Tag Archives: gary lohin

Thor’s Hammer Barley Wine in bottles

thor's hammer barley wineThor’s Hammer by Central City brewmaster Gary Lohin was the first barley wine I ever tasted.  It was five years ago at the Central City brewpub in Surrey and it was one of the first times a beer every blew me away.  I’ve tasted similarly good or better barley wines since, but I’ll never forget that first sip of the golden nectar of the gods.

If you don’t know, barley wine is very strong beer that is often very sweet and aged a long time to both add flavour and subdue the high alcohol content.  Barley wines usually come out around Christmas time and are warming, festive drinks, perfect for dulling the harshness of relatives.

You used to only be able to get Thor’s Hammer at special beer events or in the Central City Brewpub (or at Sailor Hagars before that).  This past summer Central City released a limited collection that included Oak Aged Thor’s Hammer and now, for the first time, they are releasing a bottled run at the appropriate time of year.  Thor’s Hammer jostles with Driftwood Old Cellar Dweller for the title of best barley wine in BC and is a must buy for BC beer nerds.

It should hit stores in Vancoucer this week or next, likely on a Thursday.  If you don’t want to miss out (only 99 cases made), I suggest you like Brewery Creek or Legacy on Facebook to get their notifications.

Cheers,

Chris

Central City New Limited Edition Collection

Central City Brewing has been one of British Columbia’s top breweries since they first opened.  Gary Lohin, Central City’s brewmaster, makes great beer and has proven that great products sell – its that simple.  Red Racer IPA, a mainstay amongst westcoast hopheads, consistently wins top awards when entered into competition and is a shinning example of how great a hop forward West Coast IPA can be.

Central City is growing rapidly and is expanding their brewing operations to keep up with demand.  This means more great beer will soon hit store shelves.  This is great news as availabitliy of some of Central City’s greatest beers has been limited to select beer-centric establishments and at their Surrey based brewpub. But this is about to change.

May 31st marked the launch of Central City’s limited edition collection.  The first of a three part offering (on store shelves as of May 31) is a well hopped Imperial IPA.  Thor’s Hammer Barley Wine and a Bourbon Barrel aged version of Thor’s Hammer is also planned for release shortly.  All three of these new releases are top quality beers.  An aged Thor’s Hammer was my first barley wine and it has remained a prefference since.

I look forward to all three releases, even though it may not be the best time to release a big barley wine (its more of a winter seasonal).  But the only rule that truly matters in the craft beer industy is make good beer – Central City has no problem with this.

Cheers,

Erik

IPA Season

The spring season is finally here; the sun is shinning, the earth is slowly warming, the trees are beginning to blossom, my garden plants are sprouting and India Pale Ale is now is season.  My latest IPA that I started  six weeks ago has finally finished bottle conditioning and is now fit for enjoyable consumption, although it is still somewhat green and could use another three weeks to fully come together.

My IPA is not the only IPA of the spring season; many other brewers have used the early spring or late winter to launch their own IPA offering.  Central City Brewing, Russell Brewing, and Granville Island Brewing have all recently launched an IPA into the market to compete for the growing hophead  demographic.  I am most excited about Central City’s Empire IPA and, although it has been sitting on store shelves for quite some time, I have yet to pour it out of a can in the comfort of my own home.  Gary Lohin of Central City Brewing is one of British Columbia’s most talented brewmasters and he has yet to disappoint me.

I am less excited, yet still quite hopeful, about the Russell and Granville Island IPAs.  Both brewers have shown they know how to craft a delicious IPA, yet have a tendency to water down their beer to reach a larger market.  Granville Island’s past seasonal IPA was delicious and Russell’s IPA Cask served recently at DIX was flavorful and well hopped.  As previously mentioned, I am not a huge hophead and hope that both the Granville Island and Russell IPAs make great summer beers.

Granville Island’s IPA, named Brockton IPA, and Central City’s IPA have both been available for some time now.  Russell Brewing’s IPA has yet to reach liquor stores and I cannot provide a date when this new offering will be available.  I recommend visiting Rick Green’s Blog for updates on upcoming beer releases; Rick has an immense knowledge about BC’s beer scene.

