At first I wasn’t initially behind the concept of IPA Day. It seemed too gimmicky to me. Why do we need this? Do we need it? I thought we didn’t. In ways I still do, but as I’m sitting here sipping on my third IPA of the day, the wonderful Cannery IPA, I can’t help but support it. Yet, supporting it what I’ve done all day.
In my blogging absence I got a part-time/casual job with Draughtwise. A local company making sure Victoria has the best and cleanest draft lines, something the city needs. Well, I had put a couple of hours in with them this morning. I didn’t want to go back to my main job of demolition, so I stopped in at my favourite watering hole in Victoria, Moon Under Water, for a pint of IPA. They have such a lovely little IPA.
You might be thinking, “is Dave drinking before/during work?” Yes, yes I am. It’s okay, I’m my family is British. It’s highly acceptable behaviour over there. K.
After work I drove down to Spinnakers. Their daily cask was an Taboo Absinthe infused IPA. Yeah, you read that correctly. The brewer explained it to me thusly, a customer was drinking IPA and was decided to have some absinthe. She liked the combo. Next thing you know it’s International IPA Day and Spinnakers have a pin sized cask of their IPA with 4 oz of absinthe in it.
I found it almost too much absinthe, despite how little there was. Absinthe is powerful shit. If you paid attention the beer as you drank it the absinthe overpowered it. If you didn’t then you’d get drunk off a 7.1% IPA laced with Absinthe.
Just finished my very delicious Cannery IPA and wishing I bought a six-pack and not just a single bomber, and I still think I don’t support the idea of IPA Day, but that’s not going to stop me from enjoying it to the fullest.
What Dan!? What do you mean I have to blend a La Fin du Monde with Southern Tier’s Un*Earthly? That’s madness! I’ll won’t make to watch the Jersey Shore première later tonight…
I really want to keep Beer in BC alive. I do. Honestly. This is the time for excuses.
1) VCBW.
2) VCBW destroyed my immune system and I had a wicked cold for two weeks.
3) ??
4) Working 12-16 hour days.
5) Pure, unadulterated laziness.
I got a lot of posts in the pipeline. Expect some changes and, hopefully, some interesting posts. Right now I have to go to the Harry Potter midnight showing. Beer isn’t the only thing I nerd-out about. It is the main thing I do nerd out about though.
Accio Beer in BC posts!
Okay, this beer isn’t Mexican. It’s actually French. But, it’s flavoured ‘like’ tequila. And tequila is very much Mexican. Yeah, this is a kind of a stretch, but I’m not about to go buy some Corona or Dos Equis for this. This was already sitting in my fridge.
It comes in a clear bottle, but I’m pretty sure there are no hops in it. As it doesn’t smell or tasted skunked, but there are so many oils and extracts in this beer it would hide it anyways. The aroma is incredibly herbal, but not fresh herbs, more of the oil of “whatever” herb smell. It is also a bit flowery, and some there is some else there. I presume it’s the tequila. Presume… The taste is less herbal. It’s really hard to pick out any favourite as it is incredibly sweet. It’s kind of fruity in general. There is a quick burst of tequila flavour on the finish.
Basically this beer would only enjoyed by people who love their coolers/alco-pop and tequila shots. It’s much more an alco-pop in flavour than it is a beer.
I love the ingredient list: “Beer, Sugar, Flavours (Tequila, essential oils, extract of herbs and spices), Citric Acid. Includes Malted Barley.”
Rating: Bad
Style: Malt based Alco-pop
ABV: 5.9%
Serving Temp: 0ºC
Website: http://www.desperadosbeer.co.uk/
BCL: n/a
I’m incredibly excited for this year’s Vancouver Craft Beer Week. I had a lot of fun last year. I don’t feel like writing a proper intro. The Canucks game is about to start. So here are the events I’m attending.
May 6th:
Get noon ferry over to the Mainland. Should give me enough time to get downtown, check in to my hostel and grab a bite to eat before the VCBW Opening Night Extravaganza at the Granville Island Taproom.
May 7th:
I’m taking a day off from events and heading to Steveston. They’re has been some great craft beer supporters pop over there in the last year or two. Plus I’ve never been and I hear it’s quite pretty.
Blue Canoe for Lunch – Oysters with Murphy’s Stout
Gudrun for cheese in afternoon
Hogshack for dinner – gonna tackle the Flatliner Burger.
