Finding a Dogfish Head

Yesterday I got down to Washington State for a little family picnic and was able to pick up a couple packs of American Craft Beer. I got the Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat and the Dogfish Head 90 minute Imperial Ipa the Wheat has some clover honey and orange peel in it.The beer poured with a snow white head and a unique orange tint, I was a bit surprised that it was as clear as it was being a wheat beer and I found the body a bit lacking but the flavor was good. All in all a great brew for our little picnic

Now onto the Dogfish Head this beer is 9% ABV it pours with a rich cream colored head that lasted about 4 minutes color is a deep amber with good hop aroma and somewhat spicy nose. Ahh the palate talk about rich the big alcohol gives the brew a nice weight and mouth-feel The taste is such a great balance of malt and hop I wish I could buy this beer here in B.C.

I have to admit there is a lot of fun to be had chasing down the brews that just beg to be tasted and I look forward to that new brew every time I find one.

Kettle Valley Station Pub Brew News

We will have our new taps online at the pub this week and will be featuring the Ember ale from the Firehall Brewery in Oliver as well as Red Roof cider and Earning a spot on line is Crannog's Back Hand of God Stout. The other Big news is my Growlers shipped today and the Growler club is up and running so you can take all of these great Drafts home with you.

Defining Who we Are

As a Canadian and a Resident of the Western-most province in the country we have always struggled with our identity when it comes to what we drink. We are not the Rye Coke Press of Alberta, the Export Ale of Quebec, or even the Moosehead of the Maritimes. But just as our Grape Vines struggle to make that elusive connection with the soil that defines our terroir we are starting to enjoy an awakening of all categories of beverages from local micro distilleries to world class wines and a growing craft brew industry. Our consumers are waking up to the realization that our strength is our diversity. Young and old, male and female the demand for unique, local and premium is on the rise. I find myself having more and more conversations about specific products or styles of all types of beverage there is a hunger for knowledge that is both refreshing and challenging. 

What does this all mean moving forward.

 If you are in the business; challenge your customers bring in some new products, keep up on the trends, take the road less travelled and champion your local manufacturers it will pay off in the long run. 

If you are a consumer; ask for local, try something new every time you go out, tell your visitors about the great things happening here in B.C. and who knows maybe 1 day this will be the province that everybody talks about when they think Beer ,Wine or Spirits.

If you are in Government: it is time to champion change, bring our laws in line with our new social conscience, take down the barriers to the success of our growing beverage industry, and lastly take away punitive taxation and don't just level the playing field but help put the best team on the field.

Here are just a couple of things to try, Join a growler club it is great for the enviroment and the beer is fresh. Seek out some 2011 white wines from the Okanagan it is a good vintage for whites, acids are low and fruit flavors abound. Try the McLoughlin Steele Whiskey it is the first time one has been on the market from the Okanagan.

Cheers.

A Tale of 2 Brews

At the recent Okanagan Fest of Ale I had the pleasure of being an official Judge along with Alan Moen from Northwest Brewing Magazine and tried about 80 different brews in styles ranging from Kolsch to Porter and everything in between. As always there were some standouts and some dissapointments but the winners tend to rise to the top and Central City's ESB was a clear favorite along with Vancouver Island's Herman's Dark Lager 2 distinctly different but well crafted beers. I noticed this morning that the ESB was also best at the world beer competition as well, it is good to see we were not the only ones who liked it. Reading through the results this morning I was struck by the number of breweries from the USA that I had not been aware of it is great to know that every trip south I make there will be new styles and brews to sample.

I spent some time talking to the guys from Sin City Brewing in Vegas 2 weeks ago while sampling there product. I thought we had weird laws in BC but Nevada takes the cake they brew their beer at a Coors plant and have to buy it back from themselves to sell it at their outlets in Vegas. Hasn't stopped them from producing some tasty products, I really liked their Heffeweisen. 

The Success of Session ales

Today we finished up the Pike Kilt Lifter a Scotch Ruby ale

 that was very well received by everyone at the pub. It was one of those beers that fit in the middle of the brewing spectrum Great color some malty notes in the mid palate and a clean finish that adds a level of pour me another drinkability. I think we had it in house for only 1 week, good pour through on 2 kegs.

Now on Tap

Delerium Tremens a Belgian Tripel at 8.5% ABV this is a sneak up and bite you in the posterior kind of ale it goes down smooth with layers and layers of flavor and an almost cherry finish but the alcohol will catch up to you quickly.

The Wikipedia write up on this beer talks about how Delerium Tremens is the state of withdrawal from alcohol poisoning or the DT's  hence the pink elephants on the label I can imagine that 5 or 6 of these could get you to that place.

Even in our little town there is a growing appetite to try something new and these beers certainly deliver on that, they offer the chance to expand your beer knowledge, experience a ritual pour in a proprietary glass and have something to talk about when the conversation turns to what have you tried lately.

A New Twist on an old Tasting

This weekend I was invited to present at a small whiskey tasting in Oliver. Not knowing the group I wanted to create a tasting that was not too technical and not boring rehashing what they had previously tasted or had as a theme. Laying in bed half awake an idea came into my head as often does immediately rendering sleep an impossibility, what makes whiskey particularly scotch differ so greatly between brands even those made in the same geographic area. Take away all the obvious heavily peated, unique finished, super old and what do you have left. Mostly you have whiskies on 2 ends of the flavour spectrum sweeter sherried malts and more austier bourbon barrel only malts, so I chose the Glenlivet Nadurra

 and the Abelour A'Bunadh

 the former aged in first fill bourbon and the other in Olorosso sherry barrels. I poured a small sample of Sherry and a small sample of Jim Beam to let everyone have a reference point and then each of the 2 whiskies in turn and let the group decide which style they preferred. Not so surprisingly it was almost an even split with maybe a couple more people leaning more to the sweeter end of the spectrum. After a break for some food we tasted 4 more whiskies and the group was able to pick out the sherry finished whiskies with relative ease. I will use this format again in the future with any group of fairly new tasters it was a success and everyone left with some clues as to where to choose their next purchase from.