Monthly Archives: October 2016

BC Beer Baron #279 – Big Rock Citradelic Single Hop IPA

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When Mrs. Sip and I recently enjoyed a Vancouver Canadians baseball game, I took great advantage of their Craft Beer Corner, which serves up brews from five different BC breweries. There, I downed a few servings of this Big Rock Brewing mainstay.

The Citradelic Single Hop IPA uses Citra hops, of course, to deliver a citrus and tropical fruit-flavoured experience. The 6% ABV, 67 IBUs beverage was the first to be brewed exclusively at the Vancouver-based Big Rock Urban Eatery and proved so successful that it has been rolled out to Alberta and Saskatchewan drinkers.

big-rock-citradelic-ipa

Suggested food pairings include game birds, spicy Thai and India curries, and fried foods including fries, corn dogs, potato chips and mixed nuts. Urban Eatery executive chef Alex ‘Beer Belly’ Newton has also created a Crunchy IPA Kimchi recipe, using the brew.

Big Rock staff suggestions for movie and music accompaniments to the Citradelic IPA include Dazed and Confused on the screen and House of the Rising Sun by The Animals on the record player. Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing also has a Citradelic IPA, but I suppose both companies are cool with that.

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BC Beer Baron #278 – Trading Post Captain Cooper’s Cranberry Ale

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A couple weeks back, Mrs. Sip and I learned of the TAPshack, which has two chains in downtown Vancouver. For a friend’s birthday, we visited the Coal Harbour location, where the Sip Advisor enjoyed this Trading Post Brewing product, among my drink selections.

The Captain Cooper’s Cranberry Ale is tart, but leaves a nice, slightly bitter cranberry taste on the palate with each sip. At 5.9% ABV, the beer has a stronger alcohol content than many sour beverages I’ve come across, while being very light on hops, with an IBU count of only seven.

Trading Post Brewing

I had previously tried a sample of this brew when Mrs. Sip and I first visited Trading Post on its second day of existence. Having a full serving reminded me of how good and unique the drink is. The American-style wheat ale is constructed with local cranberries.

The beer’s namesake, Captain James Cooper, was an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company, a former fur trading operation and current day Canadian department store. Cooper was a wheeler and dealer in the cranberry market of early BC.

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BC Beer Baron #277 – Boombox/Real Cask GoldenRye

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Prior to heading out for a night on the town to celebrate a friend’s birthday recently, we met up for a drink at the hotel where they were staying. That’s where I got to try a serving of this Boombox Brewing and Real Cask Brewing collaboration release.

The GoldenRye is a very good beer. A Rye Pale Ale, it comes in at 7% ABV and uses Idaho 7 hops, also known as 007 hops, perfect for the theme of this product. The rye content brings the alcohol up a few notches, which the Sip Advisor has never shied away from.

boombox-brewingReal Cask Brewing

The beer’s name, of course, is a play on the classic James Bond movie and even better video game, GoldenEye. Most guys my age spent countless hours hunting down their friends, settling minor squabbles in the virtual world thanks to this awesome first-person shooter.

While this brew is the first product I’ve had from Boombox, I can say without hesitation that it’s the best thing I’ve had from Real Cask. Both companies operate out of the Callister Brewing space in East Vancouver, which is the first collaborative brewery in Canada, offering space to tenants on a yearly basis.

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BC Beer Baron #276 – Brassneck Stockholm Syndrome

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You never know what to expect when you pop into Brassneck Brewing’s tasting room in the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver. Their lineup of beers is quite eclectic and changes regularly.

On our most recent visit, their Stockholm Syndrome was among the Sip Advisor’s favourite. This 6.5% ABV Farmhouse Saison was first brewed in December 2013 and I can understand why it has returned to the brewery’s rotating taps routinely. The strong and flavourful brew is perfect for the more experienced drinkers out there, looking to try something unique.

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Brassneck has some really great material for describing their beers and the brewing process it takes to make them, but this has to be one of their finest: “We kidnapped a Saison, held it hostage for several months in our Foudre, letting it sit and condition on Brettanomyces. The more time passed the more it started to like us. It rewarded us by tasting delicious. Stockholm Syndrome can be a beautiful thing.”

As previously eluded to, I have to give credit to Brassneck for having one hell of a Beer Archive. Just scrolling through it has my mouth watering and makes me wish I could fill a glass straight out of the computer. Seriously, some scientific research money should go to a cause like this an venture capitalists should get behind this invention pronto!

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BC Beer Baron #275 – Mt. Begbie Cream Ale

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While meeting up with the rest of the Sip Syndicate to discuss plans for our upcoming tour of Ireland together, the Sip Advisor was offered a glass of this Mt. Begbie Brewing release. A fitting refreshment for the occasion.

The Cream Ale was the company’s original flagship beer, dating back to first being brewed in 1996. That makes it a 20th anniversary edition now. The beverage is light in both alcohol content (4.7% ABV) and hops (12 IBUs), featuring flavours of honey and fruit.

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The product’s label features Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie – aka ‘The Hanging Judge’ – as well as the image of a noose. Legend has it the former BC judge had a penchant for ending trials with the statement, “hang ‘em”, even delivering it once after an acquittal. Of course, Mt. Begbie is named after the former Chief Justice.

Available in bomber-sized bottles in both BC and Alberta, the drink pairs best with various pastas and pizza. It was rewarded a gold medal at the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Cream Ale category and a third place finish at the 2012 BC Beer Awards in the Session category.

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