Beer Review #6: Rising Sun Pale Ale

Turned this up at the BC Liquor Store on Cambie. I've crossed Japan off my list for the Beers Around the World Challenge months ago (Ah, for the days when a simple bottle of Kirin Ichiban could still get my heart racing. It was a simpler time, was March of 2011) but this is something I've never heard of before.

The label tells me it's from Baird's brewery and from the name 'Rising Sun' I make the assumption that it's Japanese. I'm slightly concerned that thinking like that might be racist.

The rest of the bottle doesn't give me any clues - there's plenty of writing on the back but it's all in some kind of crazy foreign script that could be a desperate plea for help from a slave labourer in the bottling plant for all I know. Some light googling later and my suspicions are confirmed - Baird's is a brewery in Japan , there's no mention of slave labour being used in their factories and I'm probably not racist for not recognising Japanese script.

There's some cool artwork happening on the label. The red sun brings back childhood memories of beating the shit out of E-Honda on Street Fighter, the whole thing has got a lot of colour and Baird have got their craft-beer bases covered with a customised bottle cap with a picture of some barley on it. I've got high hopes for this one.

I’m a little concerned on the pour - Rising Sun doesn’t look as delicious as I was hoping. There’s some yeasty cloudiness and some specs of sediment floating about.

But lo and behold, it smells great! Piney and grassy with some fruity hop smells in there as well. There’s less of the fruit and more of the pine when it hits the mouth but there’s still some citrus going on there too. There’s a bitterness on the finish which might scare off some drinkers but, frankly, they’d be wrong and I hate them. It tastes awesome.

Since I haven’t learned to read Japanese between starting this article and writing this sentence I’ve no idea what strength this stuff is, but based on taste I’d put it around 5%. The only drawback for rising sun is price; this bottle was 360ml and set me back $7. It’s bloody delicious but I couldn’t justify this as anything other than a one off treat.

Verdict: 8/10

Beer Review #5: Red Horse

Ladies and gentlemen, hats off to the good people at Brewery Creek liquor store on Main.

After months of trawling the streets of London in search of the national beer of the Philippines here I find it, lurking in an unassuming Vancouver liquor store. In my twisted and disturbing world this is a bit like turning up an autographed copy of the bible.

Presumably Filipinos are game for getting lashed because it's a big bastard of a can - 500ml. It's scant on artwork but I feel damn manly holding it. It's coated in Testosterone Red. There are proud mustang heads rearing at me. There's not much writing (real beers don't need words!) but what it has is bold and rugged. If it was possible for a font to have a beard, this would probably have a waist length monstrosity with bits of bear meat stuck in it.

Its got its foreign credentials in order as well. There's the obligatory 'export only' sticker, and it's even got that ribbed bit at the top of the can which I've seen on foreign cans of coke you can pick up in dodgy newsagents in Peckham. This stuff might be made by San Miguel but it looks exotic enough to get me excited.

The marketing blurb promises a "full flavoured taste and extra satisfying strength". They are presumably getting at the fact that this stuff is 8% ABV. We're getting dangerously close to hobo-juice territory here. There are a few Belgian craft beers I've come across that can get away with this kind of strength without making a brew that tastes like angry petrol but Red Horse has set itself up for a challenge by brewing up something this strong.

On the pour it looks ok. Pale colour, clear, well carbonated and a clean looking head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass.

Unfortunately, that's where the fun stops. The smell has some grains lurking about in there somewhere but mostly I can smell booze - lots and lots of booze. I'm not opposed to a beer smelling like it has alcohol in it, but it would be nice if it smelt of something else.

I'm not mad keen on tasting it but I soldier on all the same.

Apparently, contrary to popular belief, he who dares does not always win.

It's boozy and harsh which is what I was expecting, but there's something else in there too. Lurking around as an aftertaste is something like soapy vomit. It's not overpowering - I don't feel compelled to retch all over my keyboard - but it's still there hanging around like a fearsome fart on a dancefloor ruining an otherwise tolerable experience.

