Trents Back On Tour

[Trent]

Gday fella's
Glad that yer liking my stories, I am likin ghaving fun stuff happen! I am currently 3 sheets to the wind in a marina (on a boat) on Vancouver island - amazing how we can still get internest here! Sadly, cocko, I am not Trent from Punchy, but I kinda sound like him sometimes!
Anyway, back to my story - after such a disappointing IPA, I had to pull out the big guns - Phillips Amnesiac IIPA - it is an old faithful, and it didnt let me down. Heaps of everything - malts, hops and bitterness, heaps of hop flavour and aroma, and it was incredibly well balanced by the malt. Similar in quality to Murrays Icon I2PA. One of my favourite beers in the world.
After that, I had a tin whistle brewing's Black Widow mild ale. It was nice and dark, and quite an enjoyable beer, but very non descript after the IIPA (who said I know how to taste in the logical order). I dont know that I would go back for more, but it was a good way to finish off my night. 5% mkes it a big mild, but hey, what can ya do?
Petrus Dubbel Bruin was on the menu at lunch the next day. It was kinda different, but quite nice. It had that starnge cola aroma that flemish brown ales tend to have, but it wasnt sour, it was actually quite sweet and full bodied. Nice, but I wont go out of my way to have another one in a hurry.
Mort Subire Kriek - Another belgian beer, this time a cherry lambic. I have only had lambic fruit beers that are either hideously sweet, or delightfully sour - but this one sat righ tin the middle. It had that nice tartness that comes with a higher acidity, but that was balanced by the sweetness of added sugar after pastuerisation. I was a little bummed that it wasnt more sour, but it was really well balanced, and the cherry didnt taste horrible like I usually find. I would like to try the framboise and gueze in the mort subire range, but was fairly happy with the kriek (despte the fact it looked like a rose wine!)
Gotta head to be, the eyes aren't seeing too good, but when I get on next, I will fill ya in on the most expensive beer I have ever drunk - DueS (the champagne beer), along with tin whistle's Killer Bee dark Honey Ale.
All the best
Trent

 

[Trent]

So, on my last night in vernon, me and Lara went over to a friends house, and I took along my bottle of DueS, the flemish champagne style beer. In oz, I have seen it around $50 for a bottle, in canada here, it is $25 at Brewery Creek, 14th and Main, Vancouver. No affiliation, of course
It poured quite a bit paler than I was expcting, but tried to creep out of the flute as soon as I started pouring, just like proper champers. The nose is extremely fragrant, I had trouble picking the right spices in there, even though I knew what it was - musta been a brain fart. My mrs swore it was sage, and I swore it was clove and coriander. Eventually, it came to me - the primary aroma was ginger, along with a little clove, maybe some coriander, and I will have to go with the boss, and say that sage was also one of the aromas. It was very complex, and I was really impressed. The flavour was pretty much similar to the aroma, complex spiciness, malty and sweet, yet dry, if that makes sense? There was a winey kind of acidity that I get in champagnes, but that didnt take over the spices or the malt. I am not convinced they add spices, though, as some of them belgian yeasts can put out some crazy phenolics, however if yer ever gonna try and brew it, i would add some moderate omounts of spices to add complexity. There was a really nice prickliness to the carbonation, and that helped dry out the finish. Overall, I was pretty amazed by this beer, but at the price, it isnt something I will be heading out to buy again in a hurry, at least not in Oz! I would say that if your mrs likes beer, then instead of buying a bottle of fancy plonk or champers on your next anniversary or whenever, buy a bottle of this to go with dinner. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!
Disclaimer - if you are disappointed with the beer, don't blame me! :lol:
All the best
Trent

 

[Trent]

I had Tin Whistle's Killer Bee's dark honey ale while sitting on the dock in the sun the other day, and I wasnt overly impressed by it, though it was still a good beer. It pours very dark, like Tooheys old or something, and has a thick off white-tan head. They say they use dark honey in this beer, and that could be giving it the colour (I doubt it). It tastes like a roasty brown porter, with moderate bitternes, no real hop flavour, and despite the fact they banged on about it being a honey beer, i couldnt taste a smidgin of honey, nor could Lara. It was an enjoyable beer, but I felt that the raostiness that was there was a little too much, and dried the beer right out. I drank it all, but!

