Author Archives: Daniel Wilson

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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 #38 – Big Rock Dark Cherry Abbey Ale

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Each month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer extravaganza that I will be sharing with you throughout 2016, I will highlight a specific style or theme of beers for a whole week of articles. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, this month’s feature week will look at beers of a chocolate nature, perfect to celebrate the occasion.

En route to visit friends following an event at Big Rock Brewing’s Urban Eatery, Mrs. Sip and I were checking out the brewpub’s store when we came across today’s beer. Never ones to show up empty-handed and thinking the brew would serve as a bit of a hosting gift, we quickly made our purchase and moved on to our final destination.

The Dark Cherry Abbey Ale is strong (well duh, Sip Advisor… it is 9.5%) and sweeter than some might like. That sweetness comes from the brewmaster’s use of Belgian candi sugar to go along with the naturally sweet taste of fruits such as cherries, raisins, and plums, already in the recipe. Include four different malts (Belgian dark, wheat, caramel, and chocolate) and there’s a lot going on with this beer.

Big Rock Dark Cherry Abbey Ale

The 750ml bottle retails for $12, which given the serving size and alcohol content, is a fair price. It even comes in a box and would make for a nice Valentine’s gift for anyone with a beer lover on their arm. Single on V-day? Why not enjoy one for yourself and forget all your relationship troubles.

Mrs. Sip’s Take:

My Valentine is typically a fan of stronger beers from the Belgian family, but she can be put off by fruit-flavoured creations. She found the Dark Cherry Abbey Ale to be intense in taste, but since it was shared amongst a group of four, that was just about right and a bigger serving might be too much.

When researching this beer, I discovered that Big Rock’s staff have made movie and music pairing suggestions to go with some of their product line-up. Musically, this beer should be paired with Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt (TV’s Catwoman from the 1960’s campy Batman), while the film Mixed Nuts (starring an ensemble cast including Steve Martin and Madeline Kahn) has been picked for your viewing pleasure. As far as more traditional pairings go, such as of the food variety, Big Rock suggests washing down a slice of Black Forest Cake with this beverage.

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

BC Beer Baron #37 – Spinnakers India Pale Ale

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I have great faith in Spinnakers Brewing. After all, they managed to make a good Oyster Stout, so anything else must be great.

Their India Pale Ale is modeled after Northern England’s take on the beer, which many moons ago was prepared this way so it would survive arduous sea voyages and still be drinkable by the ship’s crew. With stats of 7.1% ABV and 55 IBU, this beer isn’t for lightweights and newbies, but hardened veterans of the IPA scene. And that’s just the way the Sip Advisor likes ‘em.

Spinnakers India Pale Ale

The brewpub mentions that this beer is a favourite among their regulars and you can add the Sip Advisor to that growing list.

Next time Mrs. Sip and I find ourselves in Victoria, I’m making it a priority to visit Spinnakers. Yes, I’m putting it ahead of family and friends who have moved to the island because I need to visit this establishment that is celebrating their 31st year of operation. At the very least, I have to keep a keen eye on lookout for any of their products that come available in local stores, as they have a very eclectic line-up of products that I would love to sample. The brewpub even has guesthouses you can stay in, should you choose. Sounds right up our alley!

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

BC Beer Baron #36 – Howe Sound Sky Pilot Northwest Pale Ale

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Earlier this week, the Sip Family gathered for a meal at Dunn’s Famous BC, where among their menu of smoked meat sandwiches and poutine, are a few products courtesy of Howe Sound Brewing.

The Sky Pilot Northwest Pale Ale (known as Dunn’s Pale Ale at the restaurant) was a solid beer pitcher choice, perfect for our impending feast. At 5% ABV and 30 IBU’s, it’s an easy drinking ale that can be shared amongst eclectic tastes.

Howe Sound Sky Pilot Northwest Pale Ale

The beer is named in honour of Sky Pilot Mountain, which is said to bring visitors and nature together in the Sea-to-Sky region of B.C. It is also brewed in collaboration with the Sea-to-Sky Gondola, which operates in Howe Sound’s home of Squamish and takes guests on a 10-minute journey from base to peak. Once at the top, there are a number of activities to partake in, including walking trails, snowshoeing , a tube park, skiing and snowboarding, and biking in the summer months.

The beer’s bottle features a car from said gondola, as well as a tribute to the attraction’s opening day of May 16, 2014.

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BC Beer Baron #35 – Russell Farm Fresh IPA

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Located in Surrey, Russell Brewing is a larger operation than most craft breweries. I’ve enjoyed a few of their products before, so was eager to try this beer when the opportunity arose.

