Local Beer Review: Garrison Schwarz

For a while there, everyone was talking about and brewing Rye IPAs, us included. This was due largely to the fact that this hybrid style was selected for the 2012 Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off, an annual home brewing competition in which the winning entry becomes a limited-edition Garrison seasonal. This year's competition was capped off with an awards gala on March 22, in which Niagara College student Kellye Robertson was named the victor. The gala also marked the release of bottles of last year's winning entry, a Schwarzbier under the label, 'Adam und Eric's Neuschottland Schwarz.' (Neuschottland = Nova Scotia. Nice touch!)

I see your Schwarz is as big as mine!

We were eager to check out this black lager, and picked up a few bottles at the brewery last Friday. We admit that we're not well-acquainted with Schwarzbier, but understand it to be a relative of Dunkel, with which we have some recent experience.

Also known as Schwarzpils, or Black Pils, we expected the Schwarz to be light in body, but darker in colour and taste. Off the pour, it seemed to fit the bill nicely, with a dark auburn colour that picked up a distinct reddish hue in the afternoon sunlight. The head was thick and creamy but dissipated rapidly, with a pleasant (albeit unassertive) roasty-floral nose. Taking a swig revealed a nice bitter nudge up front, which quickly mellowed into a dry, roasty-malt finish. The body and mouthfeel were light and clean, as you'd expect from a lager, giving it a sessionable quality (especially when compared to some of Garrison's other offerings - we're looking at you, Ol' Fog Burner).

Overall, the Schwarz is an excellent representation of the style, or at least what we perceive the style to be. It isn't overly complex, but it doesn't need to be. It's a refreshing lager, and offers a flavour profile that's a welcome departure from most mainstream offerings. When the warm weather from last week finally makes its triumphant return, we look forward to drinking a Schwarz on a sunny patio somewhere in the Darkside.

Local Beer Review Redux: Propeller Double IPA

If it seems like we just reviewed a Double IPA by Propeller last month, that's because, well, we did. The first release in 2012's One Hit Wonder series, dubbed the 2xIPA, enamoured us with its citrus-centric West Coast nose and flavour profile. We wanted more, but such is the double-edged sword of this type of series - they provide a great opportunity for experimentation and discovery, but if you create something truly remarkable, it exists only for limited amount of time. And then it's gone.

Or so one would think. Last week, we were pleasantly surprised by news that Propeller would be releasing a new seasonal Double IPA. Rising from the positive community response to the 2xIPA like a phoenix from a flaming mash tun, the Double IPA is a revised version of its predecessor, released last week in growlers and this coming week in 500 mL bottles. (Apparently an issue with a rogue labeller has delayed the bottle release slightly. If I was an aspiring robot overlord, I'd totally go for the beer supply first... could this be the beginning of the rise of the machines?!)

We picked up a growler of the Double IPA at the brewery on Friday, intrigued to find out how their experience with the 2xIPA and feedback from the passionate Halifax craft beer community had shaped the final product. We were pleased to find that the juicy citrus character was still prominent, as was the surprisingly easy-to-drink body belying a potent 8.2% ABV. We were less pleased, though, that the hop flavours seem to have been toned down somewhat by an enhanced malt sweetness relative to the 2xIPA. Technically, we feel that the Double IPA is more balanced, but we kind of dug the slight bitter imbalance of its predecessor. If you're a fan of something a bit sweeter, though, like Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA, you're really in for a treat.

Overall, our personal preferences shouldn't detract from the fact that the Double IPA is a great beer. It most certainly is, and we plan on stockpiling bottles as soon as they're released (please, labeller?). Kudos to Propeller for listening to the community response and giving us more of what we want!

While we were out

Things have been pretty quiet on the blog lately, as Drew and I found ourselves stretched pretty thin by our respective professional responsibilities. Sadly, these responsibilities were not beer-related, but the associated travel did provide some opportunities to sample great brews elsewhere in Canada and the US. Drew had the opportunity to sample Dieu du Ciel!'s stellar Peche Mortel (apologies for the lack of French accents... I'm afraid to use the French keyboard) on tap at their brew pub in Montreal, while I became more familiar with the American craft beer scene in the Washington, DC, area (more on this in a future post).