Tin Whistle's Peaches and Cream ale in the bottle was next, and it wsa delicious, just like the one I had at the Alibi room. Plenty of peach and apricot flavour and aroma, and a nice clean base beer (maybe a cream ale?) to balance it all out while still letting the fruits shine through enough to be noticed but not so much to be overpowering. Very enjoyable.

Cannery Brewing's blackberry Porter - I have written about this beer a few times before, and I have always loved it. This offering in the bottle gave me a very drinkable porter, but with virtually no blackberry flavour. Pity, cause porter and blackberries go together very well. Possibly the bottle was a little old, or had been mistreated during shipping? Either way, it is a beer I usually seek out over here, and I will continue to do so in the future.

Oh yeah, Tim, the organic bitter from st peters wasnt the best beer I have had, but I thought it fit into the guidelines pretty well (and besides that, I thought it was tasty). More hops will never go astray, and in my bitters I put in at least 30g at flameout, usually 60g for a 23L batch, where most recipes tend to call for less than half that - I think!. I just found that the St Peters had a good firm bitterness, and moderate hop presence. I also re-tried the Innis and Gunn, and found it to be quite sweet, fairly malty, and the oak added a hint of oak flavour, and also a touch of vanilla. Not one you could drink too many of, but still nice.
Anyway, gotta go, some visitors just arrived on the boat, which should mean it is beer o'clock. Hopefully I can convince everybody they dont really want to try my 20 month aged Phillips english barleywine
All the best
Trent

 

[Trent]

Wow, has it really been that long? I now cannot even recall if I drank my Phillips barleywine or not!!!
Anyway, I am back to finish my thread so I can throw out these bits of bloody paper! The thread might seem a bit of a wank but was meant as a rough guide of my trip and a way to give other AHB'ers an idea of beers they should look for if they ever find themselves in BC.

Lara drove me a few kay's up the road to a place called the Longwood Brewpub, one of the best breweries in Canada I was told in the Alibi Room, so I was very excited. Apparently their barleywine is the best in the country.
The brewer had already left for the day, and the barmaid only knew a little about beer - namely that Australia has an amazing beer that her husband just LOVED when he was out here on their honeymoon. Something called Canetoad Lager? Anyway, they had a line up of beer engines, and a few taps, so in I started -

2 PENNY ALE - Served on handpump, and it was an ordinary bitter style, I guess from memory. I wrote it had a moderate body, medium malt, medium bitterness, with plenty of fruity esters and hops (smelt like EKG) It was absolutely delicious, and hideously drinkable at 4% alcohol.

ESB - Obviously this one was on a beer engine too, and it really suited it. There was a firm caramel malt present, high bitterness, fruity esters and hops, with a clean, crisp, dry finish. It was an excellent ESB, and 5%.

SCOTCH ALE - Served on handpump, it was, to be honest, a little disappointing. It was a little too clean as far as scotch ales go, there was no real caramel or smoke to speak of, it was easy to drink, nice and dark, but not too much flavour. Nothing bad about it, well brewed, etc..., just lacked character. After the first 2 beers, it was a let down. 6%

IPA - Served on tap. Nice and dry finish, medium english hop aroma, high bitterness, high hop flavour. Not the world's best IPA, but a very respectable version. 6.5%

DUNKELWEIZEN - Looked the part, but there was no banana or clove to be smelt or tasted. It was like a dunkelweizen that had been brewed with 1056 or similar.

CZ PILSNER - Pale, with a thick white head. Low hop aroma, moderate body, firm bitterness and a moderate hop flavour. Very nice beer, but pils just isnt my style.

