Best Canadian Beer/Lager/Ale

Seathanaich

Brenton said: I had the most dreadful beer tonight, a Burnside Berliner Weisse With a Little Wood. I couldn't discern one beer flavour; it tasted like a refreshing, woody unsweetened pop.

I find that every Weisse, except Paulener, is disappointing.

Driveforfiver

http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/2012/events/saturday-may-26th-2012/

Very excited for the massive beer tasting today at Salt. It was really good last year. A ton of beers on hand.

southsidepride

Yeah, the story behind Rick August's Imperial is pretty cool. Similar (smaller scale) offer at the Elysian Tap Takeover I attended a couple days ago. Elysian's Dick Cantwell judged homebrewed beers and now the winner gets to brew their recipe with him at his brewery in Seattle. Btw, I've always been a big fan of their ESB the Wise and Dragonstooth Stout, but finally tried their Pumpkin Imperial. Wow, that was delicious.

These home brewing competitions make sense. I mean, brewmasters generally start off as amazing home brewers. Look at Parallel 49th's head brewmaster, Graham With, who was and remains the president of VanBrewers. Personally, I can't wait to get into the home brewing scene. I think half of my conversations at Hoppapalooza III was about home brewing. And from my experience, home brewers just seem like a really friendly lot, willing to offer advice whenever requested.

Brenton

seathanaich said:

Brenton said: I had the most dreadful beer tonight, a Burnside Berliner Weisse With a Little Wood. I couldn't discern one beer flavour; it tasted like a refreshing, woody unsweetened pop.

I find that every Weisse, except Paulener, is disappointing.

I actually like many Weisse beers. But like I said, I couldn't taste any beer in this beer. No hops, no malt, no wheat, no yeast, nothing. Ugh.

JSpice

Brenton said:

seathanaich said:

Brenton said: I had the most dreadful beer tonight, a Burnside Berliner Weisse With a Little Wood. I couldn't discern one beer flavour; it tasted like a refreshing, woody unsweetened pop.

I find that every Weisse, except Paulener, is disappointing.

I actually like many Weisse beers. But like I said, I couldn't taste any beer in this beer. No hops, no malt, no wheat, no yeast, nothing. Ugh.

It's a Berliner, probably with added woodruff syrup. Thats how it should taste.

JSpice

Driveforfiver said: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/2012/events/saturday-may-26th-2012/

Very excited for the massive beer tasting today at Salt. It was really good last year. A ton of beers on hand.

At this event now, brilliant warm up for the match tonight, though I would rather be pub crawling in Portland...

Brenton

JSpice said:

Brenton said:

seathanaich said:

Brenton said: I had the most dreadful beer tonight, a Burnside Berliner Weisse With a Little Wood. I couldn't discern one beer flavour; it tasted like a refreshing, woody unsweetened pop.

I find that every Weisse, except Paulener, is disappointing.

I actually like many Weisse beers. But like I said, I couldn't taste any beer in this beer. No hops, no malt, no wheat, no yeast, nothing. Ugh.

It's a Berliner, probably with added woodruff syrup. Thats how it should taste.

For the future, I will know better.

Brenton

Just tried my first taste of homebrew, from a pale ale juice kit. It's good if bland. Pretty fun to do, been over a decade since I tried last.

Our next batch is intermediate brewing, mostly syrup with some grain (7.5:1 ratio) and three stages of hops.

JSpice

^That's great, and your next one will probably will be a lot better. its nice because you can start really simple and get as advanced as you want.

Brenton

Bottled our "traditional ale" today. Tasted fairly well balanced, a little lighter than I thought.

Bought gear for a blonde ale and a northwest pale.

Has anyone been to Dan's Home Brewing Supplies? It's like a fucking indie record store in there. I grabbed what I thought was a good ale yeast for the blonde, asked if it would be good, was told in no uncertain terms that it was a bad choice. No suggestions were forthcoming, so I asked which yeast he thought would be good. "Oh, doesn't really matter, they're all good". Right. So, any suggestion for which one to use? Not really.

