This blog is going to be about beer with the occasional diversion
into not so related topics. I can't promise the quality of say Barley
Mowat delivers or actually have anything of insight to say. However
this will at least be about interesting beers and interesting things in
Vancouver
Like
Bestie! An awesome Currywurst place that recently opened in
Chinatown. You should go and bring your friends. And your dad because
he'd probably appreciate it too. In fact if you're lucky he might buy
you a meal.
Another rad thing about Bestie is the beer
the will be serving. Brassneck, a soon to open brewery in Vancouver,
will hopefully be supplying them with an awesome german inspired
weisse. I'd go for an adjunct lager (think Pabst) but made with due
attention and care but no one's listening to me. I hope I didn't lose
any beer cred by calling for an adjunct lager. Can I only review IIPAs,
RIS, and Sours to make it up?
See the point of
this blog is to focus on beer and beer related activities. Hopefully on
this point I'll be able to deliver. Rad places like Bestie and the
Alibi Room will always make the list. I plan on making this blog
something to read and find new places to enjoy. Of course beer will be
the focus but if I stumble upon a say a coffee that I love, I'll share
that too.
With this I here's my first beer for the blog.
Perhaps
I should of gone for a beer with more hype, barrel aged, sour, or
otherwise special for my first blog post. However I do think this is a
good example of how I intend to review beers.
I do
not intend on using Beer Advocate or Rate Beer formula. Instead I would
answer a simple question. Is this beer good and should you (my
nonexistent followers) buy it? A simple question would normally beget a
simple answer but I think explaining why is important. So for the
Belgium Black by Lighthouse I'll show you why I think it is good, and
you should buy it.
This beer is different than many
local beers. Perhaps it was the rain and grey here in Vancouver that
made me pick it up. The Belgium Black is an interesting beer to drink
because it defies standards. Is it is a stout brewed using belgium
yeast? Or rather a Strong Belgium Dark that included roasted malts in
the brewing process? Regardless here's Lighthouse's description of the
beer.
I'll
be honest with Lighthouse here. I always have thought their beer was
substandard compared to other breweries in B.C. Phillips was that much
more hoppy, Driftwood that much better but that has since changed. I
won't cover the change in brew masters but for almost two years they've
been pumping out awesome beers. Notably the Switchback and Barnacle
Wheat IPA.
The Belgium Black was brewed back in
January and be sitting for a while. I first had this beer when it first
came out in 2012. That version was good but not great. This years,
2013, has brought a predominate yeast character that shapes the whole
beer. I had this years when it was fresh but after sitting on it for 6
months, I can say this is a great beer.
The flavour is primarily focus on malts and yeast with hops having little presence in this beer.
The yeast lends an almost sea-like taste to the charred malts that come
across the palate. Following that is flavours of dark fruits like plums
and cherry. The standout of this beer to me was the finish. I tend to
favour beers with a dry finish and this beer delivered. Even though at
first the taste was sweet, it dried out completely and left an almost salty aftertaste with a bit of molasses and smoke. Overall this is a great beer that is brewed with restraint.
I
think this beer is great but why should you buy it? Assuming you can,
find it that is. You should buy it because it challenges what exactly a
dark beer can be. Is it primarily a belgium inspired beer, an Imperial
Stout, or something else? I think it is something else that does not
have a specific category. Hopefully you'll be able to try it and decide for yourself.
That
concludes my opening post. I'll be updating with any interest beer I
come across and maybe just maybe I'll have a small amount of
followers.
Thanks for reading.
Special thanks to Jocelyn and Emma for getting me to start this blog.
Emma, where's my cookie?