The Farm Fresh IPA uses Centennial, Cascade, and Chinook hops from Chilliwack Hop Farms. I had never tried or even seen this beer, prior to coming across it at Tapped Vancouver last month. Apparently, it is part of the brewery’s Specialty Series, which means it’s a limited release. The Specialty Series also features one of the Sip Advisor’s favourite brews, the Smokey the Beer Rauchbier.

Russell Farm Fresh IPA

As for the IPA, I found it to be pretty typical. That’s not to say it was bad or anything. It just didn’t wow me as I hoped it might. Given I only received a half-size tasting glass serving from the chintzy pourer at the Russell/Driftwood booth, I should probably still give the bomber a fair shot before completely moving away from this IPA. The beer has a 6.5% ABV and 48 IBU, which all seem like pretty fair numbers.

I wish the Russell establishment had a tasting room, but that is currently not the case. The brewery is located close enough to Ma and Pa Sip’s home that visiting would be a cinch. Apparently one is in development, but it can’t come soon enough!

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

BC Beer Baron #34 – Steamworks Heroica Red Ale

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For Christmas, Mrs. Sip’s family gifted me Steamworks Brewing’s Mash-Up (Vol. 2) variety pack and I’m very glad they did as there are some solid beers in this collection.

Among them, is the Heroica Red Ale, which is a very tasty, albeit hoppy brew. The story of this beverage goes much deeper than just enjoying it, though.

Steamworks Heroica Red Ale

The beer is dedicated to BC Firefighters, who risk their lives on a daily basis to save others. Featuring a firefighter rescuing a damsel in distress on the bottle, the beer was originally released in September 2014 on a limited basis, but returned for the 2015 fall season.

Winning a gold medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards might have helped in that decision, but it should also be noted that proceeds from sales of the beer go to the BC Burn Fund, in partnership with the Burnaby Fire Department. The October 2014 campaign raised over $10,000, thanks to beer drinkers across the province.

I’m more than happy to drink to that!

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

BC Beer Baron #33 – Moody Ales Hardy Brown Ale

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Myself, Cousin Sip and her husband recently returned to Romer’s Burger Bar (Yaletown location) for another round of their Craft Bowl competiton, which featured this beer from Moody Ales. To remind readers, the contest pits two to three beers against each other with diners getting to sample each option before picking their winner, which they then receive a full serving of.

While I chose the Hardy Brown Ale’s competitor for my full serving, it was a very tough choice and the stiff competition was evident by the nearly identical scores for both brews on the point’s board.

Moody Ales Hardy Brown Ale

The brown ale had a strong toffee-flavoured aftertaste, which I wasn’t fully sold on. Upon first sip, I had originally thought I would choose the Moody Ales option as my pick for the contest. The only reason I sided with the other Craft Bowl beer, in this case, was because I wasn’t sure how a full serving would pan out. Cousin Sip went with the Hardy Brown Ale and at the time we left the restaurant, the Moody Ales brew was holding a slight lead.

I have yet to visit this Port Moody-based brewery and have only sampled a couple of their beers. I really need to try more of the company’s wares before coming to any final conclusions on their product.

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

BC Beer Baron #32 – Steel & Oak Tortuga Wild Ale

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If you had told me at the start of this 366-days of BC craft beer project that February would hit and I still wouldn’t have covered Steel & Oak Brewing (one of my and Mrs. Sip’s preferred breweries), I would have told you to lay off the sauce… and leave it for the Sip Advisor. That’s just a testament to all the good beer out there in this province.

The Tortuga Wild Ale is a special release, as part of Steel & Oak’s Oak-Aged Series. This brew was aged a full year in Caribbean rum barrels and then given a second fermentation to add notes of sour cherry. I’m not very familiar with wild ales and although I’m not a huge fan of sour beers, I did enjoy this beverage. The Tortuga has a strong rum finish following tart sour cherry beginnings and something about the combination of those two elements really worked for me.

Steel & Oak Tortuga Wild Ale

Mrs. Sip’s Take:

This wasn’t really for her. She liked how the beer was strong (7.3% ABV), being a Belgian Dubbel and Tripel fan (are there Beligan Singels?), but didn’t really enjoy the sour tastes. She would gravitate towards other Steel & Oak products.

Tortuga, of course, is an island in the Caribbean – belonging to Haiti to be exact – which was an epicenter of pirate activity in the 1600’s, including being heavily referenced in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. And where there are pirates, there will also be rum. For what it’s worth, a direct translation of the term means turtle or tortoise. The more you know [rainbow swipe]!

