By Odin’s beard, she’s a beauty
Central City’s Thor’s Hammer barley wine is a dark, malty treat worthy of Valhalla
Considering the events of the past year, you might want to take a hammer to 2016.
But maybe consider raising a Hammer to 2017 instead.
This new year marks 20 years since Gary Lohin first brewed his beloved Thor’s Hammer barley wine for the Sailor Hagar’s Brew Pub in North Vancouver. He took his recipe with him when he helped set up the Central City Brewpub in Surrey in 2003 and brewed the mighty ale as a draught-only treat for years.
But it wasn’t until Central City moved into its new digs in Surrey’s Bridgeview area in 2013 that brewmaster Lohin got the space he needed to fully realize his vision for this beer.
When you have 65,000 square feet of space, you can perhaps spare a tank or two to let your prized extra-strong ale take the time it needs to mature. Today, the bottled versions of Thor’s Hammer are allowed a generous 18 months to refine before they’re released.
Lohin’s attention to detail in brewing this beer — he keeps the details of the process close to his chest, though he did tell me once that eight different malts are used — has earned Central City numerous accolades over the years, including beer of the year at the Canadian Brewing Awards and a silver medal at the prestigious World Beer Cup in 2010.
When brewed well, barley wine — originally a premium product released in limited quantities by English breweries — is a deep pool of rich, complex malt flavours, whose sweetness is balanced by a generous heaping of hops. American barley wines take the hopping levels and entire flavour profile to even greater extremes.
Thor’s Hammer (11.5 per cent ABV) trends toward the traditional English style of barley wine, though a barrel-aged version also exists. For me, the refined complexity of the original bottle-conditioned ale just comes out on top. It’s a great beer to tuck into slowly and contemplate each sip, perhaps as you contemplate that things can’t possibly get any worse in 2017.
Surely the only way is up — so start by raising your glass. Happy New Year.
Appearance: Dark copper brown. Fairly loose, tan head with average retention. 3/3
Aroma: Massive maltiness featuring rich, dark fruit — figs, prunes, dates — with sweeter apricot. There’s also some slightly charred brown sugar, a hint of molasses and a complex nuttiness. Hop presence is mostly resiny, but has a herbal, woodruff-like edge, too. A boozy atmosphere hovers over top. 11/12 Flavour: A long flavour profile kicks off with scorched toffee and caramel along with some brown sugar and molasses before fruitier notes of fig, plum and black cherry appear. Resin hop flavour comes through with peppery alcohol and some sherry-like oakiness in the big bitter finish. 17/20
Mouthfeel: Rich, thick, smooth and lightly creamy. The alcohol presence is impressive, but not harsh and leaves a big glow in the throat. 5/5
Final thoughts: A tremendous, chewy, malty meal with fascinating complexity. 9/10 Final score: 45/50
Food pairing: The classic pairing for barley wine is stilton and there are many good reasons. The dense sweetness of the beer is an incredible foil for the cheese’s tangy saltiness, while there’s beautiful harmony in the creaminess of both. Add pear slices and walnuts to bring out even more flavour.
Buy: From $8 (650 ml) at Central City stores in Surrey. A gift pack featuring a 650-ml bottle each of bottle-conditioned and barrel-aged versions is also available at private liquor stores across southern B.C., from $18.