Style:  English Strong Ale
ABV:  7%
Presentation:  330 ml green bottle
Brewery:  Bridge of Allan Brewery for Tullibardine
Country:  Scotland, UK

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Proclaimed the first genuine whiskey ale brewed, it is matured in oak whiskey casks from the Tullibardine distillery in the village of Blackford, Scotland. The distillery itself has a curious brewing history, located on the site of Scotland’s first brewery dating back to the 12th century. In fact the date 1488 in the name celebrates the year in which the Scottish King James IV purchased beer from that former brewery following his coronation at nearby Scone Palace.

The back label on the bottle advises to drink this whiskey ale cold, however if you allow it to warm up a bit more of its subtle flavours are more discernible. Serve it in a tall 12-16 oz. glass, pint glass, or maybe a mug. A tulip-shaped stemmed glass will help accentuate the aroma of this particular style. Once poured you’ll find a transparent ale that is a coppery, whiskey-like amber in appearance. A quick fizzy off-white head will dissipate at a rapid rate. The aroma possesses characteristics of sweet cereal grains, wood and vanilla, with a distinct whiskey malt. While some carbonation is present, the texture of it is predominantly thin and light across the palate. Similar to what is revealed in the aroma, the flavour reveals sweet malt first, mild oak and vanilla notes from the whiskey casks, and faint hop finish. Whiskey characteristics are left unhampered in the aftertaste.

A unique style in its own right, a food pairing goes a little beyond the usual fair as well. This would sit well next to game fowl for you hunters out there 9and the people who love them), and would compliment tangy, earthy cheeses. A maple glazed salmon would also pair well with this 1488.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
1488 Strong Ale
1488 Blonde Ale

In-Style Recommendations:
Innis And Gunn Oak Aged Beer
Innis And Gunn Canadian Cask
Innis And Gunn Blonde Lightly Oaked Beer

Lateral Steps:
Innis And Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer
O’Hanlons Original Port Stout
Brewdog Paradox Islay

For The Adventurous:
Fraoch Heather Ale
Unibroue 17
Old Crustacean - Rogue

Style:  Dortmunder Export Lager
ABV:  5.5%
Presentation:  500 ml brown bottle
Brewery:  Ankerbrau Nordlingen
Country:  Germany

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This brewery is located in the historic town of Nordlingen found in the Bavarian Ries, a geological region within a crater formed by a large meteor strike around 15 million years ago. The modern town itself is still ensconced by a medieval stone wall. This brewery sits on a beer producing site dating back from 1608, although the modern brewery is the last operating one in town since 1990. The golden anchor symbol stems from over 200 years ago, denoting for travelers in the region a safe guesthouse incorporating brewery, inn and stables. Presently they sell their beer predominantly within a 20 km. radius, while Edel Tropfen is their only export.

This is best enjoyed still chilled, ideally served in a fluted lager glass, although a tall 12-16 oz. glass will do, and a pint glass or mug will do in a pinch. It pours out a clear transparent gold with lots of carbonation. Expect a loose, frothy white head that settles at a meandering rate. A few good sniffs will discover a biscuity, bready malt aroma, accompanied by metallic grains and mild grassy and leafy hops. The mouthfeel is round and smooth, medium-bodied with light carbonation. Finally, the malt is rounded in the flavour, sweet and bread-like, mild metallic grains follow, while a mellow grassy hop finishes with a clean aftertaste.

This is a good start for those interested in trying imported European lagers. Would be paired well with chicken, pasta with herbed or white sauces, shellfish, Mexican and Thai dishes.

The next steps in the cooler:

In-Style Recommendations:
DAB Original (also available in 5L mini kegs!)
Kulmbacher Export
Lowenbrau

Domestic Fare:
Okanagan Springs 1516
Okanagan Springs Helles
Headstrong Munich Lager - Wellington Brewery

Lateral Steps:
Czechvar
Mt. Begbie Kolsch
Boddingtons Pub Ale

For The Adventurous:
Dead Guy Ale - Rogue
Fuller’s London Pride
Sherbrooke’s Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba!

