Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 8%
Presentation: Single 750 ml brown caged and corked bottles,
6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Unibroue
Country: Chambly, Quebec, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

The first time I ever wrote down an initial description of this ale many years ago I said that the flavour hit me like a velvet canoe paddle.  It wasn’t a bad thing, in fact it was quite enjoyable, simply more intense than almost any beer I had tried up until that point.

For those of you who enjoy drinking and cussing, Maudite may be right up your alley.  Pronounced “moe-dzit”, Maudite translates as “Cursed” or “Damned” from the Quebecois dialect, and refers to the gentlemen in the flying canoe on the gorgeously rendered label on the bottle.  Of course the smarmy winking devil offers a good hint as well.  What’s going on here is a reference to the old Quebecois legend of the “Chasse-Galerie”, The Legend of the Flying Canoe.  There are several variations on it but the gist goes like this:

It was near Christmas-time when 8 French Voyageurs were out deep in the woods trapping and collecting pelts, and were too far away from home to be able to get back in time to spend the Holidays with their families.  Somehow they made a pact with the devil, which made their canoe sail across the sky in order to make it home in time.  However one of them must have had pangs of regret, as the moment he invoked the name of God out of lament he freed himself from their diabolical pledge, unfortunately sending the whole lot of them and their canoe plunging back to earth.  None of them were ever seen again.

There’s actually a variant on this tale stating that they made the pact for the flying canoe in order to get back in time before all the good beer had been consumed during the celebrations.  Some people and their priorities….

Now to fully enjoy this strong red ale you’re going to have to start off with the proper glassware.  Anything with a wide brim is going to be ideal, be it an oversized red wine glass, a large brandy snifter, or if you’re in a pinch, a wide mug will do.  Because this ale is conditioned and re-fermented in the bottle, that means there’s going to be some yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle, so be prepared for that.  Also this means that there will be extra flavours and aromas as a result of the yeast, so I’d recommend letting this beer sit at least a good 15-20 minutes before opening once you’ve pulled it out of the fridge.  One other point regarding the bottle-conditioning from the yeast, and in combination with the higher alcohol content, is that this beer can be cellared and aged like wine for about 5 years or so, and over time the character of the flavour will subtly shift and change.

On to the pour!  When dealing with bottle conditioned beers that contain yeast at the bottom is to stop the pour once you’re down to the last half inch of beer left in the bottle, thus still containing the yeast and preventing it from getting into your glass.  No worries if some does get poured, the yeast is harmless, and in fact is fairly healthy, being loaded with B vitamins.  At worst it will cloud up the beer in your glass and might add a bit of tart off-flavour.

After all that build up expect a tight spongy off-white head, with a translucent slightly hazed dark mahogany amber body.  The aroma is fairly complex yet will probably come across as predominantly yeasty, spicy, with hints of citrus, although there is a sweet and toasted malt backing it all up.  The more attention you pay to the smell the more different aspects you’ll be able to pick out.  The flavour is just as complex with bready malt, dark fruits, spice, and citrus, with faint peppery and leafy hops on the finish.  Carrying this all across your tongue and palate is a smooth textured mouthfeel with a medium-bodied fullness, yet a slick lower carbonation.  There will also be a bit of warmth in the flavour and mouthfeel from the higher alcohol content.

Maudite is just begging to be paired with food.  For this particular beer of theirs Unibroue suggests stews, pasta, red meat and spicy dishes.  To this I would add that it’s a great match with strong cheese, this strong Belgian brew will hold its own and go blow to blow with the sharp and intense flavours.  Oddly enough Maudite will accentuate and bring out the rich flavours of artisanal chocolates, the darker the better, or provide a balanced contrast for sweeter, milkier variations.  From roasts to grilled meat, on to pungent and savoury dishes Maudite is a great accompaniment.

