Barley Mowat 

You all know I like the Rail, which makes the hosting of the Rail’s first ever cask festival exceptionally special. That this event also focuses on hop harvest and pumpkin ales doubly awesome.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117675804957747

I’ll be there for sure, and you should too.

What are you doing right now? Why are you not purchasing as much Sartori as you can carry right this instant? The verdict is in: this beer is astonishingly good. For the week or so this beer is out, it handily displaces Central City for the title of Best IPA In BC. I’m serious. It’s that good.

Here’s where you can get it:

Today: Viti and Brewery Creek
Tomorrow: Firefly on Cambie

No word yet on Darby’s.

So now you know. Go get some.

Oh joy of joys, it’s hop harvesting time. Well hop harvesting time was actually a couple of weeks ago, but since it takes a bit to brew, keg and release beers based on those hops you can forgive me the confusion. With so much hops on the market, we are starting to see the ’10 releases of some great brews, and a few new entries. In no particular order, here are some great new arrivals:
– Howe Sound Brewing’s Total Eclipse of the Hop (Imperial India Pale Ale — At your better LDBs)
– Green Flash Imperial India Pale Ale (at most of the good beer stores)
– Anderson Valley Anniversary Imperial India Pale Ale (at most of the good beer stores)

Of these three bottled offerings my hat goes to the Anderson Valley. I love those guys so much. However, I’m not here to review beers for you. That’s your job. Go out and drink all three.

Lastly, but certainly not least, hop season brings out the ’10 releases of wet-hopped ales. Wet-hopped ales skip the hop drying step and instead infuse their beers with hops plucked straight from the vine. If you’ve ever noticed the difference between dried and fresh herbs, then this concept shouldn’t be unfamiliar to you. Last year Driftwood Brewing purchased the entire harvest from BC’s first hops farm (Sartori Hops) and released their outstanding Sartori IPA. I was lucky enough to grab a few of these before they sold out. The new release is upon us, so keep an eye on those local beer store shelves.

For those that want a preview, I have heard from Ian @Driftwood that the Railway Club will be tapping a fresh cask of Sartori IPA today at 5pm. This is one of only five casks produced for BC, and you’d better bet your ass I’ll be there.

And lastly, as eye candy, here’s Driftwood’s gallery of the happy hops en route to their new home. Go, look, drool.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=225988&id=213196707520