Happy International IPA Day! For what it’s worth, here’s a review of what I regard as not only one of the best IPAs in B.C., but one of the best beers in B.C., period.
I first tried Phaedra when it launched the Brewed Awakening tap at O’Hare’s upon its initial release in April. I was pretty confident in Four Winds‘ abilities by that stage and was fairly sure I hadn’t chosen a stinker to kick things off in Steveston.
But I couldn’t help thinking what a fabulous beer Phaedra was from the first sip — and it just didn’t tire. It was only after about four pints that I squinted at O’Hare’s features chalkboard and, as the numbers slowly came into focus, realized that I’d been steadily knocking back a 7.2% beer. It goes down that easily.
It wasn’t until the VCBW beer fest that I had another try, this time of the beer’s second batch. Incredibly, it was even better.
Thankfully, from the bottle, Phaedra still hits those heights.
It pours a cloudy dark amber with some noticeable suspension of solids. (Unfiltered beer really is a meal in a glass.) A rich, dense, white head sticks in thick lace to the glass.
The fruity aspects of the Belgian yeast, together with some bubblegum notes, meld with hops aromas for a rich nose full of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon and a wonderful, slightly musty overlay of almost-overripe apricots. There’s a complex layer of earthy spice fizzing around the aroma as well.
That rich, rounded and earthy apricot flavour, along with juicy tangerine and weightier melon notes, shine through on the tongue, and there’s some snappy maltiness on the front end, too. The fruit flavours segue effortlessly into a long, rich seam of chewy, slightly creamy caramel malt, as small spikes of tropical and citrus fruit fire through. As the caramel starts to fade, a layer of spice built from the rye, yeast and hops swells in complexity as a well judged bitterness emerges gracefully (quite incredible for a hefty 65 IBU) to balance the sweetness and leave a gentle dryness. Overall, the mouthfeel is full, rich and rounded, and a little creamy too, thanks to the addition of wheat. The beer creates a lovely warm glow in the throat, while the aftertaste leaves tantalizing dried stone fruit notes on the tongue and echoes of those spices. Altogether, it effectively demands you take another sip.
If that description isn’t psychedelic enough for you, click the video up top and maybe Lee Hazlewood will tell you about Phaedra, and how she gave him life…
Food pairing: For some reason, roast duck with turnip mash popped into my head while drinking this. Then tacos came to mind, particularly ones featuring marinated meat, and also nice, rich sausages; duck sausage maybe, or even the Bavarian specialty weisswurst. The wild fruitiness and denser earthy notes of Phaedra would also complement and contrast incredibly well with a range of stronger hard cheeses such as aged gouda and gruyere.
Beer Cat: Likes
650ml, from $6, at private liquor stores
facebook.com/brewedawakeningblog
