Bitter without the resin that seems to lift hops out of just plain bitterness. Missing the malt backbone.
Would not drink again.
Category Archives: Canadian
magbo system
Six Corners Post N’ Bale Farmhouse Ale
Situation Brewing WTF Raspberry Sour
Situation Brewing Random Acts Pale Ale
Situation Brewing Afternooner Tea Saison
Situation Brewing Gateway Wheat Ale
Murasaki Dragon by Alley Kat Brewing Co.
Dear @alleykatbeer, please never stop making this beer. #yegbeer #drinkagain (via Untappd)
I posted that in all seriousness. I want to support Alley Kat more than I do, but to date the only beer I’ve wanted to pursue was the extremely limited run of Fresh Hop Full Moon Pale Ale. If my appreciation for hops wasn’t apparent to you before, it should be now.
One of my favorite beers from the last few years is Sorachi Ace from Brooklyn Brewery. That beer introduced me to the hop that Alley Kat used in Murasaki Dragon. The biggest difference between these two beers would probably be aggression. Brooklyn brewed a Saison, while Alley Kat produced a double IPA (or DIPA) with somewhere north of 75 IBU. This beer has what most of Alley Kat’s lineup is missing in my opinion, which is some teeth.
This means that in Murasaki Dragon you’ll get all the good stuff you’re looking to find in an IPA. It smells piney and lemony. The colour is gorgeous. And while the hops are obvious when it first hits your palette, you can catch up with some malt in the middle and there is enough fruity sweetness to carry it through to a nice but dry finish.
Alley Kat has this listed as a limited run beer, but I’m willing to start a petition and possibly even chain a close friend to some sort of barrier in protest if they don’t find a way to continue production of this beer. I believe that it stands head and shoulders above any other beer being brewed in Edmonton currently.
After that initial post on Untapped, I made sure I would drink this again. I bought a case of it. Alley Kat, if you keep making it, I’ll keep buying it and drinking it. Again and again.
Pelee Island Malbec 2011
This review is a first for me, I don’t normally drink wine. This month though as sort of an experiment in health I’ve decided to not eat wheat or sugar. I want to see if it affects the way I feel, or look. the wheat thing also includes beer. I know. But it’s only a month, and February is the shortest month of the year. Anyway this brings me to wine. I’ve been wanting to try a malbec ever since reading the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. He loves it and goes on and on about it. I bought this bottle a couple months ago but never quite got around to drinking it, I mean, there’s so much beer and so little time. This month…so little beer and so much time.
This wine comes from the Pelee Island Winery. According to their website they are the “Southernmost winery in Canada, located in the Lake Erie North Shore region.”. I thought malbecs all came from Argentina but apparently it’s a more widespread grape variety, we grow it right here at home in Canada.
I don’t really know anything about wine so I tasted it the same way I taste beer. Actually I taste spirits the same way too, it seems to work. I poured it into a glass and checked its appearance. Probably the thing I love most about wine is the colour, This wine poured out a rich ruby. Really nice looking. Then I sniffed it. A lot. The nose was really fruity. The label on the bottle mentioned plums and blackberries, that works for me, who am I to argue? That fruity smell carried through in the taste as well. This is a very light, smooth wine with a pleasantly bitter finish. Kim thinks it would be a nice wine to have in the summer. I don’t disagree.
I would certainly drink this again!
Darn Tartan
This is the latest Big Bottle offering from Alley Kat brewery in Edmonton and my first Scotch ale. It has a lovely smell of malt and molasses. The taste is slightly smoky with a malt backing. I’m not crazy about smoky beers but this one is quite nice. I think it will grow on me.
Continue reading Darn Tartan
Work of Tart
This is a past big bottle from Alley Kat. It’s dry and tart. Crisp! Sort of like a raspberry champagne. Its really nice but if you are hoping to get some you’re out of luck, like all Big Bottles from Alley Kat it’s limited edition. This one is gone. Except for the twelve bottles in my basement. If you want to try it I’m your only hope!
