Beer #85 - McAuslan St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat

 McAuslan St-Ambroise Brewing Apricot Wheat Ale
www.mcauslan.com/en

I reviewed Montreal, QC's McAuslan St-Ambroise Oatmeal Sttout a while back, here: Beer #7.  Their brewery started in 1989 and started with a pale ale, which was very well received.  This is one of four seasonal brews they offer, one for each season: in the summer, Raspberry Ale; in the fall, Spiced Pumpkin Ale; in the winter, Strong Ale; and in the spring, Apricot Wheat Ale..

It has a clear golden colour with an orange hue. A white head that dissipates quickly.

The apricot takes over the aroma with hints of malt and floral hoppy notes.

The malt comes in quickly at the start with the apricot comes with some hoppy bitterness with the floral notes mingling with the apricot at the finish.

A very nice and refreshing brew, sadly it is only available in the spring.  The flavours are quite complex and fairly subtle.  This is not a big beer like their Oatmeal Stout, but a perfect beer for the soming patio season.

Beer #84 - Chuckanut Kolsch

Chuckanut Brewing Kolsch

www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com



Bellingham, WA's Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen is a brewpub with a serious pedigree, though only opening in 2008 it's principals have a wealth of experience.  Will Kemper, the brewmaster, has worked for breweries all over the US, generally in the set up and training of the first brewmaster.  He has gone to open a couple of brewpubs in Mexico, one in Istambul and a small craft brewery also in Istambul.  He's even taught brewing at the University of California, Davis Campus.  A whole lot of knowledge is packed into this little brew pub.

A little blurb from their website to show you their direction:
"Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen is passionate about being a sustainable member of our community and taking care of our environment. Since opening our doors in late July 2008 we have gone towards Zero Waste, recycle our spent grains with a local farmer, and with our computerized brewery system, conserve electricity, water, and people power! Chuckanut supports over 100 non profits in our region and continues to be a responsible neighbor to our enviroment and community. Supporting Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen is supporting our sustainable culture and excitement about serving the best Beer & Food we can make."

This Kolsch beer is a style typically brewed in Cologne, Germany and is a very light, yet subtly complex brew.   

It has a clear pale yellow colour with a thin white head which gives a little lacing.

A very light aroma with hints of citrus, floral, bitterness and a touch of malt.

It starts with malt followed by the floral of the hops, then quickly the light bitterness takes over and the citrus comes in at the finish.

It drinks extremely light, the flavours are quite complex yet subtle.  Do not drink this with strong flavoured or rich foods as the beer will likely be overpowered.  It is a very refreshing beer and would pair well with lighter fare such as salads and fish.  Give it a try at your next fish BBQ this summer.

Beer #83 - Skagit River Hemlet PA

Skagit River Brewery Helmet Pale Ale
www.skagitbrew.com

Mount Vernon, WA's Skagit River Brewery is a brewpub that focuses on serving the best brews they can produce, using local hops and grains.  They try to put a North-West twist on classic European classics, which partly is due to using the local hops which have distinct characteristics.  This particular brew doesn't appear on their list of regular brews, so I assume it's a seasonal or special brew.  They have six year-round brews and frequent additions to the seasonal lines.

It has a slightly cloudy deep golden colour with white head that provides nice lacing.

The hops take over the smell mainly thr bitterness and citrus with a hint of floral notes lingering.

Maltiness comes in at the start with bitterness quickly on its heels then floral notes take over and the hint of citrus is there on the finish. 

It's a nice balanced pale ale with a little North-West flavour, the hops used provide a much wider flavour profile of the bitterness, floral and citrus notes causing this brew to explode with flavour in comparison to most other pale ales.  Somehow all without crossing the line into IPA territory.  I strongly recommend trying this if you can find it.

Beer #82 - Anderson Valley Boont ESB

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Boont ESB
www.avbc.com

Boonville, CA's Anderson Valley Brewing has been brewing craft beer since 1987 with a ten barrel brewhouse underneath its brewpub.  The demand for their award winning brews has called for expansion twice, first to a 30 barrel facility and then further expanding with a 85 barrel and 100 barrel brew kettles.  They now have over ten beers in their line and a Bahl Hornin' line of specialty brews.  Boont ESB is not quite a typical ESB, but it has a higher malt profile to go with the heavy hit of hops.

