And the Winners Are...

I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this article; my internet went down for a few days, making both working on this article and publishing it a bit tricky.  But...I digress, the show must go on.

That's right folks, it's that time you've all been waiting for.  It's time to announce the winners from this year's Beer in Review, a coveted and prestigious award ceremony exclusive to Beer Cruise.  The Oscars?  The Emmys?  The Grammys?  They wish they could achieve these levels of honours.  Without further adieu, we shall commence.

Best Spring/Summer Seasonal

The nominations:

• Longwood, Framboise
• Mill Street, Lemon Tea Beer
• Howe Sound, King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen

Come now, did you expect
anything less?

Winner:  Howe Sound, King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen.  Quite frankly, this was a landslide victory.  As much as I enjoyed the savoury taste of Longwood's Framboise, and the unusual creativity of Mill Street's Lemon Tea Beer, many comparable raspberry ales exist, and creativity alone does not merit victory.  King Heffy is unique, at least in my own personal experience, in being the only imperial hefeweizen available.  High alcohol content and explosive flavour in a still-refreshing summer beer makes for one terrific combination.

Best Fall/Winter Seasonal

The nominations:

• Howe Sound, Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• Tree Brewing, Jumpin Jack Pumpkin Ale
• Lost Coast, Winterbraun Winter Ale
• Dead Frog, Christmas Beeracle

Turns out California is a haven
for beer lovers as well, not just
illegal immigrants.

Winner:  Lost Coast, Winterbraun Winter Ale.  What we have here is a great selection of seasonals, making this a difficult choice.  In the end, the honours were given over to Lost Coast's take on a winter ale.  Both pumpkin ales here are absolutely outstanding, however Winterbraun takes winter ales to new levels, combining the sweet and smooth tastes of other winter ales with the complexity and richness of a darker beer.  

Best Taste

The nominations:

• Lighthouse, Navigator Dopplebock
• Tree Brewing, Spiced Reserve Ale
• Brooklyn Brewing, Black Chocolate Stout
• Crannog, Back Hand of God Stout
• Yukon Brewing, Midnight Sun Espresso Stout

Good lord...it's the good Lord.

Winner:  Crannog, Back Hand of God Stout.  Oh Crannog, why must you be isolated on the mainland.  The Back Hand of God Stout is, in a word, biblical.  While my tasting of it was sadly extremely limited, it left a lasting impression.  And first impressions are crucial in the world of beer; quite often they will tell the whole story.  Repeat visitations to favourite beers might give one a better understanding and appreciation of that beer, but they are not necessary to identify something that is truly special and indeed a God among beer.

Best Aroma

The nominations:

• Howe Sound, Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• Unibroue, Trois Pistole
• Dead Frog, Mint Chocolate Brown Ale
• Yukon Brewing, Midnight Sun Espresso Stout

This is what happens when the
French don't surrender.

Winner:  Unibroue, Trois Pistole.  Like a savage-yet-friendly incursion into the depths of your nasal passages, Unibroue's magnificent dark ale surprises and dazzles.  It's fruity, sharp and sweet, yet full and flavourful.  The kind of smell one could get lost in, which is amazing for one such as me, since aroma tends to be among my most overlooked qualities in a beer.  Truly awesome.

Best Value

The nominations:

• Red Racer, Pumpkin Ale
• Mill Street, Coffee Porter
• Rogue, Mocha Porter
• Vancouver Island Brewing, Hermannator
• Yukon Brewing, Midnight Sun Espresso Stout

What brews from the north?

Winner:  Yukon Brewing, Midnight Sun Espresso Stout.  Truth be told, this one was no contest.  Midnight Sun is an incredible beer, being more flavourful, complex, aromatic and alcoholic than many beers twice its price.  A 6 pack of what I would refer to as Yukon Brewing's flagship beer will run you no more than the cheapest craft beer available.  And that...is damned impressive.

Biggest Surprise

The nominations:

• Lighthouse, Cream Ale
• Lighthouse, Uncharted Belgian IPA
• Unibroue, Trois Pistole
• Tree Brewing, Jumpin Jack Pumpkin Ale
• Crannog, Back Hand of God Stout

One waffer thin pint?

Winner:   Unibroue, Trois Pistole.  Quite the assortment of surprises inhabited the realm of 2011.  Everything from me actually enjoying an IPA, to a stout that redefined what it means to be dark and malty.  But, there can be no question, the biggest surprise came from a source that should not have surprised.  Unibroue is renowned for a reason; they make a hell of a beer.  But what I did not appreciate was just how much of one hell of a beer they can make.  Trois Pistoles was unlike anything I'd had before...and it had been sitting there waiting for me all along.