At the end of my session, I went for the Piece de Resistance (sp?), the barleywine.... The barmaid pulled at an obviously empty handpump When she asked another staff member, they replied that they had run out. Double
Very nice little brewpub to visit, with some very nice beers, even the ones I didnt like were fairly good, if a little bland, but I was very disappointed by the lack of barleywine. I will go back there one day, just not in a hurry.

All the best
Trent

 

[Trent]

After the visit to Longwood, we went and had mexican at Gina's in Nanaimo. Man, that is a GREAT mexican restaurant, and if ever find yourself in Nanaimo, you will be mad to miss this place. And unless you are REALLY into hot stuff, dont ask them to spice it up! I ordered everything "double extra hot" like normal, and they went a little mental with the habanero peppers, so much so that my mouth went completely numb before I was even halfway through (that has only ever happened eating Fahl in London), and, how do I put this delicately? When I needed the bathroom the next day (and a bit), stuff was coming out orange. You have been warned!

Anyway, headed to see friends in Victoria for a few days, we had an amazing meal at re-bar (somewhere else you must not miss if you are over here) and I went to Swans Hotel while the girls went shopping. Perfect.

BUCKERFIELDS BITTER - Pale copper in colour, fruity esters on the nose, a firm bittereness and finishes invitingly dry. It is maybe a little bit thin, but is a nice bitter, served on beer engine.

TESSIER'S WITBIER - Great pale colour, a nice full witbier with heaps of orange and coriander. Very, very tasty. A bit thin at the end of the palate, and otherwise very good.

PANDORA PALE ALE - A not overly hoppy pale ale. Moderate body, firm bitterness, fruity esters - actually quite bland when compared with the others.

APPLETON BROWN ALE - Nice dark brown colour, from memory. Deep maltiness, caramel, moderate chocolate. Moderate bitterness, well balanced between malt and hops. Chewy, but not under attenuated, and served on beer engine. Very good indeed.

BUCKERFIELDS BERRY ALE - Fairly pink in colour, IIRC. Strong raspberry aroma, moderate malt, strong raspberry flavour, with a mild, tart finish. Moderate bitterness, very well balanced, and belies it's 7% alcohol. Not an all night drinker, but certainly one you could savout with (or for) dessert.

RIVERS SCOTCH ALE - 8% alcohol, deep brown in colour. There is deep caramel malt, and dried dark fruit aromas and flavours, it is actually similar to a barleywine. No real smokiness or earthiness, it has a low bittermess, is chewy and sweet, but not at all cloying. It isnt a perfect scotch ale, but it is a great, well brewed beer, and a good replacement for barleywine on the menu.

SWANS EXTRA IPA - I cannot recall the colour, but there was a strong NW hop aroma, a firm bitterness, moderate malt, high hop flavour, and a nice dry finish. Excellent example of the NW style, and somewhere around 7% alcohol.
T.

 

[Trent]

I cannot recall what I drank over the next few days, mainly things like Amnesiac, and Don de Dieu. I was pretty much beered out anyway, and had one final beer with a mate before heading back over to the mainland, and that beer was

St Ambroise Pale Ale - I had seen the St Ambroise beers many times before, but had steered clear of them, cause I figured they would be some kind of mega swill. How wrong I was. It is from Quebec, so now there is no doubting the Frenchie's ability to brew a good beer. I cannot recall much, as I took no notes, but all I can say is it was a hideously drinkable, well balanced pale ale, with plenty of flavour and character. If you get to Canada, give it a bash.

