Big Rig Brewery Big Rig Premium Pilsner Pilsener at 5.2% ABV (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #15, 473 ml, packaged on 30-Jul-2018, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 15-Dec-2018)
Appearance: clear straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, grainy pale malt, grass, hint of honey/corn syrup. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, clean crisp finish. (4/5)
Wait, what? It’s a Pilsener, and it says “Premium” on the can – and it’s good? I mean, yeah, I just spent 3 hours driving with two kids and a dog, but still – this is solid. I would actually drink this again. (15/20)
Canmore Brewing Company Chocolate Maple Porter American Porter at 5.3% ABV (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #14, 473 ml, packaged on 31-Jul-2018, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 14-Dec-2018)
Appearance: clear ruby brown with two fingers of rocky beige head diminishing fairly rapidly to a thin cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: chocolate, roasty malts, smoke, light maple sugar & metallic. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, sticky moderate bitter slightly astringent finish. (3/5)
On the up side, at least it’s more seasonal than the majority of the calendar offerings so far. In my opinion, though, the body is really too thin for the high sweetness and roasted/ashy notes. Despite elevated sweetness that’s presumably attributable to the maple, there’s very little maple in the aroma, which is dominated by roasted malt verging on burnt. There’s also a slight metallic that’s not entirely welcome. It’s OK, but I wouldn’t go looking for it again. (14/20)
Prince Edward Island Brewing Company Rogue’s Roost IPA English IPA at 6% ABV (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #13, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 13-Dec-2018)
Appearance: hazy and particulate-laden pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy growing ivory head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grainy caramel malt, grassy, floral, citrus, brown sugar, light pine, light cheese/butyric. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
Odin Brewing Company Baldr the Brut American IPA at 8.1% ABV | 28 [?] IBU (C$8.42 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 24-Aug-2018, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 12-Dec-2018)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with three fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: mild, citrus, floral/herbal, grainy caramel, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry moderate bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)
Hey, I’m bald(e)r and a bit of a brut(e), so this is my beer! This might be the beefiest Brut I’ve tried so far (well, excluding a couple of European Bières de Champagne, but I don’t think they use enzymes to achieve their higher attenuation) and it definitely shows, with the boozy finish the bottle promises. I’m going to blame the choice of Motueka and Lemondrop hops for the mild aroma here: the one’s an ANZ hop but more like a Super Saaz than anything, and I’ve yet to find an implementation of Lemondrop that actually had big citrus flavour. Pleasant enough, I suppose, but not really next-level. (15/20)
Big Rock Brewery Grasshopper Kristallweizen at 5% ABV | 16 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #12, 473 ml, best before 1-Mar-2019, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 12-Dec-2018)
Appearance: clear straw with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grainy and doughy malt, light banana and clove. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively to moderate carbonation, crisp short finish. (3/5)
I actually swore out loud when I saw today’s offering. Not, you understand, that it’s a bad beer for what it is, but merely that it’s such a very pedestrian beer. (In addition to being older than dirt. Seriously, the most innovative thing about this beer – and they did it years ago – is the big mouth lid. Although, when you’re emphasizing how clear your beer is by calling it a Kristallweizen, enabling people to drink from the can seems a bit counterproductive.) This feels a lot like the straw that broke the camel’s back for me, and I honestly don’t think I’ll bother with the calendar again next year. (10/20)
Belching Beaver Brewery Deftones Swerve City POG IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 55 IBU (C$12.87 at Collective, 650 ml, packaged on 6-Sep-2018, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 12-Dec-2018)
Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, dank pine, citrus, pale malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (4/5)
Yes, I’m up late. Got all jacked up on coffee because I had to bring She Who Must Be Obeyed to the airport for her red-eye, and now I need to come back down to sleep. Life’s all about dosage control, innit? And yes, I listened to Deftones’ Swerve City while drinking this. I’m not sure it particularly enhanced my enjoyment, but it certainly didn’t detract. Similarly, the big fruit juice adjuncts may or may not be strictly necessary, but certainly added a lot of character without making it excessively sweet. There’s also obviously big hop character melded with the fruit, since the dank pine would otherwise suggest adjuncts that aren’t (yet) legal in this jurisdiction… All in all, a very well-implemented A/IPA with heavy West Coast influences. One teeny nitpicky issue, though: the carbonation started off fairly ridiculously enthusiastic, but dropped off dramatically by the end of the bomber – smaller servings might be the best bet here, so find a friend or two to share with, or smaller containers. Or, y’know, drink faster than I do. (17/20)
Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. Begbie Cream Ale Cream Ale at 4.7% ABV | 12 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #11, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 11-Dec-2018)
Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: mild, mixed orchard and stone fruits, honey, bread. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry clean moderately crisp finish. (4/5)
Another style that I generally find to be less than impressive, but this is a decent implementation: malt forward without being excessively sweet, with a clean finish. Quite refreshing after a thirsty day working. Speaking of which, what do you mean I’ve got a whole ‘nuther week to go before Xmas vacation? Son of a… (15/20)
Cameron’s Brewing Company Ambear Red Ale American Amber / Red Ale at 5% ABV | 30 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #10, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 10-Dec-2018)
Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of pillowy ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bready yeast, caramel, floral, nuts, light citrus, hint of buttery diacetyl. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly creamy body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium finish. (3/5)
I guess it’s seasonal. Sort of. Untappd tells me I had this before, four years ago, but it was called “Cameron’s Auburn Ale” at the time. Decent enough example of the style, I guess. And I’m back to 50% of the calendar being repeats for me… (14/20)
Tofino Brewing Co. Cosmic Wave American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV (C$9.36 at Collective, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 4-Dec-2018, reviewed 9-Dec-2018)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel, pine. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)
I sometimes use “old-fashioned” as a bit of a criticism, but in this case, it really isn’t: this is an old-school hop bomb DIPA, whose malt bill, despite being beefy, is just sufficient to provide the necessary support. I don’t think I’ll ever stop appreciating this particular style of A/DIPA, and this is a good example of it. (16/20)
Coal Harbour Brewing Co. 3.11 Helles Lager Helles Lager at 5% ABV | 19 IBU (2018 Craft Beer Advent Calendar #9, 473 ml, packaged on 1-Aug-2018, acquired 30-Nov-2018, reviewed 9-Dec-2018)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale straw with one fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: cereal grains, grass, bruised fruit, slight buttery diacetyl. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, low bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short finish. (3/5)
I have to admit I sighed heavily when I saw today’s offering. I really tried to evaluate it with an open mind, but it’s so hard to get excited about such a very pedestrian style. Overall, it’s certainly a decently well-made example of the style. My biggest complaint was the slight note of buttery diacetyl on the nose, but that faded fairly rapidly, and the finish was decently clean. On the up side, it was quite refreshing. (13/20)
