Kriek (Fellowship 2017) – Strange Fellows Brewing


From Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver comes their third of four beer of 2017 in their Fellowship Club the “Kriek” a Lambic Style Ale.  The beer pours a red colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of cherries, berries, tart funk, oak and sweetness.  The flavour is of with a dry finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 6%.  This is one great beer and possibly my favourite of the Fellowship so far.

Commercial Description:   With the Holiday season just around the corner, we are excited to announce that today the third beer in this year’s Fellowship will be ready for pick up! The beer, a Kriek-inspired ale aged in oak barrels with Okanagan cherries is a style we have always adored and this is, we feel, an homage to a tradition that has inspired us for years.  Kriek is the Flemish word for a Lambic beer made with cherries, and Lambic is a class of sour beer made using spontaneous fermentation. Just as Champagne comes from a particular region of France, Lambic comes from the Pajottenland, a valley that runs from Brussels to the South West. Because Clark Drive is not in the Pajottenland, we classify this beer “Lambic-style” in respect of a centuries-old tradition. In our opinion these are some of the coolest beers in there world.  If you are familiar with the style, you will notice that our Kriek is a touch more sour than those examples from Belgian lambic producers Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen. When opening the bottle, you will be hit with aromas of vanilla, oak, and sweet cherries. The cherries we used impart a juicy fruit character, a touch of sweetness and cinnamon. Just as with the Little Red One, we recommend drinking this beer at cellar temperature rather than cold from the fridge.

Subversion Imperial IPA – Category 12 Brewing


From Victoria’s Category 12 Brewing in Victoria comes their “Subversion Imperial IPA” newly available in 4 pack cans.  The beer pours a copper colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of tropical fruits, citrus, floral hops, grains and some alcohol heat.  The flavour is of tropical fruits, berries, citrus, citrus rind, bitterness with maybe a hint of caramel.  There is alcohol present in the flavour but at 8.2% that I expected.  The beer also has an IBU of 85.  Category 12 Brewing is celebrated locally for good reason as they do not make bad beer.  This beer is fantastic and a good example of what we can do on the Northern portion of the West Coast.

Commercial Description:  This year’s batch of Subversion Imperial IPA is off the charts! A 355 mL 4-pack and an all new dry hop brings our Imperial IPA into reach as a weekday go-to.  Subversion is a big, boldly flavourful IPA that balances a strong hop character with a medium-full body, making it the perfect, easy-drinking accompaniment to all sorts of scheming.  Upend the established order and enjoy all the power and complexity of our Imperial IPA in a new format.  Welcome to the lab.

Wyld Raspberry Berliner Weisse – Hearthstone Brewery


From Hearthstone Brewery in North Vancouver comes their “Wyld Raspberry Berliner Weisse”. The beer pours a reddish pink colour with a small white head.  The aroma is of Raspberry, sweetness but not to much else.  The flavour is of raspberry, tartness with some undertones of sweetness with a mild malt note.  The alcohol content comes in at 3.2% with an IBU of 00.  You can not go wrong with a nice session sour ale and this one will not disappoint.

Commercial Description:  We brew this the way they did back in the day, using a 100% wild lactobacillus bacteria to sour the beer, then we bring it back into the kettle and add 200lbs of real, whole local raspberries resulting in a pink, tart and refreshing summer beer.

Table Beer Series #1 Red Wine Barrel Brown 2016 – Firehall Brewery


From Oliver BC’s Firehall Brewery comes their “Table Beer Series #1 Red Wine Barrel Brown 2016″.  As the brewery puts it this is the Beer of Wine Country.  The beer pours a very deep brown colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of a ton of red wine, roasted malts and some sweetness.  The flavour is of red wine, roasted malts, nuts, earth, chocolate, cherry, berries and mild bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 4.5%.  I do not always know what to expect from Wine barrel aged beers but this was a fantastic, enjoyable brew!

Left Imperial IPA – Strathcona Beer Company


From Strathcona Beer Company in Vancouver comes their “Left Imperial IPA”.  The beer pours a cloudy orange colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of mango, tropical fruits, caramel, sweetness and floral hops.  The flavour is of caramel, ripe mango, tropical fruit, berries, citrus, citrus rind, resin, sweetness, bitterness and some alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.4% with an IBU of 100.  Imperial IPA’s are a ton of fun as even with a huge alcohol content and a high IBU it does not mean it will be a harsh beer.  This one has lots of fruit flavour and sweetness with good bitterness but not a massive bitter hit from the 100 IBU.

Commercial Description:  Light coloured ale with robust hop flavour and high alcohol content.  Smooth malt finish coupled with subtle notes of citrus, featuring Asaacca, Wakatu and Cascade Hops.

img_20170203_1743521 img_20170203_1745079