OT: Beer Thread

[BatVader]

I’m planning a new thing this winter.
I’m going to buy my beer alphabetically, and just work my way through every available option, skipping over the obvious mainstream Molson/Labatts/Budweiser labels.
Should be fun.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

I’m planning a new thing this winter.
I’m going to buy my beer alphabetically, and just work my way through every available option, skipping over the obvious mainstream Molson/Labatts/Budweiser labels.
Should be fun.

What happens when they start stocking a new beer that precedes where you are at in the alphabet?

The correct answer is of course, damn I'll have to start over from the beginning.

 

[BatVader]

What happens when they start stocking a new beer that precedes where you are at in the alphabet?

The correct answer is of course, damn I'll have to start over from the beginning.

Or just continue on and once your done, go around again!

 

[buggs]

Two of my favorites right now are the 'Bikey McBikeface' from Half Pints and 'Fin Du Monde' from Unibroue.

Didn't really enjoy Bikey that much. I found it to be a bit bland for the genre but that might well be my screwed up taste buds.

Really enjoying Avenger from TCB (sadly the cans are seasonal and all but gone, it will be on tap on site all year though) and Kilter's Juicy. Also been drinking a fair bit of Sleeping Giant's "Beaver Duck" when it's available at the Grant. The can label just makes me laugh and laugh and I also rather enjoy the beer, better than their Hoppet. Got the t-shirt too.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Pricing isn't awful. Clearly I go to too many Jets games but even when I go to the Grant and buy a 12 pack now it's running me easily over $50. They are the pint cans and generally are higher alcohol beers. Now the whisky advent calendar is expensive. Ouch.

You just had to go and mention that while my store still has them in stock, didn't you?

Never bought it before but this year I figured what the hell, you only live 9 times, right? Certainly some very interesting offerings in there, although I think Speyside is over represented. And lots of them look to be cask strength. Might have to temper some of them with a splash of water. Instead of rushing headlong through these in 25 days, I figure I'll treat myself to one every fortnight. By the time I'm done, it will be advent calendar season again.

 

[EpicGingy]

I'm going to resurrect this thread and say that by far the best beer I have ever had is the Barking Squirrel Amber Lager by Hop City. I don't know its availability in Manitoba but it's worth a try if any of you can find it.

It's got a nice caramel taste that isn't overpowering. I could drink this stuff all day and only get sick of it when I physically get sick of it.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Nice to see one of my faves, Duvel back in the stores after far too long an absence. One of the world's great beers, it is a shining example of the Belgian strong golden ale style. Dry, slightly fruity, well balanced bittering, I find it makes a nice pre-dinner aperitif.

 

[Wolf357]

Anyone know where to get Guinness Black Lager or Sam Adams Black Lager? Absolutely delicious. And sitting by a bonfire at night with a Black Lager is a glorious thing. Little Brown Jugs Black Lager is decent but just not in the same league...

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

I was in Thunder Bay many years back and picked up some beer. I was 16 or 17 and didn't have much money. The cheapest stuff I could find was called BEER. There was no brand, just a label that said BEER in big capital letters.

It did say "Union Made" in small print so it must have been good quality.

Wonder if it is still available.

 

[RabidOne]

I was in Thunder Bay many years back and picked up some beer. I was 16 or 17 and didn't have much money. The cheapest stuff I could find was called BEER. There was no brand, just a label that said BEER in big capital letters.

It did say "Union Made" in small print so it must have been good quality.

Wonder if it is still available.

Just had a few from a newish brewery in North Van called Beere. This one was the best so far:

 

[RabidOne]

Since I visited Winnipeg the last couple of years and saw first hand the burgeoning craft beer scene I thought I would post about BC’s scene for anyone that heads this way.
Remember this is just my opinion!

Top 10 breweries in BC
In no particular order:
Four Winds Brewing Delta. They make several of the best IPA’s in the province, they innovate and experiment with great success.
Phillips Brewing Victoria. This is as much for the past as the present. Some of the best beers I have ever had are from them. They do one-off’s all the time, unfortunately those beers almost never make it out of Victoria. Their original hop box was beervana. There would always be two experimental brews in each case, a hop lovers dream! They aren’t as good as they used to be, but shortwave pale is good, bottle rocket isa is great, the new Citricity ipa is fantastic (if you like grapefruit) and of course Hop Circle is still an IPA drinkers go-to brew. Not to mention 6ix, which clocks in at 105 ibu.

