From Squamish BC’s Howe Sound Brewing comes the “Ascension Triple IPA”. The beer pours a cloudy deep orange with an off white head. The aroma consists of melon, tropical fruits, candy sugar, floral hops and alcohol. The flavour is of melon, tropical fruits, mango, candy sugar, honey, pine, resin, bitterness and alcohol. The alcohol content comes in at 11% with an IBU of 70. For the ABV this stuff is ridiculously drinkable. I recommend picking up at least a bottle of this.
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.
From Milton, Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery comes their “Olde School Barleywine”. This bottle was brewed around January 2015 and consumed January 2017 The beer pours a deep chestnut brown colour with an off white head. The aroma consists of dates, figs, brown sugar, toffee, syrup and earth. The flavour is of dates, figs, dark fruits, brown sugar, toffee, treacle, sweetness, earth, bitterness and alcohol. The alcohol content comes in at 15% with an IBU of 85. At 15% this is a huge beer but it is also very tasty and not as boozy as you would expect. If you can find this buy a few bottles.
Commercial Description: Fermented with dates and figs, this smooth barleywine has a unique flavor. The concept for this beer came from an old cellerman’s manual Sam came across (for more on that, check out the video below). At about 15% ABV, this beer is a great candidate for aging. Over time, the beer dries out and the pit fruit flavors come forward and the hops recede. Our recommendation? Grab a few bottles when you find it — enjoy one now, and age the others for a bit. Let us know which you prefer! For more on the Olde School Barleywine (and our potential Olympic bid… yeah, there really is no connection, but it is in here anyway!), check out our Quick Sip Clip.
Food pairing as per the brewery: Almond-stuffed dates, pumpernickel, tart cherries, Blue cheese with honey.
From the new brewery in Langley Trading Post Brewing comes their “What Cheer Brett IPA”. The beer pours a very cloudy orange colour with a white head. The aroma consists of brett funk, tropical fruits, grapefruit rind and bitterness. The flavour is of barnyard funk, citrus rind, tropical fruits, resin and bitterness. The alcohol content comes in at 6.6% with an IBU of 56. I love a good IPA and I love a good Brett beer so I am always happy to find a great Brett IPA. If you like wild ales then make sure to check this one out!
Commercial Description: Intriguing and complex, this straw colored beer features aromas of mango, guava and orange. Brewed using specialty malts and a cornucopia of hops, it’s fermented with the Brettanomyces Bruxellensis wild yeast strain. Funky and fruity, this unique beer will delight your senses and leave your palate refreshed.
From Huss Brewing out of Tempe Arizona comes their “That’ll Do India Pale Ale”. The beer poured an amber colour with an off white head. The aroma consisted of a lemony citrus with a sweet and floral finish. The flavour of the beer is of big bitterness and earthiness with caramel, citrus, lemon peel and a resinous finish. Like I found with most Arizona beers it was sweeter than West Coast IPA’s but very tasty. The alcohol content came in at 7.1% with an IBU of 91.
Hops used for brewing: Simcoe, Columbus and Zythos Hops.
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