Tag Archives: Craft Beer

BC Beer Baron #249 – Big Rock Hollow Tree Red Ale

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On a recent trip to Big Rock’s Urban Eatery, I ordered a pint of this fantastic Big Rock Brewing beverage to pair with the restaurant’s BRUeben sandwich and skinny fries.

The Hollow Tree Red Ale was the first release to come out of the Vancouver-based Big Rock location. At 5.8% ABV and 55 IBUs, the beer is well-balanced and refreshing. Notes of caramel and toffee combine with citrus and grapefruit, thanks to the use of whole Cascade leaf hops.

Big Rock Hollow Tree Red Ale

Inspired by “BC’s majestic red cedars,” Big Rock’s BC brewmaster concocted the Red Ale to be enjoyed “after a day exploring our beautiful backyard”. The Hollow Tree won first place at the 2015 BC Beer Awards, in the Amber/Brown Ale category.

It is available in bomber-sized bottles at the Urban Eatery’s beer store, as well as other liquor retailers. Speaking of the Big Rock beer store, they have a great deal of a pizza and growler to-go for $18, on select days and times.

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BC Beer Baron #248 – Steamworks Killer Cucumber Ale

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As a wee little sipper, the only vegetable the Sip Advisor would dare to eat was cucumbers. With age, my tastes have evolved, but I will always have a place in my heart for the member of the gourd family. Thanks to Steamworks Brewing, now I can also drink my favourite veggie.

After debuting the Killer Cucumber Ale last summer, the beer is back again this year and given its name, it’s back with a vengeance. At the very least, it’s as deadly as a 4.7% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage can be (and I mean that in the best way possible).

Steamworks Killer Cucumber Ale

Dry hopped with organic cucumbers in both the fermenter and conditioning vessel, this year, the Killer Cucumber Ale is only available in tall cans and for a limited time. The use of Belgian yeast gives the refreshing brew flavours of apricot and black pepper.

When I first tried this beer last summer, I preferred it on tap over the bottled six-pack I bought afterwards. Not that the beer was bad in bottle form, but it was just better (with a stronger cucumber flavour) fresh from the keg.

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

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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.

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BC Beer Baron #246 – Townsite Zwarte Wheat

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Part of the Sip Advisor’s extensive collection of beverages for a recent camping weekend was this selection from Powell River’s Townsite Brewing.

The Zwarte Wheat is a Belgian Dark Witbier, made with midnight wheat. The beer’s appearance can be a little deceptive, as you don’t expect citrus and spice from the brew’s hue, but that’s exactly what you get. Apparently, the creation of this 5.2% ABV, 20 IBUs release was somewhat accidental, as a request for more sour-style brews was met with a completely different outcome.

Townsite Zwarte Wheat

This witbier was inspired by an earlier collaboration between Townsite and Parallel 49, which resulted in a black saison. Townsite brewmaster Cédric Dauchot says, “I really got a kick out of adding midnight wheat to the mash. It just gives the beer an amazing colour without affecting too much the flavour profile. It’s perfect for giving a bit of depth to a summer beer.”

Part of Townsite’s Legacy collection (year-round products), the brew is available in bomber-sized bottles at BC Liquor Stores and other fine purveyors of libations. The brewery also has a Westview Wheat Witbier and Blackberry Festivale Blackberry Wheat, as part of their Seasonals lineup.

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BC Beer Baron #245 – Four Mile Cactus Grapefruit IPA

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While out for a walk recently, Mrs. Sip and I came upon a BC Liquor Stores location. Wanting to check out what was available, but not really looking to buy anything (I had some stock to go through already in the fridge), I told Mrs. Sip I was 90% sure this would only be an informational visit. That was, until I found this new release from Four Mile Brewing.

To be fair, Mrs. Sip insisted I purchase the Cactus Grapefruit IPA – she’s such an amazing wife! The 6% ABV, 70 IBUs beverage is light on alcohol (for an IPA), but strong on hops. Four Mile describes the beer as “a swig of California sunshine”!

Four Mile Cactus Grapefruit IPA

The limited edition brew is available in bomber-sized bottles exclusively at BC Liquor Stores. The IPA is, of course, highlighted by flavours of grapefruit, giving the drink a sweet and sour mix.

Suggested food pairings include seafood dishes, such as grilled squid and fish and chips. I’m not sure what the ‘Cactus’ refers to in the beer’s name, but Four Mile also has a Prickly Pear Cactus Wheat Ale that I’ve been hoping to try.

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BC Beer Baron #244 – Sherwood Mountain Skeena West Pale Ale

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When Ma and Pa Sip were in Terrace, BC a few months back, they made sure to pick up a couple Sherwood Mountain Brewing bombers for their number one son.

Among those, was the company’s Skeena West Pale Ale, which was a very good drink. The 5.5% ABV brew features flavours of caramel and biscuit with a nice hop balance.