Style:  American Pale Ale
ABV:  5%
Presentation:  6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery:  Alley Kat
Country:  Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

For starters I’ll openly admit that I have a soft spot for this locally brewed pale ale, and it’s one that I reach for on a regular basis when I need a good hop fix. I suppose I must also confess that I owe it to Full Moon for being my “gateway” beer to enjoying the puckering, resiny, grapefruit rind character of Pacific Northwest grown hops, and my stepping stone for enjoying hops in general. Just like most people uninitiated into the realm of hoppy beers my first sip of this stuff was like a sucker punch, and it took a few attempts to adjust and eventually come to appreciate what this pale ale had to offer. It didn’t happen overnight, but was well worth the effort.

Definitely serve this one chilled, but not ice cold as that low of a temperature will already start to mute out the inviting floral and citrus aspects of the hops in the aroma. A pint glass or a mug will do just fine. This pale ale is a dark amber in appearance, a slightly hazed rustic copper, with a frothy off-white head that slowly settles to a ring around the top of the glass. Now take a good long inhale above the glass, and be prepared to be greeted by an impressive balance of sweet lightly toasted caramel from the malt, and a blend of mild pine, wet grass and white grapefruit from the hops. A discerning nose can also pick up some orange and lemon as well. This is all thanks to the combination of Cascade and Centennial hops used. Depending on how developed your palate is, all you may initially pick up in the flavour is the prominent presence of grassy, leafy green hops that finish with a lemony citrus zip. In time a sweet yet toasted caramel malt backbone steps up to join the party to produce a very well balanced Pale Ale. Yet intense enough to be mistaken for an India Pale Ale at times. Smooth, light creamy mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

This is a definite must for those of you who have a taste for big Pacific Northwest hops but don’t want to be completely overwhelmed by them. Also a versatile selection when it comes to pairing with food, Full Moon works as a dance partner just fine with meat and potatoes dishes or pizza, but also shines with spicy foods like Mexican, Thai and Indian cuisine. Also a great session beer on its own.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Amber Brown Ale
Aprikat Wheat Ale
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Olde Deuteronomy Barleywine

In-Style Recommendations:
Anchor Liberty Ale
St-Ambroise Pale Ale
Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale - Flying Dog

Lateral Steps:
Thunderhead IPA
Arctic Red - Yukon Brewing
Censored (AKA The Kronic) - Lagunitas

For The Adventurous:
Indica India Pale Ale - Lost Coast
I2PA - Rogue
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.

Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Presentation: 341 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Yukon Brewing Company
Country: Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

The India Pale Ale style is one with a curious pedigree, being one of the first beers developed specifically for export, but also to survive the actual journey itself. It was even named after its intended destination, where the palates of the East India Company employees, British colonists, and garrisoned British troops craved the familiar comforts of the homeland. Developed by an inventive British brewer by the name of George Hodgson in the late 18^th century, it was a beefed up pale ale produced to survive the arduous journey from the British Isles to India, sailing around the whole of Africa and crossing the equator twice to get there.

You see, the traditional pale ales of the day didn’t travel well (in fact most styles of beer at the time wouldn’t have faired well on such a long voyage, especially without the aid of refrigeration), and although the soil of India supported barley crops, the climate itself foiled almost all attempts to brew a drinkable beer. The breakthrough stemmed from two natural sources of preservation, a higher alcohol content (7-8 % alcohol by volume, compared to the domestic pale ales of 3-4 % abv at the time), as well as a higher hop content. These two factors aided in the successful shipment of this new, more robust pale ale, which tended to be watered down to appropriate strengths for the ships crews and the eagerly awaiting colonist market in India once it arrived. However in time people formed a taste for the stronger and more intensely flavoured shipping version, and what was initially produced to offset transportation difficulties eventually remained a style unto itself, the India Pale Ale.

In recent times this style has evolved in North America to near monstrous proportions in a way, “hop-bombs” high enough in IBU’s (International Bittering Units, the standard form of measurement) to scrape the barnacles off the roof of your mouth, and leave one with near permanent bitter beer face if they’re not prepared for what’s to come. If this doesn’t sound very appealing to you at the moment, fortunately Yukon Brewing’s Snow Blind IPA is brewed in a similar fashion to the British version of the style, with lower alcohol content and a milder yet still apparent hop presence.