Red Horse hasn't amazed me. Well chuffed at finding it - I can cross the Philippines off the list for my Beers Around the World Challenge - but I'll not be rushing out to stock up the fridge with it. I guess the 8% ABV content is a plus if you're trying to get ready for a night out sharpish, but if that's your aim there are better beers that will do the same job. Other than that, it's not got much to offer.

Verdict 3/10

The Beer Hunter reports:

Every good hearted beer hunter appreciates the importance of a good brew to go with a movie.

But the licensing laws of British Columbia make it mighty tough to enjoy a beer in front of the silver screen. One particularly handsome journalist has investigated the impact of these regulations on the Rio Theater in East Vancouver. 

TheBeerHunter encourages you to go along and show your support for the lovely people at the Rio and catch a movie there!

Beer Review #4: Innis and Gunn

At just $2.75 from the BC Liquor Store on Main this was a steal.

Innis and Gunn are a microbrewery in Edinburgh, Scotland, who seem to specialise in bottling a complex blend of liquid awesome. This beer is a favourite from back home and finding it out here makes me excited in a very nearly inappropriate way.

For such an amazing brew the bottle is pretty down to earth - no need for pretension when a beer with more sex appeal and charisma than an electric guitar playing Lamboughini lurks within. If you take the time to read the back there's some clue as to what you're in for. There's lots of talk of 'hand-selecting' and 'oak flavours' conjuring up the image of an old Scottish man in a castle somewhere showering these barrels with love and care, possibly (but understandably) at the expense of neglecting his wife and children. Well, if he is, screw them. The beer is awesome.

This stuff looks brilliant - when you hold it up to the light it's like looking at the side of a honey jar. I feel like I want to spread it on toast, but I'm dimly aware that kind of behaviour might be frowned upon by mainstream society.

The smell is oaky and malty and there's a lot of vanilla and honey in there too. And there are no nasty surprises when it gets into your mouth; you drink exactly what you smell. There's a lot going on here, and I'm happy about all of it.

It's possible that this beer would make the perfect man: strong and robust (6.6% ABV) yet sensitive. Able to embrace his feminine vanilla side while still being able to kick the crap out of some mouthy lager who's been getting handsy with his girlfriend.

Confusing metaphors aside, this is definitely not to be missed. It's different, it's delicious and it not got the bitterness that might put you off making a move away from your mainstream lagers. It's light enough that you can put a few of these away but you won't want to rush through it. This is definitely a beer to be savoured.

Verdict: 9/10

Beer review #3: Rocky Mountain Pilsner

Picked this one up for a bargain at Spirit of Home Liquor store on Granville street. As their 'beer of the month' it was down to $10 for six - damn good value for an independent store. Always enthusiastic about getting trashed for the bare minimum spend, I gave it a go.

This offering comes to us from the good people at Russell Breweries. The can doesn't bring to mind delicious drinky-beer so much as some kind of extra strength cleaning product - too much silver and minty-fresh green slapped on there for my liking. I think they're going for 'virgin mountain snow' but I'm getting 'keeps surfaces spotless and germ free'.

Still, OmniKlean style can aside, what's the beer like? The label promises "Fresh, Crisp, Clean" - suddenly I'm thinking of laundry detergents. Have I discovered the first beer which will treat your woolens delicately without skimping on cleaning power?

On the pour it's definitely a pilsner; pale, clear, nice and fizzy. Not much of a head and what there is doesn't hang around for long. Not too much of a smell to it either.

Taste? I'm pleasantly surprised! A little watered down but served cold (this one had been in the freezer for ten minutes) it's refreshing, light, and doesn't have the dodgy aftertaste you're apt to find in a cheaper brew.

I probably won't be rushing back for more of these once the offer is over but even though they only weigh in at 5% ABV I'm still prepared to make this my session beer for the month and give Cariboos genuine draft a rest.