Markus

Brenton said: Bottled our "traditional ale" today. Tasted fairly well balanced, a little lighter than I thought.

Bought gear for a blonde ale and a northwest pale.

Has anyone been to Dan's Home Brewing Supplies? It's like a fucking indie record store in there. I grabbed what I thought was a good ale yeast for the blonde, asked if it would be good, was told in no uncertain terms that it was a bad choice. No suggestions were forthcoming, so I asked which yeast he thought would be good. "Oh, doesn't really matter, they're all good". Right. So, any suggestion for which one to use? Not really.

Made the hefeweizen they have in their recipes a few years back, it was quite good. The pale ale I made wasn't as good.

cixceven · Post edited by cixceven at 2012-06-04 12:02:47

Brenton said: Bottled our "traditional ale" today. Tasted fairly well balanced, a little lighter than I thought.

Bought gear for a blonde ale and a northwest pale.

Has anyone been to Dan's Home Brewing Supplies? It's like a fucking indie record store in there. I grabbed what I thought was a good ale yeast for the blonde, asked if it would be good, was told in no uncertain terms that it was a bad choice. No suggestions were forthcoming, so I asked which yeast he thought would be good. "Oh, doesn't really matter, they're all good". Right. So, any suggestion for which one to use? Not really.

Solution: tell the guy "oh, I'm going for a "insert made-up Flemish or German sounding word" style blonde. It's pretty uncommon, but I found one backpacking on 10 euro a day through Europe. You probably don't know about them yet." Buy the yeast, turn up nose with suitable hipster eye-roll, then leave.

Brenton

Parallel 49 Old Boy Classic Ale now available at Brewery Creek.

JP82

I had a real interesting beer in Bellingham its called a "India Session Ale" its about 4.5% but tastes exactly like a well hopped NW IPA the beauty about this beer is that you can have four or five of these without feeling the effects of a 6.5% beer

Brenton

Yah, I tried one of those in Portland, though I forget the brewer. Quite good.

Brenton said: Parallel 49 Old Boy Classic Ale now available at Brewery Creek.

Don't bother. Quite disappointed with this beer. It's bland.

chauchi09 · Post edited by Brenton at 2012-06-06 08:37:40

Brenton said: Yah, I tried one of those in Portland, though I forget the brewer. Quite good.

Brenton said: Parallel 49 Old Boy Classic Ale now available at Brewery Creek.

Don't bother. Quite disappointed with this beer. It's bland.

Really? I was really looking forward to it. Maybe it will taste better it a pub?

Brenton

Yah same. We tried it cold poured into glasses, and let it warm up as we drank through a few. It never really hits anywhere in your mouth, maybe a tiny spark at the end. Hopefully it's better in the pub.

JP82

My wife had the Watermelon Wit wasn't too impressed...she prefered the Watermelon beer from 21st Amendment which is available across the border in Bellingham...I haven't tried their Hoparazzi beer yet like IPA style Lager i guess....

PBandG

JP82 said: I had a real interesting beer in Bellingham its called a "India Session Ale" its about 4.5% but tastes exactly like a well hopped NW IPA the beauty about this beer is that you can have four or five of these without feeling the effects of a 6.5% beer

Was this the one they were serving in stubbies at the Bitter End?

Bad_Gones

Fruit beers can fuck right off.

ynwasouthside

Sorry if I missed it above, but anybody tried anything from the Tofino Brewing Co?

http://www.tofinobrewingco.com/our-beer/

Subhedgehog

Bad_Gones said: Fruit beers can fuck right off.

Plus one.

Chris

Subhedgehog said:

Bad_Gones said: Fruit beers can fuck right off.

Plus one.

Gladly accepting all your fruit beers.