It may have taken us a while to get to our first beer from Steel & Oak, but it certainly won’t be our last… especially with a bottle of the company’s Smoked Dunkelweizen sitting in my fridge!

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

BC Beer Baron #31 – Black Kettle IPA

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The thing I like best about beer festivals is being introduced to breweries I haven’t yet had the chance to experience or in some cases, breweries I’m being reintroduced to. Such was the case at the recent Tapped Vancouver at the Yaletown Roundhouse, where the Sip Advisor was able to get reacquainted with Black Kettle Brewing, after last trying their wares at July’s Tip N’ Taste in Langley.

As myself, Cousin Sip, and her husband approached our first booth of the night at Tapped Vancouver, we each picked one of the company’s options. I went with the IPA and found it to be a great starting point to my evening. I later returned for their two other selections (the Pale Ale and Scottish Ale), which will be profiled here at later dates. Where was Mrs. Sip, you might be asking? Well, she was running late, as is typical for her and with beer available, we weren’t willing to wait.

Black Kettle IPA

The brew comes in at 6.4%, but is lighter than most IPAs, while still being joined by the hoppy taste we’ve all come to expect from this variety of beverage. As an IPA fan, I will look out for this product when buying beers and suggest it to friends who also like their brews to have a little more of an edge to them.

I named Black Kettle my choice for MVP of the Tapped Vancouver event (not that this was an actual competition there) and it has earned its way onto our list of must-visit breweries when the Sip Alliance finally gets their act together and tours North Vancouver’s burgeoning brewery region. This little exploration can’t happen soon enough!

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

BC Beer Baron #30 – Central City Red Racer IPA

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Each month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer extravaganza that I will be sharing with you throughout 2016, I will highlight a specific style or theme of beers for a whole week of articles. For the opening month of this project, I wanted to look at some of the flagship and original offerings from breweries around the province.

The Red Racer IPA from Central City Brewing may have been my first introduction to IPAs. Back at a time when I wasn’t into IPAs, I’m not sure I fully appreciated the 6.5% ABV, 80 IBU beverage. Thankfully, that has changed, as my tastes have evolved and I’ve become an IPA fan.

Central City Red Racer IPA

Central City started as a brew pub operation in 2003, before moving into canning their products and finally opening a brewery and tasting room location just a few years back. The company boasts that their Red Racer IPA can be found in 156 BC Government Liquor stores, as well as many private locations. The brew can also be found in 230 LCBO stores in Ontario. Heck, Red Racer products can also be found across the line in the U.S., under the Red Betty brand, thanks to legal action from California’s Bear Republic Brewing.

I’ve enjoyed a few trips to Central City’s Surrey hub (a perfect place to go when Mrs. Sip tells me she’s going to be late leaving work, as I’m already waiting at the Scott Road SkyTrain Station… and trust me, it’s happened a lot), as well as their brew pubs at both the Surrey Central Mall and in Downtown Vancouver. The Vancouver location is conveniently close to the Sip Advisor offices.

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

BC Beer Baron #29 – Whistler Black Tusk Ale

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Each month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer extravaganza that I will be sharing with you throughout 2016, I will highlight a specific style or theme of beers for a whole week of articles. For the opening month of this project, I wanted to look at some of the flagship and original offerings from breweries around the province.

Whistler Brewing has been around for over 25 years, established in 1989. For a time, the beers weren’t even produced in Whistler, but that changed for good in 2009 when the company opened a new facility. Located in the Function Junction area of the resort destination, Mrs. Sip and I visited the brewery a few years back and had a fantastic time.

One of the funnier getting sick from drinking stories I’ve witnessed came from that visit, as one of our fellow travelers fell in love with today’s feature beer a little too much, resulting in a not-so-happy ending to the evening for him.

Whistler Black Tusk Ale

Speaking of that beer, the Black Tusk Ale recipe has existed since the brewery first launched all those years ago. The dark, English-style mild ale is slightly bitter with flavours you’d expect from darker brews, such as chocolate and coffee.

The name of the beer is derived from a Whistler tourist attraction, the core of an extinct volcano that makes up the mountainous town. The brewery describes the experience of drinking their beers as “More flavor. More Character. More to Experience.” That statement pans out with this product.

We still haven’t had a chance to attend the Whistler Beer Festival (a Whistler Brewing initiative, which takes over the village every September), as we’ve been out of town the last couple years around that time, but it’s among the top of our list for festivals to experience.

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