BRB Brewing Co. Sampling

BRB Brewing Co. Sampling

Tim, Shane, Liam, Michelle and I decided to venture out to NY Grill (local pub) to attend BRB Brewing Co's "TapTakeOver" 2017. It is an ingenious idea run by this small batch brewery out of Richmond and has taken place in numerous locations throughout the Fraser Valley. I had first heard of their collaboration with KPU Brewing a few weeks back and I was ecstatic to hear they were coming to our neck of the woods.

Upon arriving in the NY Grill, we were immediately greeted by two smiling sales reps for BRB and they were quick to offer four different samples from their mobile keggerator - a blonde ale, english light ale, pale ale and oatmeal stout.

Although I wasn't entirely sold on the blonde ale, it seemed to be a hit with Tim and Liam. It was the English Mild Ale and East Coast Pale Ale that began to win me over, and the Oatmeal Stout that solidified me as a fan of this brewery. As one of the only breweries in Richmond, I am relieved to know that they can brew a mean small batch and I finally have a sanctuary to visit when I am stuck taking classes at the Richmond KPU campus in the Spring.

Thank you, BRB. You have built it, and we will come.

Blonde Ale	English Mild Ale	East Coast Pale Ale	Oatmeal Stout
3.6	4.1	4.2	4.7

The Oatmeal Stout is now the second highest rating ever given out by the Council.

Tim and I are hoping to check out their facility on Wednesday. More updates to come!

To Beer or not to Beer

Week 1 - To Beer or not to Beer

Kyle's Pick - Brewery & Beer #1 - This beer is called the Bucking Sheep (Buckwheat IPA) from Deadfrog Brewing in Aldergrove, B.C. A smart marketing campaign goes along with this product as they pit "light and darkness" together in both of their new products. I do look forward to trying the Bucking Black Sheep IPA, which is the Bucking Sheep's darker equivalent, I just hope it offers more than its lighter counterpart.

Deadfrog describes this beer as, "An attempt to capture the unique attributes of buckwheat and counter the rich flavour with a burst of bright Citra hops. I want a light, airy body with a strong head retention and minimal malt profile to accentuate the buckwheat hops."

I've been a fan of Deadfrog for a while. I had heard of them around the time that they were sued by Sleeman (owned by Sapporo) for their clear glass bottles (which they won) and I loved it when they had a Dragon buy-in for a $500,000 investment. I just hope their next beer we bring in will be something the Council will like. It was given an average score of 3.1/5.

Kyle's opinion on this beer, "I'm okay with being buckwheat free since '83."



Mike's Pick - Brewery & Beer #2  -This beer is called the Fat Tire (Amber Ale) from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado. One of the most engaging, interesting and innovative websites around, with advertisements that are hilarious. All of us had high hopes going into this one, but unfortunately the Council felt it fell somewhat short of expectations.

New Belgium describes this beer as a amber and bright visual with sweet biscuty and caramel malts, as well as a subtle note of fresh fennel and green aroma. The flavour is quoted as a, "toasty malt, gentle sweetness, flash of fresh hop bitterness. The malt and hops are perfectly balanced." Although our American friends swear by this beer, we were unable to develop the same attachment. It was given an average score of 2.7/5.

Mike's Opinion of this beer, "I opened a full-bodied beer, left it out, went for a swim, started to rain, came back and found this."




Brewery & Beer #3 - Tim's Picks - This beer is called OREgasmic Ale made by Rogue Ales out of New Port, Oregon. I respect that it is made from 100% Oregon ingredients, but this was our lowest rank beer yet. They tout it as, "Orange-amber in color, malty aroma, spicy fruity hop flavor with solid malt background and lingering finish." Let this be our benchmark for Oregon, so breweries can only go upwards from here.

We hold hope in Rogue Farms as a credible brewery, so they will definitely get another shot in the near future. Perhaps their American Amber Ale?

Overall the Council gave an average score of 2.5/5 on this beer.

Tim's opinion on this beer, "It was my first OREgasmic experience, and I don't know what all the hype was about. I was able to find the citrus early on, but it was overwhelming and a little too fruity for my liking. I was left with a bitter after-tone and it had me rethinking my choices."




Brewery & Beer #4 - Matt's Pick - This beer is called Sasquatch Stout from the Old Yale Brewing Co. out of Chilliwack, BC. Old Yale describes this beer as a, "Black and robust stout with a lot of body, just like the mysterious animal itself! Brewed with oats and roasted chocolate malts."

It truly is full-bodied and the burnt chocolate taste is quite refreshing, but overall, we're just breaking into the stout scene and this may have been reflected in the rating. Although Matt gave it is a 3.5, the average score ended up at 3.2/5.

Matt's opinion on this beer, "Pairs perfectly with life."



Brewery & Beer #5 - Bonus Beer - Our bonus beer is something we bring in as a unique flavour and surprise to the Council meeting. This beer is called gose-uh from the Driftwood Brewery out of Victoria, BC. Driftwood describes this beer as, "A unique and rare style of wheat beer called Gose, pronounced 'gose-uh'. Our version of Gose is brewed in a very traditional method (without the yeast plug) and presents as dry, tart, effertvesent and citrusy. It is an amazing refresher on a hot summer's day!"

Tim and I (Kyle) agree on this. We absolutely loved this brew and gave it the highest rating the Council has given to-date. Matt and Mike disagreed, but it still received an average score of 3.9/5.
   

Council's Verdict

Beer Name	Kyle	Tim	Mike	Matt	Average Rating
Bucking Sheep	3.0	3.2	2.9	3.3	3.1
Fat Tire Amber	3.1	2.7	2.7	2.6	2.7
OREgasmic Ale	2.0	2.4	2.8	2.5	2.5
Sasquatch Stout	3.2	3.1	2.8	3.5	3.2
Bonus Beer: Gose-Uh	4.4	4.6	3.3	3.2	3.9

Sources: Deadfrog Brewing Company - http://www.deadfrog.ca/ BeerMeBC - http://beermebc.com/2014/09/13/two-bucking-sheep-new-beer-from-dead-frog-brewery/ New Belgium Brewing - http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/detail.aspx?id=7c5b394b-d7b7-486a-ac9a-316256a7b0ee New Belgium Brewing 30-second ad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRNDHij3wuU Rogue Brewing - http://www.rogue.com/roguebeers/ Old Yale Brewing - http://www.oldyalebrewing.com/ Driftwood Brewing - http://driftwoodbeer.com/