recently became the first brewery in Oregon to be certified as an organic beer producer.

And the taste?

Workhorse pours amber in colour with off-white head. There is lot's of citrus in the aroma due to two dry hopping additions to the brew. This is where hops are added at the end specifically to add bite to the aroma.

This is a very well balanced ale. It starts with a little bitterness, just slightly citrusy, which increase in intensity to the end. I thought the finish would be much more bitter, but most of the bitterness seems to be in the middle.

My hop is to one day, enjoy this on tap, on location, in Portland, Oregon.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 334 
Breweries        305
Countries          49

Beer of the Week - Shipyard Brewing Monkey Fist IPA

When Teena was out east a couple of weeks ago, she came back with a couple of cans of Monkey Fist IPA from Portland, Maine's,  Shipyard Brewing.

The owners of Shipyard Brewing brewed their first beers in 1992 off site in Kennebunkport Harbor, which is about 40 minutes south of Portland, at Federal Jack’s Brew Pub (Federal Jacks is still around). Two years later they opened their own bricks and mortar brewery in Portland.

Their logo is based on a schooner which was built where the brewery now stands back in the early 1800s.

What is a monkey fist? Is it a clever funny name for an IPA or a real thing? It's a knot that is made at the end of a rope to add weight in order for the rope to be thrown with great accuracy over a longer distance.

So, how's the IPA?

Most of the time when I try an IPA from the U.S., I expect a west coast-style ale, citrusy and bitter, a style I love. Monkey Fist is not like this at all. Instead it's a true English style IPA, one that I don't have enough.

It pours amber in colour, with a slightly off white head. Piney hops dominate the aroma. At first, when I sipped, there was very little taste, just watery in mouth feel, but this lasts for just a moment before a lovely piney hop bite comes through. They don't overpower you and leaves my mouth with a nice piney bitter finish.

Monkey Fist is a truly enjoyable IPA.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 321 
Breweries 289 
Countries 46

A Halifax Beer Delivery

Teena was working in Halifax this week and came home with a very heavy suitcase full of craft beer for me.  Twelve tall cans, four regular cans and two 650ml bottles.What a great wife!

I now have these beer to try:

• Shipyard Brewing from Maine
• Charles Wells Brewery in the UK. 

To show how much the craft brewing industry has caught on in Nova Scotia, Teena brought back these beers from breweries:

• Tatamagouche Brewery
• Nine Locks Brewing
• Spin Drift Brewing
• Sea Level Brewing
• North Brewing Company

These Nova Scotia breweries likely sprang up in the past year or so. Teena is from there and was in Halifax just this past spring. She never noticed beer from all these breweries available then.

Good news for Nova Scotia and for me, as I am looking forward to trying them all.

Beer of the Week - Rough Draft Brewing Grapefruit Weekday IPA

Today, I am trying a beer I received from the Canada Craft Club that has me excited. It's called Grapefruit Weekday IPA and I am so looking forward to how the grapefruit works with this. I remember being hesitant to try the Hawaiian Style Pale Ale from Spearhead Brewing, thinking it be a fruity beer. I was so wrong there and anxious to try this one.

I can't find when Rough Draft Brewing started, just that the owner, Jeff Silver, received a home brewing gift 20 years ago as a present, and twenty years later, opened his own brick and mortar brewery. Silver named the brewery Rough Draft, as that is what he feels his beers are ... rough drafts. The brewery encourages their customers to give feedback on what they like and dislike about each brew.

Time to weigh in. It is a weekday after all!

First off, it's good to know that Rough Draft does not just buy grapefruit juice to pour into the pot. The grapefruit are organically grown by local producer Stehly Farms, where they are juiced and zested by hand.

This 4.8% IPA pours a golden colour with a white head. Loads of citrus fill the aroma, and nice white lacings line the side of the glass while I sip.

With my first sip, sour grapefruit meets my tongue right away. This is quickly followed with a very nice citrusy hop bite. Again, the flavour morphs and the sourness comes back for the very long finish.

I really enjoyed this ale. My Canada Craft Club membership comes with credits to order their offerings on line. I might just order more of this as one will not do me.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 318 
Breweries 286 
Countries 46

Beer of the Week - Wanderlust IPA

In my March delivery from Canada Craft Club was a 650ml bottle of Wanderlust IPA from Breakside Brewery, located in a city that I have wanted to visit for sometime, Portland, OR. From what I have read and heard, Portland sounds like beer heaven.