This current in-store version of Snow Blind was bottled specifically for the Sherbrooke Liquor Store, with a label of the store’s design, and as a first distribution to the Alberta market available in singles of 341 ml brown bottles. A pint glass will work fine to serve this in, or a mug, or any tall wide-mouthed glass you may have kicking around in the cupboard. Keeping the beer chilled is advisable as well, although as it slowly warms after poured more subtle characters in the aroma and the flavour will become more apparent, as colder temperatures tend to subdue them. Once poured expect to find a vibrant transparent copper hue, crowned by a thick, creamy off-white head. The aroma is mild with some biscuity Crystal malts and floral citrusy hops, while the texture in the mouth is smooth and medium-bodied, just a touch slick and oily at the end from the hops. There’s also a notable balance within the flavour, neither the malt or hops tends to overwhelm one another. It starts out with crisp bready malts quickly transitioning towards the finish with grassy herbal hops blended with citrus and pine, ending with mild grapefruit rind notes in the aftertaste.

This Snow Blind IPA is an excellent start for people to try the India Pale Ale style, as the mildness of its overall flavour profile is approachable and not overwhelming. Also a decent sounding board for how your particular palate reacts to discernible hop presence. Trust me, it took me years to gain an appreciation for hops, sometimes it simply takes time and exposure to develop an appreciation for them. Others shy away, it just doesn’t do anything for them. It all comes down to personal taste. Speaking of taste, try pairing this IPA with Indian food. It also goes well with roasts, such as beef, pork or even lamb, and compliments a nice grilled steak quite nicely. And now that you know that IPA stands for India Pale Ale you can avoid the painfully common mistake of referring to it as an “EEE-PAH”.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Chilkoot Lager
Yukon Gold Ale
Arctic Red Ale
Lead Dog Ale
Discovery Ale
Cranberry Wheat Ale
Espresso Stout

In-Style Recommendations:
Samuel Smith’s India Ale
Martson’s Old Empire
Little Scrapper IPA - Half Pints Brewery

Lateral Steps:
Full Moon Pale Ale - Alley Kat
Fuller’s ESB
Ruddles County English Pub Ale

For The Adventurous:
Sherbrooke’s Bad Hare Day
Brewdog Punk IPA
Imperial Red Ale - Rogue

Welcome to KANPAI!, a new weekly addition to the Sherbrooke Liquor Store website. The title stems from a Japanese drinking toast, akin to “Cheers!”. However I’ve never heard anyone utter “Kanpai!” without a bit of excitement and passion in their tone, if not out right enthusiasm and passion. It’s that same tone I wish to carry and maintain through this weekly column, and hopefully pass along to you, if you don’t already share it.

In fact KANPAI! is aimed mainly at those of you out there who walk into the beer cooler here at Sherbrooke Liquor and feel a bit lost, staring wide-eyed at the largest selection of beer available in Western Canada, and not sure where to begin.

Each week I’ll feature one beer that is available here in the vast Sherbrooke beer cooler, ready and waiting for you to sample if your interest is piqued. I’ll tell you a bit about the particular style, and the part of the world it’s from. You’ll even receive recommendations for glassware to pour your beer in to help highlight the full experience. You do serve your beer in a glass, right? If not, it’s a good habit to start getting into. That way you can marvel at the unique individual appearance of each new beer that you try, as well as enjoy the aroma, which is an important and enjoyable aspect of many beer styles. A glass will also help accentuate many different layers and nuances within the flavour of the beer, much of which gets masked and overlooked when beer is drunk straight out of the bottle or can.

With that taken care of, I’ll provide you a brief description of what to expect. What the beer looks like, what general smells and flavours to expect, even the texture of it in your mouth. Practically a full sensual experience (feel free to hold the glass to your ear and discover whether it has any secrets to share only just with you). This way you can get a better idea whether that particular beer is something you think you might enjoy, or possibly pass by and try a different one more suitable to your liking–there are certainly more than enough to choose from. Lastly I’ll offer you recommendations of other beers of that style available in the cooler, similar styles to branch out and try, along with a few more robust adventurous beers for those interested in challenging their taste buds.

Hey, I’m not some hoighty-toighty beer snob, and have no intention of talking down to anyone, or over their head, my purpose here is to help educate. My experience started from a similar interest in beer to yours, and expanded over the years through sampling everything I could get my hands on. Palates develop at an individual rate, and everyone’s taste buds have their own particular preferences. However it’s an interesting, fun, and very tasty journey to embark on. I hope I can help make your own adventure in the Sherbrooke Liquor beer cooler a more enjoyable and educational one, and a bit less intimidating. KANPAI!