When I asked David Beardsell of Kamloops, British Columbia's Bear Brewing for samples of his brews for my Great Canadian Beer Guide blind tasting, he included with his regular brands two bottles of the brewery's very special 21st Century Champagne Ale. A potent beer brewed only once nearly a year earlier, I was hesitant to include in the Guide because I thought the odds of it being repeated were slim. Then I tasted it.
Quite simply, this ale blew me away. Fermented with a champagne yeast to 12% alcohol by volume, it showed remarkable character and enormous flavour and body. In my review for the book, I wrote: "(A) stunningly complex beer with immense depth and notes of three or four different types of chocolate, raisins, black currants, fig and vanilla, and a well-rounded and warming finish. I tasted this ale at about a year old and suspect that it will continue to age and progress for many years to come. Bear should be encouraged to repeat this brew."
The fact that most of Bear's brews err to the mainstream side of the craft beer genre makes the 21st Century Champagne Ale that much more remarkable. Now my only problem is whether to drink my second bottle now, or follow my own advice and let it age for enjoyment in the years ahead.
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