Leapbeer Review #50 Total Eclipse of the Hop Imperial IPA by Howe Sound Brewery

This is starting to be a bit of a broken record, but I yet again find myself drinking an uberhoppy imperial ipa. One thing to start off with I’d that this one stands in the shadows when compared  to fat tug or gib’s imperial ipa. That said, this is still one very tasty beer.

It pours to a rich amber. It has a fragrant hops, almost fruity in its delivery. Its a very large serving, easy to share with other beer lovers.

I’ve read that these uber hopped IPA’s are good with spicy food so that’s my next test for this bad boy.

In addition, I find the choice of clever name a bit misleading. The hops aren’t eclipsed. But if it was called the ‘king of hops’ it’d be a bit too on the nose. I’d love to see some #musicalbeernames so if you can think of them tweet with that hash tag.

Here’s #50 Total Eclipse of the Hop Imperial IPA by Howe Sound Brewery

Well that ends this chapter, thanks for reading

PS If this was a dr seuss book it’d be ‘Hop on Hops’.

Leapbeer Review #49 Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale by Rogue

So this is an American craft brew by Rogue brewing with direction by iron chef Morimoto. It’s a tasty brown ale, with a mild bitterness. It poured to a frothy tan head, and has a lightness about it. I don’t get all the notes they say on their website but that could be the serving temp.

I’d call it a better than average craft brew, but nothing to set my world on fire.

Here’s #49 Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale by Rogue Brewery

I do intend to revisit this beer at least once to get a second opinion. Perhaps trying it at a different temp as well.

Thanks for reading

Leapbeer Review #48 De Ranke Guldenburg Abbey Beer

This is a strong abbey beer that they suggest you drink out of a tulip glass (see pic). It pours to an opaque amber,and presents some fruity notes on the nose. It has a lot of sweetness on the palate, but it doesn’t linger (thankfully). A strong ABV of 8.5% is balanced by a 330ml serving.

I’m not really in love with this abbey beer, the darker ones I had earlier in the project were better

Here’s #48 De Ranke Guldenberg Abbey Beer

Leapbeer Review #47 La Fin Du Monde by Unibroue

So this is a triple fermented beer from Montreal based Unibroue. It is advertised as “liquid gold”. I don’t necessarily agree with that, it’s far too yeasty & sweet for my liking. It’s not terrible, but I’d much prefer it to be heavier on the bitter aspect (which is almost nonexistent in this ale).

It’s a big bottle ale, that is a 9% high test. But it’s corked and nearly impossible to reseal. I wouldnt turn one down in the future, but I won’t be seeking it out either.

#47 is La Fin Du Monde

Leapbeer Reviews #43 and #44 – Phillips Hammertime

Just kidding, we’re not doing the U Can’t Touch This dance.

I am however reviewing Hammer Barrel Aged Imperial Stout vs Hammer Imperial Stout by Phillips.

For those of you thinking this shouldn’t be that much of a difference, you’re wrong. While the flavour profile’s are similar, they are not the same. Especially in the aftertaste department. The original is a very crisp stout. Somewhat sharp to taste initially, but it finishes clean. It warms the belly as it goes down (as any good stout should). And the barrel aged offering has a sweet hint to it, and the sharpness shaved down somewhat. Its aged in bourbon barrels, and you can taste that. The sweetness and fruitiness is there from that. They are both available in 650ml bottles and are a relative high test stout 8.3%. If I were to pick my favorite of the two of these I’d say the bourbon aged offering. It has more of an aftertaste that lingers with you, and the fruitiness and sweetness are a nice touch. That said this isn’t saying the original isn’t good. Its a very tasty beer in its own right.

Here’ are #43 and #44  Hammer Bourbon Aged Imperial Stout and Hammer Imperial Stout

I retire now to go watch some hockey, but I enjoy making beer history. One sip at a time.

Leapbeer Reviews #42 – A Tale of Two Heavy’s part 2 Old Cellar Dweller

So last time I tried these I felt that they weren’t given a fair shake, so I’m going at them again. 1st up is the Old Cellar Dweller Barleywine style ale by Driftwood. Its definitely not as sweet when drank at room temp, and it actually has more of a ‘wine’ feel to it. At the room temp you get all the floral notes in the brew. The other thing different is the harsh bitterness, it is still there but more stunted. The way you’d think of Wasabi as hot for a brief period of time as opposed to habaneros as hot for a long period of time. Its still not an easy beverage to drink quickly, unlike the previous barley wine I had. This one, when served at the right temperature, is more of a drink to mull over. The flavors are beer, but refined. It is quite tasty. Now that I’m drinking it properly I really like it.