Breakside opened up as a brewpub in 2010. Only a year later, they won a silver medal at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival in Boulder, CO, in the Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout category. In 2013, Breakside opened another location on the other side of the city. At the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, Breakside won a gold medal for their Breakside IPA in the American Style India Pale Ale category and a Bronze medal for what I am going to try today, the Wanderlust IPA, in the American Style Strong Pale Ale category.

So, how is the Wanderlust?

It pours a golden colour with a good white head that takes its time dissipating. There is lots of bitter citrus in the aroma. On my first sip, the bitter citrus hits me immediately and stays right through the finish.

This is not a complicated layered beer but is not meant to be. It is tasty from start to finish.

When I finally do manage a vacation in Portland, I'll be paying this brewery a visit!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 310 
Breweries 278 
Countries 45

Beer of the Week - Knee Deep Brewing Midnight Hoppyness

In this month's Canada Craft Club delivery came a 650 ml bottle of Midnight Hoppyness from Knee Deep Brewing in California.

Brewmaster Jeremy Warren started Knee Deep as a contract brewer in June 2010, having their beer brewed out of Mt. Tallac Brewing in Lake Tahoe. In September of that year, he met Jerry Moore, who loved his beer and came on as the company's CEO, with a vision of opening their own brick and mortar facility.

Early in 2011, they made a deal to lease Beermann’s Brewery in Lincoln, California, and in May started brewing their first batch of beer there. Over time they got to the point where they were brewing Knee Deep beer, completely from the Lincoln facility. The brewery was quite successful and they had to leave the Lincoln brewery for a much larger 28,000 square foot (2600 sq meters) plant in Auburn California.

And the beer?

According to the bottle, the Midnight Hoppyness is an Imperial Black Rye Indian Pale Ale. I always wonder why brewers put high test alcohol beers in large bottles. This one weighs in at 9.5% in a 650 ml bottle. Knee Deep puts this one out as a seasonal beer.

The beer pours deep black with a meringue like brown head. It's a very active beer and was hard to keep the head down while pouring. Because of the colour, I had expected coffee or cocoa to the nose, but instead was greeted with enjoyable citrus. It's a very fresh aroma, for sure.

My first taste was confusing, as with all the citrus in the aroma, I expected some chocolate or coffee to start, which would then be quickly overpowered by citrus bitterness. This teaches me not to go in with expectations or to judge a book by its cover, or beer by its colour.

Instead this beer starts off very porter-like with chocolate and maybe a little coffee, which stays with you throughout. It is in the very long finish, right after swallowing, that the bitterness from the citrus hops come through. That wonderful bitterness stays with me, until my next sip.

I love a beer that changes itself during a sip, which the Midnight Hoppyness does. I would definitely would have this again! 

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 307 
Breweries 275 
Countries 45

Beer of the Week- The IPA's of Rock Bottom Brewing

This afternoon Teena and I arrived in Chicago. We took the transit (the "L") from the airport and got off at Grand station, and lo and behold on the opposite corner was Rock Bottom Brewery.

In the late '80's and early '90's, there was a popular slogan by a large insurance company: "Get a Piece of the Rock." One brewer and one entrepreneur got together to open one of the nation's first brewery restaurants at the bottom of the insurance building...the year was 1991...the place was Denver, CO...and so it began, the birth of Rock Bottom. For almost twenty five years, we have been pioneering the craft beer revolution! Our brewers have been awarded over two hundred national awards for their unique brewing styles. Our menus have received numerous accolades. The tradition continues today at each Rock Bottom with local brewers and local chefs coming together to create bold local flavors both in our beers we brew and the food we serve.

I asked what the Belgo Megazord was and found out it was an IPA. Bring it on!

Here is my Megazord and Teena's Lakeshore Drive Light.

The Megazord was nice. Lots of citrus hops in this. It starts with a nice citrus hop bite and finished the same way. I was hot and a little tired and this suited me just fine. Then it was time to try their other IPA, the Finnish Me.

