We regularly post tasting notes from our Friday Staff Tasting, providing you with our take on all the latest craft beer arrivals. We’re back up to speed in the new year, with lots of new product coming in again. We’ve also added some breweries to our selection, including: Amager (Denmark), Dogwood (Vancouver) and Off the Rail (Vancouver). As always, there are plenty of new BC releases, including some big imperial stouts from Moody and R&B.
Here’s what’s new:
Off the Rail Belt Up ESB 5.5% 6pk (Vancouver)
Pours a chestnut colour. Tempting notes of bright citrus, stone fruit and spice on the nose. Rich and malty with earthy and citrusy hop notes and a substantial bitter finish.
Off the Rail Classic Pale Ale 5% 6pk (Vancouver)
Pours a crystal clear burnt orange colour. Pleasant notes of caramel, dried herbs and earthy wood on the nose. Lots going on on the palate with notes of stone fruit, wood and caramel, with a bitter finish.
Dogwood Organic Fest Ale 6.9% 6pk (Vancouver)
Pours an orange-brown colour. Powerful aromas of fruit, spice and booze with a vinous character. Rich and fruity with notes of grapes and nutty malt.
Heretic Gramarye Pale Ale 4.4% 650ml (California)
Pours a burnt orange colour. Subtle notes of floral orange, grainy malt and caramel on the nose. Wonderfully complex on the palate for a small beer with notes of spice, citrus zest, grainy malt and ginger.
New Belgium Hof Ten Dormaal Golden Ale 7% 355ml (Colorado)
Pours a bright lemon yellow colour. Very fruity aromas with notes of orchard fruit, bubblegum and spice. Flavours of Fruit Stripe gum, orchard fruit, and root beer spice on the palate.
Amager Pride Imperial Stout 10% 650ml (Denmark)
Pours a deep dark chocolate colour. Umami aromas of soy sauce, black olives, dark chocolate and booze on the nose. Boozy and complex on the palate with a crazy array of savoury/smoky umami notes and dark cherry with a bitter finish.
Amager Chad, King of Wild Yeasts 5% 750ml (Denmark)
Pours a pale lemon yellow colour. Plenty of brett funk on the nose, with notes of lemony citrus, hay and Rockets candies. Funky notes of barnyard and straw/hay on the palate with hints of bitter citrus and a dry spicy finish. Huge carbonation.
Dunham Tropicale IPA 6.2% 650ml (Quebec)
Pours a hazy golden yellow colour. Huge hop aromas of tropical fruit (passion fruit, citrus) and mint on the nose. Tart and juicy notes of passion fruit, mango and citrus on the palate. Nice acidity.
Ballast Point Piper Down Scottish Ale 5.8% 650ml (San Diego)
Pours a deep chestnut brown colour. ROund malt notes of caramel, dried fruit and vanilla on the nose. Malty and nutty on the palate with notes of brown sugar and butterscotch and a spicy, bitter finish.
Ballast Point Mocha Marlin 6% 650ml (San Diego)
Pours a dark chocolate brown colour. Powerful aromas of black coffee and dark chocolate. Exactly the same on the palate: round, tasty notes of coffee and chocolate. So good.
Doan’s German IPA 6.5% 650ml (Vancouver)
Pours a clear rich golden yellow colour. Notes of grainy malt balanced by fresh aromas of mandarin and orange. Nicely balanced palate with grainy malt notes, a hint of spice and some nice citrusy fruit.
Scuttlebutt Darktopia Imperial Cascadian Dark Ale 8% 650ml (Washington)
Pours a dark black-brown colour. Savoury/umami notes of chocolate and dark roasty malt on the nose. Malt-forward and roasty on the palate with rich notes of chocolate and coffee and a bitter finish.
Sierra Nevada 2016 Bigfoot Barley Wine 9.6% 355ml (California)
Pours a rich burnt copper colour. Robust aromas of caramel, fruity aromatic hops, mint & spice. Boozy dried fruit and caramel on the palate with a bitter wallop on the finish.
Moody 2017 Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout 11% 650ml (Port Moody)
Pours a dark black-brown colour. Big boozy aromas of vanilla and bourbon. The bourbon and barrel notes dominate, with plenty of booze and vanilla flavours that mute the stout notes.
R&B Ursos Arctos Russian Imperial Stout 10.4% 650ml (Vancouver)
Pours a dark black coffee colour. Boozy aromas of brown sugar, dark chocolate and coffee. Boozy on the palate with notes of dark malt and dark fruit and a spicy bitterness on the finish.