Off the Rail Vancouver. My number one East Van brewery. Tiny, tucked away on an industrial strip beside a friends body shop.
Steve and Mike make beer perfectly suited to my palate. They usually have at least 3 IPA’s on the board, Comet Launcher is the bomb and the Kolsch is the best in the province. Plus they renamed their Pilsner Spirit Lifter to give a portion of the proceeds to John Mann and his family during his fight with Alzheimers.
Thats a class move
.
Fieldhouse. Abbotsfords best has a beautiful tasting room location with quality food. They don’t hit on everything they do, but they experiment enough that when they nail it, they knock it out of the park. Their Salted Black Porter is the best Porter in BC.

Moody Ales Port Moody. The last brewery at the end of brewers row in Port Moody. My go to spot since it is so close to my home. Their main line is all very good, their ipa is the most consistently drinkable on the row, and they experiment and innovate like no one else. Which is why they opened a second brewery called Bakery. Lots of misses amongst the weekly casks, but some of the hits are awesome. Not a big sour guy, but their Lavender sour is great.

 

[RabidOne]

Steamworks Vancouver & Burnaby. One of the longest running craft breweries in the province (since 1995), there are some very good beers in their line-up. Black Angel is my favorite black ipa, Heroica Red Ale is excellent (better on tap at the pub down the road than in the bottle), Flagship is a decent ipa, as is their Pale Ale. The Kolsch is good and both the pub in gastown and the tasting room in Burnaby are comfortable spots to hang out.

Silver Valley brewing Maple Ridge.
One word describes everything, balanced. No bad beers here ever. Brewing out of a really small space they manage a good sized selection and have a little kitchen of mostly all local food. Worth the drive.

Howe Sound brewing Squamish. Most of their line up is good to excellent. The hotel and brewpub in Squamish is good, their pub downtown is a really good spot before a night out (or for a night out). Sky Pilot is a good pale, Hop Raiser and Devils Elbow are both excellent IPA’s the wife loves both the Rail Ale brown and the Mega Destroyer stout. And of course the Gathering Storm Cascadian Dark Ale is the beer that started me down the path of Black IPA’s

Lighthouse Brewing Victoria. They have been making a whole bunch of good beers for quite a while. Race Rocks Amber is great on tap, Shipwreck IPA is always a good brew, Ghostship IPA is good too, and The Numbskull series (double IPA each version with a different hop), is a great beer experiment. I look forward to every version. My wife is partial to Depth Charge Scotch ale too.
Honorable mentions:

-Brassneck brewing Vancouver.
Small and busy tasting room whose Passive Agressive is a dangerous but delicious Pale Ale (7% abv) thats more like an IPA.
-Bad Tattoo in Penticton for the pizza alone.
-Canoe on the inner harbor in Victoria for the patio.
-Driftwood for the Russian Imperial Stout.
-Vice and Virtue for a good beer list and an excellent kitchen.
-Land and Sea in Comox (my wife says it should be in the top 10). The Spruce Tip Golden Ale last year was killer and the food is really good.
-Kettle River in Kelowna for a couple of really good brews and a lo-fi tasting room/patio.

 

[RabidOne]

And yes for anyone that actually reads all of that, there are only 9 there. I couldn't agree on the 10th one.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

And yes for anyone that actually reads all of that, there are only 9 there. I couldn't agree on the 10th one.

Thanks for the reviews. When my wife was in Victoria a few years ago, she picked me up a Spinnakers hoodie. They don't even get an HM. Am I wearing a hoodie from a bad brewery?

 

[kanadalainen]

There's some serious expertise on this board.

I do love beer. A lot. I will drink almost anything except for US made Budweiser and the more extreme fruity stuff.

Pale Ale
Stout
Lagers
Pils
IPA
Scotch Ale


all good.

 

[RabidOne]

Thanks for the reviews. When my wife was in Victoria a few years ago, she picked me up a Spinnakers hoodie. They don't even get an HM. Am I wearing a hoodie from a bad brewery?

Spinnakers is a decent brew pub, the food can be quite good. The beer is okay, I have had some duds in their canned product though. They aren't bad, its just that there are many that are better.