Tag Archives: Canadian Brewing Awards

BC Beer Baron #102 – Russell Punch Bowl IPA

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. It may have taken some time, but IPA’s now rank among my favourite styles of beer. Let’s take a look at some of the best BC has to offer, among this acquired taste.

While researching which beers to feature as part of IPA week, I began licking my chops when I came across this Russell Brewing option. And that was before I learned it was a gold medal winner at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards, in the American Style IPA category.

The Punch Bowl IPA takes flavours such as stone fruit, berries, and melon and hops them up for a perfect blend of beer goodness. Part of the brewery’s Specialty Series, this Northwest IPA has all the right stats in all the right places, with a 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs.

Russell Punch Bowl IPA

Russell has some interesting logic that went into the creation of this beer, writing: “India Pale Ale was a beer created to make the trip from England to India, Punch was a fruit drink introduced to England from India. So as tribute to full flavoured beer and to party drinks that can be spiked, may we present the Punch Bowl!”

On top of the typical 650ml bomber format, the Punch Bowl IPA has just been released in new 341ml bottled six-packs, available at BC Liquor Stores and other private locations. If you’re big into India Pale Ales (and who isn’t!), Russell also has the IP’eh!, which is about as Canadian as you can get with a beer.

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

BC Beer Baron #81 – Phillips Blue Buck Ale

Posted on by
Reply

Phillips Brewing is one of the bigger players in BC’s craft beer scene and so it comes as no surprise that many of their products are viewed in high regard by the general community.

With that in mind, it would not be a stretch to name Blue Buck Ale the most popular and accessible craft beer in BC. This English-style pale ale turns up all the time for the Sip Advisor and I have enjoyed the brew on countless occasions. Plain and simple, it’s just good drinking! No wonder then, that the beer has won a number of awards, most notably gold and silver medals at the 2007 and 2012 Canadian Brewing Awards, respectively, in the North American Style Amber category.

Phillips Blue Buck Ale

Originally known as Blue Truck Ale (in honour of the blue 1965 Chevy delivery truck employed by the company during their earlier years), the name change was forced upon Phillips through legal action from Red Truck Brewing, in 2007. Phillips ran with the new name (selected from an online contest), though, eliciting thoughts of a mythological character, which the company writes of: “The Blue Buck is a legendary beast known to grant those that see him good fortune and safe travels! Certainly seeing the Blue Buck on bottle grants the drinker a great experience!”

Food pairing suggestions include: chicken, burgers, and mild to medium cheeses. Some recipes Phillips has come up with, which incorporate the ale, include: Bucked Up Pulled Pork and Buckin’ Good Chili. Blue Buck is available in everything from six packs to tall boy cans and at countless restaurants and bars across the province. It’s popularity has resulted in the beer being available as far east as Ontario.

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

BC Beer Baron #74 – Dead Frog Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter Stout

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. Since March features St. Patrick’s Day and many of us largely associate the celebration with Guinness beer, the Sip Advisor thought it would be a prime month to highlight some of B.C.’s best stout beers.

On our recent beer adventures in the Fraser Valley, we popped into Aldergrove’s Dead Frog Brewing for a flight of tasters.

Among the beers we sampled was the Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter Stout, which I had also gifted to Mrs. Sip last year as part of her annual advent calendar. We liked it then and we still do. The stout has a nice nutty finish to go with flavours of chocolate and coffee that we’re accustomed to experiencing from this style. I could have enjoyed even more of a peanut butter flavour, as I am a PB junkie!

Dead Frog Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter Stout

Originally released in late 2014, the Nutty Uncle won a gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Experimental Beer category. The brew is available in bomber format at liquor stores around the province.

I can’t help but notice a troubling trend amongst BC breweries to take shots at all the uncles out there in the world. On top of this beer, you also have the Creepy Uncle Dunkel from Moon Under Water (a beer which will certainly be covered as part of this project at a later date). While Dead Frog claims the beer is an homage to ‘nutty uncles’ everywhere, I have my suspicions!

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 #40 – Old Yale Sasquatch Stout

Posted on by
1

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.

On a recent trip to the liquor store and with Chocolate Week fast approaching, the Sip Advisor grabbed a bomber of this Old Yale Brewing beer. I had previously sampled the brew at Tip N’ Taste last summer and was amped to do a full serving.

The Sasquatch Stout comes exactly as advertised: “Coffee, chocolate & mystery”. I’m not sure what the “mystery” ingredient might be, but I can verify that the beer is damn good!

Old Yale Sasquatch Stout

I’m not alone; however, in my appreciation of the brew, as it received a gold medal in the stout category, as well as being named ‘Beer of the Year’ (aka ‘Best Beer in Canada’) at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards.

Suggested food pairings include steak, smoked brisket, pulled pork sandwich, oysters, French onion soup, chocolate cake, and Tiramisu, all of which seem truly decadent. I particularly love to try the Sasquatch Stout with a pulled pork sandwich and a side cup of French onion soup.

For those unfamiliar with sasquatches (otherwise known as Bigfoot), they are mythological beasts that most have concluded don’t exist, while a small network of believers continue to search for the truth. The region near Old Yale Brewing is a hub for sasquatch sightings, thus the beer’s name and that wonderful description.

The Sip Advisor would love to make a trip out to Old Yale Brewing’s facilities in Chilliwack, B.C., but since they are without a tasting room and only have growler fills and bottle purchases available, I’m a little less inclined to make the long journey.

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

BC Beer Baron #10 – Tree Hop Head IPA

Posted on by
Reply

A member of the Sip Syndicate recently brought a six-pack of these Tree Brewing beers over to Ma and Pa Sip’s place and left a few behind. Then, like a vulture, I swooped in and took one for my own enjoyment. Of course, I didn’t tear into the beer as Mrs. Sip and I had witnessed the scavenger birds do to a fallen donkey on our tour of Southern Africa (no, I have a little class!), but I did crack one open for myself.

The Hop Head IPA is intense, but nothing that can’t be handled. The beer has been around since 1999 and the brewery boasts that it was “the first ‘serious’ IPA to be crafted for wide consumption by a Canadian Brewery.” It is meant for ‘Hop Heads’… you know, those serious lovers of IPAs and hoppy brews

Tree Hop Head IPA

Tree suggests pairing the beer with everything from curry and lamb to blue cheese and sweet desserts. That’s a wide array of edibles to tackle for the beer that won bronze and silver medals at the 2007 and 2008 Canadian Brewing Awards, respectively.

I like Tree’s slogan of “Drink real ale cause bud is just for smoking!” It’s a good line to appeal to BC beer drinkers and marijuana smokers, while taking a shot at brewing giant Budweiser, all at the same time.

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

BC Beer Baron #6 – Powell Street Old Jalopy Pale Ale

Posted on by
Reply

The Central City Brew Pub on Beatty Street has a very unique item on their tap menu: a mystery pour. Always game for trying something adventurous, Mrs. Sip ordered it and waited anxiously for the results.

When the beverage arrived, we got to play the guessing game of “What’s in my Glass” and the answer was Powell Street’s Old Jalopy Pale Ale. The beer is quite good, having been named the Canadian Beer of the Year at the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards.

powell street old jalopy

On our last visit to Powell Street Brewing, during the summer, I ranked it as one my favourite stops of our day, which included popping into eight different locations around Vancouver. We will certainly be back again soon.

Mrs. Sip’s Take:

It may not have been our favourite brew of the night, but you can’t beat paying $3 for a full serving of an award-winning beer at a restaurant. Much thanks to the server who encouraged us to give it a shot.

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