Author Archives: Daniel Wilson

Unknown's avatar

About Daniel Wilson

I love making drinks for my friends and family, and, of course, sampling my concoctions myself! Finding and playing around with recipes is a favourite past time of mine and I hope to share that passion with all my readers.

BC Beer Baron #66 – Howe Sound Rail Ale Nut Brown

Posted on by
Reply

That beer name may be a mouthful, but this Howe Sound Brewing beverage is certainly worth it!

The Rail Ale Nut Brown is highlighted by flavours of chocolate, caramel, and coffee. The beer is light on both ABV and IBU’s, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed.

Howe Sound Rail Ale Nut Brown

This would be a perfect brew for rail enthusiast Pa Sip (if he was into beers other than the ones found in Germany), as its logo features a cute little train huffing and puffing its way along a mountainous backdrop. The product is named in recognition of British Columbia’s long and storied rail history, particularly in the Squamish region, which is also home to Howe Sound Brewing.

As with the rest of the brewery’s line-up, this beer is available in one-litre bottles, with a re-closable plug. I recently learned that this style of serving is known as a ‘Pot-Stopper’ and was popular in Europe and North America in the 1950’s.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #65 – Whistler Lost Lake IPA

Posted on by
Reply

I have enjoyed this Whistler Brewing beer since I first tried it at The Keg last summer. When I saw that it was include in the brewery’s Winter Party Pack, I had to have it, even carrying it home first from a BC Liquor Store and then from a friend’s place, on a 30-plus minute arduous expedition. The sacrifices we make, am I right!?

The Lost Lake IPA didn’t disappoint on my second serving of the beer. It is unique in that it is unfiltered or as Lost Lake folk like to say, “au natural”. With stats of 6.8% ABV and 75 IBUs, it’s a strong and hoppy beer, featuring flavours of grapefruit and passion fruit.

Whistler Lost Lake IPA

Suggested pairings for the IPA include barbecue lamb, bison burgers, and roasted red peppers. The beer is available in the aforementioned Winter Party Pack, as well as in 650ml bomber form.

Lost Lake is located in the resort community of Whistler and the brewery writes: “Like the waters of Lost Lake, our Unfiltered India Pale Ale is refreshing and with a real bite.” I suppose that can really only be quantified by anyone dumb enough to actually go for a dip in the frigid water. Maybe summer provides a different experience, though, as the lake’s beach was formally a hot spot for nude sunbathing!

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #64 – Big River Deadpale Ale

Posted on by
Reply

With Deadpool topping the theatre box office (amazingly awesome movie, by the way), why not create a beer to capitalize on the phenomenon. That’s exactly what Big River Brewing was thinking.

The Deadpale Ale (sometimes going by the name Deadpool) is light with fighting fruit flavours of white grape and watermelon. Before heading out to Big River, this was the beer I targetted having and although my high expectations weren’t exactly met, I’m glad I had the chance to try the beverage.

Big River Deadpale Ale

The beer is a limited session release and worth giving a shot. At the very least, you could combine it with three other samplers to complete a flight and pair it with one of the brew pubs pizzas or other dishes.

I first tried some Big River selections at Langley’s Tip N’ Taste in July, but only recently finally got to their Richmond location. During our meal, Mrs. Sip ordered their OMG G&T, which was very good and only $5 during our visit. The Gin & Tonic included elderflower liqueur, lime and berries with the more traditional ingredients.

For more BC Beer Baron aerticles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #63 – Big Rock Midnight Rhapsody

Posted on by
Reply

After completing our Dine Out Vancouver Festival menu at Big Rock Brewing’s Urban Eatery, Mrs. Sip and I found a more intimate spot to share a couple additional beers.

My choice was the Midnight Rhapsody dark ale, which I had been wanting to try for a while after spotting it in bomber form at BC Liquor Stores. On tap, the beer has a wonderful berry aroma and flavour (from currants and raspberry jam) and with its darkness, reminded me of a gourmet chocolate bar, only in liquid form.