No need to sell your own soul or lose your head over this stuff, fortunately for us Maudite is easily and readily accessible.  Although if you consume too many of these in one sitting you’ll start to think the devil did get his due after all.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Blanche De Chambly
Chambly Noire
Don De Dieu
Ephemere (Apple)
Ephemere (Blackcurrent)
La Fin Du Monde
Trois Pistoles
Unibroue 16
Unibroue 17
Quatre-Centieme

In-Style:
Trappistes Rochefort 8
St. Bernardus Abt 12
Chimay Blue
Gulden Draak

Lateral Steps:
Duvel
Chimay Red Cap
St. Bernardus Tripel
Augustijn

For The Adventurous:
Trappistes Rochefort 10
Black Albert
Pannepot Grand Reserva
Koningshoeven Quadrupel
Brooklyn Monster Ale
Thomas Hardy’s Ale

Style: Cream Ale
ABV: 4.7%
Presentation: 650 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Mt. Begbie Brewing Co.
Country: Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Contrary to an unsettling common misconception Cream Ales possess no milk products whatsoever.  Some brewers use lactose, which is milk sugar, in order to sweeten their darker ales like stouts and porters, but this is far from the case regarding the Cream Ale style.  Even the expectation of a full, creamy texture is getting out of bounds.  It’s the newer nitrogen injected Irish ales that are adding “Cream Ale” to their names that are advertising this sort of fullness and delivering it, however they are fairly recent innovation and considerably off the mark from the traditional incarnation of this style.

In essence a Cream Ale is practically a loose American version of the rare German Kölsch style, a pale, light refreshing beer that remains a sort of hybrid between a lager and an ale.  Back in the late 1800’s American ale brewers were looking for ways to both to cut corners and to compete with the ever increasingly popular lager style.  Since refrigeration still wasn’t commonplace at the time many of the ales were produced at room or cellar temperature with bottom-fermenting lager yeast that is normally required to be fermented at colder, near freezing temperatures.  Without the colder “lagering” temperatures to help clarify the beers they retained the sweeter, fruitier notes that are associated with ales.  Brewers also added corn sugar to lighten the body and mouthfeel more akin to lagers as well.  Some brewers would cheat by blending in some actual portions of lager too.  During the American Prohibition this style was actually kept alive by Canadian Brewers here in the great white north, who also found it an easier method to produce light and quaffable beers within a shorter processing time.  Nowadays the small faction of modern brewers who tend to produce this style do so in the opposite way it used to be fashioned, thanks to common technological advancements. Although it still remains a hybrid, commonly now brewers will produce a light ale and then cold mature it for a shorter time than they would a lager.

What I enjoy about Mt. Begbie’s interpretation of their Cream Ale is that they take an already uncommon style and make it their own.  It doesn’t require anything fancy to be served in, a mug or pint glass will be fine if you don’t own any fancy beer glasses.  It’ll be nice and crisp if you drink it straight from the fridge just as with any lager, however if you allow it to warm up a bit there is a decent flavour profile waiting to be discovered.  You’ll be glad you poured this stuff into a glass as it’s a rather attractive beer with a clean light coppery amber body crowned by a tall creamy, frothy white head that possesses impressive retention.  Unlike many Cream Ales you’ll be greeted first by some light spicy, grassy hops in the aroma, complimented by some flowery honey sweetness and mild toasted and biscuity malt.  The flavour also has more personality to it than the average Cream Ale, as subtle as it still remains.  Biscuity malt that’s laced with a honey-like sweetness, crisp and dry from the middle to finish, with faint notes of green spicy hops on the finish, although not much in the way of any lingering aftertaste.  One thing I did notice is that honey sweetness might get a little too bold and out of place if this ale is allowed to warm up too much, so perhaps don’t nurse it for too long if that’s something you’re not looking for.  Lastly, although it’s quite smooth, don’t expect any serious creaminess in the mouthfeel, simply a medium-bodied ale with light dry carbonation on the finish.

For the most part this style of beer is produced to be consumed in a session, such as hanging out with your friends on a patio for an afternoon, or throughout an evening in your favourite social setting.  As the flavour profile is fairly mild, consider this when you feel like pairing this Cream Ale from Mt. Begbie along with food.  The brewery’s website recommends pairing their Cream Ale along with pasta or pizza.  It’ll balance out foods with mild salty or citrus characteristics, and I’d recommend sticking to starters and finger foods such as sweet potato fries, deep-fried wontons or calamari, in order to not overpower the beer itself.

