Tag Archives: Canadian Brewing Awards

BC Beer Baron #275 – Mt. Begbie Cream Ale

Posted on by
Reply

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.

mt-begbie-cream-ale

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.

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

BC Beer Baron #271 – Tin Whistle Stag Apple Scotch Ale

Posted on by
Reply

While the government-operated BC Liquor Stores are a great resource for craft beer drinkers across the province, private retailers often carry a wider product base and have become a reliable source for the Sip Advisor. That was the case recently, with my discovery of this Tin Whistle Brewing release.

The Stag Apple Scotch Ale is a great beer, with flavours of apple and cinnamon spice joining the caramel notes one would expect from a Scotch Ale. I’ve become a huge fan of Scotch Ales over the course of this BC Beer Baron project and this 8% ABV beverage was a strong addition to my checklist.

tin-whistle-stag-apple-scotch-ale

First released in 2013, the brew is available in bomber-sized bottles. The beer took home the top prize at the 2014 BC Beer Awards in the UK Ales category, as well as a bronze medal at the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Scotch Ale class.

I really wish Tin Whistle would launch its own website. While somewhat active on social media, such as Twitter, I feel its criminal in this day in age to be operating a company and not be established online. Beer this good deserves more of a presence.

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

BC Beer Baron #268 – Tree Cutthroat West Coast Ale

Posted on by
Reply

While the Sip Syndicate vacationed in Kelowna earlier this summer, we made a jaunt to Tree Brewing for some drinks. There, while playing a couple of the trivia games available at the tasting room and restaurant, I was able to enjoy a serving of this beer.

The Cutthroat West Coast Ale is very good, highlighted by flavours of toffee and just the right amount of hops to lend some citrus notes to the blend. The 5% ABV, 36 IBUs beverage took home a gold medal at the 2007 Canadian Brewing Awards in the English Style Pale Ale (Bitter) category.

tree-cutthroat-west-coast-ale

One of the breweries Tall Boys products, the ale is available year round in 500ml cans. Surprisingly, it is not part of Tree’s Season Pass mixed case. Suggested food pairings include pasta, shellfish/sushi, English cheeses, and meat pies.

The company has a couple new limited releases that the Sip Advisor would love to gets his paws on. This includes the Leap Beer Smoked Bock and Kim-Ach Touch Ale. Sounds like as good a reason as any to revisit the Tree Brewing Institute, ASAP!

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

BC Beer Baron #255 – Four Winds Sovereign Super Saison

Posted on by
Reply

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. Saisons have quickly become a favourite style of the Sip Advisor. I’ve even gone so far as to call the summer of 2016 my ‘Summer of Saison’. Let’s see what BC has to offer.

With Saison Week coming up quickly, I knew a trip to Four Winds Brewing would be necessary. I just had to include the Delta-based operation, given the saison is a style they experiment with often. Luckily, they are conveniently located in Delta, en route to and from treks to Ma and Pa Sip’s home.

The Sovereign Super Saison features tastes of elderflower and spice, with a tart, fruity finish. The 8.5% ABV, 20 IBUs beverage is an award winner, taking home a People’s Choice Award at the 2014 BC Beer Awards and a gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards, in the Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale category.

four-winds-sovereign-super-saison

Four Winds have also previously released a year-round Saison, as well as collaborated with Brassneck Brewing to launch the Honeymoon Baby and Quebec’s Le Trou du Diable Microbrasserie for the Exil D’eden saisons. Of particular note is the La Maison Wild Saison, Wildflower Saison, and Operis Brett Saison, all available on limited runs.

Each of these latter products (including the Sovereign Super Saison) comprise the brewery’s Eurus Series, which features beers with European heritage. Eurus, after all, was god of the east winds in Greek mythology. As part of this series, bottles come in 750ml format, complete with cork. Stay classy, Four Winds!

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

BC Beer Baron #247 – Old Abbey Ales Sour Raspberry Ale

Posted on by
Reply

When Mrs. Sip and I visited Chilliwack’s Chaos & Solace Brewing recently, we enjoyed a tasting flight that was rounded out by this guest tap from Old Abbey Ales.

With a reddish-pink hue and tart finish, the Sour Raspberry Ale is very juice-like in taste and colour. That’s not a bad thing in this case. The beer does come with a strong alcohol content of 7% ABV, which works in its favour. The brew’s low bitterness of 7 IBUs allows the drinker to focus on the flavour, making for a refreshing drinking experience.

Old Abbey Ales Sour Raspberry Ale

Made with local Abbotsford raspberries, brewmaster Steve Black notes: “The Fraser Valley is Canada’s top raspberry producer, and now we have the beer to go with it.” The beverage is perfect for enjoying on hot summer days, preferably with a body of water close by.

Part of Old Abbey Ales’ Innovation Series, the Sour Raspberry Ale is available in bomber-sized bottles. The beer received a gold medal earlier this year, at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards, in the Fruit Beer category.

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

BC Beer Baron #185 – Barkerville 18 Karat Ale

Posted on by
Reply

On a recent Friday night drinking session – because why the hell not! – Cousin Sip brought over a bomber of this flagship beer from Barkerville Brewing.

The 18 Karat Ale plays on Barkerville’s history of being a former gold rush hub, although the brewery actually operates out of nearby Quesnel. Given the brew’s name, you’d expect a golden-hued beverage, but the beer is, in fact, an Amber Ale. We’ll let that pass, though, as the 5% ABV, 33 IBUs product is solid.