Big Rock Midnight Rhapsody.jpg

At 5.5% and 25 IBU, this should fall in any drinker’s wheelhouse. Sadly (or amazingly if you’re a local) the ale is only available in British Columbia, so all beer lovers out there in this province should try to track a bottle or pint down.

Although I was a little late on the uptake of this beer, it might make for a perfect New Year’s Eve beverage in future years. As the brew’s description says: “Dance, sing, sway… to the tune of Midnight Rhapsody”!

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #62 – Strange Fellows Cyclhops Galaxy IPA

Posted on by
Reply

On the way home from our Fraser Valley craft brewery crawl – and with Mrs. Sip and Cousin Sip fiending for the cheese buns that can be found in many ‘Yeast Van’ tasting rooms – we decided to make one last stop into Strange Fellows Brewing, to cap the night.

There, we sat down to yet another flight of beers (at this point, I had lost track as to exactly how many we had enjoyed) and despite palate fatigue rearing its ugly head, I found a good beer in the Cyclhops Galaxy IPA. While many IPAs mix in multiple styles of hops, Strange Fellows keeps things simple, simply using the galaxy variety. This provides tropical flavours, such as peach, lychee, passion fruit, mango, and lime.

Strange Fellows Brewing

The brewery uses a quote from Serbian poet Dejan Stojanovic to perfectly sum up their view on this IPA recipe: “To say more while saying less is the secret of being simple.” Thanks to its simplicity, the beer (the company’s first venture into American IPA territory) is said to pair well with Mexican and Indian cuisine, as well as grilled food.

Unfortunately, you will only find the Cyclhops at Strange Fellows, but this is as good a reason as any to visit. While Mrs. Sip and I have only been on two occasions, both were quite enjoyable and we should make a point of going back more regularly.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #61 – Steel & Oak Smoked Dunkelweizen

Posted on by
Reply

I like this new tradition of opening the month with a Steel & Oak Brewing product. We’ll just have to see how last month’s Tortuga Wild Ale compares to March’s pick.

The Smoked Dunkelweizen is a very good beer. As written before, Mrs. Sip and I are fans of Steel & Oak and their collection of smoked releases, so when a new one hits the market and we’re lucky enough to come across it, thy will be purchased. The smoky finish, on top of the banana and clove beginnings we’re all used to from hef and wheat beers, is what I love most about Steel & Oak’s style of brewing.

Steel & Oak Smoked Dunkelweizen

As the brewery points out, this is the darker side of their Smoked Hefeweizen, a beer which played a role in bringing so much attention to the brewery upon opening, that they had to shut down and replenish their drained stock. I wonder what other smoked recipes Steel & Oak has up their sleeves for the future.

Unfortunately, on this brief stop into Steel & Oak’s tasting room, all we had time for was a couple bottle purchases. Although Mrs. Sip and I have frequently visited the New West brewery, It’s been some time since we enjoyed a flight of beers there together and this should be a top priority to be remedied.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #60 – Parallel 49 Mother of Donkeys Pale Ale

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, Mrs. Sip and I treated Pa Sip to a dinner and drinks at Central City Brewpub, as he was living the bachelor life with Ma Sip visiting family in Germany. Amongst a couple beers I ordered was this amusingly named selection from Parallel 49 Brewing.

The Mother of Donkeys Pale Ale (called a “Dark Pale Ale” on the Central City tap list) was a solid libation, which apparently uses three different yeast strains and is an experimental release. I’ve really come to enjoy pale ales and given the name of this brew (one which Pa Sip did a double take over, after I ordered), how could you not give it a shot!? I didn’t find the beer to be that dark, but more of an amber hue. I was kind of expecting what you receive in a dark lager colouring, but that is not the most important element in my enjoyment of a beverage. The issue could be in how the brewpub titled it on their menu versus how the brewery released it.

