We’re getting there. The ABV is coming down while the flavour is getting ramped up. More people are getting turned on to sub-5% beers and, ahead of CAMRA Vancouver’s Spring Sessional cask fest next month, here is maybe the finest B.C. example so far.
Granville Island brewmaster Vern Lambourne has been tinkering with sessionable ales for a while now, and here he’s nailed it. Shamrocker was released for (wait for it) St. Patrick’s Day, but this stout needs to be promoted to the year-round roster.
Before we get to the beer, here’s the warmup — some new wave Shamrockers:
(If this song leaves you cold or indifferent, you may as well stop reading here because you have no soul #justsayin)
Made with roasted barley, actual potato (no, it’s not a racial slur) and hops from Delta — another encouraging trend forming at Lambourne’s tap room is its use of local hops — Shamrocker pours an inky black with the barest garnet highlight. A thick, finely latticed tan-coloured head lasts long, fading eventually to a thin cap.
What first marks this beer out as special is its aroma. Luscious, creamy dark chocolate and lightly roasty mocha notes are accentuated with a little licorice, leather and a whiff of smoke, all built on an earthy depth (perhaps the spuds at work). It smells like an imperial stout twice its weight. Amazing.
An important note before you dive into the glass, though: Let this one sit and warm for a while. The carbonation is a little prickly and obscures some of the great flavours in store.
These include a beautifully pitched malty roastiness with a lovely balance of coffee, chocolate, grains and tar. The mouthfeel is full and teasingly creamy but not overly rich. The beer settles softly over tongue and rounds out around the mouth. A faint tang of hops soon arrives with a gentle but satisfying coffee-grain inflected bitterness. There’s a sturdy dryness in the finish and soft, creamy, faintly bitter notes in the aftertaste.
4.8%, you say? Well, I’ll have another please.
Food pairing: This strikes me as one of those stouts made for seafood. It would be a great oyster beer, for sure. Crab would be a good match too, and even seared scallops would take to the beer’s creamy subtleties if teamed with bacon and pea puree. Also: grilled salmon.
~$7, 650ml, at select private liquor stores and the Granville Island taproom.
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