BC Beer Baron #70 – Brassneck Passive Aggressive Pale Ale

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Stop number four on our Brewery Creek crawl brought us to one of Vancouver’s most popular beer destinations, Brassneck Brewing.

There, we enjoyed a flight of beers, highlighted (for myself at least) by the Passive Aggressive Pale Ale. And really, that’s no surprise as it’s the first beer one of the company’s brewers and founders tested and later became an original release and flagship for Brassneck.

Brassneck Passive Agressive Pale Ale

First brewed in September 2013, Brassneck says this beer falls somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA. If Passive Aggressive isn’t enough for you, the brewery still has you covered. Their Double Pale Ale is dubbed Massive Aggressive!

Brassneck is a hard place to get into sometimes. Mrs. Sip and I have been turned away by massive lines and long waits before. Part of that success was having their One Trick Pony named Best in Show at the 2015 BC Beer Awards. If you wish to check the place out, we were advised that Sunday through Tuesday results in shorter waits.

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BC Beer Baron #69 – 33 Acres of Euphoria

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The third stop on our recent Brewery Creek crawl was 33 Acres Brewing, where Mrs. Sip learned that the company had a Belgian tripel, one of her favourite styles of beer and one that not every local craft brewery includes in their arsenal.

The 33 Acres of Euphoria was boozy (9.2% ABV) and flavourful, with notes of banana and spices. The beer is available on tap for samples, glasses and growlers, as well as in four-pack cases. 33 Acres write-up for the brew is something that needs to be read: “We say good things come in the power of threes, and when this magical concoction joyfully adorns the table an even three is still good company. A fruity lemon rind finish conceals what is pound for pound our most dangerous, yet very drinkable, Belgian. Eyes wide closed, the potency of this feverish blend remains a secret until one feels the creamy golden rush hiding inside 33 Acres of Euphoria. Boasting deep flavour and a hefty dose of celebration, we strongly encourage sharing amongst lovers, between friends, and the best of kin.”

33 Acres of Euphoria

I like 33 Acres style of naming products. Each beer begins with “33 Acres of”, before finishing with words such as Life, Ocean, Sunshine, Darkness, Nirvana, Courage, and Dusk. I’m not as big a fan of their logo work (pictured above), but it does fall into line with their other theming.

It might just be our luck, but we’ve always found it difficult to get into 33 Acres tasting room. Our very first visit accidentally coincided with the brewery’s first birthday, but successive visits haven’t been so fortunate. I suppose that’s good news for them, though.

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BC Beer Baron #68 – R&B Hidcote Purple Lavender Saison

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The second stop on our Brewery Creek crawl took us to R&B Brewing, where we were able to sample a handful of beers at their growler fill station.

Mrs. Sip was a big fan of their Hidcote Purple Lavender Saison, which is very subtle in the lavender department. She liked it so much that she grabbed a bomber bottle for the road… which the Sip Advisor then had to carry around all day! Coming in at 5.7% ABV, the beer is a little boozier than most saisons I’ve encountered and I think that works for Mrs. Sip, who prefers Belgian tripels of all things.

R&B Lavender Saison

The saison is part of the brewery’s Mount Pleasant Series and is a limited release. This fifth entry into that series only hit taps earlier this month and the servers we spoke to over the weekend, didn’t expect the beer to last long. If saisons or experimental beers are your thing, I’d act fast on this intriguing product.

We may have visited R&B just a little too early, as they anticipate their tasting room to officially open in the next week or so. We were able to duck our heads quickly into the almost ready facility and it looks like it will be a highlight of future stops in the neighbourhood. All the best to the team that has worked so hard to get this up and running.

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BC Beer Baron #67 – Steel Toad Kermode West Coast IPA

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Taking advantage of the gorgeous weather over the weekend, Mrs. Sip and I did a self-guided crawl through the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver, hitting five different locations. Our first stop was at Steel Toad Brew Pub & Dining Hall, where we sat down for a flight of their beers.

Among our tasters was the Kermode West Coast IPA. I thought this beer was quite good and had a tough time picking a favourite between this and the brew pub’s Farmhouse Double IPA. I gave the edge to the Kermode because it’s a favourite among patrons of the dining hall and Steel Toad has recently began bottling it (a first for the company), advising us that it should be hitting store shelves shortly.

Steel Toad Kermode West Coast IPA

Already, this is the second beer I’ve sampled as part of this 366-day BC craft beer project that has adopted the Kermode or Spirit Bear name. Well, I’m more than happy to drink in honour of the official provincial mammal of BC and you should be too.

This was our first visit to Steel Toad since the summer. I can’t really explain why we’ve neglected the place for so long, but we were impressed by the line-up we sampled, including some beers that have gone through a recipe change, resulting in a better product. Our very first visit was all the way back when the restaurant opened and due to a liquor licensing snafu, we ended up with free tasting flights!

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

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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.

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BC Beer Baron #65 – Whistler Lost Lake IPA

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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!

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BC Beer Baron #64 – Big River Deadpale Ale

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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.

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BC Beer Baron #63 – Big Rock Midnight Rhapsody

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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”!

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BC Beer Baron #62 – Strange Fellows Cyclhops Galaxy IPA

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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.

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BC Beer Baron #61 – Steel & Oak Smoked Dunkelweizen

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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.

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