A cream ale with a personality beyond the norm, this a proper stepping stone for those wishing to cross over from lagers to ales, especially as it’s already a bit of both.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
High Country Kölsch
Tall Timber Ale

In-Style:
Eric’s Red Cream Ale
Bowen Island Irish Cream Ale
Warthog - Big Rock
Sleeman Cream Ale

Lateral Steps:
Dead Guy Ale - Rogue
Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale - Tree
Grumpy Bear Honey Wheat - Grizzly Paw
St-Ambroise Pale Ale

For The Adventurous:
Czechvar
Paulaner
Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer
Yukon Red

Jason Foster

I realize that even for a column designed to teach the basics about beer, a piece distinguishing ale from lager has the potential to insult the reader’s intelligence. It is the most fundamental division in beer and so talking about it can devolve into obviousness. But trust me for a minute and read on. The differences between lager and ale are both more profound and less demarcated that one might think.

Let’s, briefly, start at the beginning. There are two essential determinants for classifying a beer as “ale” or “lager” – and they are interdependent. First, and most fundamental, is the temperature at which the beer is fermented. Ales are fermented at room temperature (about 18-20 degrees Celsius); lagers colder (below 11 degrees). Lagers also get a period of “cold conditioning” near freezing temperatures, in German called “lagering” (hence the name – aren’t those brewers clever?)

Inherently connected to temperature is the second component – the strain of yeast used. Some yeasts perform best at room temperature, others at cooler levels. Over the centuries, brewers have isolated different types of yeast best suited for particular beers. The distinction between lager yeasts and ale yeasts evolved slowly, but is today quite clear.

Part of the explanation for the difference is historical. Ales are older - going back probably 2000 years. But brewers are an innovative lot, and 500 years ago, someone tried storing their wort (beer juice prior to fermentation; pronounced “wert”) in a cave to make it last longer. To their surprise it both fermented and tasted unlike any other beer they had experienced. Lager was born.

But this is the boring part. More interesting is the effect on flavour. Lagers are cleaner, crisper, with a more thirst-quenching effect. This is due to the cold-aging. Ales, on the other hand, are fruiter, more complex on the tongue and have a rounded finish.

If I stopped here, I would definitely be insulting your intelligence. For as informative as that may be, it doesn’t actually tell you much about either variety of beer.

Because what it doesn’t say is that this clear demarcation can get very fuzzy very quickly. Certain lagers can have ale-like complexity and some ales have an obvious lager-ish cleanliness. As some quick examples, compare Ayinger Celebrator dopplebock with Yukon Arctic Red, or even Kilkenny. Celebrator is rich, dark, intensely malty with dark fruit notes. It is complex and warming. On the other hand, Arctic Red is abundantly crisp with a lovely balance of caramel malt and light hoppiness. Kilkenny is smooth, refreshing and clean.

From my descriptions you might label Celebrator as an ale, and Arctic Red and Kilkenny as lagers. You would be wrong – proving the point that the lines are less clear than first thought.

Beer is a complex creature. Many variables shape the final impression of the beer. Celebrator is ale-like because of its bold malt profile. Arctic Red is intentionally brewed clean. Some beers are designed to blend the qualities of both ale and lagers. Such are the wonders of beer.

Making it more complicated is that malt sweetness and/or hop bitterness are equally likely in each type – as is colour. For example, Pilsner Urquell – a lager – displays a rich hoppiness, just like Alley Kat Full Moon – an ale. The differentiation lies elsewhere.
So what does this mean for you, the drinker? First, it does give you a starting place for evaluating your beer appreciation. Do you prefer a beer that is quenching and crisp, like Creemore Springs, Sapporo or Paddock Wood Black Cat Lager? Then you tend toward lagers. If nutty, fruity, more rounded beers appeal to you more – like Big Rock Traditional, Mill Street Stock Ale or Alley Kat Full Moon – then ales are your bailiwick.

Of course, you are free to appreciate both (as I do), and this is where the second benefit arises. It can develop your beer appreciation by informing you, in general terms, what to expect from a beer. By knowing how a beer is brewed, and what that means for the final product, you can better evaluate how well a particular beer meets expectations. Using your judgement, you can break through the marketing spin produced by some beer companies. Alexander Keith may call his beer an India Pale Ale, but one sip will tell you it is a standard pale lager.

Third, understanding the nature of the difference allows you to move beyond what the large brewers are pushing on you. It may surprise you to learn that the majority of beer styles are ales, given that the bulk of beer on liquor store shelves are lagers. This is due to large, corporate brewers building beers that appeal to the largest possible segment of beer drinkers. The result is beers that taste essentially the same.

