Tag Archives: hopy

Midnight Black IPA – Stanley Park Brewing

by Mike

From Stanley Park Brewing (Turning Point Brewing) in Delta comes their “Midnight Black IPA” a part of their new Sampling Series in Bombers.  The beer poured a very deep black with a brown head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, pine, earth, mild fruit notes and floral hops.  The flavour is of roasted malts, chocolate, toffee, earth, pine,  mild fruits and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 7% with an IBU of 65.  This is a nice mix of flavours for a black IPA and I am happy to see Stanley Park Brewing tackle this style.  Stanley Park Brewing is now owned by Labbat.

Commercial Description:  Embrace the darker days as the seasons change with our exceptionally smooth and hoppy Midnight Black IPA. Bursting with aromas of freshly fallen pine needles and ripe berries from Simcoe hops, it’s like we took the forest of Stanley Park and bottled it…

Arcade Glow Pale Ale – Boombox Brewing

by Mike

From Boombox Brewing in Vancouver brewing out of Dogwood Brewing comes their “Arcade Glow Pale Ale”.  The beer pours a cloudy orange colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of citrus, biscuit malts and yeast.  The flavour is of generic citrus, orange, citrus rind, yeast, resin, biscuit malts and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 5% and has a North East haze.  Boombox Brewing never disappoints.  This stuff is really good!

Ingredients as per brewery:  Pale Ale featuring Simcoe, Mosaic and HBC522 hops.

N.E. IPA – Strathcona Beer Company

by Mike

From Strathcona Beer Company in Vancouver comes their “N.E. IPA”.  The beer poured a cloudy orange colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of floral and herbal hops, tropical fruit like mangos and mild citrus.  The flavour is of herbal hops, resin, pine, earth, citrus rind, tropical fruit, mango, caramel malts, bitterness and a dank finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.5% with an IBU of 55.  While someone hoping for a total juice bomb may not be totally sold this is a great crossover between the North East IPA and a North West IPA.

The Bottle Imp – Beau’s All Natural Brewing

by Mike

From Beau’s All Natural Brewing in Vankleek Hill Ontario comes their “The Bottle Imp” Russian Imperial Coffee Stout.  This brew is the 9th beer in Beau’s pro-am series.  The beer pours an opaque black colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of coffee, ash, roasted malts and dark chocolate.  The flavour is of bitter coffee, hops bitterness, earth, burnt malts, dark chocolate, hint of vanilla, ash with resin in the finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 9% with an IBU of 81.  If you enjoy a good bitter Russian Imperial Stout with a big coffee hit this one is definitely for you.

Commercial Description:  The Bottle Imp is a strong, dark, roasty and rich creation. This rendition of a Russian Imperial Stout is also infused with a blend of Nicaraguan and Guatemalan fair-trade organic coffee. Complex and contemplative, and with well-integrated alcohol warmth, The Bottle Imp is best served in a snifter, sipped slowly and savoured.  eau’s first brewed The Bottle Imp in 2013 as part of its Pro-Am Series. The recipe was co-created with David Thompson, who won the Toronto Beer Week Homebrew Contest and the prize of coming to Beau’s for a day to brew a beer. In 2014 The Bottle Imp took Bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards, as well as first place at the National Organic Craft Beer Competition in California.  The Russian Imperial Stout is brewed to weigh in high on alcohol, with the roasted, malty character typical of a stout. These imperial stouts were first brewed in England in the 18th century, and exported to Russia for the pleasure of Czarina Catherine II and her court.  And the name? The Bottle Imp is a haunting turn-of-the-century tale by Robert Louis Stevenson about risking eternal damnation of the soul to have everything on earth one’s heart desires. We suggest pairing the beer and the story on a cold night by a crackling fire.

Food pairing as per the brewery:  Pumpernickel bread, trifle, dark chocolate fondue, coffee cake, grilled steak, truffle-oil-infused mashed potatoes, & sharp cheddar or stilton.

Spicy Nuggs Imperial Rye Stout – Bomber Brewing (Sawdust City Brewing Co)

by Mike

From Bomber Brewing in Vancouver in collaboration with Sawdust City Brewing Co out of Gravenhurst Ontario comes their “Spicy Nuggs Imperial Rye Stout”.  The beer pours an opaque black with a brown head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, smoke, ash, earth, rye, chocolate, anise and a hint of hops.  The flavour is of roasted malts, smoke, ash, earth, chocolate, anise, big rye spice, chipotle pepper and hops bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 9% with an IBU of 70.  While I usually don’t really enjoy spiced beer I saw some real potential in this one and all of that potential and more was realized and more!  This beer is an awesome mixture of flavour.

Commercial Description:  Forged in the fiery furnaces of a new-found friendship, Spicy Nuggs Imperial Rye Stout is a festival of flavours and one F’n good collaboration.  Ridiculous measures of roasted and rye malts lay the base, while spicy nugget hop hash and smoky chipotle pepper bring the heat to this massive inter-provincial ale.