Back in Vancouver, we had a final dinner with the family before getting our 11pm plane home. Luckily, the brother in law had saved to share with me his bottle of

2007 Alaskan Smoked Porter - I have to say straight up that I am not really a fan of smoked beers. The smoke almost always tastes separate to thge malt, almost artificial like, and it always seems to be overpowering - and I have tried my fair share of smoked beers. I have heard that this is a world class beer, so I figured I had to try it, but poured it with some trepidation. It poured a nice thick black colour with a tan head, and it smelled smoky, really smoky. I put my hesitation aside, and took a sip... WOW! Really smoky, but not in an OTT way, and you could taste the porter underneath, but it was almost "at one" with the smoke. This has to be one of the best beers I have ever had - smoked or otherwise. It was so well melded that you couldnt tell where the smoke ended and the beer began. WOW! I couldnt get enough of it, and I can now understand why people go on about Bamberg rauchbier - if it is half as good as this beer is, I would love it also. Really blew my mind, this beer, and if you can ever find it, you just have to try it. Um, did I mention WOW!?

Back at home now (have been for ages, obviously) and planning my next trip already. I just sent a doctor mate over to his annual canada trip with a list of about 100 beers he has to try - his wife said he has gotten about as far as Amnesiac and isnt drinking anything else. Another convert.
All the best
Trent

 

[Trent]

Oops
Man, my room musta been messy, cause I found one last piece of paper with beers on it that I had been trying, some through the last week of my visit, others a little before that. Anyway, figured I may aswell finish my self indulgent wank and put em up

SPINNAKERS IPA - Excellent English IPA, 7.2%, finishes dry and very easy to drink. Firm bitterness, firm hoppiness, yet it is not OTT. Very nice indeed.

DUCHY'S ORIGINAL ORGANIC BITTER - Very tasty, citrusy bitter, 5%. A little thin, to be honest, but still quite nice.

CANNERY BREWING'S NARAMATA NUT BROWN - I always search this one out in BC. Its a full bodied, chocolatey/nutty brown ale. It doesnt seem to fit into any of the style guidelines all that well, but it really is delicious.

KARMELEIT TRIPEL - Surprisingly, I have never tried this beer before, despite my love all all beers belgian. At $3.25 a bottle, I figured I had better give it a bash. Maybe it was the boat ride from Belgium, or poor handling along the way, but while I thought it was a nice beer, it certainly wasnt mind blowing. I am sure it is better in Belgium though!

NOSTRADAMUS BRUNE - Cost me a whopping $3.52! Anyway, it was a thick, chewy belgian dubbel type beer. I found it didnt go so good with dinner (pasta?), but jeez it went amazingly with a square of the Lindt 75% Ecuadorian dark chocolate I had for dessert!

ST AMBROISE PALE ALE - Found the notes on this one - "very fruity (apricot/peach) pale ale. Med/high bitterness, medium hoppiness, very drinkable. Not world changing, just clean and good". Maybe I embellished a little in my previous post!

PHILLIPS WHEAT KING - Banana, clove, breadiness, haziness. Spot on example of a hefeweizen, and hideously drinkable. But I would expect nothing less from Matt Phillips.

PHILLIPS SLIPSTREAM ALE - Wow, finally he has brewed a beer that didn't impress me. This beer was a little too chewy and sweet for my liking. Fairly dark brown, it looked good, but I found it hard to finish the bottle.

PHILLIPS SURLY BLONDE - Lara's brother had this on tap for his wedding. 9% odd, spicy, complex, and very drinkable, a great example of the Belgian Tripel style. Seems a far cry from the bottled example I had 2 years previous, much less sweet, finished dryer, more complex. Maybe the recipe has been changed?

PHILLIPS BLUE BUCK - The other beer on tap for the wedding. Very well balanced APA style beer. Not as hoppy as I recall from the bottled versions I guzzled last year, but still really nice.

OKANAGAN SPRINGS HEFEWEIZEN - Looked the goods, but the aroma (and flavour) was all clove, almost medicinal phenolics - no banana, no breadiness. Wasnt very nice at all, and I couldnt finish the glass.

All done now, you wont have to put up with it again until next year...
All the best
Trent
EDIT - Spelling