By appreciating that some beer is INTENDED to taste different, you open yourself up to new possibilities for beer flavour. Not all beers are supposed to taste like Budweiser. That fruitiness or some bitterness or a sweeter finish might just be what that beer is supposed to taste like. And that allows you to experience it for what it is. And maybe buy another.

And you come to realize the only one’s insulting your intelligence are the marketing departments of the big breweries.

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Wild Rose Brewery
Country: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

No my friends, this isn’t a write-up on jazz or Mel Torme, although something nearly as smooth. The thing is, back in 1998 Wild Rose brewed the first commercially available unfiltered wheat beer in Alberta, which in a glass would have appeared as some sort of “fog” to the masses of those uninitiated to such a thing. However with a malt bill of 50% wheat rounded out with the other 50% of barley, a smooth flavour and mouthfeel can be expected as well. Almost velvety smooth one could say. I’ll let you piece it all together. In the end what we have here is an accessible introduction to unfiltered wheat beers for those of you who were always curious, but were unsure where to start without getting too overwhelmed.

A tall fluted weizen glass would be ideal to serve this in, however a pint glass will work too. Expect a short spongy white head that will probably not linger long, while the beer itself is more hazy than cloudy and a bright golden hue. Regarding the aroma, it is not as intense as many wheat beers can be, offering some mild sweet wheat with light touches of bready malt. Some might even pick up faint notes of citrus, of lemon zest. Another point of note is that the mouthfeel is also a bit fuller than would be expected for this style, which is a nice touch, while some light carbonation is also effective in carrying a clean zippy texture. Bready malt up front in the flavour, mild grainy tart wheat on the finish, and the faintest of spice in the aftertaste, with hints of citrus zest at time.

Velvet Fog would pair surprisingly well with egg dishes, from omelettes to quiche, and is also an ideal partner for salads of almost any incarnation. Mild white fish is also an ideal match, along with sashimi if you don’t go too heavy on the soy sauce. This is also a refreshing wheat beer for sitting in the sun on the patio or balcony, although an accompanying wedge of lemon or orange, while a refreshing addition, is purely optional based on personal taste.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
WRaspberry Ale
Brown Ale
IPA (India Pale Ale)
WRed Wheat
SOB (Special Old Bitter)

In-Style:
Pyramid Hefe Weizen
Pyramid Crystal Wheat Ale
Okanagan Springs Hefeweizen
Tree Hefeweizen

Lateral Steps:
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Erdinger Weissbier
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse
Blanche De Chambly - Unibroue

For The Adventurous:
Impériale Weizen Grande Cuvée - Les Trois Mousquetaires
Schneider Aventinus
La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 8%
Presentation: 750ml green magnum & 330ml green bottle singles
Brewery: Brasserie d’Achouffe
Country: Belgium

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This brewery is found in the Belgian region of Ardennes, a picturesque area of green mountains and fairy tale valleys, although to some known best unfortunately as the location where The Battle Of The Bulge took place during World War 2.  The labels from the Achouffe Brewery are also easily recognizable with their trademark gnomes cavorting and residing on them.  No small surprise about that little marketing tidbit when you discover that “Chouffe” means gnome in the local Walloon dialect.  What started as a hobby of two brothers-in-law, the Achouffe Brewery has been producing tasty and accessible beers since 1982, although it’s been owned by the Duvel Moortgat brewery group since 2006.

With La Chouffe we have their flagship beer, it’s a golden yet higher alcohol ale, unfiltered and bottle conditioned which helps add extra flavour to the overall experience, most notably some subtle fruit and spice from that extra yeast presence left in the bottle, not to mention gentle additions of coriander and hops.  What we have here is something that ends up as a big shiny gold happy face in your mouth, and chances are it’ll transfer externally and produce a smile on your own face too.  Really, I don’t even like gnomes, yet La Chouffe somehow cheers me up every time.  If you still need a bit more convincing from your own personal experience La Chouffe is now available in single 330 ml bottles, before you choose to upgrade with a 750 ml magnum of this gem.