Well, this one was an excellent layered IPA. There was enough malt in this to balance the hops but had an excellent hoppy bitterness to it. So good that I had another.

The food?

I had the Bacon and Chicken Mac n Cheese.

It was eve better than it looked. Full of cheese, large chucks of chicken, mushrooms and a little bit of heat.

Between the excellent beer and tasty food, it's going to be hard to keep me away from this place.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 285
Breweries 255
Countries 45

Beer of the Week - Mississippi Mud Black and Tan

When Teena came back from a business trip to Winnipeg, she brought me back a great sampling of beers that I can't get in Ontario. One of them was in a cool looking bottle, Mississippi Mud Black and Tan. That is not a wrapper or a label on the bottle but the brown is built into it. Very cool.

From here the mystery starts. This is what it says on the bottle.

When I Googled it, the only Mississippi Brewing Company I could find is located in Baton Rouge, which makes more sense than being brewed in a town in New York State. This company, however, does not take any credit for the beer.

I read rumours that it is brewed by Matt Brewing in or Saranac Brewing, both located in Utica, New York. It seems that both are the same company. It looks like Matt Brewing was bought out, joined or changed its name to Saranac. I didn't look very deeply into this as they don't claim to brew this Black and Tan.

The name Arizona Beverage Company came up but that too was a dead end. This has all made me very thirsty so it's time for a sip.

So what is a Black and Tan. According to the bottle:

Dating back to 18th-century England, the custom of blending pale and dark beers has kept the “Black and Tan” a favorite of experienced beer drinkers for centuries. Our famous recipe combines a robust English porter with a fine Continental Pilsner, preserving the character of each, while creating the classic taste of the legendary “Black and Tan”. In true American style, we bring you the best of both beers as they meet in Mississippi Mud.

And how does it taste?

The beer pours an extremely dark brown colour, not black. The pilsner must lighten up the colour. Chocolate is quite noticeable in the aroma. The beer has a good head which takes its time settling down. Lacings are left behind as I sip.

It's an OK tasting beer. Not an ale, not a lager, but a combination of each. Some porters can be heavy but this one is actually light. A little watery in mouthfeel to start, the taste diluted chocolate comes through, then disappears in the finish, which surprisingly is lager like.

I am really glad I had a chance to try this but would not by one again. I am keeping the bottle, though.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 275 
Breweries 245 
Countries 44

Beer of the Week - Sofie from Goose Island Beer Company

Until recently, I have never heard of Goose Island Beer Company even though the company has been around since 1988. Perhaps they just started exporting their beer to Canada.

Actually in 1988, they were a Chicago brewpub and became so popular that in 1995, they opened their own brewery to keep up with the demand. In 1999, they opened up a second Goose Island Brewpub right close to historic Wrigley Field. This is very exciting for me as my friends and I are going to Chicago this summer to see the Cubs play and you know we'll be hitting this place and I'll be writing about it!

Sadly though Goose Island was sold in the spring of 2011 to Anheuser-Busch for $38.8 million. It should be interesting talking to the locals to see if this has changed the brewery at all or if the new owners are taking a hands off approach.

Sofie is described as a Belgium Farmhouse Style Ale and weighs in at 6.5% APV. According to their website, this beer is fermented with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel. The label breaks this down more by explaining that this is an 80% Belgium style ale blended with 20% Belgium style ale aged in wine barrels with orange peel.

Enough of the percentages. What about the taste?

Sofie pours a light golden colour and it was quite active. It was hard controlling the head as I poured but

once done found it to be white, frothy and a little meringue like. There was lots of orange and wine that comes through in the aroma.

This is a very nice beer to sip on. It's full of flavour that is quite full yet not overpowering. It actually tastes a little more like a wine that a beer. Maybe a sparkling wine. The wine does come through on this.  I wonder what type of wine barrels they used but a Riesling or Gewurztraminer would not surprise me as this tastes a little fruity.

I really like this beer and plan to get more to let age for the summer. It would really suit sitting out on a nice hot day. I'm enjoying it even though it is -9C with a windchill that makes it feel like -18C. Of course, I only stepped outside for a moment to take the picture.

For those people who give the blanket statement that they don't like beer, I would serve them this. Sofie is a very fine ale and definitely worth trying.

