Like Bestie! An awesome Currywurst place that recently opened in Chinatown. You should go and bring your friends. And your dad because he'd probably appreciate it too. In fact if you're lucky he might buy you a meal.
Another rad thing about Bestie is the beer the will be serving. Brassneck, a soon to open brewery in Vancouver, will hopefully be supplying them with an awesome german inspired weisse. I'd go for an adjunct lager (think Pabst) but made with due attention and care but no one's listening to me. I hope I didn't lose any beer cred by calling for an adjunct lager. Can I only review IIPAs, RIS, and Sours to make it up?
See the point of this blog is to focus on beer and beer related activities. Hopefully on this point I'll be able to deliver. Rad places like Bestie and the Alibi Room will always make the list. I plan on making this blog something to read and find new places to enjoy. Of course beer will be the focus but if I stumble upon a say a coffee that I love, I'll share that too.
With this I here's my first beer for the blog.
Perhaps I should of gone for a beer with more hype, barrel aged, sour, or otherwise special for my first blog post. However I do think this is a good example of how I intend to review beers.
I do not intend on using Beer Advocate or Rate Beer formula. Instead I would answer a simple question. Is this beer good and should you (my nonexistent followers) buy it? A simple question would normally beget a simple answer but I think explaining why is important. So for the Belgium Black by Lighthouse I'll show you why I think it is good, and you should buy it.
This beer is different than many local beers. Perhaps it was the rain and grey here in Vancouver that made me pick it up. The Belgium Black is an interesting beer to drink because it defies standards. Is it is a stout brewed using belgium yeast? Or rather a Strong Belgium Dark that included roasted malts in the brewing process? Regardless here's Lighthouse's description of the beer.
I'll be honest with Lighthouse here. I always have thought their beer was substandard compared to other breweries in B.C. Phillips was that much more hoppy, Driftwood that much better but that has since changed. I won't cover the change in brew masters but for almost two years they've been pumping out awesome beers. Notably the Switchback and Barnacle Wheat IPA.
The Belgium Black was brewed back in January and be sitting for a while. I first had this beer when it first came out in 2012. That version was good but not great. This years, 2013, has brought a predominate yeast character that shapes the whole beer. I had this years when it was fresh but after sitting on it for 6 months, I can say this is a great beer.
The flavour is primarily focus on malts and yeast with hops having little presence in this beer. The yeast lends an almost sea-like taste to the charred malts that come across the palate. Following that is flavours of dark fruits like plums and cherry. The standout of this beer to me was the finish. I tend to favour beers with a dry finish and this beer delivered. Even though at first the taste was sweet, it dried out completely and left an almost salty aftertaste with a bit of molasses and smoke. Overall this is a great beer that is brewed with restraint.
I think this beer is great but why should you buy it? Assuming you can, find it that is. You should buy it because it challenges what exactly a dark beer can be. Is it primarily a belgium inspired beer, an Imperial Stout, or something else? I think it is something else that does not have a specific category. Hopefully you'll be able to try it and decide for yourself.
That concludes my opening post. I'll be updating with any interest beer I come across and maybe just maybe I'll have a small amount of followers.
Thanks for reading.
Special thanks to Jocelyn and Emma for getting me to start this blog.
Emma, where's my cookie?