That said, I have a complaint. Dear Driftwood Brewery, I really wish you’d have put a proper serving temp notice on the bottle of this barley wine. Not that I am mad to be drinking it for a second time, but I feel that I wasted the previous bottle. I’ve seen some beer’s labelled with a serving temp suggestion, and this is one that could use that immensely. Admittedly you do have this info on the website, but I didn’t go to check that until after I’d finished the first bottle at a ‘normal’ fridge-chilled temp. Had I not been blogging about beers, I likely wouldn’t have even checked to see your site.

So, to sum up, I highly suggest trying this (if you can find it) BUT serve it at room temp (aprx 13 degrees)

#42 again, Driftwood’s Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine

3rd part of this is being written soon, so stay tuned. It’ll be hammertime again here soon.

Leapbeer Review’s #45 and #46 a Duo of Innis & Gunn Original and Rum Cask

A big thank you to Frank for getting me these beers.

I’m starting off with the Original. Its a light amber beer that tastes very smooth. You definitely notice the hops, but they are accompanied with a toffee vanilla and malt. It is an oak cask aged beer that has a strange bubble to it that I’d call micro carbonation. Its very tasty, but it doesn’t have a super ‘beer’ flavour.

#45 on the leapbeer journey is Innis & Gunn Original

Secondly I’m trying the Rum Cask offering from Innis & Gunn. On their website they say that this is a red beer, but I’d call this a brown ale. I don’t get the ‘spice’ notes, but it does have a lingering flavour that echo’s the rum cask. Apparently my wife really likes this since she keeps reaching over and taking sips of it. That said, I’d call this an easy drinking dark amber beer with rum notes.

#46 Innis & Gunn Rum Cask

So there they are, the duo for the day. As far as which one I prefer, it’d be the original.

Thanks again for reading the leapbeer blog.

PS For those of you who’re saying “What happened to #44?” Its coming up soon, it’s a secret.

Leapbeer Reviews #42 and #43 – A Tale of Two Heavy’s part 1

So a quick visit to the Westerly Beer & Wine in Courtenay yielded a great treasure of beers. Included in that was #42 Driftwood Brewery’s Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine and #43 Phillips Hammer Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. I wanted to wade into the deeper pool of heavyweights with a (super)friend of mine, but again I should’ve done my research first. I plan to reacquire these to do a proper 2nd and better prepared tasting.

My preliminary feelings (and the general concensus) for the Barley Wine was that it was too sweet initially, and then too bitter at the end. Had I have read the website I could have seen that it is a cellar beer that is meant to be served at 13c.  The one thing about the Barley Wine’s that I’ve noticed is how syrupy they are. It almost coats your mouth like a thin cough syrup. As far as the stout went you could taste the sweetness of it being aged in a bourbon barrel.

The flavour of both of these beers is too complex for me to judge without a second tasting. Therefore, that is what I plan to do. As soon as I can.

Til I drink again.

Leapbeer Review #41 – Granville Island Imperial IPA

How do I follow up a limited beer review? With another of course.
Granville Island Brewing has graced us with another delightful beer, albeit for only a short time. This is an uberhoppy ipa that is bitter and delicious. It pours to a beautiful amber colour.

As far as ‘how bitter?’ it is it topples the IBU scale at 100, where most craftbrew ipa’s only hit in the 50s. It’d be well paired with any bold or spicy food.

It’s a treat to drink, I wish it was more readily available as I had to drive to courtenay to get it. This delish beer is absolutely worth it.

Here’s #41 Granville Island Brewery’s Imperial IPA

Get it while its available.

Leapbeer Review #40 Phillips Mass Extinction Ice Barley Wine

So, I’ve been sitting on this one for a while. Its a limited run by Phillips that I was eager to try. And here it is, dancing on my palate and my tongue as I type this. 1st impression was ‘wow’ followed by ‘holy poop that’s got a kick’. Indeed this barley wine has an ABV of 12% ranking it higher than many wines in go juice power. Even though its in a 341ml bottle this premium beer is sold in singles to encourage moderation. It’s got the stopping power of nearly 3 beers under its belt. But don’t take it as just a heavyweight from the hooch perspective. This beast packs a punch. At a near chocolate colour this brew has a depth of toffee & caramel flavor that is unrivaled in my experience. To call it a bold beer is an understatement. Not only does it linger on your tongue but it also coats the roof of your mouth too. It is a nectar like no other. This is a winter beer that could easily heat you up in any situation.

Here’s #40 with a pencil drawn heart around it  Phillips Mass Extinction Ice Barley Wine

Did I mention that I like this beer a lot? But alas, its only for a short period of time. Oh well drink them while you can.

Leapbeerman out!

PS dadef, I got it at mvls.