A Triumvirate From Hoyne Brewing - (What, you thought I was dead?)

Well, now. Nice to see you again.

"So what happened to the damnbeerblogger?" folks have been asking, as well they might. As it turns out, nothing particularly interesting, just the humdrum everyday excuse of not having enough time to keep up with a blog and a house and an increased writing workload and a full-time job. Beer blog went from back burner to shelf to back of the freezer to crammed-in-an-old-cardboard-box-in-the-attic. Nine months I had kept it up, but no more.

However, a few things have re-energized me recently. Firstly, an unexpected bumping into Dean&Liz reminded me of all the interesting folks that I've met as a result of starting this blog. And then there was the electrifying news that Singularity is about to drop: the very beer that kicked thingsoff in the first place for me.

So, time to dust of the 'ol keyboard (the pint-glass doesn't need dusting-off: THAT I never took a break from), and ease back into things with a trio from Victoria's newest brewery.

Hoyne Brewing boasts a history of quality, and fair enough given Sean Hoyne's CV: Swan's then Canoe, then this. While my initial reaction was, "Where did these guys spring from?" it's more evidence that Victoria is Brewtown, BC; a centre where a thriving pub culture and local support mean that the answer to the question "Do we really need another brewery?" is an unreserved "Yes!"

I miss you, Victoria (but more on that later).

The first of our three is Devil's Dream IPA, and if you are thinking of opening a brewery and NOT offering an IPA, then gooood luck. Wait, didn't Driftwood get away with that for a while. Oh well, never mind: IPA is now a recognized and demanded style for your West Coaster and, as I'm a hop-head, I had some interest in seeing whether this beer would make its way into regular rotation.

It's good... but no. Despite the fiddler on the label, definitely not an East-Coast IPA, the Devil's Dream is very hoppy and acerbic, but doesn't pack a huge resiny wallop, more a balanced malt profile. Nice citrus smell, pale malts, bitter finish, nice but wouldn't stand up to a Fat Tug.

 This, though, was much better. I'm really coming around to the Pale Ale as an easy-drinkin' alternative to getting your papillae blitzed by hop-forward IPAs, and this lovely, malty beer something in the style of the Moon Under Water's beers. And not too shy on the hops either. A very nicely rounded beer, and most assuredly the proper beer to introduce yourself to Hoyne with.

Yes, that's "bock." With a "b." Ignore the big.... chicken.

What a world we live in where 6.5% and a "strong beer" label immediately has me rolling my eyes. But enough on the labels, how does this beer stand on merit? Not too bad actually, though it's not really... I suppose the nice thing to say would be "it's approachable." There's none of the big maltiness of a European bock, but then, it's still quite tasty.

Overall, a decent debut, though nothing earth-shatteringly delicious. Not pictured: the Hoyner Pilsner I neglected to get (next time). 

Having dipped my toe, a catch-up post is in order. Then next week.... the Singularity approaches.

Damnbeerblogger Doesn't Live Here Anymore

It is with mixed feelings that I sit down to write this post, very likely my last one from Victoria, and certainly the last one I'll write from this apartment. Over the past few months, certain things have come together that are resulting in a move back to the mainland, specifically, North Vancouver.

It's a move from mostly-sunny to mostly-rainy. From the home of the cricketers to the home of the Canucks. From a place where people drive like they've had a stroke to where they drive like they're having an aneurysm.

I'm having mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, missing the entirety of VCBW because work commitments meant the four+ hours of ferry travel back and forth were unworkable have sort of highlighted the drawbacks of Island Life. Certainly, it is with a great deal of anticipation that I look forward to being able to attend some of the fourteen trillion cask events CAMRA Vancouver seems to put on every month. Plus, we've bought a house with a basement, and that means homebrewing. I look forward to having you all over for blind taste tests, and by that, I meant taste-testing that may result in blindness. You can't spell "IPA" without "Antifreeze".

But Victoria's been very good to me. I've a great deal of fondness for both the brewing community here and the enthusiasts who spread the gospel. Probably nowhere else in Canada will you find such a huge amount of support for pub culture, and such camaraderie among the blogging community.

So, if you've been looking to me for information on local brews, then you'll need to start looking somewhere else. Actually, If you've been looking to me for information, then you clearly have a few other, more serious, problems. At best, I provide a blend of information and entertainment.

I call it, "entermation".

Even if you're not local, you should be reading these guys: Dan's Small Beer blog is what got me into this whole blogging thing: it's often got big-picture stuff you won't find elsewhere. Ian's left4beer brings a serious bent to things: if you're looking for a review that, y'know, actually describes what the beer tastes like, then it's the place to go. Dave is the guy to go to if you want poutine. Actually, he's probably the most active at keeping Beer On The Rock current and happening: it's a sort of beery Superfriends site that combines the efforts of all of them.

There's others too. Obviously you need to keep an eye on CAMRA Victoria as there's a sea-change coming there that's going to see an increased social media presence along with continued excellence in getting premium draft guest speakers in to spread the gospel. Brewery-wise, I expect to see great things from Vancouver Island Brewing and Lighthouse as well as continued excellence from Driftwood. I'll sure miss the growlers full of Phillips and the craic at Swan's and Spinnakers.

YADBB rolled over 10,000 page hits earlier today. As such, I've got something special I've been saving for just such an occasion: Brewdog's Tokio.

I'd like to use it to raise a toast to the Island, all who live on here, all who brew here and all who drink craft beer here.

Sláinte, my Island friends. You better believe I'll be visiting.