Monthly Archives: September 2015

justintoxicate 12:17 am on September 29, 2015
Tags: Brouwerij de Koningshoeven, , , ,   

La Trappe Quadrupel – Brouwerij de Koningshoeven (Netherlands)

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La Trappe Quadrupel – Brouwerij de Koningshoeven, 10% ABV, 750ml, (Netherlands)

  • Style: Quadruple
  • Taste: Sweet brown sugar cake brandy boozy malt alcoholic
  • Where I got it : 16th Street Liquor Store (W.Van)
  • How much: $10 (after 10% off) – 750ml, September 2013
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: yes

Visual: Reinforced twisty top, synthetic cork, hefty bottle. Pours light blood red with a small dissipating head, ringed retention, suspended large sediment, slow and fast steady streams.

Nose: carrot cake, caramelized brown sugar, sweet dark malts. (lvl-7)-pungency

Attack: thick-full, incoming dark fruity christmas cake

Mid-palate: (lvl-8)-sweetness, sour-alcohol hit, fizzy-bubbly, (MAIN) carrot cake, brandy, caramelized brown sugar malts

Finish: cola, alcoholic, mild alcoholic heat, sweet brandy finish.

Summary: Lots of caramelized sugar, brown cake flavour mixed with a pretty stealth alcohlic hit.

justintoxicate 2:13 am on September 27, 2015
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Grapefruit Radler – Tree Brewing (Kelowna, BC, Canada)

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Grapefruit Radler – Tree Brewing, 2.5% ABV, 500ml, (Kelowna, BC, Canada) (*local BC craft beer*)

printed on the side:

“Radler (German for cyclist) is popular in Europe as a thirst quenching mixed beverage. Our radler is a refreshing blend of beer and fruit juice. At 2.5% alcohol, you’re likely not to fall off your bike anytime soon…Enjoy!”

Ingredients: 50% beer; malted barley, hops, water and 50% grapefruit juice, Sulphites.

  • Style: (grapefruit juice + beer) Fruit Beer
  • Taste: Tangy-juicy yellow grapefruit citrus mild malt lemon squash bitter peel
  • Where I got it : BC Liquor Stores
  • How much: $12 – 4x500ml., Summer 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: not crazy

Visual: 4pk cans. Pours translucent light yellow without any head, very thin ringed retention, slow steady streams.

Nose: pressed yellow grapefruit juice, tangy citrus, very bright and fruity. (lvl-5)-pungency

Attack: citrus-fruity sweet, fizzy-crisp-tingly, (lvl-5)-sweetness

Mid-palate: tangy bite, medium-sour, peel bitterness,  (MAIN) yellow grapefruit, sweet barley malt;

Finish: bittersweet grapefruit oils & peel, long “lemon squash” off-dry exhale.

Summary: Much more tangy than Stiegl which I had side-by-side; I prefer this. A good juice-beer blend. Refreshing, don’t dilute with ice otherwise you’ll lose the subtle bitter peel flavour. Drink in a chilled glass.

justintoxicate 11:06 pm on September 22, 2015
Tags: , , nelson sauvin hops, , ,   

Savant IPA – Elysian Brewing (Seattle, WA, USA)

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Savant IPA – Elysian Brewing, 6.3% ABV, 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., (Seattle, Washington, USA)

on the front-right label:

“The star of the show in this beer is the citrus and passion fruit aroma and flavor of New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops.”

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  • Style: India Pale Ale
  • Taste: Caramel malt red apple fruity dry stealth bitter hop
  • Where I got it: Bottle Jockey, N. Bby
  • How much: $7.25 – 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., March 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: worth a try

Visual: Pours almost clear toffee brown with a smallish head, a thin murky layer of retention, lots of fast steady streams.

Nose: brown sugar toffee malt, lightly toasted, traces of woody apple juice. (lvl-4)-pungency

Attack: crisp-slick-tingly

Mid-palate: bright, (lvl-4)-sweetnesss, (MAIN) red apple, caramel maltd

Finish: alcohol detection, dry stealth mild bitter lingering hopped finish.

Summary: A rather fruity IPA as opposed to herbacious or piney; didn’t have a whole lot of passion fruit as advertised, but some citrus. Drinkable, but the finish is a bit flat.

justintoxicate 11:55 pm on September 21, 2015
Tags: , , , gruit, , , ,   

Lips of Faith Gruit – New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO, USA)

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Lips of Faith Gruit – New Belgium Brewing, 6.6% ABV, 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA)

printed on the front-right:

“Experimentation doesn’t mean new. With our Gruit, it’s all about revisiting the ancient craft of bittering with herb mixtures. In here horehound, bog myrtle, yarrow, wormwood and elderflowers get together with rich malts to create a bitter, dry, velvet-like sweetness worth revering.”