It’s fine to imbibe La Chouffe at the temperature right out of the fridge, it’ll be clean with a bit of orange and faint grassy hops on the finish, however as it slowly warms far more character will present itself in the flavour.  Ideally this is best served in a Belgian tulip glass (in fact when they’re available the Achouffe gift packs come with their own gnome logo tulip glass!), however a large snifter or oversized wine glass will do just fine, stemware is preferred for this style.  Expect to possibly take 2 or 3 attempts to empty the bottle into the glassware, as you’ll be greeted by a billowing spongy white head that has exceptional retention, you might start wishing one of those gnomes on the label could lend you a pint-sized shovel to make your way through it.  However try to leave about the last quarter inch/one centimetre left in the bottom of the bottle, that’s the yeast sediment from the bottle conditioning, and although it’s not harmful in any way (in fact it’s bursting with B vitamins!), it may detract from the overall flavour.  Once it’s finally all in the glass, you’ll find a hazy golden ale, that still has quite a brilliant lustre for an ale that isn’t transparent.  Now the aroma is somewhat mild, however you might notice some lemon and tangerine zest, and perhaps some wet green grassy hops, and even some spice.  I’ll confess that the texture of La Chouffe is one of my favourite aspects, offering up a light and effervescent mouthfeel, nearly champagne-like with a dry quenching finish.  The flavour does not disappoint either, starting off with light wheat grains, followed by something of an orange sweetness, coriander building to a finish blended with mild grassy hops and some spiciness, then some spice lingering in the aftertaste joined by a well masked alcohol warmth.  Not too complex at first it seems but there’s enough goodness there to keep one coming back for more as this golden ale presents itself in several thin layers.  In the end greater than the sum of its parts.

The subtle complexities of La Chouffe also come out and shine in attempts to pair it with food.  It’s a definite winner to serve first with appetizers or hors d’oeuvres, and shines with cheeses, especially smoked, woody and hard cheeses.  Even alone before the meal as an aperitif.  Pairs well with white fish such as sole, tilapia, cod or monkfish, and will surprise you along with your next batch of fish ‘n chips (including the malt vinegar on the chips).  Holds its own with anything from duck to old world sausages, and has enough backbone to compliment Cajun and Thai dishes that aren’t too overtly spicy.  A fairly versatile strong golden Belgian ale, and the magnum bottle is a great option to bring along to dinner parties.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
McChouffe
N’Ice Chouffe
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

In-Style:
Duvel
Don de Dieu - Unibroue
Delerium Tremens
Affligem Blond
Brooklyn Local 1 - Brooklyn Brewery

Lateral Steps:
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Erdinger Weissbier
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse

For The Adventurous:
Deus
Malheur Brut
La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue
Le Merle - North Coast Brewing

Style: India Red Ale
ABV: 5.3%
Presentation: 650 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Rogue
Country: Oregon, U.S.A.

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Some of you out there in the crowd have already recognized what this is all about, but for those not in the know (or without cable t.v.) I’ll bring you up to snuff.  The man from the title of this ale is the captain of a crab fishing ship called the Northwestern on the show The Deadliest Catch, and has appeared on every season so far. A dedicated man who has been fishing since he was 14, and even used to cut school to do it.  He begun fishing full-time after high school, and started running the Northwestern at the age of 24.  Part of the current crew are Captain Sig Hansen’s brothers Edgar and Norman, and this offering from Rogue is dedicated to the 3 Hansen brothers.  Not only that, but a portion of the proceeds go towards the Fisherman’s Fund, a non-profit organization set up by the Hansen families to help benefit Pacific Northwest charities.

Rogue has come up with a bit of a curious anomaly by labelling this as an India Red Ale.  Traditionally a red ale tends to be fairly balanced, with sweet and lightly toasted malt, usually focusing on the malt.  A few breweries keep the malt sweetness but lean towards a more bitter, hoppy intensity, yet this is not the norm.  By adding “India” to the style one can only deduce that this India Red Ale is akin to an India Pale Ale, which is defined by a higher alcohol percentage and an intense hoppy presence.  So rather than remaining an anomaly, Rogue decided to openly account for that extra hop presence within this style and relabel it.  Or so I’m assuming…  Let’s check it out!

A pint glass or mug will work fine for this stuff, and perhaps let it sit 5 or 10 minutes after removing the bottle from the fridge before you open it and pour.  From this India Pale Ale expect a deep cloudy nutty amber appearance, with a tall frothy cinnamon coloured head.  There’s a clean malty aroma, with floral and citrus notes, and mild earthy spice.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a smooth, clean texture.  Now rather than a caramel sweetness to the flavour you’ll encounter an earthy toasted malt at first, with balanced grassy, herbal, citrus hops on the finish.  It’s only in the aftertaste where it picks up any real bitter hoppy intensity, with a soft astringency and some white grapefruit zest.  Certainly closer to the English IPA style of hopping than the American, and even along the lines with the malt.  I’d go a step further than Rogue and label this an English India Red Ale.

