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.

Tempus Corvi 2017 – Moon Under Water Brewing


From Victoria BC’s Moon Under Water Brewing comes their “Tempus Corvi 2017″ a mixed fermentation saison.  The beer pours an orange colour with a white head and tons of sediment.  The aroma consists of tartness, citrusy fruit and sweetness.  The flavour is of orange, tropical fruit, mild citrus rind, sweetness, mild tartness and a dry finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 7.9%.  This was a really good approachable sour and perfect for both the new beer fan or a seasoned beer nerd.

Commercial Description:  A collaboration with local award winning homebrewer, Dave Janssen. Taking inspiration from traditional saison brewers of Belgium and revivalist brewers of North America, Tempus Corvi is a mixed-fermentation saison. We let this saison rest for 5 months in French oak wine barrels where the activity of a diverse collection of Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria transformed the beer, adding sourness and additional complexity. With its bright acidity and light body, Tempus Corvi is a refreshing beer ready to drink now or be cellared for continued development along its own course.

Hummingbird Hop Saison – Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub


From Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub in Victoria BC comes the “Hummingbird Hop Saison”.  The beer pours a golden colour with a good amount of haze and a white head.  The aroma consists of wheat, yeast, citrus and grassy hops.  The flavour is of wheat, yeast, citrus rind, citrus, pepper, maybe a little astringent, bitterness with a very dry finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.5% with an IBU of 39.  This is definitely more bitter than your average saison but it is pretty darn tasty.

Commercial Description:  A West Coast take on a classic style. Brewed with Pilsner malt and oats this medium bodied beer balances the spicy characteristics of a saison with a pleasant bitterness an citrus note thanks to a blended, new world dry hop addition. The refreshingly dry finish will have you humming for more!

Wild Dark Currant Sour – Field House Brewing (Steel & Oak Brewing)


From Field House Brewing in Abbotsford in collaboration with Steel & Oak Brewing in New Westminster comes their “Wild Dark Currant Sour”.  This is the third of 4 coolship collaborations that Field House will be doing.  The beer pours a dark red colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of currants, milk funk with sweetness in the finish.  The flavour is of currants, mild funk, with little sweetness and a dry finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 7% with an IBU of 30.  I think this beer will get better with age as the Brett kicks the funk up a notch but it is still enjoyable now.

Commercial Description:  Edition 03/04 is a dark sour, fermented with brett yeast. Pre-fermentation we transferred this malty brew into our Copper Coolship, where we steeped 30lbs of dried organic currants, releasing the sweet and tart characteristics of this intense black fruit.

Coup de Foudre (New World Wild Ale) – Strange Fellows Brewing


From Strange Fellows Brewing Company in East Vancouver comes their “Coup de Foudre (New World Wild Ale)”.  This was the first bottle release from their Foudre.  The beer poured a cloudy orange brown colour with an off white head.  The aroma was of oak, cherry, malt vinegar and tartness.  The flavour was of malt vinegar, oak, cherries, dark fruits, toffee, tartness and a dry finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 6% and they list the IBU as low.  This is an excellent execution of a sour ale!

Commercial Description:  Heaven-sent by arrow or lightning bolt, “Love at First Sight” is thought to be a madness inflicted upon unsuspecting beings by the Gods for sport. Others believe it’s that moment of recognition when one first looks upon their other half. Either way, the poor soul didn’t know what hit them. Aged for over a year in our 6000 litre oak Foudre this fruity, complex ale is our tribute to the love struck

Food pairing as per brewery:  Seafood (muscles), Fruit deserts, Fresh cheese, Charcuterie. Quiche