Barkerville 18 Karat Ale

The beer received silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the 2014 and 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards in the North American Style Amber/Red Ale category.

As you can probably tell, the Sip Advisor is a fan of the gold rush theming and I like Barkerville’s description of this release: “Known as underground savages, prospectors of the BC gold rush were rewarded handsomely for their toil. Rumour has it that, in the saloons of Barkerville, there was so much gold dust shed from miner’s clothes that a profit could be made just by sweeping the floor. Cash in with 18 Karat Ale, a smooth and balanced blend of malted barley and hops that will lure you back for the mother lode.”

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

BC Beer Baron #161 – Parallel 49/Four Winds The Boys Are Back in Town Nectar-Face

Posted on by
Reply

For the second consecutive year, Parallel 49 Brewing has joined forces with 12 different BC craft breweries to release a package of unique beers, dubbed Brews Brothers Volume 2. The Sip Advisor figured spending the first chunk of June reviewing these releases would be a great idea. So, let’s get on with things.

Four Winds Brewing is enjoying quite the run, taking home Brewery of the Year at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards and Beer of the Year at this year’s event. Why not raise their profile even more by combining efforts with P49 for this collaborative release?

Parallel 49 & Four Winds The Boys Are Back in Town Nectar-Face

The Boys Are Back in Town Nectar-Face has been called the “love-child” of Parallel 49’s Jerkface 9000 and Four Winds’ Nectarous (the brew that earned the Delta-based operation Beer of the Year), both of which have large followings. This easy-to-drink sour has me thinking I could get more and more into the style of beer, which is perfect during the summer. I can definitely get down with the beverage when it comes in at 6% ABV.

Each beer is named after a classic rock song and the Nectar-Face got paired with Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town. This single from the Irish rockers narrowly cracked Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (at #499) in 2004. When updated in 2010, the track dropped off the list, but it’s still a great anthem for a guys’ night out!

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

BC Beer Baron #149 – Rossland 7 Summits Milk Stout

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, Mrs. Sip travelled to Rossland, BC for a night to make a court appearance for a client there. As she went for a walk around the tiny town, she discovered they had their own brewery. Despite being closed, she vowed to return the next day and check out all Rossland Brewing had to offer.

After trying the three beers the nano brewery had on tap that day, it was decision time on what to fill a Boston up with to bring back home for the ol’ Sip Advisor. The server suggested their 7 Summits Milk Stout, as it’s their most popular product. After sampling it for myself, I can see why it picked up a gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards, in the Stout category.

Rossland 7 Summits Milk Stout

Described as a ‘Sweet Stout’, the 5.9% ABV, 20 IBUs beverage was a treat, with flavours of rich chocolate and coffee. Add a little roast and smoke (the name of the pro wrestling tag team that lives in my mind and are good friends, but better enemies!) to the experience and the Sip Advisor was in heaven.

It may be hard for most to get their hands on any Rossland Brewing suds. Only on rare occasions do they do any bottling and those items are sent to local liquor stores and then fly off the shelves. It seems you have to be in the vicinity and either come across their beers on tap at area bars or visit the brewery itself. Thanks to Mrs. Sip for getting some for me!

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

BC Beer Baron #139 – Fernie Sap Sucker Maple Porter

Posted on by
Reply

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. I used to be hesitant about drinking porters, believing them to mostly be coffee-based in the flavour department. Once I realized that was only half true, a whole new world was opened to me and that’s a world I want to share with others.

As Porter Week continues to roll along, we get to this award winning product from Fernie Brewing, which I saved to review during this special time.

The Sap Sucker Maple Porter incorporates a touch of maple syrup to achieve a rich and unique drinking experience. This 5.5% ABV, 35 IBUs beverage is flavourful with a hint of smoke on the finish. The porter won gold and silver medals at the 2011 and 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards, respectively, in the Special Honey/Maple Lager or Ale category.

Fernie Sap Sucker Maple Porter

Suggested food pairings include dark meats and hearty dishes. The winter seasonal, first released in 2010, can be found on tap at some locations around the province, as well as in bomber-sized bottles in BC, Alberta and Manitoba, from September to March (I found bottles as late as mid-April).

I have never been to Fernie Brewing’s location in – you guessed it – Fernie, BC, but would love to visit and spend some time in their tap room. As their motto states: “Good Beer in a Good Town”.

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

BC Beer Baron #124 – R&B Dark Star Oatmeal Stout

Posted on by
1

On two separate visits to R&B Brewing’s Brewery Creek location, I’ve enjoyed samples of this beer and feel the need to share it with all you little sippers.

The Dark Star Oatmeal Stout has flavours or rich chocolate and roasted coffee. I don’t often find stouts with a reasonable amount of carbonation, so this was a nice surprise from the brew. The 4.6% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage is available in bomber bottles.

R&B Dark Star Oatmeal Stout

Brewed in memory of R&B employee Jamie Kelly, this fall/winter seasonal release won a gold medal at the 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Stout category. That sounds like a great homage to the brewery’s fallen friend.

R&B was set to open their tasting room on or near St. Patrick’s Day, but BC Liquor Board snags held that up. The site finally launched in April and one thing is for sure: the wait for R&B beers is more rewarding than R&B music!

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