Rogue recommends pairing this India Red Ale with beef and seafood, and I can only imagine Alaskan King Crab being what they predominantly had in mind (wink wink).  The earthy and herbal qualities would also pair well a pork or lamb roast, and oddly enough this would balance out a decent shrimp scampi quite nicely.  Or perhaps keep a couple handy for the next time you’re watching an episode of The Deadliest Catch, and cheer on Captain Sig.  Hey, the man works so hard they named a beer after him.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
American Amber
St. Rogue Red
Kell’s Irish Lager
Brutal Bitter
Chipotle Ale
Chocolate Stout
Dad’s Little Helper
Dead Guy Ale
Double Dead Guy
Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Juniper Pale Ale
Mocha Porter
Morimoto Black Soba Ale
Shakespeare Stout
Summer Orange Honey Ale
Santa’s Private Reserve
Younger’s Special Bitter
XS Imperial Porter
XS Imperial IPA
XS Imperial Red
XS Imperial Stout
XS Old Crustacean Barleywine
XS Younger’s Special Bitter

Other Amber Ales:
Yukon Red
Fish Tale Amber Ale
Broken Rake Amber Ale

Lateral Steps:
Yukon Ice Fog
Samuel Smith’s India Pale Ale
Marston’s Old Empire Ale

For The Adventurous:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Tree Hophead
Olde Deuteronomy - Alley Kat

Style:  English Pale Ale
ABV:  4.7%
Presentation:  500 ml brown bottle
Brewery:  Fuller Smith & Turner PLC
Country:  England, UK

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

It states “Outstanding Premium Ale” on the label of this English Pale Ale, and although I’ve had beer labels lie to me in the past, this one most certainly lives up to its own bold claim. Although there have been several changes in ownership, beer has been produced on the grounds of this Chiswick located brewery for over 350 years now, and presently most of their ales are exemplars of its own particular style. London Pride is no exception as this brewery‘s flagship offering, and if you’ve yet to discover the full rounded flavours that the world of ales has to offer, consider this one of the finest invitations and introductions that you can get.

One thing to keep in mind with the English style Pale Ale is that in general it tends to be a bit more balanced than its younger American version cousin, and if anything will lean more towards the sweeter maltier side of the flavour profile, therefore being a more approachable option for people who haven’t developed a taste for bolder hop character.

This ale is ideally enjoyed slightly chilled, but not quite room temperature, in order to fully appreciate the balanced nuances within the flavour. A pint glass or mug will serve just fine. Expect a transparent rustic copper amber appearance from this London Pride, with a foamy white head. Within the aroma, if the ale is not too cold, you should be able to pick out notes of crisp sweet malt, toffee, even some buttered bread, while the combination of 3 different hop varieties exude a grassy, spicy nature that is earthy yet possesses a soft citrus zest. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, and balanced between a light smooth roundness with enough carbonation to provide a crisp finish. Lastly the balance continues in the flavour where at first the malt provides the palate a buttery, toasted toffee that blends smoothly with mild earthy and herbal hops in the finish, which offers a crisp finish but doesn’t overpower the backbone of the malt.

For those of you who enjoy having a few of the same beers in a sitting this English Pale Ale is ideal for a session ale. With food it is pretty versatile, pairing well with your favourite comfort foods, while more specifically being an excellent dance partner with savoury foods, grilled meats, roasted chicken and turkey, Cajun dishes, and pasta dishes with white sauce. Heck, even the empty sturdy brown half litre bottles are perfect for you home brewers in the crowd to hang on to. Is there anything that London Pride can’t do? I don’t think so.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
ESB Ale
Vintage Ale
Organic Honeydew Ale

In-Style:
Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale
Pedigree Pale Ale
Bass Pale Ale

Lateral Steps:
Innis And Gunn Oak Aged Beer
O’Hanlons Yellowhammer
Hobgoblin - Wychwood

For The Adventurous:
Lead Dog Ale - Yukon Brewing
Brooklyn Monster Ale
Maximus - Lagunitas

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:  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