Vancouver’s Granville Island Brewing goes small (batch)
Vancouver’s Granville Island Brewing has just released West Coast Pale Ale (5.5 per cent alcohol by volume, 650-mL bottles), the first available year-round in its new small-batch series.
When you see “west coast” associated with a pale ale you might expect the beer to be of the hop-bomb variety like many brews from the U.S. west coast and Pacific Northwest, but this Granville “west coast” brew does not fit that mould.
Brewmaster Kevin Emms says he was looking for something a little different. “My version of the West Coast Pale Ale is a bit different than most. I brewed this batch with Australian hops, which are known for being fruity. You’ll notice a hint of apricot, pineapple and tangerine within this approachable kick of hops. I chose to use the best malts I could find from northern England, which give it a really smooth finish that’s guaranteed to please beer drinkers of all styles.”
Emms says his beer is all about attitude. “If there is one thing to appreciate about west-coast lifestyle, it’s that it never stops. … So when we decided to capture all that it means to be a West Coast Pale Ale, we knew it had to be available year-round, and we knew it had to embody the feeling of west-coast nature.”
Here’s my take on this new brew. The beer pours golden/ orange with quite a fluffy white head. The aroma has light hop florals and fruit with tangerine, musty grapefruit and some bread dough. The flavour is definitely on the sweeter side to start, with caramel, toffee and maybe a bit of Then there is a slow slide to a fairly puckery finish. The hop flavours are very understated and the finish has some decent bitterness.
It’s a smooth and creamy brew, but not necessarily one hopheads will be looking for.
This beer is widely available in Edmonton and Alberta.
SITUATION STILL BREWING
The Situation brew pub in Old Strathcona at 10308 81 Ave. is getting closer to opening.
Situation has tweeted that they’ve received their official brewing licence, they have beer in the fermenters and it will in the kegs in about four weeks. Still slated to open this spring.