We regularly post tasting notes from our Friday Staff Tasting, providing you with our take on all the latest craft beer arrivals. Lots of new stuff rolling in again, from BC and beyond. A lot of great seasonals from some popular breweries, like Four Winds’ Necatarous Dry Hopped Sour, showed up in abundance—as well as tasty treats from Persephone, Dageraad, Bridge and Steel + Oak, among others.
Hearthstone Parley Session Ale 4% 6-pks (Vancouver) $16.9
Pours a burnt orange colour. Luscious notes of peach, lemon tea and dried herbs on the nose. Dried fruit, herbs and spice on the palate. Very flavourful for a small beer.
Townsite Charleston Tripel 8.5% 650ml (Powell River, BC) $12.9
Pours a big, rich yellow colour. Orchard fruit notes—green apple, pear, apricots—dominate the nose. Sweet notes of candied pear, apple pie, spice (pepper) are bold and up-front on the palate, with a little hop dryness and bitterness on the finish. This fruit bomb is perfectly balanced. It’s big, boozy and full-bodied.
Moody Sociable Pale Ale 4.8% 650ml (Port Moody, BC) $7.4
Pours a pumpkin orange colour. Sweet notes of candy, melon and a touch of spice on the nose. Dry and light on the palate with soft, subtle notes of spice and fruit.
Persephone Double IPA 9% 650ml (Gibsons, BC) $9.9
Pours a bright yellow colour. Perfumed notes of pine, spice and stone fruits on the nose. Big tropical fruit notes on the palate with hints of spice and just the right amount of sweetness to balance the bitter finish.
Dageraad Sri Lanka Dubbel 7.5% (Vancouver) $8.9
Pours a hazy burnt orange colour. Sweet notes of exotic tropical fruit and spice with a hint of brown sugar on the nose. Sweet and fruity with notes dark dried fruit and spice. Lovely sipper.
Coronado Mermaid’s Red Amber Ale 5.7% 750ml (San Diego, CA) $9.9
Pours a burnt orange colour. Notes of ripe melon and rich malt on the nose. Big nutty/roasty malt notes with a nice roundness and a bitter, spicy hop bite on the finish.
Bridge Lemon Gin Saison 5.5% 650ml (N. Vancouver) $7.9
Pours a hazy orange-yellow colour. Coriander, banana, herbs and root beer notes on the nose. Dry and exotic on the palate with lemony saison notes, spice and grainy malt.
Four Winds Nectarous Dry Hopped Sour 750ml (Delta, BC) $14.9
Pours a cloudy orange colour with a huge white head. The nose is an potpourri of funk, hop spice, tart stone fruits and banana. The palate is equally complex with tart notes of peach, nectarine and apricot, along with spicy notes of grapefruit and mint. Very intriguing and delicious.
Steel + Oak Weizenbock 7.1% 650ml (Vancouver) $8.4
Cloudy orange colour. Major spice notes of clove and licorice on the nose. Sweet and boozy on the palate with clove and licorice notes on the palate, as well.
Knee Deep Citra Extra Pale Ale 7% 650ml (California) $11.9
Pours a bright yellow colour. Big lemon zest and spicy resin notes on the nose. Fruit bomb on the palate with notes of lemon, resin and Fruit Loops.
Longwood Stoutnik 7.5% 650ml (Nanaimo) $7.9
Pours a dark brown colour with a reddish tint. Chocolate, coffee and smoke notes on the nose. Dry and subdued on the palate with notes of dark coffee, smoke, chocolate and dark fruit.