beernesday

my notes from yesterday's beer column on CBC radio's on the coast with stephen quinn: Do you love visiting different breweries to fill your growler, or are your growlers all at home gathering dust?  Methinks the growler trend is waning. ICYMI, g rowlers are bottles – generally 1L or 1.89L in size, that you can fill with beer at breweries and take it to go.   The bottles can be glass, ceramic or stainless steel, depending on how much you want to invest in them.   Most breweries sell the bottles, and fill both their own branded growlers and other breweries’ growlers too.   The 1.89L (64oz) ones are the standard size.   Their half-size 1L friends get called many things, including Boston rounds, growlettes, ½ growlers, and in some areas of America, a howler or a squealer – craft beer folks are nothing if not inventive in their names! The folklore behind the name is that pails were once used to transport beer, and after being sloshed around in a covered ...

the pike press: STRIKE UP THE BAND! ...Four bands in fact, played at Pike's big birthday. New Orleans jazz led the way, with members of Tuba Luba kicking off the "Second World's Shortest, Non-motorized, Uphill Parade" from Copperworks Distillery (co-founded by Pike's first brewer, Jason Parker) to Pike's brewery entrance on Post Alley. The first "World's Shortest Non-motorized, Uphill Parade"' took place 25 years earlier. To pay homage to our little brewery, Charles and Rose Ann, who was born in New Orleans, pounded the pavement with some old fashioned alley-dancing as the band played on. 300 intrepid beer lovers paraded along thetwo block route that began across from the Great Wheel on Alaskan Way, withthe toot of a tuba, the honk of a horn, and the beat of a big bass drum, heading East on University, across Western,up the Harbor Steps, left on Post Alley for a block, under the neon "POST ALLEY" sign, and f...

no gmos at ninkasi new beers from bomber brewing: MÄRZEN ATTACKS! NICE BEER, WE'LL TAKE IT! BOMBER MÄRZEN, Amber Lager : Märzen means "March" beer but you may prefer to enjoy this august, medium-bodied German lager all year round. A smooth maltiness and clean, dry finish make this the perfect bier for all occasions - any time of year!   About Bomber Märzen Amber Lager: Aroma: A slight toasted malt aroma, underpinned by the very German presence of Munich malt. Appearance: Orange-red in colour. Clear and bright. Flavour: An early sweet maltiness precedes a soft, dry finish. 'Dark Munich' provides a slight toasted character. Moderate noble hop bitterness. Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with a light to medium body. ABV = 5.5% Original Gravity = 1.055 Bitterness = 20 IBU Colour = 9 SRM Bomber Märzen Amber Lager is available now in kegs, 650ml bottles, & on tap in the Bomber Brewing tasting room. About ...

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: Gigantic Brewing - The End of Reason - $9.95 Portland is known as a Mecca of great craft breweries and this Belgian Strong Ale, albeit closer to a petite quad, definitely reaffirms the fact. Rich Caramel and Malt with a heavy body make for a unique and tasty beer. Parallel 49 - Lord of the Hops - $6.70 The fine proprietors of Parallel 49 have been hitting home runs since day one and Lord of the Hops is batting a thousand. The foundation of this hop party is an amazing nose, backed up by a beautiful combination of citrus and west coast pine. 8 Wired Brewing - Super Conductor - $10.55 New Zealand has been rolling out some stellar craft beer and Super Conductor is certainly no slouch. Bitter, tropical and so much more, this Double IPA wears its tropical fruits with pride. Let's hope the Kiwis can keep their superb brews rolling.   they also have a bin end sale on right now, which includes beer wha...