Verdict: 6/10

Beer Review #2: Duchy Original Organic Old Ruby Ale

I'm tempted to go back and visit the liquor store where I bought this to figure out where the hell they got it from in the first place.

This beer, as the label shows is part of the Duchy Originals range of organic foods - a line of products owned by Prince Charles and sold exclusively (supposedly) in the UK supermarket Waitrose. Does its appearance in Canada perhaps signify the first step in a convoluted plot aimed at placing the nation back under imperial rule? Could this be the sinister machinations of a future English king bent on world domination through the export of bespoke beverages? And if it is, why would anyone come up with such a shit plan?

In any case, it turned up in a liquor store on Cambie so, in the spirit of patriotism and getting all beered up I parted with $4.10 for a bottle of the stuff.

Right off the bat it looks pretty classy. There's coats of arms, royal sigils and possibly coded messages from the illuminati slapped all over this thing. It claims to be 'preserving our heritage', it lists the specific species of barley used and it's got so many sustainability credentials that it seems quite likely that this beer will be the last living thing on earth after the Mole People rise up from the underworld to devour us all. The one missed goal is the plain bottle cap. Even shitty brands of lager go to the trouble of personalising their caps and it seems just plain lazy for his highness to overlook such a detail. Shame on you Charlie. 

Sometimes patriotism is drinkable

When you get inside it holds up pretty well. 'Ruby' is a bit of an exaggeration but there's some reddy colours in there that give the name some credibility. It tastes pretty good too - malty and fizzy and nowhere near as heavy as I was expecting. 

The one thing this beer can't do is justify its price tag - at $4.10 and only 5% ABV this is a very expensive way to get on it. If it had a bit more kick to it so one bottle would start off a night on the lash in good stead, then it might be able to justify its high roller status, but as it stands it barely pips budweiser to the post - and still falls behind Cariboos, the local bargain brew. This is not a beer to get plastered on at a party and one bottle on its own somehow fails to satisfy completely.

To sum up Old Ruby Ale looks good and tastes good, but not good enough to justify the price tag - a price tag which is bumped up significantly by the cost of importing it.

5 out of 10.

7 out of 10 (at UK prices)

Beer Review # 1: Cariboos Genuine Draft

For a brewery not famous enough to qualify for its own wikipedia article, I've seen an awful lot of this stuff around.

Within: Liquid charisma

The can boasts that the beer is made from 'pure spring water'. This isn't much of an achievement but they've stuck it on there all the same. There's also some stuff about planting trees whenever you buy their beer, which assuages the environmental concerns in every beer hunter's soul. 

Sadly absent is the usual obligatory story about how the beer is brewed using 'age old techniques', presumably by some wizened old man who mutters to himself like a senile, alcoholic version of Willy Wonka. 

There's a picture of what I assume is a caribou on the can as well. This isn't really doing anything for me.  

They have probably assumed (rightly in my case) that it's the cheap and cheerful price tag rather than an expectation of some life-changing beverage experience that's attracted you in the first place. 

A pack of 20 cans set me back just over $30 - the cheapest I've found so far. A bargain price can often be a warning sign for a weak brew but Cariboos Genuine Draft comes in at respectable 5.5%. 

Now that I've exhausted the delights of the outside of the can, what about the beer?

Pours easily, brief white head that pretty much completely disappears. Pale, clear colour. Smell is pretty sweet and flavour is what you'd expect - inoffensive and mostly bland. Little bit of a metallic aftertaste but that may have to do with it coming out of a can. 

Light and easy to drink without much else going on, this beer is never going to rock the world. 

But, given its fairly impressive alcohol content and low price this is already establishing itself as my session beer of choice. You're not going to want to place yourself in an isolation tank for three or four days to heighten your senses to peak precision before drinking, but you could comfortably put away a few of these while watching a movie or trying to force a conversation with an accountant you've been introduced to at a party. 

Verdict: 6 out of 10