  • Style: (spiced ale) Traditional Ale
  • Taste: Fruity banana wheat malt off-dry red apple dry mild bitter.
  • Where I got it: Bottle Jockey, N. Bby
  • How much: $14 (after 5% off) – 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., July 2014
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: worth a try

Visual: Pours clear golden yellow with a med-large super foamy lasting head, very stick lacing, clusters of steady streams.

Nose: peach-apricot-apple fruity. (lvl-5)-pungency

Attack: crisp-fruity, foamy feel

Mid-palate: off-dry (lvl-2)-sweetness, light tangy, (MAIN) red apple, banana wheat malt, subtle bitterness

Finish: light spicy, mild lemony dry finish.

Summary: Very fruity, low bitterness, easy-drinking. Can’t really distinguish advertised bittering agents, mostly wheat malt comes through.

justintoxicate 4:23 am on September 21, 2015
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Rampant Imperial IPA – New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO, USA)

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Rampant Imperial IPA – New Belgium Brewing, 8.5% ABV, 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA)

on the front-right label:

“That craving for hops starts to take over in this RAMPANT Imperial IPA proliferating with heavy peach tones, herbal sweetness and aromatic complexity.”

  • Style: Imperial India Pale Ale
  • Taste: Grassy tangy fruity peach toffee malt hopped bitter alcoholic
  • Where I got it: BC Liquor Stores
  • How much: $6.50 – 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., July 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: still better out there

Visual: Pours clear golden orange with a decent foamy head, thin hazy-murky layer of retention, lots of active streams.

Nose: vibrant green hop cones. (lvl-4)-pungency

Attack: thick-slick, micro-fizzy, grassy subdued hop entry

Mid-palate: tangy, (MAIN) zingy herbacious hops, peach tones, toffee barley malt, -> sustained (lvl-5)-sweetness, alcohol bitterness

Finish: soft lingering-compounding bitter hops, fruity malt exhale.

Summary: ABV is rather stealth in this one, clean entry and exit for an IIPA. Very grassy-floral forward, dissipating peachy malt mids. Decent but could use more fullness/roundness, especially at the finish.

justintoxicate 12:18 am on September 21, 2015
Tags: , , , India style pale lager, ,   

2015 Beer Camp Hoppy Lager – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA, USA)

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2015 Beer Camp Hoppy Lager – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. , 7.0% ABV, 55 IBU, 12 fl.oz., (Chico, CA, USA)

printed on front label on the neck:

“This hop-heavy beer combines intense citrus and floral hop flavors with the clean, classic malt body of a hearty blonde lager for a crisp but aggressive take on the India Style Pale Lager.”

on the back label:

“Last summer we teamed up with San Diego’s Ballast Point for a hop-head twist on a crisp lager. We remixed this encore which is loaded with whole cone hops in the brew kettle and in our Hop Torpedo to deliver a bold aroma backed by smooth malt flavor.”

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  • Style: India Style Pale Lager
  • Taste: Toasted toffee-caramel malt citrus hoppy sweet
  • Where I got it: BC Liquor Stores
  • How much: $15.50 – 6×12 fl.oz., April 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: yes
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: absolutely delicious

Visual: Pours translucent golden orange with a slight red hue, smallish head, a thin fine layer of hazy micro retention, fine sticky lacing, loose slow streams here and there.

Nose: honey-toffee-caramel malts, citrus hops. (lvl-5)-pungency

Attack: slick-fine fizzy,

Mid-palate: (lvl-4)-sweetness, (MAIN) medium thick toffee barley malts, orange citrus,

Finish: citrus, resiny hopped soft bitter hopped, light toasted malt sweet finish.

Summary: Pretty good barley malty body with controlled yet bold citrus hop flair. I still prefer the super citrus Hop Hunter IPA I had yesterday.

justintoxicate 3:19 am on September 20, 2015
Tags: , , , hop oil, , ,   

Hop Hunter IPA – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA, USA)

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Hop Hunter IPA – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. , 6.2% ABV, 60 IBU, 12 fl.oz., (Chico, CA, USA)

printed on front label on the neck:

“Steam distilled hop oil, gathered right in the hop fields, gives a mighty boost to the floral and citrus notes of traditional whole-cone hops for intense, unmatched hop aromatics.”

on the back label:

“Hop Hunter IPA is the first beer to feature oil from wet hops steam distilled directly in the field, minutes after harvest. We use this pure, powerful hop essence in concert with whole-cone hops in our brew kettle and in our Hop Torpedo to create the ultimate IPA experience.”

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  • Style: India Pale Ale
  • Taste: Fruity tangerine oil citrus fruity malt gentle bitter hopped clean
  • Where I got it: Bottle Jockey, N. Bby
  • How much: $16 (after 10% off) – 6×12 fl.oz., September 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: yes
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: absolutely delicious

Visual: Pours clear golden orange without much head, thin ringed retention, suspended micro sediment, a few slow singular streams here and there.

