Just Here For The Beer

BOTW

By in BOTW 0

GIB Two Tides India Session Ale

GIB Two Tides India Pale AleGranville Island Brewing Two Tides India Pale Ale

One of GIB’s more recent additions is the Two Tides India Pale Ale is a excellent beer for those who are new to the IPA category. Typical Pacific Northwest IPAs are hops heavy and tend to turn off newbies from this wonderful style of beer. GIB has done an excellent job with the labels of there beers, the backside of the bottle has info on colour, IBUs, and even a suggested food pairing. When poured, the liquid is a delectable rich golden colour with a nice tight, white head which receded quickly. A gentle hop aroma draws one in to your first taste. Sweet malts are chased with subtle hoppy bitternes.

Rating: 4/5 A nicely balanced IPA that went down way too easy on this hot summer afternoon.

By in BOTW, Just Here For The Beer Radio, Podcast 0

Muskoka Brewing Mad Tom IPA

Mad Tom IPA

Opened in 1996 in the heart of Ontario’s cottage country, Muskoka Brewing has grown to employ over 70 employees. They have a strong belief in purity, freshness, independence and creativity. I was introduced to their brews several years ago while on a trip to Toronto, and given my love of IPAs – Mad Tom was the first one I tried.

Mad Tom comes in a 341ml long neck brown bottle, but what caught my attention was the Adirondack chair with a bottle on the arm rest on the neck.

In the glass, this beer poured a beautiful honey colour with good carbonation and a decent off white head. The nose has hints of citrus as is common in most IPAs. The mouthfeel is has some weight to it with average carbonation on the tongue. The flavor has strong Chinook and Centennial Hops which definitely sticks around in a pleasant fashion.

Rating 4/5 – Overall a great IPA that i could definitely see myself have a few of in a sitting.

By in BOTW 0

Erdinger Dunkel

Erdinger Dunkel

Erdinger Dunkel is a dark wheat based beer that is bottle conditioned. At 5.3% abv this savory beer has a lovely dark coffee coloration with a rich tan head. The nose is malty with coffee and spice undertones. I found the mouthfeel to be thin with a pleasant dark roast malt flavor. The finish was dry with a touch of hop bitterness.

Rating: 3/5 – a flavorful dark wheat ale that would pair well with a herbed rack of lamb and roasted vegetable.

By in BOTW 0

Efes Dark

Efes Dark

Brewed by Anadolu Efes Brewing in Turkey, the Efes Dark is a delicious example of a dark lager. At 6.1% abv this beer tricks the palate into expecting something much different. In the glass, we see a clear, rich dark cola colour with a quickly receding tan head. The nose is distinctly sweet with sumptuous molasses brown sugar aromas. The mouthfeel is light and crisp with definitive dark malts and sweet molasses flavors. The finish is crisp with a slight hop character.

Rating: 4.5/5 – this is one of my favorite styles, crisp clean finish with rich dark beer flavors. Efes Dark would pair nicely with meaty stews and tangy tomato based pasta sauces.

By in BOTW 0

Persephone Brewing Golden Ale

Persephone Brewing Golden Ale

Retailing at BCLDB for $11.95 for a six pack

The Persephone Golden Ale comes in a 355ml can. When poured, the liquid is a clear rich honey colour with average levels of carbonation. The slightly off white head disappeared to the edges of the glass rather quickly. The nose had hints of herbs from the hops and a touch of floral notes. The mouthfeel was fairly light with a savory hoppy bitterness the end note that lingered subtly on the tongue

Rating: 3/5 – an enticing ale that would pair well with some poached white fish with citrus slices.