Beer #38 - Krombacher Dark

Krombacher Dark
www.krombacher.com

The Krombacher brewery was founded in 1803, in Kreuztal-Krombach, Germany.  They have one of the most modern breweries in Germany now.  They brew their beers according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, stating only barley, hops, yeast and water may be used to brew beer.  This is their darkest offering and is touted to be a very complex beer.

It has a deep black colour with a cream coloured foamy head, with good retention that clings to the side of the glass.

It has a nice aroma, floral notes of the hops taking over with roasty and malty undertones.

The roasted malt flavours start off big and gradually fade away leaving the bitterness of the hops to linger, with a little of the roasted flavour coming back at the very end to lightly linger on the tongue.

This is a very nice dark beer, more complex in flavour than a lot of the other German imports.  It is full flavoured and complex, but drinks light enough that it can be enjoyed anytime.  It will pair well with Bavarian fare and pub fare.

Beer #37 - Tree Brewing Vertical Winter Ale

Tree Brewing Vertical Winter Ale
www.treebeer.com

Tree Brewery is located in Kelowna, BC.  They've been brewing since 1996 and I had the pleasure of touring the brewery shortly after that, sadly some of my favourite brews are no longer being made, but they've come out with good new ones as well. This is their seasonal winter ale, available starting October. 

It's clear with a light amber colour and an ivory foamy head with pretty good retention, which clings to the side of the glass with the promise of some nice brewers lace.

The hops and malts come through in the smell with a strong caramel undertone with a light vanilla nose just hinted at.

A complex mix of the sweetness of the caramel with a nutty undertone comes right to the forefront, with the malts and hops joining in mid-taste, but still staying in the back seat.  The malt and hops fade away leaving just the sweet-nutty medley lingering until it fades away and is overtaken by the light vanilla that was hinted at in the smell.

It's a nice, though fairly typical, winter ale.  Great for warming up on a winter night, or with food, or my preference would be after a meal.

Beer #36 - Buffalo Bill's Brewery Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Blueberry Oatmeal Stout
www.buffalobillsbrewery.com

First off, I'd like to apologize for this being posted a day late - I had some unfortunate technical difficuties, meaning I botched up the scheduled publishing time/date of this one.  When I saw this brew I just had to try it, I love blueberrries and I love oatmeal stouts, so I had to find out how they would pair up.  Buffalo Bill's opened up in 1983 in Hayward, CA and has a full restaurant/brew pub attached - sounds like the perfect place to go sample some of their brews.  This particular brew is their winter seasonal beer which is a hearty 7.5% ABV.

It has a reddish brown colour with a cream coloured foamy head which clings to the side of the glass.

It smells strongly of both malt and blueberry, with an undertone of chocolate and hops.

It starts malty with the blueberry coming in right away, which changes flavours as the hops and chocolate come into play to finish with a bitter-sweet hops and berry medley of flavours.  The alcohol content is very apparent in the finish as it warms all the way down.

It drinks a lot lighter and smoother than you would expect with an oatmeal stout.

This is a really nice addition to the winter seasonal category, it is a change from a lot of the standard winter ales.  I think this may be my favourite of the fruity winter seasonals I tried this season.  I would recommend it as a perfect dessert beer after a nice hearty winter meal.

Beer #35 - Big Ridge Brewing Old Sullivan Porter

Big Ridge Brewing Old Sullivan Porter
www.markjamesgroup.com/bigridge.html

This is the first brewpub brew I'm reviewing, I've tried all of their brews but decided this one would be a good one to start with.  Big Ridge Brewing, a brewpub in Surrey, BC, has been open since 1999.  They have excellent food, without much variety however.  This brew, is a dark ale "rich and roasty with a smooth malt finish."

It is completely black in colour, no seeing through this glass. It has a thick tan head which clings to the side of the glass.

It smells strongly of chocolate and malt with undertones of hops and licorice.

