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…
“Screamin’ Beaver” (Double IPA) Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company
It’s an airplane — let’s get that straight from the beginning. I have to say, Sceamin’ Beaver is a great name for a Canadian beer. In the true fashion of company that is proud of it’s roots but humble in its beginnings, Beau’s Brewery has taken de Havilland’s iconic Beaver aircraft and created a striking…
“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…
Cascade Plus (Imperial IPA/Double IPA), Brasseurs Illimités
Ultimately, I’m here to have experiences and share those experiences with you. So when I was presented the opportunity to take home a beer scoring 111 IBUs – that is international bitter units, the scale used to measure bitterness in beer) — there was no way I could refuse. By all accounts, this was going…
“10 Bitter Years” (Imperial IPA), Black Oak Brewing Company
I had a lot of choices in my house as to what would be my last drink at home before heading to the very dry terroir of Saudi Arabia – and, yet, for a few weeks, I’ve instinctively known it was going to be this bottle. This anniversary beer from Black Oak Brewing has celebration…
“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…
“Hoptical Illusions, Almost Pale Ale” (Pale Ale), Flying Monkeys
Barrie ◊ Ontario ◊ Canada ◊ Milky Way ◊ Universe ◊ Infinity With an address like that, you’re sort of expecting something out of this world from this beer from Flying Monkeys Brewery. Near the beginning of this blog, I reviewed one of my favourite IPAs (Smashbomb Atomic) from this brewery that should win the award for most imaginative and…
“Fearless” (IPA), Dead Frog Brewery
Collect Experiences. Not Things. You will read these words at the top of this 650ml bottle which on the front displays an extreme surfer and on the side proclaims “For fearlessly pursuing your passion no matter how many sharks stand in your way … You have earned the coveted SHARK BAIT BADGE.” Not that I…