It has a clear copper colour with a bit of a white head.

The aroma is filled with hops, the bitterness is the strongest scent. Undertones of malt and citrus are also present.

The hops also take the forefront of the taste. The malt comes in first and the bitterness comes in and takes over the show with the floral notes coming in and taking over near the finish with the citrus joining in at the end.

A very nice ESB, the citrus notes are a welcome addition that you won't find on many ESBs and the heavy malt start is also a nice change.  If you like ESBs you will like this, if you don't, give it a try anyways, it's still a great beer and different enough from other ESBs that you may like it.  

Beer #81 - Elysian Mens Room Red

Elysian Brewery The Mens Room Original Red Ale
www.elysianbrewing.com

Elysian Brewery and Public House opened in 1996 in Seattle, WA.  Since then they have expanded to three brewpubs in the Seattle area and a new production brewery in the Seattle area.  From 2008 to 2011 they had partnered with Fort Collins, CO's New Belgium Brewery and produced large batches in their facility and some small batch brews in their Trip series were and continue to be brewed at Elysian's brewpubs.  The new brewery in Seattle has brought back all their brewing to the Seattle area, though they still do collaborate with New Belgium.  They frequently have over 20 Elysian beers on tap at their brewpubs, plus other offerings.  This particular brew is brewed for The Mens Room, an afternoon radio show on Seattle radio station KISW, this is what it says on the bottle:

"Hello, we're The Mens Room.  We like to talk on the radio, we also like beer.  So we made this beer just for you.  It's a good beer and we hope you like it.  Plus, by purchasing this bottle you help support the families of our military vets through the Fisher house."

www.kisw.com

It has an almost clear amber colour with a nice white head which creates nice lacing.

The hops come to the forefront in the aroma, particularly the floral and citrus notes, followed by the bitterness and a hint of malt is also there.

It has big hop taste, it starts off with the malt and citrus notes, with bitterness that gradually builds until the finish where it is joined by the floral-hoppy notes which linger at the finish.

A good brew, for a good cause.  Well worth the try, it has a hop profile similar to an IPA, but with a lightness that isn't as typical.  It is a worthy session beer.

Beer #80 - Boundary Bay Inside Pasage Ale

Boundary Bay Brewery Inside Pasage Ale
www.bbaybrewery.com

Bellingham, WA's Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro is a brewpub that also bottles and sells kegs to other restaurants and pubs.  They have been brewing for over ten years and have won numerous awards over the years as well.  Inside Pasage Ale is a play on the India Pale Ale acronym as it is an IPA style.

It has a dark cloudy amber colour with a thick white head.

It smells of all the notes of the hops and a hint of malt.

The floral notes start followed by malt and bitterness at the same time. The citrus comes in at the end to join the bitterness to fade away.

A nicely balanced IPA, the hops are there in all their characteristics and it is a very refreshing brew.  A definite one to put on your list to try.

Beer #79 - Brooklyn Monster Ale

Brooklyn Brewery Barleywine Style Monster Ale
www.brooklynbrewery.com

I reviewed another Brooklyn Brew a while ago, Beer #20  Black Chocolate Stout.  They've been brewing fine brews since 1988, this Monster was born in 2007.

It has a cloudy brown colour with a thick tan coloured head.

The yeastiness is quite strong in the aroma, with a less strong note of roasted maltiness and some notes of floral and bitterness of the hops.

The malt comes in first with the yeastiness rolling into take over the forefront of the taste, with the maltiness still there but more subtle, the bitterness of the hops come in as the maltiness fades away.  The finish is yeastiness and the floral notes of the hops.

A stong brew at 10.1% but perhaps a little less potent than most other barleywines.  It has most of the flavour components of other barleywines however.  Worth a try, however not my favourite barleywine, but I can also see why many would like it.  So give it a shot and see what you think, afterall, it's not my taste that matters but yours!  Cheers!