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 224
Breweries 204
Countries 43

Beer of the Week - The Immortal IPA

The LCBO did not go on strike, and I'm glad it didn't. Even though it is Ontario's liquor store, they also carry a fabulous selection of foreign and craft beers, and surprising, has a greater variety of beer than is sold by Ontario's "The Beer Store".

It would have been tougher to find new and exciting beers such as one I found this week on their shelves from the Elysian Brewing Company of Seattle Washington, The Immortal IPA.

Love the name!

Elysian Brewing Company was founded in 1995 by Dick Cantwell, Joe Bisacca and David Buhler. In 1996 they opened Capitol Hill Public House, a 220 seat beer hall and brewery. The brewery was and still is their main brewery.

I like the name but wondered what Elysian meant. According to Webster's Online Dictionary it means "Blissful, Delightful"

I like it!

In 2003 Elysian opened a smaller brewery and bistro, Tangletown that seats 80. The brewery here is used for brewing and testing new beers.

You likely have heard the term, "location, location, location" which is extremely important for a pub, bar or restaurant to be successful. Well in 2006, they opened a pub, Elysian Fields, right by Seattle's two biggest stadiums, Qwest Stadium, home of the Seahawks (NFL Football) and the Mariners home, Safeco Field (Baseball). Elysian Fields seats 400 and has 40 taps which pours 18 house brewed beers and some guest beers.

Guess where I want to go if I ever get to Seattle?

And the beer!

The Immortal IPA, according to their website, is a  "Northwest interpretation of a classic English style". I am looking forward to this as I love west coast style IPA's. They go on to say The Immortal uses Chinook hops in the brew which is finished with Amarillo and Centennial hops.

According to Freshops, Chinook hops give a taste of  a "pine forest washed with exotic spice and infused with grapefruit. Amarillo gives a "flowery, citrus-like aroma with medium bittering value" and Centennial hops have "Flowers & citrus most evident. A medium aroma with mid to high bittering value"

Time for a sip!

The beer pours a little cloudy with a light coppery shade.It has a nice citrusy aroma that makes me quite ready for my first sip...which is disappointing. It starts with a light citrus bitterness which kind of lasts and not much else. It has a general light watery mouth feel for a 6.3% IPA. Nothing jumps out at you.

I can't say I dislike this beer, there is nothing here to dislike... or like. It's just disappointing. At least I won't have to choke it down when I drink the other five.  


Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 204 
Breweries 186 
Countries 38

Beer of the Week - Ommegang Belgium Pale Ale

To celebrate the end of another work week, I stopped into the Beer Bistro for a couple of beers before heading home. I saw that they had Ommegang Belgium Pale Ale (BPA) on tap, and considering that I have never had a beer from that brewery before, decided to try this one first.

Ommegang is a strange name for a brewery so I had to look it up. It turns out that it is a medieval pageant with more than 1400 performers that takes place at the Grand-Place of Brussels, and in one of the Belgium's most popular attractions.

I was surprised to find that Ommegang Brewery is located in Cooperstown, New York, home of baseballs Hall of Fame. In fact on the brewery's website they say "So when you come to visit our hall, you should probably visit that other one too.

Cute!

In the 19th century Cooperstown and the surrounding area was a full of hop farms. In fact Ommegang, founded by Belgian beer importers Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield in 1997, was built on over a hundred acres of land that once was a hop farm.

Six years later in 2003, they sold the brewery to Duvel Moortgat Brewery, makers of my favorite Belgium ale Duvel. The beer is still brewed in Cooperstown but when extra production is needed, the recipes are brewed in Belgium.

And the beer?

It pours a light coppery colour with a white head. The glass at the Beer Bistro are always rinsed before using and the head stays for a good while. I can sense some spice and some citrus int he aroma. Lacings are left along the inside of the glass as I sip.

On my first sip there is a slight spiciness in the start which is quickly overpowered by a grapefruit. Bitter grapefruit. Not an overpowering bitterness just a nice bitter grapefruit. That changes into a general slight bitter citrus finish.

This BPA is actually a very light tasting for a beer that weighs in at 6.2% APV which I find surprising. It is a very good beer, one that I would order again. Despite the description of it being "Peppery and lively with a sweet citrusy start and a drying bitter finish" and that it has a higher APV, I would advise that if you plan to have two or three ales, that you start with this, rather than have more hoppier ales first.

