Imperial Stout
Firehall Brewery : Mutual Aid Whisky Barrel Stout
What’s the advantage of having a distillery so close to a brewery? The opportunity to collaborate, but also to take advantage of recently emptied whisky barrels! And that is exactly what Sid Ruhland at Firehall Brewery did. This is the second time that barrels were used from Dubh Glas Distillery and the assistance of artisan distiller Grant Stevely came in handy to create a very limited release. A few years back it was just a one-barrel release of the Holy Continue Reading…
Whistle Buoy Brewing Co: Desolate Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Whistle Buoy Brewing in Victoria’s Market Square released Desolate in mid-November, a bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout. According to the label and website, it is the “first-ever release of our barrel program and is extremely limited”. My bottle was number 177 of 800. It’s encouraging to see that even such a small-scale brewery as Whistle Buoy can still find the money, time, and motivation to get their hands on some bourbon barrels and brew a huge stout to fill them with. Continue Reading…
Land and Sea Brewing Co.- Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
I recently had a chance to sit down with Jason Walker, the co-owner of Land and Sea Brewing, based in Comox, B.C. Like almost all businesses, surviving the pandemic and the subsequent restrictions were difficult but strong community support helped them through. Coming out of the pandemic, Jason is much more optimistic. “I’m excited about it.” Referencing the atmosphere in the Comox Valley, Jason states that “it’s a new valley right now.” One that will surely appreciate great, locally made Continue Reading…
Alone Under the Vast Indifference of the Sky 2021
Dageraad Brewing’s annual release Alone Under the Vast Indifference of the Sky is a Belgian-style Imperial Stout from featuring sour cherries and Brettanomyces. The 2021 version of Alone was brewed this past June and bottle-aged before its release last week. A portion of the 2020 run was barrel-aged to create Entropy Series No. 22: The Vast Indifference of Cocoa Nibs, also released last week, making for a pair of super-potent cold weather beers. The beer pours a very dark Continue Reading…
Dageraad Entropy Series No. 22: The Vast Indifference of Cocoa Nibs
When you think of an Imperial Stout, it’s not usually about the subtleties. It’s not about nuanced esters or faintly wafting aromas. It’s about turning the dial up to 11…or in this case, 11.7 %. At least, that’s the expectation when you check the label and note the limit-pushing ABV of Entropy Series No. 22: The Vast Indifference of Cocoa Nibs—one of a pair of super-potent cold weather beers Dageraad releases to market today. No. 22 is the older, heavier Continue Reading…
A-Frame Brewing Co. – Skull Lake Imperial Espresso Stout
Situated in beautiful Squamish, BC, with a tasting room done up like a cabin, and every beer named after a BC lake, A-Frame Brewing is heavy on the #cabinvibes. One seasonal beer, the Skull Lake Imperial Stout, was this time around brewed with organic espresso beans from Counterpart Coffee. The Skull Lake is opaque black with a medium tan head. There is an expressive espresso nose with notes of black forest cake, marshmallow, and a hint of raisin. It is Continue Reading…
Dageraad ♥ Steel & Oak Imperial Stout
For years, Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing Co. and New Westminster’s Steel & Oak Brewing have collaborated on a series of beers called The Suburbs. There’s been solid evidence of a mutual love affair between the two since shortly after they both debuted in 2014. Apparently, COVID has only made their hearts grow fonder. In the absence of direct contact, they’ve both brewed quasi-collaborations in the form of Imperial Stouts. S&O has released a beer entitled “Steel & Oak Loves Dageraad“, with Continue Reading…
Longwood Brewery- BBA Triple Stout
Sometimes beer is easy, approachable and friendly. Then again, like music, beer can also be like a wave wrecked beach under a darkened sky, the perfect accompaniment to a soul scratching night of existential catharsis. Somewhere in-between these two extremes, but definitely on the more profound and dramatic end of the scale, is Longwood Brewery’s BBA Triple Stout, a 16 percenter that will have you dancing on the storm encased beach. This monster is black with the faintest red on Continue Reading…
BNA Brewing – Tennessee Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout
The almost 5 year old brewery with a huge history to its name and building in Kelowna, continues to turn heads with their beers ,including this one, the Tennessee Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. For those that don’t know, BNA stands for British North America ,after the original British North American Tobacco Company that had its roots in the building that now houses BNA. Now on to the beer! It is nice to see that the 2019 Okanagan Fest of Continue Reading…
Parkside Brewery – Attack of the Cherry Stout
Parkside Brewery – Attack of the Cherry Imperial Stout Review To brew an imperial stout is one thing but to infuse it with cherries is a whole ‘nother ball game. The Attack of the Cherry Stout is just that and comes in 473ml cans and measures 8.3% alcohol. From said can, this beer is nearly black in colour and has two fingers of dense, coffee-brown coloured head. The aroma is rich and dark with notes of toffee, coffee and caramel Continue Reading…
