Little Red One with Black Currants (Fellowship 2017) – Strange Fellows Brewing


From Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver comes their second of four beer of 2017 in their fellowship club the “Little Red One with Black Currants” a Lambic Style Ale.  The beer pours a deep red with a reddish head.  The aroma consists of black currents, dark fruit, red wine, oak and some tartness.  The flavour is of black currents, dark fruit, red wine, balsamic vinegar, earth, tobacco, tartness and some oak in the finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 6%.  This is a fantastic Lambic Style beer with a very full flavour profile and fits the Lambic style well.  I can not wait for the last two releases of this years Fellowship.

Commercial Description:  After months of tasting, note taking, and patience, we finally feel ready to announce that starting at 3pm this coming Thursday, November 16th we will be releasing our second Fellowship beer – Little Red One Batch 2 (LRO 2).  This West Coast Lambic-Style Sour with black currants from the Fraser Valley has been barrel-aged for over a year and is bottle conditioned. We liked the character that the currants bestowed upon this beer so much in Batch 1 that we decided to add even more black currants for Batch 2! This beer pours a deep red with aromas and flavours of oak, black tea, and tobacco. The currants lend berry character but with a dry herbal note (rather than sweetness).

 

Depth Charge Barrel Aged Scotch Ale – Lighthouse Brewing


From Victoria’s Lighthouse Brewing comes their “Depth Charge”a Barrel Aged Scotch Ale.  The beer pours a deep chestnut brown colour with reddish notes with an beige head.  The aroma consists of vanilla, oak, roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, fruit and sweetness from brown sugar.  The flavour is of vanilla, oak, roasted malts, some ash, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, chocolate, earth, resin, tobacco, leather, bitterness and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 9%.  It has unintentionally been a while since i have had a beer from Lighthouse Brewing.  This one was very well made and I am happy that I noticed it on a shelve at a Vancouver liquor store.

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Pentagram 2014 Vintage – Surly Brewing Co


From Brooklyn Center Minnesota’s Surly Brewing Co comes their “Pentagram” 2014 Vintage a beer that was opened 2 years after its release in 2016.  This beer is a 100% Brettanomyces fermented beer.  The beer pours a deep reddish orange colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of vinegar, cherry, earth, oak, wine and funk but is a bit understated.  The flavour is of notes of vinegar to start with cherry, berries, some brett funk, oak, wine and maybe a hint of tobacco.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.66%.  I was expecting an overly sour beer when I poured this beer but it was fairly subdued.  This is a sour beer that you could easily drink a bunch of (If you could get a bunch).

Commercial Description:  100% Brettanomyces dark beer, fermented in stainless and aged in used red wine barrels. “Brett” is a unique yeast strain that produces flavors that would be offensive if they weren’t intentional. Flavors of sour cherry, tobacco, oak, and classic “Brett” barnyard funk, balanced by Dark Munich malt chewiness. Enjoy immediately or age at cellar temperature for a couple years.

Barley Wine 2014 limited Edition – The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company


From Canmore Alberta’s The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company comes their “Barley Wine” 2014 limited Edition brewed at the original Brew Pub location (#622 Main Street Series).  The beer pours a very deep brown with a brown head.  The aroma consists of toffee, dark fruits, cherry and sweetness.  The flavour is of caramel, toffee, cherry, dark fruit, earth, tobacco, resin, bitterness, sweetness and some alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 8.7% with an IBU of 61.  Not my favourite interpretation of the style but it is a tasty one none the less.  I always like when people play fast and loose with beer styles.

Commercial Description: Grizzly Paw Barley Wine was brewed in 2014 at the original downtown brewpub location, and has been awaiting release since then. The 8.7% abv and 61 IBU ale is described as follows:  A big luscious ale with flavours of apricot, plum and black currant mingling with a rich maltiness, balanced by a spicy hop bitterness and alcohol warmth which will continue to mellow with age.

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Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout– Moody Ales


From Moody Ales out of Port Moody comes their “Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout” a very limited edition beer packaged in small 375ml bottles. The beer pours an opaque black colour with a brown head. The aroma consists of vanilla, roasted malts, molasses, tobacco, sweetness and bourbon. The flavour is of earth, roasted malts, vanilla, molasses, chocolate, tobacco, cherries, sweetness, bourbon and an alcohol finish. The alcohol content came in at 11% with an IBU of 32. To say this beer was good would be a massive understatement. This very well could be the best beer that Moody Ales has produced to this point in their short life.

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