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: Russell Luck of the Irish - $6.95 A locally brewed beer to celebrate St. Patrick's Day the right way. Rich red in colour courtesy of roasted barley, its palate of toffee and caramel make this malt forward beverage a must for any Irish festivity. Driftwood Twenty Pounder - $8.95 When has Driftwood ever done us wrong? Their Double IPA drops an IBU bomb of Cascadian citrus hop, with citrus and everything nice bouncing around on the nose and palate. Pick it up before it rolls out the door. Tuatara Mix 6 - $23.85 From Pilsner to Porter this special New Zealand six-pack has something for everyone, showcasing Tuatara Brewery, New Zealand and the local craft beer scene.   i had the 20 pounder last night as good as i remember it from last year!

i snuck a very quick trip to biercraft into my busy yesterday because they posted that they had just tapped the very last known keg of phillips' 11th anniversary brew, the pandamonium and... since i had been remiss on trying it when it was still available in bottles i figured i'd better hop on over there when the universe gave me one last chance to try it! look how shiney bright it is! holy crap, is it ever a bitter little hop monster though ay carumba! glad i finally got to try it but i won't be going out of my way for another one if you've got a bottle you aren't going to drink though, i'll happily take it that 11% went right to my head! i found it wasn't well balanced but what the heck, i do like me a bitter little beer and it sure paired nicely with those almost bbq flavoured chips they serve at biercraft! August 13th 2012: A year ago we celebrated 10 years of brewing with a 10% Double IPA, and this year there was only one way to ...

now this is a beer i must try!! August 13th 2012: A year ago we celebrated 10 years of brewing with a 10% Double IPA, and this year there was only one way to follow it up: Turn it up to 11! So we dialed up the malt and hops across the board, and are celebrating 11 years of beers with Pandamonium--a double IPA monster. Brewed to 11%, we loaded hops into the pre-boil, and then added more hops every 11 minutes over a 111 minute boil for a grand total of 11 hop additions (plus a dry hop). Hopquakes like this don't come around very often and we only turn 11 once, so enjoy this brewtiful beast while you can! Pandamonium 11th Hour IPA is available for a limited time at finer craft-focused liquor stores.

and the final instalment of "what i drank on my lost saturday of beer tasting" brings us to stone brewing's 15th anniversary escondidian imperial black ipa and tenaya creek's tandem double ipa stone: "In the 15 years since we entered the craft brewing world, change has come not in a straight line, but as an exponential curve. The craft brewing movement has long been called a "revolution." But today the air is so thick with revolution, it's palpable. No longer is it only an awareness among the faithful; the unconverted are beginning to feel it as well. Denial and ignorance are disappearing in favor of opened eyes, curiosity and the sense that there's something larger out there. For far too long we have been lied to. For far too long we have been oppressed by the notion that dumbed-down-lowest-common-denominator-mediocrity was all that we could, and should, expect. You might think we're talking only about the world of brewing, but we...

city beer is a beer store extraordinaire in san francisco located on folsom between 7th and 8th city beer features a gazillion craft beers from all over the world and several taps to drink from while you shop! just check out the incredible selection of beers on offer: like a kid in a candy shop its rebecca in city beer store! i think i am in love with the stillwater labels must investigate this brewery more thoroughly... and these were the beers they had on tap when i was there (june 23rd...): we tried the lagunitas, the allagash, the drakes and the lambic not each one, just one each! i am trying the lambic in this photo, ordered by alison i ordered the lagunitas double ipa, which she is holding in this photo i guess alex lapped us cuz his black ipa looks empty... (not pictured is stacey, who had the allagash) it was a wonderful atmosphere everyone was smiling and chatting and getting drinks we were drinking while we perused the shelves it w...

Hoppy New Beer! Well, Pike Double IPA is not exactly new. This is our third year of production, but since we only brew it annually, each reintroduction is like a new flower in Spring. Speaking of flowers, hops are flowers and our Double IPA is a bouquet of the finest Yakima Valley hops. It was released this week and is available on draft and in our 22oz. "Dinner-Size" bottle. Traditionally, January is a time to slow down from holiday celebrations and make New Year's resolutions: Pike resolves to make more great beer available this year than ever before. Thanks to all of our loyal fans for making 2010 our best year ever. Please join us at Pike for one of the most fun and educational events of the year, our annual Old Bawdy Vertical Tasting. Compare the most recent vintage, 2010, with four aged versions. Old Bawdy's name pays homage to those lusty ladies of the night at Seattle's La Salle Hotel, our city's most infamous brothel, where Pike Brewery was f...

