#BeerSaturday is at week 230 we are inching gracefully into Beer Giftpack season!
Source: https://www.pinterest.pt/goldensaintbeer/ with a little Zeke design on top.
I became a beer blogger naturally because of years spent brewing for myself, technology and marketing consulting for our brewery clients, and the decades spent imbibing combine. Naturally, I have adorned the self-decreed title of the #Blockchain #Beerologist.
For week 230, I have have officially started the holiday season and tear into a gift pack of IPAs!
Shorty of the Week!
The Shorty of the Week is my departure from the preferred pint-sized serving of beer, and a nice small snack-sized, craft beer for the fridge. Generally a limited run brew, and the perfect small beer when a full pint would be too much.
This short, dark and handsome beverage it Trent Severn Rye Pale Ale https://black-swan-brewing.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/trent-severn by one of my local favourite breweries, Black Swan Brewing https://www.blackswanbrewing.ca/ It was originally brewed a few years ago in conjunction with a local, award nominated musical group Trent Severn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent_Severn Compared to then, the ale is a little darker and maltier than I remember but it continues my streak of never having met a Rye ale I didn't like. Slightly strong, and relatively hoppy, the malt seems to take the edge off and give you a sweeter taste. Damn good to see it available again for a limited time.
IPA Give'r PAck
Being the Blockchain Beerologist and posting weekly to #beerSaturday, these gift packs are basically a blog in a box. Nice packaging so it is a good gift, a variety of beers to discover and review, I just can't help myself. When they are all IPAs, well that makes it even better as that is my jam.
As you can see, this one is from Railway City Brewing Co. https://www.railwaycitybrewing.com/ which I have reviewed a few times over the years, but really don't know too much about. They were founded in 2008 and I discovered them a few years later because of their summer seasonal Orange Creamsicale https://www.railwaycitybrewing.com/orange-creamsicale/ Lets see how they IPA!
Hudson 2850 - West Coast IPA
Seeing as it was West Coast IPAs which first stood out from the IPA classification for me, I decided to start with Hudson 2850 West Coast IPA Seeing the prominent 2850 appearing twice on the label branding, I was prepared for a neat little story behind the namesake of the beer. The website is a little sparse on the details which really is a shame. Those extra key words related to the brand is valuable and would help search engines include the beer and brewery in more searches.
Luckily, the side panel on the can succinctly tells the tale. The abridged version is that just before World War 2, Queen Elizabeth and King George VI travelled across Canada on a Hudson Class steam train and loved it. That's a neat little history lesson that helps you learn while you drink!
History buffs will like that story but Beerologists are more drawn to the well-done third panel of beer details. It wears the official seal of the OCB https://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/ which is an association of 80+ small craft brewers here in the province of Ontario. The design with the staggered squares is a little distracting but you will see a hearty 80 IBU, and a couple old school hops along with Lemon Drop which I have never heard of before now.
Solid beer and a neat addition to the West Coast classification I would drink again!
Juice Caboose!
I may have purchased this gift pack so eagerly as it included the Railway City branded glass which is a nice touch for a beer blog. It makes the beer taste a little better knowing it is how the brewers wanted you to drink it as different shaped glasses makes a difference. This Juicy IPA may seem familiar to my regular beer-drinkin' buddies as I have featured it before. It is one of their Mainline series that runs all year.
The manic but informative side panel seems to match a little better with the psychedelic 60s theme on the label. Juice Caboose https://www.railwaycitybrewing.com/juice-caboose/ may simply be a play on words but you don't really have to be that deep in your branding to get a juicy IPA in my face. It is actually a New England style IPA with its hops and I love me a Mosaic/Citra hop combo for maximum taste and citrus sweetness. The El Dorado hop is well done and not overwhelmingly dry like you often find and I definitely like this beer. Why I haven't entertained it for my coveted top 10, I may never know. Seeing how good it is and it's year round availability, I will have to consider it when I update my list! Maybe I will have to sample all my favourites for a year end review and refresh of my top 10.
#BEERSaturday!
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