I have to say that Fearless IPA from Deadfrog is amazing eventhough they mostly have pretty terrible beers. Any thoughts on a great beer from a brewer that is mostly meh?
Hmmm... interesting question. A canadian one-hit wonder of sorts? I really liked Brasseurs de Montreal's Ghost town despite the rest of their bottled stuff being under par. You really have to like anise though.
I thought that was a good beer also plus the Kona coffee stout was decent . Also Pacific Western makes a nice 9% Doppelbock in tall cans which is their only decent beer.
They aren't crap, but I completely agree they are "meh" for the most part, along with many others. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14598 I did pick up Fearless, purely based on canucklehead's recommendation. I keep hoping they'll bust out with something great, Citra IPA was almost there.
Should have retitled the thread Best beer from a Meh brewer in Canada. has anyone tried the IPA from Cariboo aka Pacific Western? I only wonder if it is better than Bowen's IPA which is a good value for under $9 a six pack
Agreed on the Bowen IPA... Definitely a great value play! . Unfortunately don't have access to it now that I live in Ontario, but definitely tossed back a few 6-er's when I lived in Alberta.
I have never been impressed with what Boreale has put out. Their dark is ok, but all else I have tried is a mediocre at best. However, they recently made an unfiltered IPA. I was skeptical, but I tried it and it was really good. Have gone though several six packs in the last few weeks!
I tried Fearless based on this thread and really enjoyed it. Granville Island's Chocolate Imperial Stout is good, as well. I don't think it's brewed in the same place as all of their crap beers, though.
The Granville Island Hef. fresh on tap was mighty nice. I can't honestly say I've had enough of their beers to think of them as 'crap', but I do lump them into the 'macro' catagory in my mind.
GIB's Imperial Chocolate has been hit or miss to be honest. The first year (when it wasn't an Imperial), it was fantastic...A lot like a nice dry Irish stout with a solid chocolate infusion. However, I recall a couple years ago buying several bottles that were infected (sour/nasty flavour). I have a feeling they have figured out that issue and am pretty excited to try their Chocolate Imperial this year. I have a feeling that this is brewed by Vern at the original Granville Island brewhouse. Please, anybody correct me if I'm wrong.
The GIB Hefe is absolutely a great beer. It's been around for a while and, like their Lions Winter Ale, is a kind of a staple in my fridge. It may be a Molson product deep down, but damn it's tasty.
I must strongly disagree, GIB's hefe is one of the weakest, wateriest hefes I've ever had, but to each their own. I haven't had Lions Winter Ale in years but I recall liking it, I guess I'd need to try it again to see if it's changed in the last half decade. I guess I'll have to go with Headstock as well. Nothing else I've had from NB has been very impressive but I really liked this one. And I'm saddened by all the Dead Elephant dissing. In the grand scheme of things yeah, it's not a very good IPA, but it's one of the first IPAs I ever had (and the only one reliably available in my hometown up until ~a year ago), and I probably never would have gotten into the style without it around. Because of its relatively mild hoppiness, it's perfect for people who would rather get into the style by wading into the shallow end (although I recognize that this same trait is precisely why seasoned craft beer drinkers think it's so mediocre). EDIT: I guess the DE bashing was in another thread. Oh well, it still applies since Railway City doesn't really make anything especially good. That's what I get for posting at 8 AM before my brain is turned on
Tried Hop Therapy from Russell last night and was blown away. I know they're not a crap brewery by any stretch of the imagination, or even a 'meh' one, but they don't get the same level of recognition as many BC brewers so I figured I mention them in this thread. If you like Imperial IPA, you need to try this one. I'd go as far as to say it ties Central City Imperial as the best Canadian DIPA I've had. Quite similar to Green Flash's Palate Wrecker.
Russell has come a long way from being strictly meh but they need to overhaul their basic lineup much like Lighthouse has done in the last year.
I'll second that recognition for the Hop Therapy. I'm not a huge Russell fan, but it really shocked me as well. I found it had some similar characteristics to Central City's Imperial, and it really gave the 'ol palate a workout.
Belle Gueule Hefeweizen from Brasseurs RJ. Very solid brew and right on style... which was really surprising from them.
I've got lots of Hop Thearpy in stock! And yes, it's a pretty damn good dipa. Up there with CC and Maximus
I really like the d'Achouffe beers from RJ, especially the Brune. I guess they have a moderately high rating here on BA too
I am somewhat inclined to enter Cameron's Rye PA in to this cateogry. Everything else I have had from Cameron's is terrible, including their attempts to barrel age.
Might as well throw their Deviator in there as well for Camerons, a really good doppelbock. Bourbon barrel version ain't too bad either.
That is why I said "somewhat". That said, the Deviator is nothing I would go out of my way for, depsite it not being a bad beer. I have yet to have the barrel aged version yet, so the jury is still out on that one from my point of view.
I really enjoyed the French Oak Stout from Dead Frog. ONe of my personal favorite stouts, to be honest, but yeah, everything else was quite a let down. Hoptical Illusion from Flying Monkeys was another one that I really love, but I can't back up the rest of the selection.
I heard some good comments about Labatt Porter. I'd like to try it if only international shipping didn't cost a bazillion dollars to AND from Canada.
Is that even still being brewed? I've never seen it in Ontario or Newfoundland. On the porter note, I remember years ago liking Sleeman's Porter. Mind you, this was the first porter I ever had because it was the first and only "plain" porter (there is Storm's Coffee Porter) in Newfoundland for a very, very long time. I've always wanted to revisit it, but I cannot justify buying a 12 pack to do so!
I'm coming completely out of left field on this one, but Trafalgar Maple Bock. It's a terrible beer, make no mistake but it's not worthy of it's spot on the bottom 100, and the concept of brewing a Maple Bock does not seem flawed to me.
I agree with the basic gist of your argument (that Maple Bock is bad, but not "Bottom 100" bad), but if I had to pick 'the best' beer from Trafalgar, I don't think the bock would enter into consideration. I'd go with their India Ink, which, while completely inferior to every other black ale I've ever had, is at least a halfway decent drink for the most part. Their 2011 Hop Nouveau wasn't entirely awful either - didn't try this year's though, because I've vowed not to risk wasting any more money on their beers. That Cherry Ale I tried last summer was sort of the last straw.
