Hello Beer Lovers,

Welcome to your post Dry January everyone!

I’m pretty thrilled to be rolling out my inaugural monthly Membeership as the new Beer Director at ABX. All your six packs are now available for pick up.

February is the shortest month of the year, but this pack isn’t short on flavour – we’re hitting multiple brews that are twisting styles in new directions. My mission is to open eyes around what beer can be, both stylistically and situationally. My love of beer stems, in part, from how diverse a beverage it can be – it provides options for crushing a few lagers at the hockey game as easily as it does for considered, complex, barrel aged sours. I’m looking forward to curating Membeerships that illustrate the vast array pf experiences modern craft beer can provide.

Please follow along with the tasting notes – I look forward to discussing with all of you!

Helios Dortmunder Lager, Hoyne Brewing, Victoria, BC  6% ABV

‘Sun God Helios and his four-winged steeds daily pulled the Sun across the sky, giving us light, warmth, the gift of sight.’ - Zeus

Helios is evidence of Hoyne’s dedication to fine lagers, inspired by a nearly extinct style of beer originating in Dortmund, Ruhr Valley, Germany. A robust, malt forward, export strength lager that is complex yet subtle, Helios reaches maturity after four to six weeks of aging. As it ages, it improves, developing into a true classic, time honoured lager. It sparkles with a kiss of sweet maltiness, balanced with the earthy spicy notes from Germany’s finest Noble Hops.

Double Blanche du Lac, Boreale Les Brasseurs du Nord, Blainville, QC  6.1% ABV 31 IBU

A dry hopped witbier! The coriander and orange peel (and zest) combine wonderfully with citrusy American hops in this Belgian inspired wheat beer. Bursting with lightly spicy marmalade flavours, this beer is made to pair with food – from lighter, lactic cheeses to roast chicken and grilled veg.

Cranberry Orange Sour, Moody Ales, Port Moody, BC  6.3% ABV 24 IBU

Port Moody is often under a heavy cloud, enduring weeks of west coast rain. This beer must have been a cathartic exercise for the brewers at Moody Ales. This is a bright, sunshiny fruited sour singing with tart cranberry character. The citric acidity of the oranges plays a back-up to the flamboyant red berry, but really rounds out a nice, full bodied kettle sour perfect for winter days.

India Pale Ale, Breakside Brewing, Portland, OR  6.2% ABV 73 IBU

Breakside’s most popular offering is this beautifully clear India Pale Ale featuring the unique character of Citra and Chinook hops. This light copper beer has huge citrus and tropical fruit aromas, with hints of perfumey pine. Flavors like apricot, guava, and orange hit the tongue accompanied by a mild evergreen note. There’s just enough caramel sweetness to balance the hop flavors, but this is really a showcase for the beautiful varieties of hops grown in the Northwest.

Thirteen Months of Sun Hazy IPA, Evil Twin Brewing/Two Roads Brewing, Copenhagen, Den  7% ABV

Thirteen Months of Sun is a collaboration between Evil Twin Brewing and Two Roads Brewing, from Copenhagen, Denmark and Stratford, Connecticut respectively. Two Roads' head brewer, Phil Markowski, traveled to Ethiopia with Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø from Evil Twin where they met Henok Fentie from Sweden's Omnipollo Brewing. They then endeavoured to brew an IPA using Ethiopian ingredients including teff, a grain that was one of early civilization's first cultivated crops, and Ethiopian Sidamo coffee beans. The result is an original Ethiopian hazy IPA, and a complex yet satisfying experiment that pushes the boundaries of what an IPA can be.

Party at the Abbey Belgian Dubbel, Outcast Brewing, Calgary, AB  7% ABV  31 IBU

“Dubbel” means “double,” but this beer is still not so big in intensity as to surpass the Belgian-style quadrupel that is often considered its Sibling. This version is a delightful rendition with nice yeast character of banana and clove, fig and raisin. The malt is supportive and smooth, playing up a caramel and toffee sweetness.