Brenton · Post edited by Brenton at 2012-06-07 17:36:49

Powell Street Craft Brewery to open this summer:

East Vancouver is quickly becoming a hot bed for Vancouver’s craft brewing scene – which, as an East Van dweller, I am totally okay with. After a heads up from a fan on the CAMRA Vancouver Facebook page (thanks Warren Boyer!), I found out that Powell Street Craft Brewery will open up shop this summer at Powell and Victoria. Earlier this week, I was able to get in touch with president & founder David Bowkett for a quick chat about the brewery:

Do you have a target release date?
We’re planning on releasing our first beer in August.

How will Powell Street stand out from its competitors?
Our beers will be handcrafted using all natural, and when available, local ingredients. We’re brewing on a much smaller scale then most of our competitors, which allows us to produce a wider variety of beers. No matter what we put out, quality will always rein supreme. Oh yeah, and we’re always open to your ideas and suggestions; let us know what you’d like, and it might be on the shelf before you know it.

Blue_and_White_Army

Chris said:

Subhedgehog said:

Bad_Gones said: Fruit beers can fuck right off.

Plus one.

Gladly accepting all your fruit beers.

Ditto. There's good and bad in every genre of beer. Some fruit beers aren't sweet at all.

JP82

tofino is awesome..they just released a Spruce Tip IPA on Cask at Alibi Room...very good reviews...Just had ruby ale from Parallel 49 Brewery very good very sessionable... there should be another four more breweries opening in the next 18 months (Powell, Sapperton, Doans & Lions Gate Breweries) in addition to Coal Harbour & Parallel 49 that just opened....

Brenton

Do you know which is the one opening at 7th and Scotia?

dochawk

Colt 45 In a brown paper bag.

Bad_Gones

Blue_and_White_Army said: Ditto. There's good and bad in every genre of beer. Some fruit beers aren't sweet at all.

No. Fruit beers are ALL bad. In fact, I wouldn't even label them beers. And it has nothing to do with sweetness ... many blonde ales are sweet and I don't mind them at all.

It's like turkey sausage. That can fuck off too. And tofurkey. Fuck fuck fuck. All these foods were fine just the way they were. Quit fucking with my food.

Chris

Jesus man. Have a Bud Lime and chill the fuck out.

cdusdal

Might be a good point though. Maybe being made with fruit pushes it out of the beer category?

Not quite a beer, not quite a cider?

Now's the time to make the new title official.

Bad_Gones

Godammit! You just made me shoot chocolate porter through my nose! (the irony is not lost on me)

Brenton

Especially if it's Phillips, who use chocolate flavouring...

Picked up a heather ale from Salt Spring Brewing, another new brewery I've never seen before.

Brenton · Post edited by Brenton at 2012-06-08 20:38:50

Drinking the Saltspring Heather Ale. It's mainly flavoured with heather, of all things, which doesn't really balance out the not-too-thick malty sweetness. It tastes good, but needs more hoppiness for balance. Worth a try, and not just for the novelty. Still, Fraoch is a better example of a heather ale.

danimal

Brenton said: Drinking the Saltspring Heather Ale. It's mainly flavoured with heather, of all things, which doesn't really balance out the not-too-thick malty sweetness. It tastes good, but needs more hoppiness for balance. Worth a try, and not just for the novelty. Still, Fraoch is a better example of a heather ale.

Salt Spring isn't quite there, yet. Kind of same category as Townsite and 49th Parallel to me. It's nice to have them around, but it's pretty much craft beer for beginners at this point.

Brenton

I thought the Townsite Zunga was quite good, much better than the 49th Parallel Classic Ale.

PBandG

Is there anything from Parallel 49 that people are really impressed by? Anyone tried the ruby?

Brenton

I'm hoping the Ruby provides some form of redemption.

Dan, I would agree re: Saltspring. Hopefully they and others refine their beers.

PBandG

And when everyone is saying it is craft beer for beginners. Are meaning that it is lacking a lot of the deeper, more complex flavours? From what I have seen so far these seem decent beers to bring to a BBQ due to their laidback flavour vs. a lot of other craft beers, which people usually only have one or two of.