Nose: bursting tangerine, passion fruit. Unbelievably fragrant. (lvl-10)-pungency

Attack: crisp-fizzy, incoming bright bitterness

Mid-palate: bright (lvl-4)-sweetness, (MAIN) huge tangerine, toffee malts

Finish: gentle hoppy bitterness, citrus hop oil exhale.

Summary: Extremely tangerine citrusy but well-balanced in sweet maltiness and bitterness. Supremely drinkable and much more engageable than most other IPAs.

justintoxicate 11:40 pm on September 18, 2015
Tags: , , , , , , tequila barrel aged ale   

Barrel Aged Cerveza Reposado – Spinnakers Brewpub (Victoria, BC, Canada)

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Barrel Aged Cerveza Reposado – Spinnakers Brewpub, 5.0% ABV, 650ml., (Victoria, BC, Canada) (Victoria, BC, Canada) (*local BC craft beer)

on the front-ride side label:

“Cerveza Reposada. Barrel Aged in freshly emptied Mexican tequila barrels, this is a light effervescent cerveza style ale, lightly hopped with Amarillo, Cascade and Sorachi Ace hops for that Mexican citrusy note, augmented with grated citrus zest and Vancouver Island Sea Salt. Party, Party!!!”

Ingredients: aquifer water, malted barley, malted wheat, hops, citrus zest, sea salt, yeast.

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  • Style: (Tequila barrel aged) Lager
  • Taste: Corona with lime already added plus agave
  • Where I got it : Bottle Jockey, N.Bby
  • How much: $6.30 (after 10% off) – 650ml., September 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: better than Corona if you like Lagers, otherwise pass

Visual: Pours pale straw golden yellow, lots of sediment in the bottom. Can’t comment about the head since mine was nearly flat likely due to a bad seal, some of the beer leaked out as I tilted the bottle. Good thing I have a CO2 tank at home; 50psi later and ready to go.

Nose: fruity lemon and lime zest, mellow agave in the background. (lvl-6)-pungency

Attack: crisp-frothy

Mid-palate: (MAIN) lemon-lime, big initial agave flavour, -> sour-tangy, dry wheat malt,

Finish: hint spicy pepper, subtle light hopped bitterness, dry half-rough finish.

Summary: Tastes like an upgraded Corona with a tequila twist. Good citrus and agave notes but very light malt body. Drinks somewhat rough as it warms.

justintoxicate 2:20 am on September 17, 2015
Tags: , , , Escondido, , ,   

Arrogant Bastard Ale – Stone Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA, USA)

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Arrogant Bastard Ale – Stone Brewing Co., 7.2% ABV, 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., (San Diego, California, USA)

  • Style: American Strong Ale
  • Taste: Full bitter pine grassy hopped creamy smooth toffee malt again bitter finish
  • Where I got it : BC Liquor Stores
  • How much: $9.50 – 1 pt. 6 fl.oz., April 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: yes, enjoy the bitter-smoothess

Visual: Pours deep translucent reddish-brown with a gorgeous super frothy lasting head, very sticky thick lacing, 2mm retention, barely any activity – a bubble here and there.

Nose: light toasted caramel malts, a touch of booze, citrusy hop cones. (lvl-3)-pungency

Attack: immediate biting bitter hops, silky-micro bubbly feel

Mid-palate: metallic, (lvl-4)-sweetness, (MAIN) toffee malts, brown sugar, pine hops

Finish: bold hoppy bitter dryness, grass, bitter finish.

Summary: Full-bodied, great texture, bold bitter hops, sweet malty mids = overall great balance and complexity to keeps you sipping and flavour searching. Could be a little less aggressively bitter at the finish.

justintoxicate 12:23 am on September 16, 2015
Tags: , , , , , , maple bacon ale,   

Red Racer Maple Bacon Ale – Central City Brewing (Surrey, BC, Canada)

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Red Racer Maple Bacon Ale – Central City Brewing, 5% ABV, 650ml., (Surrey, BC, Canada) (*local craft beer*)

  • Style: (maple bacon) Flavoured Amber Ale
  • Taste: Thin sweet toffee malt light smoky
  • Where I got it : BC Liquor Stores
  • How much: $5.60 – 650ml., May 2015
  • Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
  • Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: skip it

Visual: Pours pale copper brown without much head, a thin half layer and ring of micro bubbles, lots of varied tight knit and steady streams.

Nose: medium caramel malts, savoury toastedness, a touch of nutty alcohol. (lvl-3)-pungency

Attack: thin-tingly-crisp, underlying light sourness

Mid-palate: bright (lvl-5)-sweetness, watery mouthfeel, (MAIN) caramel malts

Finish: sweet toffee malt, hint of maple, light smoky exhale, mild palate rough finish.

Summary: Very plain, no prominent maple nor bacon flavours as advertised. The body is too thin and the flavours are forgettable.