I would definitely recommend this beer and will be ordering it again. Hopefully one day I'll be having this at the brewery after a day at the Baseball Hall of Fame!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 203 
Breweries 185 
Countries 38

Samuel Adams Utopias Glass

I managed to be one of the lucky ones to get through to buy one of the 300 available in Ontario. My bottle came through last week and, of course, it was last week's Beer of the Week. With each bottle comes a special Utopias Riedel glass, which had to be shipped separately, once you contacted the company.

Cheers to 10 years! This year marks the 10th anniversary of one of our greatest brewing accomplishments: Samuel Adams Utopias®. To celebrate, Samuel Adams® has paired with Riedel glassware to produce this custom-designed 10th Anniversary Utopias® glass to enhance the drinking experience.

My glass was delivered about 45 minutes ago.

It's a nice shaped glass with Samuel Adams Utopias etched in the bottom of the glass. It was quite hard to take a picture of. It's even nicer with some Utopias in it.

Time to relax and enjoy. What a great way to start a weekend!

My Birthday Beer of the Week - Samuel Adams Utopias

Utopia definition: An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.

For the past nine years, Jim Koch, owner and head brewmaster of Samuel Adams, has made a very special limited edition beer, Utopias! This year is the 10th anniversary of the brew and only 15,000 bottles were produced, with just 300 of them being sent to Ontario for sale at the LCBO. On March 1, they were sold by phone order only, on a first come, first served basis. I managed to snag bottle #7056.

Sunday is my birthday so the timing was great that it was delivered this week!

Utopias also comes with its own glass but to prevent damage, it is shipped separately.  I ordered mine today.

Every year Samuel Adams goes out and sources the best ingredients for the brew and every year the beer is different. This year the beer was brewed with pale malt, smoked malt, Munich and Caramel 60 malt plus four different hops. Maple syrup was added this year and along with the Samuel Adams yeast, a champagne yeast was added during fermentation.

This beer also has a blend of aged beers, including their original Triple Bock which was brewed and has been aging since 1994! The aging was done in single use bourbon casks, plus spent time rotating between finishing casks of Tawney Port, Vintage Ruby Port and rum barrels from Nicaragua.

Looks like a lot of work went into this!

The bottle or decanter is shaped like a brew kettle like previous years but this year it is black with a off white lines representing roots running around the bottle. The doors on the front of the kettle open but instead of revealing a picture of Samuel Adams hoisting a beer, instead it says "Cheers to 10 years" and is signed by Jim Koch.

When I unscrew the lid, I find underneath it that it is capped with a regular beer cap. The lid screws back on to preserve the beer, which I have heard will keep for years.

And what about the beer itself?

Despite using champagne yeast in the process, there is no head or carbonation in this at all. Although made using the regular brewing process, this beer comes out with over 27% APV and looks more like a dark mahogany liqueur or cordial.

The aroma is quite strong and complex. I am unsure as to what I can identity. My first thought was toffee but that can’t be right. After sipping is when I found there is caramel 60 malt in this so perhaps I am not off.

There are layers to this, maybe some brandy or bourbon? Do I also sense some maple syrup or just believe I do because I know it is in there? I only know that the aroma is complicated and fun.

When sip it, I see there is a clear film left along the inside of the glass. If the aroma is complex, the taste is even more so.

It comes at you in layers, first some sweetness, followed by a bourbon, maybe a slight maple syrup flavour and finishes with a pronounced sweetness and a tang that stays on the inside of my cheeks for a very long while. As I write this, there might be a long while between sips but the finish keeps lingering.

Some people think that I am crazy for paying $115 for a 24 oz (700 ml) bottle. Those people have not tasted how wonderful this is. Yes, this beer is Utopias and will be sipped only on special occasions.

Next year will find me trying for some more but for this year, Happy Birthday to me!!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 199 
Breweries 181 
Countries 37

Samuel Adams' Utopias Delivery

For the past three years, the LCBO brings in bottles of Samuel Adams Utopias beer.

The first year 2010, there were only 75 bottles which were sold by lottery. I did not win.