Biggest Disappointment

The nominations:

• Philips Brewing, Blueberry Pail Ale
• Howe Sound, Father John's Winter Ale
• Wolf Brewing, Woodcutter Dark Lager
• Rogue, Chipotle Ale
• Lighthouse, Winter Ale (not the beer, the fact it was only available in the damned variety pack!)

Son...I am disappoint.

Winner:  Rogue, Chipotle Ale.  Hmmm, Rogue, how does one classify you?  On one hand, they have a very wide selection of beer, most of them quite good...and yet, not one stands out to me as excellent.  They do bitters quite well, only they seem to keep to that standard when venturing outside bitter territory.  Take this Chipotle Ale for example; what a fantastic idea.  The thought of a spicy, southwestern style beer should thrill and excite.  Instead, the actual chipotle flavour is incredibly subtle and restrained, being overwhelmed by a bitter taste that is not particularly interesting.  This is not what I want from a flavoured beer.  And worst of all, it could have been so great.

Best Art

The nominations:

• Lighthouse, Uncharted Belgian IPA
• Russel Brewing, Black Death Porter
• Red Racer, absolutely everything they make

Winner:  Red Racer, absolutely everything they make.  Did you think it would be anything else?  Welcome to Beer Cruise, people.  Here, we ride cruisers and drink beer.  And what we have here is a brewery that recognizes that wonderful combination by depicting a lovely lady riding a cracking good old-school cruiser on the side of their beer cans.  A recipe for success, if I do say so myself.

How could it be anything else?  It's like they envisaged Beer Cruise's birth before me.

Best Cruising Beer

The nominations:

• Vancouver Island Brewing, Hermannator
• Russel Brewing, Black Death Porter
• Lighthouse, Navigator Dopplebock

Hermannated!

Winner:  Vancouver Island Brewing, Hermannator.  Vancouver Island Brewery clearly knows its locals.  We Islanders enjoy the fusion of our cruising and our beer, and any brewery that acknowledges this through the production of a beer that allows both with maximum ease and result shall be rewarded.  And here comes the biggest reward of all:  the inaugural 'Best Cruising Beer' award by Beer Cruise.  Hermannator combines great taste, great value, great alcohol content, and then bottles it in an easy-to-ride-with 355 ml.  Bravo.

Best Cruiser

The nominations:

• Electra Cruiser
• Electra Straight-8
• Nirve Chopper

Rather makes James Dean look like a bit of a dork by contrast.

Winner:  Nirve Chopper.  Wait what?  Not an Electra?  Surely this was a one-horse race.  In truth, no, because when you see it, Nirve's Chopper cruiser will blow your mind.  Sure, I could imagine something like that losing its luster after not too long...but until then, just imagine the looks of admiration and gawking awe you will get.

Best Brewery

The nominations:

• Howe Sound Brewing.
• Unibroue Cambly Quebec.
• Tree Brewing Co.
• Lighthouse Brewing.
• Dead Frog.

Winner:  Howe Sound Brewing.  In a field of strong competition, Howe Sound comes out on top, offering their signature, unique 1 liter bottles, their huge lineup of varied and exciting beer, and some of the most amazing seasonals on the market.  Offering everything from the magnificently refreshing King Heffy to their brutally dark Pothole Filler stout, Howe Sound is the epitome of what one looks for in a creative and dynamic microbrewery.

True masters of the industry.

Best Beer

The nominations are:

• Howe Sound, King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen.
• Yukon Brewing, Midnight Sun Espresso Stout.
• Brooklyn Brewery, Black Chocolate Stout.
• Unibroue, Trois Pistoles.
• Crannog, Back Hand of God Stout.
• Tree Brewing, Jumpin Jack Pumpkin Ale.

Winner:  Crannog, Back Hand of God Stout.  As far as first impressions go, nothing really holds a candle to this savagely dark, impressively malty, deliciously decadent stout.  I'm absolutely choked beyond words that Crannog does not make their beer available on Vancouver Island, and this stout has actually been around for a number of years as it turns out, but these minor faults will not stop me from putting it out there that they have crafted the best beer of 2011.  Well done.

Congratulations Crannog.  Now ship your bloody beer over here right now, damn it.