Cask | Love Good Beer

R ussell Brewing emailed me today announcing their first limited release beer Russell IP’eh, a Canadian IPA, eh? We have a significant history with Russell (which you can read about here, here, and here); one of the criticisms we had of them was that their beer was rather uninteresting. It is for this reason we are happy to see Russell branching out with a bolder limited release. Erik and I actually tried a cask of Russell prototype IPA at a Dix Cask Thursday in the not too distant past. The beer we tried was delicious, hoppy, and well balanced. If this limited release is of the same recipe, then I eagerly await this beer. Of recent BC IPA releases, it would surpass Granville Island’s Brockton IPA and give Central City a run for their money. We are only speculating at this point, but we have our hopes and we’ll definitely be giving this one a try.

No specific release date was mentioned, but we were told that the IP’eh will be available in draught form. There will also be 1500 650ml bottles sold at Brewery Creek, Darby’s Liquor Store, Firefly Fine Wines and Ales and Liberty Wine Merchants in Vancouver. If you see it, purchase this rare bottle and give it a shot.

Cheers,

Chris

I have been battling a cold all week. For a person who loves food and beer, a cold is far more than a runny nose and a sore throat – a cold renders taste buds useless, clearly it is evil in its purest form. I have not been able to taste anything all week which has made for a somewhat mundane week. I was saddened to arrive at DIX Cask Thursday with a numbed pallet. The company at DIX was quite enjoyable, but both ales, which I am told were delicious, tasted only of bitterness. Now both Cask beers were quite hop heavy and bitterness is to be expected; however, I missed all of the subtleties and nuances that the brewer has intended for. Fortunately I am well on my way to recovery and should be in good drinking condition this Sunday for the cask at The Whip.

Prior to this cold destroying one of life’s greatest pleasures, I found a great ale house/beer bar in Everett, Washington last Sunday. This unintentional last hurrah for my taste buds took place at the poorly named Flying Pig Brewing Company. I have read that the Flying Pig was once a brewpub, but recently stopped brewing and now only serves local Northwest craft beer. Their selection of beer is quite impressive, but I do think a name change would be in good order.

After getting over the fact that no beer was brewed on site I ordered a pint of Hood Canal Oatmeal Stout. This stout has a delicious roasted malt flavour and a thick mouth feel. I had no choice but to order the pulled pork sandwich – my love for pulled pork is bordering on obsession. It wasn’t the greatest pulled pork, but nothing to complain about either. My wife order a pint of Alaskan Pale Ale, and from the sips I manage to steal, it was quite tasty. All in all it was a great place for a Sunday lunch.

I did manage to snap a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.