Sherwood Mountain Skeena West Pale Ale

The beer is named after the Skeena River, which is the second longest river to exist entirely in the province and is home to a number of wildlife species, including various salmon and bears. Particularly notable is that the rare Kermode Bear (aka Spirit Bear) inhabits the Skeena Valley, which surrounds the body of water.

Sherwood Mountain’s brewmaster learned this recipe from Lake of Bays Brewing in Baysville, Ontario. The beer was a solid beverage, so it’s no surprise the brewery expects it to become a flagship offering, as time goes by.

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BC Beer Baron #243 – Main Street/Doan’s Roggenweizen

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On a recent craft beer crawl through the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver, we made our final stop at Main Street Brewing, where I was able to order a pint of this collaborative effort with Doan’s Brewing.

The Roggenweizen (which basically translates to Rye Hefeweizen) combines two of the Sip Advisor’s favourite things in rye/whiskey and hef beers. The 5% ABV, 15 IBUs beverage is a limited edition beer, so drinkers may want to track it down sooner than later.

Main Street & Doan’s Roggenweizen

Doan’s seems to like experimenting with Rye, as earlier this year the Sip Advisor enjoyed a serving of their Rye Stout. They have also concocted a Rye IPA and Rye Pilsner (in collaboration with Bomber Brewing).

As for Main Street, I’ve always been a fan of their beer label work, which is featured on banners that hang at their location. It also remains one of my favourite breweries to pop into while touring out-of-town visitors around Vancouver.

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BC Beer Baron #242 – Phillips Solaris White Peach Ale

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One of my final drinks of last month’s Tip N’ Taste in Langley was this summer pleaser from Phillips Brewing… and to think, I almost passed up the opportunity.

The Solaris White Peach Ale is light in almost every way imaginable: colour, alcohol (4.3% ABV), hops and malts. That makes the unfiltered beer very friendly to all drinkers with a refreshing peach flavour. For a comparison, Cousin Sip equated the beverage to being like Stanley Park’s SunSetter Summer Ale. As the brewery states: “Life’s a peach, drink it up!”

Phillips Solaris White Peach Ale

Featuring a pyramid as part of its label design, Phillips dares customers to “crack the code of the summer heat and unlock the secrets of the Beeramid”. Part of the Phillips seasonal lineup, the beer is perfect for summer drinking (available in 473ml tall cans) and was released alongside the Electric Unicorn White IPA.

Phillips recently ran a great media campaign (even getting attention from the New York Daily News), involving the delivery of beer by a bald eagle. Unfortunately, this got them into some hot water with the BC government, but they figured out a creative way to finish the promotion.

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BC Beer Baron #241 – Off the Rail Beez Kneez Honey Ginger Ale

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Always on the lookout for new and interesting beers, I recently came across this Off the Rail Brewing release while popping into a private liquor store in Kelowna, as the Sip Syndicate loaded up on suds for the long weekend ahead.

The Beez Kneez Honey Ginger Ale is sweet with a ginger bite on the finish. There’s a nice balance between the two here, but the Sip Advisor is learning that I’m not the biggest fan of beers with honey as part of the recipe. However, I know the sweetness is exactly what others are looking for in their brews. If that’s the case, this might be the beverage for you.

Off the Rail Beez Kneez Honey Ginger Ale

The seasonal release, which comes with stats of 5% ABV and 34 IBUs, is available in bomber-sized bottles at various liquor stores, as well as being on tap at Off the Rail’s East Vancouver tasting room. It would likely make for a good drink to have on hand while enjoying the great outdoors and imbibing in summer fun.

Sampling this beer reminds me that Mrs. Sip and I are way overdue for our annual self-guided bike tour through the ‘Yeast Van’ breweries. There are a few new additions to the region – along with the classics – so that should make for a great journey.

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BC Beer Baron #240 – Tin Whistle Scorpion Double IPA

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Looking for beers to cleanse the palate during a wine weekend in Kelowna last month, I eagerly grabbed this Tin Whistle Brewing product. Although it survived the trip and came home with me, it wasn’t long before its luck ran out.

The Scorpion Double IPA is packed with citrus flavour thanks to its high dosage of hops. At 8% ABV and 85 IBUs, the beer is sure to sting drinkers and that’s just the way the Sip Advisor likes ‘em.

Tin Whistle Scorpion Double IPA

The Imperial IPA is available in bomber-sized bottles from various liquor stores. The brewery seems to have a thing for naming their beers after deadly creatures, also having the Rattlesnake ESB, Black Widow Mild Ale and Killer Bee Porter, among their arsenal.

I first had this beer a couple years back at the Penticton Farmer’s Market, where Tin Whistle routinely sets up shop. I still have yet to visit their brewery, which will have to wait for a future expedition.

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