I did not get any the past two years either. 

This year they went on sale at 8:30am on Friday, March 1, and by 9:30am I had a bottle ordered. I was told at the time it would not come in to my local store for four to six weeks.

Well, I received a call this morning and, in under four weeks, it arrived. I picked it up this evening and here it is. This weekend is my birthday so the timing of this coming in was perfect!

There will be more about this on the week-end when I crack it open!

Beer of the Week - Green Flash Brewing West Coast IPA

I am a fan of the LCBO when it comes to beer. They do a great job of bringing in a vast variety of beer from around the country and the world.

You would think that job would be done better by The Beer Store, which most people think is government-owned but is, in fact, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Molson Coors and Sappor and have little  desire to bring in any competition to their own brands.

This month the LCBO is featuring IPAs which I love so I picked some favorites up that I have had before plus a new one, West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company .

Green Flash Brewing was started in 2002 by two married former pub owners, Mike and Lisa Hinkley. The company originally was located in Vista, CA, before moving 45 miles down the road to its present location in San Diego in May 2011.  The company just announced this month that they are opening up a second brewery across the country in Virginia Beach,VA. Plans are that the 58,000 foot brewery will be operational in 2015.

So, how about the beer?

This 7.3% APV ale pours a coppery colour with an off white head. There definitely are hops to the nose with this one, a little floral plus a little citrusy. It is a West Coast-style IPA with lots of hop bitterness throughout. First comes a nice citrusy bitterness which I love but the ale finishes with a long pine needle bite and there is nothing  wrong with that. I love when a beer layers its taste and this West Coast IPA does that very well.

A very enjoyable beer indeed!

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 198
Breweries 181
Countries 37

Beer of the Week - Allagash Tripel Reserve

Dorothy, one of Teena's colleagues. gave Teena a present to pass on to me, in appreciation of a favor that Teena did for her. Yes, I know thank-you's don't usually work that way but I sure am not complaining. Allagash Tripel Reserve is a beer that we can't get in Ontario so I really do appreciate this.

Allagash Brewing Company was started back in 1995 outside of Portland, Maine, by Rod Tod. It seems that Rod is a big fan of Belgium beers and realized that there were no American breweries focusing on the Belgium brewing style so he decided to open up his own brewery to change that.The first beer he brewed was a Belgium Wit (white), Allagash White, which today is still their flagship brand. It sounds like the kind of wit beer I enjoy, one with orange peel and coriander.

Now Allagash has six year 'round beers and have also started to experiment with Lambic beers, beers made and sat in a covered area for a day or two to to capture the wild airborne yeasts. I read an article about how Rod is experimenting, with some success, with what he calls the Coolship series. It is a very interesting article.

The Allagash Tripel is part of their year round beer and won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2006.

So what is a Tripel? According to the  BeerAdvocate ...

the name "Tripel" actually stems from part of the brewing process, in which brewers use up to three times the amount of malt than a standard Trappist "Simple." Sweetness comes from both the pale malts and the higher alcohol. Bitterness is up there for a beer with such a light body for its strength, but at times is barely perceived amongst the even balance of malts and hops. The lighter body comes from the use of Belgian candy sugar (up to 25% sucrose), which not only lightens the body, but also adds complex alcoholic aromas and flavors. Tripels are actually notoriously alcoholic, yet the best crafted ones hide this character quite evil-like and deceivingly, making them sipping beers.

And the taste?

The beer pours a light golden colour with an orange tinge and is a little cloudy. The head is quite lively, ending up white, fluffy and meringue like. It took some careful pouring. This beer definitely has some spices in it judging by the aroma.

Like the description above, this beer has a surprising light body for a 9% APV beer with no hint of alcohol burn. The beer starts with a nice, light spiciness, maybe coriander, and finishes with a pleasing little hint of bitterness. It also has what I can only call that Belgium distinctive taste which comes from the yeast strain. It kind of reminds me of a lighter saison.

It is a very nice, enjoyable beer, one that you I have to keep reminding myself that this is a beer for sipping and not a session ale.

Hopefully Teena does more favours for Dorothy in the future!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 188 
Breweries 163 
Countries 37

Beer of the Week - Firestone Walker DBA, IPA

Recently my office moved to new location close to Yonge St. There are many negatives for me with this move but one of the positives is that now I am a five minute walk away from one of my favorite places in Toronto, the Beer Bistro.