As for my IPA, which as yet to be named, it is malty and not overly hopped, but sadly will only be available to those who stop by for a visit or to those who invite me over for dinner.

Cheers,

Erik

Central City Brewing

We pushed through the snow this weekend and visited Central City Brewing in the classy city of Surrey, and it was good.

Of all the places to drink beer, I think that a brewpub is one of the best. To me a good brewpub is all about their beer – the menu, atmosphere and, of course, the drinks should all be based around their own beer. A good brewpub takes pride in their beer and all of their beer should carry a signature flavor of the brewery and brewmaster. The Stout should taste radically different from the Pale Ale, yet still carry a signature style that is unique the brewery.

At most modern pubs, the beer that is served is shipped in from all around the world and the beer lacks a local flavor. Historically, every city or town large enough would have its own brewery and sometimes a signature style of beer. A Kölsch, brewed in Köln, is one of my favorite German ales and is a perfect example of a beer with a local flavor. A true Kölsch comes from Köln and will have a flavor that can only be reproduced in Köln (Many brewers outside of Köln are brewing great Kölsch style beers). I love brewpubs because they serve good beer that is unique and with a local flavor.

Central City's Bock, IPA, Red Ale, Stout

Central City

Central City Brewing serves great beer – their lineup during our visit included:

Light Lager
Bock
Red Ale
Pale Ale
India Pale Ale
Stout
Wheat Ale
Raspberry Wheat Ale
Winter Ale (Seasonal)
Barley Wine (Sailor Hagar’s Thor’s Hammer)

Sadly I was the driver and did not have a chance to taste all of their beer. Chris, a passenger, had a sample of each beer available and, if asked nicely, I’m sure he will gladly share his opinions. I was fortunate enough to be with friends who let me taste their beers. All of their beer was good and nothing disappointing, but a few didn’t blow me away.

Central City’s Bock and IPA were the two standout beers (excluding the barley wine) – even though I did not have a chance to have full pint of either. The Bock, with a medium malt flavor and somewhat spicy hop finish, is a great first step into the world of beer for that friend we all have who only drinks lager. The IPA is fantastically hopped with the distinct citrus flavor and aroma of west coast hops, this is a beer for beer lovers. Overall, their beer is straight forward – no need to reinvent the wheel, with enough creativity to create a flavor unique to Central City Brewing.

The menu was good, serving a range of classic Canadian pub dishes. The Chef incorporated Central City’s beer into the menu perfectly, using beer as a braising liquid, in batters, cakes and more. I don’t think anyone was disappointed with their food.

The service was the only disappointment of the evening. I don’t like to be overly critical of servers; working in the service industry must be tough, seeing as the world has more than its fair share of jerks. Our server clearly didn’t have a passion for beer, describing their winter ale as “bitter” in a less than confident tone. After ordering their winter ale I can tell you that it is not very bitter and has a nice malty flavor. Everyone, even servers, are allowed to have off-days, I am going to assume this was an off-day for our server.

Barley Wine

Barley Wine

The real highlight of my evening was Sailor Hagar’s Thor’s Hammer barley wine. Barley wine is a real treat for me – it is served so rarely and is hard to find at most liquor stores in the Fraser Valley. This beer, brewed at Sailor Hagar’s in North Vancouver, strays from my concept of what makes a good brewpub. However, this beer was still brewed locally at the now non-brewpub, Sailor Hagar’s, and is so distinct from everything else available at Central City that I feel serving this beer is more than acceptable. Additionally, Central City’s brewmaster, Gary Lohin, is the original creator of this beer and the former brewmaster at Sailor Hagar’s. This particular brew was aged for 18 month and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Typical of most barley wines, it is complex with a strong toffee flavor and a more subtle roasted coffee and chocolate flavour. Rumor has it that Sailor Hagar’s in North Vancouver is currently serving an 8 year old Thor’s Hammer barley wine. Needless to say, I will be making my way out to North Vancouver to give it a try.

Central City Brewing is a great place for good beer and good food. It is the perfect place to take your friends that like beer, but don’t necessarily love beer. None of their beer is overly complicated, excluding the barley wine, and will not intimidate those we are not familiar with micro-brewed beer. The Fraser Valley has very few pubs and restaurants with a good selection of microbrew – it is good to have Central City so close by.

Erik