beernesday

well, a re-release actually... and they quote me! Dead Frog Brewery Re-Releases the Taste of BC: Big Stump Spruce Golden Ale Aldergrove, BC — Dead Frog Brewery is pleased to announce the re-release of its Big Stump Spruce Golden Ale. Inspired by forays into the old growth forests of British Columbia, this 6.5% golden ale incorporates Sitka spruce tips harvested a mere 10 minutes away from our brewery. Jan Zeschky of The Province mused, "It’d be pretty special if this beer style one day became an appellation and tourists came to the province to try spruce ale like wine purists flock to Burgundy." Considering the first beer made in BC was a spruce ale brewed by Captain Cook in Nootka Sound, we agree. Big Stump's rich sweetness from Cara and Maris Otter malts balances the bitterness of Simcoe and Northern Brewer hops whose pine notes are heightened by the spring growth of tender spruce tips for a truly unique pint. "I wanted to bring out a bit more of t...

three new limited editions from dead frog i have had the big stump spruce golden ale and love it! the other two are chillin' in my fridge as i type this: Dead Frog Brewery is pleased to announce the release of its newest ale, the Big Stump Spruce Golden Ale . Harking back to Captain Cook's 1778 arrival in Nootka Sound, this 6.5% golden ale incorporates the terroir of the Fraser Valley with Sitka spruce tips harvested a mere 10 minutes from our brewery. Our brewer, Nick Fengler, was inspired by forays into the old growth forests of British Columbia. We hope this spruce ale will evoke similar images of our verdant land fed by rains nourishing the windward slopes of the Coast Mountains, trickling through the luxuriant growth and into the mighty Fraser River from which we draw our water. Description A perfectly balanced golden ale brewed to celebrate summer on the West Coast. Fresh-picked spruce tips and Simcoe hops provide a tropical pine aroma and crisp bitterness ...

here are my notes from yesterday's beer column on cbc radio one's on the coast: I sometimes bring in beers for Stephen Quinn and I to taste in the studio. This week I brought in not one, but four beers for tasting - but you won't find these beers at the liquor store or at a local brewery. These beers were brewed at home.  (We only got to the first three on air, but see below for my tasting notes on all four.) Whoa!   Isn't it difficult to brew beer yourself? Shouldn't we just leave it to the professionals? Hardly!  Brewing beer at home is actually quite easy and involves a minimal financial investment. You can purchase the basic brewing equipment in Vancouver at Dan's homebrew shop for $70, and you'll need a 19 litre stock pot (another $24) as well as the basic brewing gear.  A beer making kit of ingredients will cost you between $17 and $35. If you want to follow a recipe and put the ingredients together yourself you're lo...

a new seasonal release from phillips in victoria: July 30th 2012: While history may trumpet Captain James Cook as a brave explorer, master navigator and meticulous cartographer, we believe his greatest achievement lies in guiding his men to be the first Europeans to brew beer in BC! In March of 1778, Cook limped his ships, Discovery and Resolution , into Nootka Sound and, upon landing, went about repairing their masts and brewing a spruce beer from a mixture of molasses and fresh Sitka needles. Our Evergreen Ale is crafted as an homage to Cook and BC brewing history. Just like the explorers of old, we set out on our own little conquest to gather fresh spruce for the brew but what started as a simple harvesting mission quickly turned into a full-blown backwoods adventure when things didn't go exactly as planned...(Check the video on Vimeo or YouTube ) The story does have a happy ending though, in a beer endowed with a citrus-pine taste that might inspire you to become a histor...

the finger crossing worked my softball game got rained out last thursday however... i wasn't specific enough with the universe in my wishing i ended up having to work some overtime which meant i missed out on the basil esb cask at the yaletown afterall doh! i rescued my lousy evening by heading off to the alibi room for some tofino brewing spruce tip ipa cask and dave varga's taylor's crossing is dead ipa, and quality time with my personal viking i tell ya, everyone needs to get themselves a personal viking - they rock!! i found the spruce tip ipa cask a bit thin maybe it aged a little too long?  or too little? i dunno, i just recall the one at hoppapalooza being the nectar of the gods and this one wasn't quite there tofino brewing spruce tip ipa cask dave varga's taylor's crossing is dead, long live taylor's crossing ipa was delightful too bad taylor's crossing is dead and this brew isn't going to be a regular one taylor's...