Brewsters’ Curly Horse has a bitter bite that hits the back of your throat
Brewsters Brewing has been around for more than 25 years and currently operates five brew pubs in Edmonton plus other locations in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
In the past, Brewsters has produced some solid, freshlybrewed beers, but nothing that would really knock your socks off. Recently that has changed.
The brewery is producing more beer in bottles for sale in liquor stores and brewing more seasonal and limited edition beers. And back in May, Brewsters won a bronze media for its Blue Monk Bourbon Barley Wine in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer category at the Canadian Brewing Awards.
One of Brewsters’ more flavourful regular offerings in bottles is Curly Horse IPA (sixper-cent alcohol by volume). This beer pours a bright amber with the slightest tinge of red. The off-white head is foamy then dissipates to more of a thin line of foam.
The aroma has light grapefruit that dances above some resinous and earthy overtones, with some solid caramel and toffee notes making themselves felt with a bit of overripe fruits lingering below.
The first sip is creamy smooth with the sweet and the bitter fighting for supremacy. The sweet toffee/caramel wins the first round and then some bitterness slides in to take over. There is another brief hit of toffee sweetness before some hoppy resins and grapefruit flow through, and a bit of a bitter bite hits the back of your throat. The finish has a slight lip-smacking quality.
This brew has a malty backbone balanced with some solid hops flavours and has some pretty good chew.
BREW NEWS AND EVENTS
Penticton’s Cannery Brewing limited edition Wildfire Black IPA (six-per-cent ABV, 650 ml bottles) has landed on Edmonton store shelves with a portion of the proceeds going to the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Find this beer by using the search at liquorconnect.com.
The Accent Lounge is hosting its second back alley beer garden. Tickets include entry, a meal, a pint of Alley Kat’s new Back Alley Brew, High Level IPA and a flight of other Alley Kat beers. When: Saturday, Aug. 27 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Where: In the alley behind 8223 104 Street NW Tickets: $30, can be purchased online at eventbrite.com
Edmonton Beer Geeks Anonymous is hosting the EBGA Real Ale Festival 2016 featuring cask-conditioned ales from 30 breweries from across Western Canada. You can get the complete list on the EBGA Facebook page. A ticket gets you a custom EBGA Real Ale Festival 2016 glass and two eight-ounce beers. You can then buy additional brews. When: Saturday, Sept. 10 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Ritchie Community Centre, 7727 98 Street NW Tickets: $30, can be purchased online at eventbrite.com