i had the pleasure of attending a networking charity event at guilt & co. the other night i'd heard good things about guilt & co., but hadn't been there before i don't think i managed to make any contacts but i definitely found another drinking establishment with a great beer list! on tap they have: grolscsh black lager blanche de chambly house of holy lager longboat chocolate porter blue buck pale ale in bottles they have: st. ambrose - apricot ale, oatmeal stout unibroue - chambly noir, ephemere and fin du monde propeller - bitter big rock - traditional and grasshopper phillips - slipstream cream ale, phoenix lager, amnesiac ipa sleeman - honey brown and cream ale natureland - organic amber and organic lager stanley park - 1897 amber anchor - liberty ale north coast - red seal ale rogue - dead guy ale old rasputin russian imperial stout dogfish head - ipa newcastle - brown ale guinness smithwicks - ale innis & gunn - oak aged be...

by gum, its yellow! that was my first thought as i vigourously poured green flash 's imperial ipa into my glass yellow, like its label okay, so maybe its a very light caramel colour definite hoppy nose good head and lovely cascading action incredibly bitter hoppy taste that just won't leave my mouth not that i'm complaining, i am a fan of the bitter hoppiness 9.4% 101 ibus i'm pairing it with my latest pizza concoction, broccoli, basil and goat cheese the bitter cuts right on through the goatiness bitter goat, a lovely pairing! i'm definitely enjoying this beer but i think i might like the west coast ipa better... the bottle says:  "san diego-style ipa, at it has come to be known by many, is super-hoppy, high gravity, yet highly quaffable ale.  our imperial ipa is created in this new tradition with intense hop flavors and aromas from a unique blend of summit and nugget hops.  it's all about the hops!" quaffable yes, session beer?...

and the list grows ever longer (and will continue to do so until i make a concerted effort to start checking beers off the darned list!) brooklyn detonation ale:  "copper-coloured pale ale with british malt character, american hop ebullience, brooklyn attitude and disturbing drinkability.  its mighty tasty.  it probably even gives you fresher breath and whiter teeth, but we can't prove that part." cigar city jai alai ipa:  ""i was shooting for something in between a west coast style and an east coast style" ... hopped with six different varieties, with each hop addition having a different blend.  the result is floral and bitter, but it also lets a slight caramel edge cut through." shmaltz 's r.i.p.a. on rye:  "year round barrel aged versions of our award winning bittersweet lenny's rye double ipa

Craft Beer Locator Beer Fact of the Day: (Courtesy of Steve Parkes) Hop resins, including the bitter acids, polyphenols and essential oils, contain several compounds beneficial to the health of men and women. Some of them survive the brewing process and remain in beer. Hop compounds provide a sedative action, and help relieve stress. They may be effective at reducing hormone related cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer. They are useful in treating complaints related to menopause and menstrual issues. They may also be effective anti-oxidants in the blood reducing the precipitation of lipids. The antimicrobial action extends to effective antibiotic activity against certain pathogenic fungi, streptococcus, staphylococcus, herpes virus and malaria pathogens. In one study meat treated with xanthohumulol failed to produce cancer causing compounds upon cooking. Another showed the same compound to directly prevent and treat cancer tumors. obviously we should drink more ipa!...

i love a double ipa.  no, i really love a double ipa, like a lot. tonight's tipple is Moylan's Moylander double ipa.  a delightfully potent brew out of california. its a live ale, which to me meant that it pulled an iceland volcanic action when i popped the top (i am sheepishly proud to report that i chipped my tooth on the bottle trying to save every drop of this delicious nectar). it stayed hazy in the glass during the entire tasting of almost all 650 mLs, but also remaining to the bitter hoppy end was the head.  ah, live yeast! the bottle says:  "If One is Good, Then Two is Better!  Our Moylander Double IPA is fat and resiny, with aggressive and excessive hops swinging on an enormous malt backbone like naughty monkeys on a vine.  Double malt, double hops - do the math, its academic.  This brew has twice the things you're looking for, and its big enough to share with the one you love.  And isn't that what it's all about?" fat, and phat ...