May 8th:
Hoppapalooza II, enough said.
May 9th:
Biercraft Belgian Showcase. 50 Belgian beers and unlimited frites. How do you say no to that offer? That was rhetorical, because you can’t.
May 10th:
Upright x Driftwood Brewmaster’s Dinner. Two of my favourite breweries teaming up to do a dinner.
May 11th:
I was planning on going to see the Whitecaps game that night, but Ticketmaster felt the need to want to charge me $12 of fees for a $25 ticket. Yeah, fuck you Ticketmaster. Not sure what to do this night. I’ll play it by ear.
May 12th:
Alibi Room Presents, Brothers in Hop Featuring: Red Racer Beer x Ninkasi Brewing x Hopworks Urban Brewing. 9 incredibly hoppy beers and 7 hours to drink to drink them all. I think I can handle that challenge.
May 13th:
Lucky 13 Hip Hops Launch Party! Going with my Dad to this one.
May 14th:
Might go to the BC Beer Festival. My Dad is going. I have to make it home that night as I’m brewing a beer with VIB the day after.
Alrighty! We have two new beers coming from Lighthouse and one seasonal returning.
First up is the next in the Big Flavour series, an Imperial Pilsner named “Overboard”.
Lighthouse Brewing Company is proud to announce the release of our newest beer. Overboard Imperial Pilsner is the fourth 650mL offering in our “Big Flavour” series and is only available for a limited time. This great new beer will be available in private retail stores on April 29, 2011.
Overboard Imperial Pilsner has an intense flavour profile and a strong 8.5% alc/vol. A long cool fermentation with a pure pilsner yeast strain creates a very unique spicy flavour and a soft malty body. Considered to be one of the best hops in the world, and straight off the vines from the 2010 German harvest, Hallertau Mittlefruh is the only hop used in this beer. This pilsner is crystal clear with a rich golden colour and is best enjoyed well chilled and served in a stemmed tulip glass.
Lighthouse Brewing Company is a Victoria B.C. premium craft brewery dedicated to producing unique, high quality, non pasteurized beers. To learn more about Lighthouse Brewing please visit us on the web at www.lighthousebrewing.com. Label artwork for Overboard was provided by current Victoria B.C. resident and artist EFOX.
Next up is Cream Ale that you’ll only find in the upcoming Mixed Pack. There were early samples of it at a recent CAMRA Victoria event. It was well received.
Brewed as a modern take on traditional pre-prohibition cream ales, Lighthouse Cream Ale glows a burnished orange and drinks with a silky smooth mouth feel. Vienna and Cara malts add richness and depth of flavour, and new season whole-leaf New Zealand hops lend enticing floral and tropical fruit aromas. Fresh and fragrant, clean and compelling, Lighthouse Cream Ale is the perfect farewell to a setting west coast sun.
Two new beers isn’t enough for Lighthouse, they’re also bringing back their Scottish Ale, Highland Challenge Scottish Ale. It should be in store this week. It is brewed in commemoration for the 148th Victoria Highland Games and Celtic Festival in Victoria at Topaz Park on May 21 and 22, 2011.
I’ve never publicized my other blog on here. I actually care more and take the other blog more seriously than this one. To my few readers I have been cheating on you. British Columbia’s beer scene is too big and too diverse for one man to try to focus on. So Dan (of smallbeer), Ian (of Left4Beer) and I (of Beer in BC) created Beer on the Rock – The Vancouver Island Beer Blog. A blog and resource for Vancouver Island’s beer drinkers. I’m quite surprised about its success. I go to just about every beer event here in Victoria and it seems like everyone I talk to has heard of it.
Here’s the rub, I don’t think enough people have heard of it. I’m off to CAMRA Vancouver’s Spring Sessional Fest-of-Ale tomorrow. We’ve talked about getting BOTR t-shirts made up, but never really looked in to it. I thought to myself “I should wear a BOTR t-shirt to the Spring Sessional.” There was no way I could get one printed in time, so I manned up and made myself one.
Here are the results:
The Materials
Put some paper in the shirt to stop any bleed-through. Can't have this looking amateurish, now can I?
Finished product. I just wished I didn't buy a shirt you can clearly see my nipples through.
Beer in BC 