The taste starts off with malt and licorice with the hops peeking through in the middle.  The finish lightly tastes of licorice with a strong malt component.

This brew is a really nice porter, with a nice complex flavour profile, with a strong finish.  It goes great with pub fare, or, obviously, on it's own.

Beer #34 - Howe Sound Whitecap Wheat Ale

 Howe Sound Brewing Whitecap Wheat Ale
 www.howesound.com

Howe Sound Brewing is but one component of the Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Company, which comprises of the brewery and a boutique hotel complete with brew pub and restaurant.  Howe Sound Inn is located on the Howe Sound in beautiful Squamish, BC, located in between Vancouer and Whistler.  They opened their doors in 1996 and have been garnering attention from the get go and over the last five years have been getting the awards to prove it.  This wheat ale is brewed in the style of a Belgian wheat ale and is brewed with some coriander and orange peel to create that spicy-orange taste.

A nice deep golden, slightly cloudy colour with a fine white head which leaves a nice trail of brewers lace on the glass.

It smells fresh with a light hop scent, a hint of maltiness and a nice orange and spice undertone.

The malt hits the tongue first followed quickly and simultaneously by both the hops and the orange which fades leaving just the bitterness of the hops, a little maltiness and a slight touch of spice coming in to play and all lingering on the tongue but finishing cleanly and crisply.

This is a nice refreshing beer that has enough flavour that it will pair well with most foods, especially salmon right off the barbeque while sitting on a patio overlooking the ocean.  Well, at least that's how you'd be able to enjoy it if you were at the Howe Sound Inn.  This one definitely deserves a try, it is not like the typical wheat beers you'll find most places, it has character and begs to be enjoyed.

Beer #33 - North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
www.northcoastbrewing.com

North Coast Brewing is located in Fort Bragg, California.  It started it's life as a brewpub in 1988.  They have received numerous awards for their beers in general and for this one in particular.
This is what their website has to say about this brew: "Produced in the tradition of 18th Century English brewers who supplied the court of Russia's Catherine the Great, Old Rasputin seems to develop a cult following wherever it goes. It's a rich, intense brew with big complex flavors and a warming finish."

It has a deep dark black colour, with a big cappuccino coloured thick head that fades away pretty quickly leaving a trace of brewers lace down the side of the glass..

It smells strongly of both hops and malt with undertones of yeast, citrus and blackcurrant.

All the flavours come right from the start, hops, malt, yeast and fruit, slowly building to a crescendo and then fading away leaving just the hops at the tip of the tongue to finish cleanly, with a nice warming sensattion.  It has a nice creamy mouthfeel while not seeming to be too heavy.

A nice dark complex beer, while it isn't a seasonal winter brew, it has all the characteristics of one, inclduing the warming finish making it so nice to enjoy on a  dreary fall or winter day. I'd have to say this one did live up to the expectations portrayed on the website.

Beer #32 - Mill Street Brewery Franconian Bock

Mill Street Brewery Franconian Bock
www.millstreetbrewery.com

Mill Street Brewery was the first brewery in Eastern Toronto, Ontario.  They are the "proud producers of Bodacious Batchcrafted Beers"  They have 13 beers on their offering list, many have won awards, including this one which took the Gold at the 2011 Ontario Brewing Awards.  At the Canadian Brewing Awards they've won Canadian Brewery of the Year in 2007, 2008 & 2009.

A nice bronzed copper colour with a cream coloured foamy head with tiny bubbles of carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass to join in.

It smells strongly of yeast and hops with some maltiness a little more subdued and with a hint of citrus.

The malt comes right to the forefront with the yeast and hoppy bitterness slowly overtaking it. The citrus comes in at the end and lightly lingers on the tongue to finish cleanly.

It is very typical of the Bavarian Bocks that it was styled after, in both flavour profile and alcohol content (7%) without losing any drinkability.  It would pair well with any traditional Bavarian fare, think perogies, bratwurst and sourkraut.  Of course, it drinks well on its own as well.