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A tale of three different IPAs
Cold, Double, and Dark IPAs feature in this week's new beers
Joseph Lavoie
October 14, 2022
Happy Friday!
Have you ever thought about blending two beers together to see what the concoction would taste like? Old Yale Brewing recommends doing this with two of its beers and I'm wondering why I never thought of doing this?
We have a lot packed into today's newsletter with a range of new beer releases that should satisfy lager-heads as much as hop-heads.
We're also hoping for a small favour. We're running a reader survey and would love your feedback. It'll only take you two minutes and it will help us develop better content in the future.
– Joseph Lavoie
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FEATURED NEW BEER RELEASES
Heron After Cold IPA
Look at this beautiful lager ale that was fermented warm with lager yeast and mashed with a large portion of rice to keep it super light. Heron After Cold IPA "takes off with flavours and aromas of berry, citrus and tropical fruit from a healthy dose of Amarillo, Talus and Mosaic in the dry hop. Finishes dry and crisp with a complex hop profile."
Available: On tap and in 4-packs at the brewery and for home delivery
Location: 1123 Venables St, Vancouver, BC | Map
A Big Creamy Citra IPA
Backcountry and Field House Brewing have collaborated on this big beer. Big Double Citrus Creamy IPA is a double IPA weighing in at 8% ABV. The grain bill looks interesting, with a whopping 50% of it composed of oats. That should lend the beer a super creamy mouthfeel. Toss in a load of Citra hops and cryo and this beer promises to pack a lot of flavour.
Chocolate Brown IPA
Strange Fellows has released a beer in a style that was all the rage 10 years ago, and one we don't see on tap lists too often anymore: a Dark IPA called Nocturnum. Not sure what a Dark IPA is? Scroll down to Beer School to find out. This one promises to be a robust and balanced dark hoppy ale.
Available: In the taproom and in cans to go
Location: 1345 Clark Dr, Vancouver | Map
ADDITIONAL BEER RELEASES
Farmhouse Brewing has brought back its Lavender Radler, made with fresh BC blueberries.
Driftwood Brewery released a Rye-ish Red Ale on nitro, which always looks nice on a time lapse.
Four Winds collaborated with Calgary's Eight-Eight Brewing on a thiolized, low-ABV IPA. But you'll need to make your way to Alberta to enjoy it.
Parallel 49 has released its sea salted caramel scotch ale.
Backcountry takes us down memory lane with a fuzzy peach sour ale.
Smugglers' Trail is getting into the breakfast beer game with this coffee stout, featuring beans from Smoking Gun Coffee.
Camp Beer Co. is bringing back its fall-inspired Vienna Lager, originally brewed in collaboration with Four Winds Brewing.
Dageraad is releasing a wet-hopped blonde next week.
Beach Fire Brewing continues to experiment in small batches. The latest experiment? Blackberry Crisp and Vanilla Smash Ale.
Bayview Brewing has brought back Jonny's Blueberry Pie Sour.
Cannery Brewing is bringing us a rare Halloweeen-inspired beer without pumpkin.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with a pumpkin spice ale. Copper Brewing has you covered if that's what you're looking for.
Container Brewing has limited cans of its new Belgian Saison (Sunrise) and the same beer aged with Brettanomyces. They're both delicious.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tacofino Brewery Dinner + Giveaway
On October 27, Tacofino is hosting a brewery dinner at their Ocho location. The dinner will feature beers from Parkside Brewery. The dinner is a monthly series that will run on the last Thursday of every month from October through to April. Tacofino chefs Daniel Carranco and Jamie Cholack will work with local breweries on a curated five course menu, with accompanying beer (and cocktail) pairings. Upcoming dinners will feature Strange Fellows, Ravens Brewing, and Stratchona Brewing, among others.
The restaurant is giving away free tickets on Instagram, if you give them some love before October 18th.
When: Thursday October 27, 7pm-10pm
Tickets: $60 per person
Location: Tacofino Ocho | Map
Halloweekend at Studio Brewing
On October 29 and 30, Studio Brewing is celebrating Halloween with a triple beer release. The brewery is bringing back Felix (American Stout) and Small Hours (Dark Lager), as well as a brand new beer, Glean Freak (Dark Saison with cherries).
You can carve pumpkins, enjoy onsite food trucks, and take in the vibes with DJ Dylan on the Saturday. Of course, this being a Halloween event, prizes are on offer for best costumes.
When: Saturday, October 29, and Sunday October 30
Location: 1345 Clark Dr, Vancouver | Map
80s House Party
Deep Cove is giving us an excuse to show up to North Shore Craft Beer Week with big shoulder blazers or spandex -- your choice. This throwback party will feature a beer release, lunch kits with fruit roll-ups and pizza pockets, a Rubik's cube competition and lots of DJ spinning.
When: Saturday, November 12, 7pm-10pm
Tickets: $10 per person, which includes a funky 80s headband.
Location: 2270 Dollarton Hwy Unit 170, North Vancouver | Map
HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND
Shaketown Brewing is hosting Altoberfest tomorrow from 1pm until late. The party features 3 festbiers from Shaketown, Luppolo, and Slackwater.
Steel & Oak is one of the many stops on the NW Cultural Crawl, running from 12-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The brewery will be transformed into a gallery space. Another Brewing Company is also participating in the event.
Jeff Bruce is performing live at Ace Brewing tomorrow, 7-9pm.
Abandoned Rail Brew Co is putting on a release party featuring 3 new beers, pumpkin carving, live music, and a bonfire on Sunday, 12-7pm.
Persephone will be featured at the Brewers' Coast Fall Festival on Saturday. Tickets are $35.
Container Brewing has a tap takeover in Victoria, at Smith's Pub.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
What's a Black IPA?
How can India Pale Ale be black? Is it still a pale ale if it's as dark as a chocolate bar?
You've uncovered one of the great controversies of beer style conventions in the brewing world. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but much like we continue to fret about whether a Cold IPA is actually an IPA (some would say it's a hoppy lager), the original debate began when brewers started making dark hoppy beers and calling them IPAs. Regardless, it is now an official beer style, according to the Beer Judge Certification Program.
The first Black IPA is thought to have been brewed in 1990 but it became popular in the mid 2000s in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California. It's popularity reached its peak in the early 2010s and has since faded into obscurity.
Of course, it's called a Black IPA because the grain bill results in a very dark brown to jet black colour. The hop profile is what you would expect from an IPA: generous use of American hop varieties. The result can puzzle your taste buds at first. The contrast between dark roasted malt flavours with floral, citrus, or piney hop flavours seems counter-intuitive, but done well, it can be exceptionally delicious.
Could this style be making a comeback? Some think so. We certainly hope to see more of them in BC's taprooms. In the meantime, we'll go get our hands on this week's new release from Strange Fellows.
We're curious, do you love this style? Do you have a favourite BC-made Black IPA? Hit us up with a reply.
GAME TIME
Wordle
Last week's Worldle clue: "Altbier's golden alter-ego".
The answer? Kolsch. Congrats to Sam Ellis and Mathew Stewart for guessing correctly.
This week, do you know what it takes to make a silky-smooth beer?
BEER LOOP PICKS
Have you ever been curious to try homebrewing but haven't been prepared to commit to buying the gear or spending all that time? There's a video game for that and Courtney Iseman gave it a try. [Hugging the Bar]
Since we're exploring darker styles, here's a primer on Oatmeal Stout. [Hop Culture]
You may have noticed that tall cans dominate the craft beer market. I always thought it was because the profit margins are better compared to smaller cans. Apparently, I'm wrong. [CBC News]