Some great things have been happening on the home front while we were away. While the name had been out there for a bit, more details started to emerge regarding Bridge Brewing Company, an environmentally-conscious microbrewery in the vein of Les Brasseurs du Nord in Quebec, slated to begin operation this summer in north-end Halifax. We're very excited to try their Yardstick Ale as soon as possible! (Side note: I believe this beer was previously called 'Conception Ale,' as it is the beer the brewery was conceived upon. Name change due to potential perception as some kind of baby-making brew?)

As well, Garrison recently released their Ol' Fog Burner Barley Wine, and will soon release their Sugar Moon Maple Ale. The latter pairs extremely well with waffles, and is our top pick for a Haligonian breakfast beer. Both we and our waffle makers are giddy with excitement. 

Anyway, while it was great to travel and try some new beers, it's good to be back - we missed you, Halifax craft beer community!

Local Beer Review: Propeller Munich Style Dark Lager (One Hit Wonder Series)

It's no secret that we were big fans of the 2xIPA, the first offering in Propeller Brewing Co.'s One Hit Wonder Series of 2012. Accordingly, we were very much looking forward to the next instalment in the limited-release, growler-only series. Early this week, we were intrigued by a less-than-subtle (and intentionally so) note via social media that suggested the second release would be something of the 'Dark' variety. The suspense was short-lived, as it was announced the following day that the next One Hit Wonder would be a Munich Style Dark (Dunkel) Lager.

We don't have much experience with this particular style, but we knew we needed to try it, and so loaded our growlers into the Earlmobile and made our way to the brewery on the day of its release. About an hour later, we sat down with our first glasses of the dark and somewhat mysterious (to us, anyway) brew.

The Munich Style Dark Lager pours a stouty brown, with a nose of roast barley and toffee. While containing notes typically associated with darker beers, it remains light and upbeat... a hint that you've got something different in your glass. Any suspicions are quickly validated with a drink, as the body turns out to be much lighter than you would expect. The Dark Lager starts off with some light bitterness, but quickly transitions into a moderately long toffee-sweet finish. The result is a very drinkable beer, and empty glasses in very short order. And at a moderate 5.3% ABV, the refills that inevitably follow shouldn't make for too groggy a morning.

It seems that after the 2xIPA, Propeller decided to let the hops take a backseat and have the malt do the driving this time around. Overall, the result is positive, as this beer successfully melds stout flavours with a lager body. While the early March chill is still very much stout weather, this beer is a perfect bridge to the warmer days to come.

Code Name: Clifford

After taking a weekend off, Earl and I were back in the condo brewery and ready to get started on a new beer. As we recently undertook an experiment in crowd sourcing ideas for our next beer on our Facebook page, we knew it was going to be a red.  Only now am I realizing that we didn't put an end date on our poll... oh well, the beer has been brewed so I guess that means the poll is closed. Thanks to those who participated!

As we were riding high from our last two batches turning out well, we figured we'd kick it up a notch. Why not make a big red? Earl and I both love hoppy beers and also really enjoyed Garrison's Black IPA, so agreeing on a Red IPA called Clifford took no time at all. But, a plain IPA didn't seem big enough to fit the Clifford moniker... only an Imperial Red IPA would fit that bill!

Knowing we could use the help as we waded into new territory, we invited our first guest brewer to the condo for this batch. Nate is an extremely knowledgeable home brewer, and all around nice guy; his name also easily fits the four letter naming convention we have going on around here. As soon as I heard he keeps a bucket of sanitizing solution in the kitchen with beer bottles in it ready to go for bottling on short notice, I knew we had found the right guy to help with Clifford.

With the team assembled and an idea in mind, we sat down with Beersmith to craft a recipe. The result was a glorious theoretical 7.7% ABV Red with over 160 IBUs, using Nugget, Simcoe and Cascade hops in hefty amounts. The brew day went very well, and hopefully we are on target to make Clifford a reality. If everything works out as planned, it will be kegged on St. Patrick's Day. Perfect timing, if you ask me.