Tonight my first beer was from a California brewery I have never heard of before, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, and I almost didn't try it.

I saw Firestone Walker Double Barrel IPA (5% APV) listed in the bold ales section of the beer menu and set my mind on trying it. When Sarah, my server, who even though the place was jammed made sure me and everyone else in my section were well looked after, asked what I would like, I pointed a the beer on the menu, said what I wanted, then hesitated and said no.

Why?

Well the 355 ml bottle (12 oz) had a $10.75 price on it!

Then knowing how well the staff is trained at the Beer Bistro and how knowledgeable they are about their beers, I asked her if she has tried it. She said yes and had never found a Firestone Walker beer she didn't like.

OK, that was good enough for me. Now a little about the brewery.

The brewery was founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone and David Walker, hence the name of the brewery. Back then, Firestone loved to make wine and neither really had any experience in fermentation but started playing with beer recipes. With Firestone's experience in wine making, they decided to use 60 gallon barrels in the brewing process.

After a few failures they worked the 60 gallon barrels into a union system similar the the Burton Union system that I have written about before, which they call the Firestone Union system. For the Double Barrel beer, the mix beer fermented in the oak barrel fermented beer is blended with beer fermented in stainless steel.

According to the website, the DBA is brewed in the style of an English Bitter with a combination of five different malts and four hops. In the end, another style hop is added to Dry Hop the beer.

So how does it taste?

Sarah made a perfect pour but I was a little slow in getting a picture of the full head. It pours a light brown in colour, with a slight brownish head. In the aroma, I could sense some floral hops in the aroma.

The beer starts of a little watery in mouthfeel but then along comes a little bitterness, followed surprisingly by a dose of citrus. There is layers of flavour in this beer.

Some bitterness does stay in the finish which trails of quickly, again replaced by a final thought of citrus.

This is a very nice beer, one that I enjoyed quite a bit. I'm glad I took Sarah's advice and tried this. This is a beer that I could drink and enjoy all night but at almost 11 bucks a bottle wouldn't order a second

If I am ever in California or any other state that carried this beer at a reasonable price, I would certainly enjoy having a few of these.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 184 
Breweries 160 
Countries 37

Beer of the Week - Pugsley's Signature Serives XXXX IPA

I heard that the LCBO was going to feature beers from Shipyard Brewing in their fall release and was happy to see a selection of their brews on the shelf of my local store.

Having heard many good things about this brewery, I was anxious to give them a try. There was a pumpkin beer and a barley wine which didn't interest me and I wasn't in a porter mood. They did have a Pugsley's Signature Series XXXX IPA, though. I love IPAs and came home with a couple of 625 ml (21 oz) bottles.

I'll air this complaint again. If a brewery brews a 9.3% beer like this one is, put it in a regular size bottle. More and more breweries are putting their high octane brews in big bottles. Nice if you're sharing, but if you are having one just for yourself, it's a little much!

Shipyard brewery originally opened as Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brew Pub in 1992 in the seaside village of Kennebunkport Harbor, Maine, and in two years had to expand to a larger location. That year they moved to Portland and renamed the brewery to Shipyard Brewery. It now is Maine's largest craft brewery and the 16th largest craft beer brewery in the U.S. Alan Pugsley, who this series of beers is named after, had just come over from England when he was hired on by Fred Forsley, the owner. He has been the head brewmaster from the beginning when the original brewpub first opened and has been there ever since. Time for a taste!

The beer pours cloudy, as it is unfiltered, and coppery in colour.  The head is an off white colour. There is a very malty aroma to this one and I notice the absence of any floral hops. There are nice lacings left behind on the glass when I sip.

I expected a strongly flavoured beer and this one did not disappoint. It starts with a heavy malt taste which yields to some bitterness in the finish but not much. The heavy malt taste stays with me for a long while.

This is a well-made beer but as much as I enjoy IPAs, this one is not for me. The brewery has a couple of other IPAs and an English bitter that I would love to try. This one though is just too malt-forward for me.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 179 
Breweries 156 
Countries 37 
Provinces 9 
Territories 1