Mmm, I remember when … I remember when the Granville Island Brewing Co. began its production (1984) … or near to it as it was 1986 that I moved to Vancouver for a year . I remember when it was one of the first microbreweries in country that was still either “Do you drink Canadian…
Ale No. 2 ~ “La Vache Folle RyePA” (Rye IPA) Microbrasserie Charlevoix.
Second up in my “Ales Bells” series is a beer that takes a twist on the most popular style that has been sweeping this continent: the IPA, or India pale ale. The original IPAs were one of those intentional accidents that grew from innovation by necessity into something that has become anything but an accident. As…
“Rhyme & Reason” (Extra Pale Ale) Collective Arts Brewing
To be great doesn’t make you good; to be good, however, requires greatness. So that’s my paradoxical aphorism for the month of May, inspired by a company that, to look at the box and the bottles within, already has greatness written all over it. And I mean really impressive greatness. This is a six pack…
“Yakima I.P.A.” (American Pale Ale) Le Castor Brewing Company
A beer for the senses …. I know a great beer when I smell one … and I definitely know one to taste it. And, while a little tougher to discern, I often know one to see one. Here’s a beer that teaches you your own beer senses if you care to try them out….
“IPA du Lièvre” (IPA) Microbrasserie du Lièvre
Okay — so this is a tasting that is long, long overdue. I actually bought this beer a year ago. The only reason I put it off this long was because of the 1-litre bottle. And, so, I’ve been waiting for the right moment when I could both review it and settle in for a…
“Rudolphus VI” (Belgian IPA) Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company
Most good things must eventually run their course … and this concludes my “Best of Beau’s” series featuring the four beer in their “mix pack.” This final comer is, again, Beau’s Brewery’s play with a defining but yet less mainstream beer style: the Belgian IPA, something I didn’t know that existed as a “style” before…
“Lake Effect IPA – Tank Ten” (IPA), Great Lake Brewing
Ok, so I’m learning that I’m a sucker for a pretty, I mean well-designed, bottle. Yes, I guess that makes me easily influenced when it comes to beer reviews …. (Shhhh) So here’s a 650mL bottle that has been yearning towards me for a number of weeks, but I had to get through the Renaissance…
“Founders Centennial IPA” (India Pale Ale), Founders Brewing Company
For centuries theologians and philosophers have debated how many angels you fit on the head of a needle … but I’m thinking the debate should be whether archangels are big beer drinkers? Do you or I care? Well, I’m guessing the folks at Founders Brewing Company do … at least based on the Raphael’esque label…
“BIA” (India Pale Ale), Birrificio Del Ducato
Seeking a great west-coast IPA? Go west … I mean, go east. I mean, get on a plane, cross the Atlantic and head for the middle of the Mediterranean. I know … it’s counter intuitive. I know … I’m from Western Canada. I should know which direction is west. So you’ve read in the past…
“Southern Tier IPA” (India Pale Ale) Southern Tier Brewing Company
Yes, I’ve been on a bit of nostalgic bent this summer, I know. From my recipes, to travels, to the the articles I’ve written, everything seems to have a bit of a “re-visited” quality of late. Even many of the beers I’ve been reviewing are not new discoveries but rather undocumented experiences. As with my…