Parallel 49 Brewing

Oddly, I couldn’t even locate this beer on Parallel 49’s website, despite their beer listings being quite thorough and including a section for rare releases. The brew also has the nickname of ‘Three Amigos’, likely stemming from its production using the three yeast strains.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Parallel 49’s East Vancouver tasting room, but the brewery is so popular that their wares can be found all across the province and particularly throughout Vancouver. If you come across this beer at a local pub, I suggest giving it a sip… it’s the least you can do!

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #59 – Up Your Sporran Scotch Ale

Posted on by
Reply

Among the charter members of the Sip Syndicate are a few that really love scotch ales. So, it was no surprise to the Sip Advisor that when we visited Main Street Brewing and I saw that style on their menu, that a few servings were ordered without hesitation.

Using peated malt, the Up Your Sporran Scotch Ale has an element of smoke to it, but not a dramatic amount. The dark, roasty brew really reminded me of a beer-Scotch amalgamation, which went down smoothly, in spite of its 7.3% ABV. This winter seasonal will please many.

Main Street Up Your Sporran Scotch Ale

So, what is a sporran, some of you might be asking? Look no further, as the Sip Advisor has done that research for you. A sporran is the pouch that is worn as part of a man’s Scottish Highland dress, to go along with their kilt. It’s like an ancient fanny pack, which can definitely come in handy when donning otherwise pocketless garments. I have to wonder why the beer wasn’t called Up Your Kilt Scotch Ale, but then again, I’m not the one making decisions at the brewery.

That about wraps up our most recent visit to Main Street Brewing. Given our last jovial experience there, we will be back soon, with hopefully a whole new set of brews to enjoy.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #58 – Category 12 Disruption Black IPA

Posted on by
Reply

My recent trip to Craft Beer Market for a friend’s birthday was capped off with a serving of this Category 12 Brewing release and it was a strong finish to an already solid visit to the restaurant.

The Disruption Black IPA is good. I mean really, really good. Great even. I’m not surprised it won a gold medal for Best American Black Ale at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards. I do wonder why it wasn’t a contender in the IPA category, though. Some mysteries are better left to true detectives, I guess.

Category 12 Disruption Black IPA

Category 12 hopes to challenge drinker’s view of dark beer with the 6.7% ABV, 77 IBU IPA. Their description states: “This black IPA is a calculated anomaly. It looks big and scary like a stout, but it drinks like an IPA. Close your eyes, you’ll never guess how far into the dark you’re sinking. With its fresh hop aroma and roasted malt flavour, Disruption is a whole new beast.”

First impressions are everything and given this is the first beer I’ve ever had from Category 12, it’s a very good first impression. I look forward to more from the Victoria-based brewery, which has a great scientific formula that they live by: (Sound Science + Good Taste)4 × Art8 = (Great Beer)12… makes sense to the Sip Advisor!

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #57 – Hearthstone Graham Cracker Ale

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, the Sip Advisor visited Craft Beer Market in Vancouver’s Olympic Village, where I was lucky enough to stumble upon their $5 BC craft beer special. With such a nice price point, how could I not try this Hearthstone Brewing selection.

My only issue with the Graham Cracker Ale was that I didn’t taste Graham crackers like I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong though, the beer was still good, but I went into it with high expectations, believing it might be the alcohol version of a Teddy Grahams treat. The last sip from my serving was the best, so maybe the beer benefited from a little warming up.

Hearthstone Graham Cracker Ale

Hearthstone’s winter warmer uses spices, vanilla, and real Graham crackers to try and achieve its unique taste. It’s 8% ABV is noteworthy and should it still be available come summer, it might be a good product to have while sitting around a campfire.

On our recent trip to the North Vancouver brewing region, we were hopeful to pop into Hearthstone Brewing, but they have yet to officially open their tasting room. Too bad, as we had been lured in by some of the beers listed on their website, such as the Chocolate Milk Stout, Wyld Raspberry Berliner Weisse, McCool’s Hazelnut Porter, and, of course, the Graham Cracker Ale.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…