The Beer Wrangler™ » British Columbia

Phillips Garrison Mash-Up Baltic Porter

The Beer Wrangler — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:17:50 +0000

Wrangler Rating: (Recommended)

East and West united; Canada going forward as one, whether you are in the Maritimes or the West coast beer is a universal pleasure and one that has united two great Canadian craft breweries on opposite sides of the country.

What is Baltic Porter? It is a relatively modern name used to describe strong Porters brewed in Russia and the Baltic nations that copied strong porters and stouts brewed in Britain for export to those regions. One difference is that many of those breweries now use lager yeasts rather than the warm/top fermenting ale yeasts that brewers in Britain used. . . . → Read More: Phillips Garrison Mash-Up Baltic Porter

Beers of British Columbia

Beer Learner — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:22:01 +0000

Wrangler Rating: (Recommended)

Whether you’re a fan of BC craft beer, live in BC or just visiting, then this is a book for your collection. It is a dossier of brewpubs and microbreweries and covers fundamental information of a brewery’s offerings and sometimes with a bit of history is thrown in. If you can see past the clunky and inconsistent formatting, (this is a self published book) and get to the ‘meat and potatoes’, then you will really find a lot of great information from this guide. If you’re planning any beer related trip in British Columbia, this guide will likely motivate you to check out what’s . . . → Read More: Beers of British Columbia

Driftwood Twenty Pounder Double IPA

The Beer Wrangler — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:35:35 +0000

Wrangler Rating: (Recommended)

Driftwood Brewery Twenty Pounder Double IPA comes with trademark fabulous graphic artwork on the label. At the very least they have raised the game when it comes to bottle labels! Happily this is not where the game raising ends. They have produced many of British Columbia’s (and canada’s for that matter) best craft brews. A double IPA (thanks for not using ‘Imperial’) has been keenly awaited by the craft beer fans of the West coast. Since the two IPAs that have been on the shelves – regular IPA Fat Tug and super seasonal Sartori Harvest have proved so popular, . . . → Read More: Driftwood Twenty Pounder Double IPA

It’s Hammer Time -Phillips Style

The Beer Wrangler — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 06:25:54 +0000

Phillips Brewing make a highly regarded Imperial Stout every year in limited amounts which usually sells out fairly quickly. This year they released a bourbon whiskey barrel aged version in even smaller numbers. But is all that extra effort and cost worth it? I decided to gather the Wranglerette . . . → Read More: It’s Hammer Time -Phillips Style

The Noble Pig Brewhouse – Kamloops

The Beer Wrangler — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:52:27 +0000

The Noble Pig Brewhouse was mentioned to me by my father-in-law a while back, and I made a point to get there next time we were up at their house for a visit. Kamloops might not seem like an obvious place for a brewpub, so the Wranglerette and I entered with an open mind! We were joined by the youngest member of my beer-loving brood, my 17 month old daughter, and I wondered if they might let her in. We were pleasantly surprised to be shown to a booth that had a great view of the rest of the pub, given . . . → Read More: The Noble Pig Brewhouse – Kamloops

Winter Beer Showdown

The Beer Wrangler — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 05:55:14 +0000

Seasonal beers are filling the shelves right about now, and go well beyond any single type. The basic style is the classic Winter Warmer. This is not usually spiced but brewed to a slightly stronger alcohol volume (6% – 7% is typical for this warming malty style). Specialty Christmas beers take their cues from the old Wassail Ales – spiced, sometimes fortified, mulled beer given to carol singers in Medieval England. Although no longer fortified or served warm, it is usually strong and spiced, rich and filling. There are other winter seasonal ales brewed in the Belgium style. They tend to . . . → Read More: Winter Beer Showdown

Driftwood Fat Tug IPA

The Beer Wrangler — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 03:40:28 +0000

Wrangler Rating: (Excellent)

Driftwood’s Fat Tug IPA is the long awaited addition to the brewery’s regular line up that filled in the gaping hole of a classic Pacific Northwest IPA. A hefty 7% ABV and 80 IBUs sees this beer punching in the heavyweight category for a ‘standard’ IPA. The hit of hops is fresh, fruity and sharp, and will please the hop-heads out there. On the palate the hops retain their power and vibrancy, and cover the alcohol admirably. The malt is there too, but it is in a supporting role, and props up the hop flavours nicely. This is a . . . → Read More: Driftwood Fat Tug IPA

Spinnakers Blue Bridge Double Pale Ale

The Beer Wrangler — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:28:10 +0000

Wrangler Rating: (Recommended)

Spinnakers Blue Bridge used to be labelled a Double IPA, but they have renamed it a Double Pale Ale, perhaps because it is not as much a hop explosion as some Double IPAs. It still has a good dose of hoppiness though, but seems to be carefully balanced with the malt, which makes this beer a refreshing change from the wealth of similar double or imperial IPAs on the market.

Spinnakers is one of those breweries that are hard to find outside of its local neighbourhood (Victoria, British Columbia) but are well worth the effort as the line-up includes some . . . → Read More: Spinnakers Blue Bridge Double Pale Ale

Driftwood Belle Royale

The Beer Wrangler — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:59:08 +0000

Wrangler Rating: (Excellent)

Driftwood Brewery Belle Royale is described as a Strong Belgian Cherry Ale, and seems to be based on a Tripel or strong golden ale recipe, with “900 pounds of cherries” added. They don’t specify how much beer gets the 900 pounds but we get the idea – there’s a lot, and they’re real cherries, not cherry flavour or syrup. It has a lovely pink amber colour, a thinnish head, with a spicy, fruity aroma. The flavour has a hit of sweet spice and sour red cherries that lingers on the palate and develops into a long finish with sweet . . . → Read More: Driftwood Belle Royale

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

The Beer Wrangler — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:03:33 +0000

Just a quick plug for the inaugural Vancouver Craft Beer Week. This should be a great series of events that will do more than wet your whistle! If you’re not a local this will be a great reason to come and visit the city, where British Columbia’s craft breweries will be showing off their wares and brewing prowess.

So if you drink your beer south of the border, come on up to BC and get a warm welcome and some cold beer!

If you are a local (that includes you on the island!) come and support what should be a fun . . . → Read More: Vancouver Craft Beer Week