Brenton

Craft beers don't have to be overloaded with crazy flavours. Perfect example is the Moon Under Water Blue Moon Bitter. It's a session bitter, which means a mellower flavour and lower alcohol content. But man is it good.

thesaavedra

I didn't mind the Hoparazzi it goes down quite nice actually. I think it's a good beer to bring to a BBQ like it was mentioned above. I also really like that Blue Moon Bitter..shrugs I'm easily impressed I guess.

Bad_Gones

Brenton said: Craft beers don't have to be overloaded with crazy flavours.

Exactly. It's not that I don't like fruit flavours, I just don't like them in my beer. They just seem unnecessary .

Brenton · Post edited by Brenton at 2012-06-11 12:54:07

Canadian Brewing Awards:

http://camravancouver.ca/2012/06/10/canadian-brewing-awards-surrey’s-central-city-wins-brewery-of-the-year/

Notable: apparently we do IPAs well in BC.

English Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Powell IPA, Coal Harbour Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Tranquility IPA, Moon Under Water Pub and Brewery (BC)
Bronze: Devil’s Elbow IPA, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)

Driveforfiver

JP82 said: tofino is awesome..they just released a Spruce Tip IPA on Cask at Alibi Room...very good reviews...Just had ruby ale from Parallel 49 Brewery very good very sessionable... there should be another four more breweries opening in the next 18 months (Powell, Sapperton, Doans & Lions Gate Breweries) in addition to Coal Harbour & Parallel 49 that just opened....

Had the Tofino Hoppin Creetin IPA last week at the Alibi room and maybe because it was from a cask, it seemed too sprucey. Had it last year on tap and it was to die for.

As far as IPA's go, I'm really enjoying the Phillips Hop Circle, West Coast's Green Flash, Driftwood's Fat Tug IPA and Lighthouse's Switchback IPA

Brenton

I really wish the Phillips Hop Circle had a better label. It's pretty horrible.

southsidepride

Driveforfiver said:

Had the Tofino Hoppin Creetin IPA last week at the Alibi room and maybe because it was from a cask, it seemed too sprucey. Had it last year on tap and it was to die for.

Unless they had both, last week's Tofino cask at the Alibi Room has the Spruce Tip IPA. True, it is the Hoppin Cretin, but with Spruce tree tips added. I really liked it, but not everyone likes a rainforest invading their palate.

Btw, I wonder how much longer Parrallel 49th can call their beer a Ruby Ale before a trademark infringement is claimed- not sure the legal implications between the US and Canada, but Odin Brewery is changing the name of their Ruby Ale due to McMenamins' infringement claim. I believe a local brewer is doing the same thing with a different 'style' of beer. I understand it's business, but seems counter-cultural to the craft beer industry and their friendly, collaborative ways.

Here's the McMenamins claim, if you aren't aware of it: http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/trademark-infringement-issue-odin-brewing-company/

Brenton

southsidepride said:

Driveforfiver said:

Had the Tofino Hoppin Creetin IPA last week at the Alibi room and maybe because it was from a cask, it seemed too sprucey. Had it last year on tap and it was to die for.

Unless they had both, last week's Tofino cask at the Alibi Room has the Spruce Tip IPA. True, it is the Hoppin Cretin, but with Spruce tree tips added. I really liked it, but not everyone likes a rainforest invading their palate.

Fort George in Astoria had a spruce beer, just spruce buds, no hops. It was so thin, but refreshing. Would have been better with some hops.

Brenton

Had a new Spinnaker's beer last night: the Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria Summer Ale. As the label says, "this racy summer session ale has been specially brewed with partial proceeds to support Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria", which I assume is some fundraising ride.

Logs in at 3.9% alcohol; it's a simple light ale, quality but simple. Starts with some light bubbly sweet malt and mellows out with a crisp if bland finish. I like that it lists the types of ingredients: "pilsner, vienna and Canadian wheat malts juxtaposed with European crisp hops".

Blue_and_White_Army

The Salt Spring with the royal blue wrap is arguably the worst craft beer I have ever had.

Brenton

That's too bad. How's that GI Cascadian Dark?

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