Tag Archives: edson

Drexl Blackstrap Imperial Stout – Bench Creek Brewing

by Mike

From Bench Creek Brewing out of very rural Alberta (Yellowhead Country) near Edson comes their “Drexl Blackstrap Imperial Stout”.  The beer pours an opaque black colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, smoke, molasses and anise.  The flavour is of roasted malts, smoke, molasses, anise, toffee, sweetness, resin and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 11% with an IBU of 80.  I have been a fan of Bench Creek Brewing for some time and this beer does not change that opinion at all.  This is a well made Imperial Stout.

Commercial Description:  Y’know what we got here? Charlie Bronson. Mr. Majestyk.Rich biscuity UK base malt and multiple caramel malts for layered toffee and dark fruit flavours got you thinkin’ it’s pretty… But it’s not as pretty as a variety of roasted malts which provide chocolate and coffee depth. In fact, we’re gonna show you with a little demonstration.  Now, see, we’re sittin’ down here, ready to negotiate, and you’ve already given up. It’s still a mystery to you. But we know it’s got generous additions of blackstrap molasses and star anise.  All right, peep this: it’s aged on American oak to fully mimic the flavours and aromas of blackstrap rum. Ey’ yo, yo why you trippin’?

Legend Extra Old Ale – Bench Creek Brewing

by Mike

From Bench Creek Brewing out of very rural Alberta (Yellowhead Country) near Edson comes their “Legend Extra Old Ale”.  The beer stated to Enjoy after Dec 24, 2017.  The beer pours a reddish orange colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of The aroma consists of dark fruits, toffee, caramel, floral hops and sweetness.  The flavour is of dark fruits, tropical fruits, vanilla, candy sugar, toffee, caramel, sweetness, bitterness with some minor alcohol notes.  The alcohol content comes in at 11.8% with an IBU of 45.  This is a tasty Old Ale and well made.  If you can find a bottle of this in Alberta make sure to pick it up!

Commercial Description:  It was believed a town like Legend, AB, would be around forever — until its sudden yet inevitable demise early last century. The last grain elevators came down decades later, nearly wiping out any and all remnants of the place. Visitors to the ghost town only rarely ask about the townspeople. Did they die with the town? The truth is lost to time but most choose to believe they packed up and left, attempting to preserve the best traits of the place, to savour the legacy, and moved on to bigger, and dare we say, better things.

White Raven India Pale Ale – Bench Creek Brewing

by Mike

From Bench Creek Brewing out of very rural Alberta (Yellowhead Country) near Edson comes their “White Raven India Pale Ale”.  The beer pours a deep cloudy amber orange colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of floral hops, herbal, citrus, malts and a mildly dank finish.  The flavour is of caramel, toffee, bready malts, juicy hops, citrus, mango and other fruits, bitterness, herbal and leafy hops.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.5% with an IBU of 72.  This is a great IPA that any lover of the style would enjoy.

Commercial Description: Sightings of the white raven in the wild are so rare that many people don’t even believe it exists. Others know better. Experiencing something that unique is hard to forget and it instills a sense of optimism to come across a creation that’s one-of-a-kind, coasting through life on its own, in its own way. The irony of this conflict is that the white raven is a natural mediator – the wise old bird would advise both sides to stick a pine cone in it and simply enjoy the beer.  Our White Raven India Pale Ale is a distinctive, very hop forward blend with huge aromatics of orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and mango with a touch of pine. The signature flavours of Munich and crystal malts contribute a complex toffee-caramel backbone that nicely balances the bitterness from the hops. It finishes slightly dry with lingering citrus and a tropical impression that tells you this robust beer would pair well with blackened fish, roasted duck, and even spiced coffee cake.

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Naked Woodsman Pale Ale – Bench Creek Brewing

by Mike

From Bench Creek Brewing out of very rural Alberta (Yellowhead Country) near Edson comes their “Naked Woodsman Pale Ale”.  The beer pours a copper colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of floral hops, citrus and bready malts.  The flavour is of citrus, lemon, orange, caramel, bread, earth and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.2% with an IBU of 40.  The flavour and mouth feel of this beer is a bit different than many pale ale’s but is enjoyable to drink.

Commercial Description: There’s a story to the name but we won’t get into the details. All you need to know is that when a man ventures into Alberta’s backwoods, he comes back changed.  Almost like he stripped away what he didn’t need but ended up more complex than ever. You look at him and think: He’s either missing a few oars on his canoe, or he’s an inspiration.  The Naked Woodsman Pale Ale grows more complex, unraveling more flavours the longer you savour it. Notes of fresh bread and light caramel malt flavours mix with bright floral, grapefruit and orange hop aromatics. There’s a sweetness to it – apricot and peach hop flavours combine with subdued citrus. It finishes with a star of anise spiciness that makes you think this somewhat fruit-forward brew could be paired with herb-crusted chicken for dinner, and also with lemon tart for dessert.

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Flint & Steel Session IPA – Bench Creek Brewing

by Mike

From Bench Creek Brewing out of very rural Alberta (Yellowhead Country) near Edson comes their “Flint & Steel Session IPA”. The beer pours an amber colour with a beige head. The aroma consists of lots of tropical fruits, melon, some caramel and floral hops. The flavour is of tropical fruits, lemon rind, grapefruit, grainy malts, caramel, mild earth and a decent hops bitterness. Like all session IPA’s the body is not as big as an IPA but it does have more body than most Session IPA’s. The alcohol content comes in at 4.7%. I don’t enjoy every Session IPA as I really like the body and malt backbone that comes with a true IPA but this one does enough in every category to be quite interesting and refreshing. If you can find this beer either at the brewery or like I did in Edmonton in a Crowler pick it up.