Vancouver Island Brewery - Hermann's

5.5% AlC./VOL.

Named after one of the original Brewmasters at VIB, a Bavarian, it's meant to be a local take on a traditional German recipe.

Rating:4.25/5

Appearance: Exceptionally dark with a small tan head and moderate lacing; visually very appealing.

Smell: Overall quite subtle. Dominated by roasted malts reminiscent of coffee, but also with a noticeable undertone of flowery sweetness, under close study the roast itself comes through with the smell of charcoal or an extinguished campfire.

Taste: Very flavourful. Opens with strong but not overpowering roasted malts, tasting very much like dark roasted coffee. A chocolate-toffee sweetness comes through nicely complimenting the malt.

Mouth Feel: Feels like a fizzy pop.

Note: I would definitely recommend picking up a 6 pack to have a taste of this beer, it really is an outstanding local take on a dark lager. Do not pick up the mixer pack that most liquor stores carry, VIB has a few recipes and they are definitely hit and miss, I found at least one of the beers in the mixer pack terrible. I'll review it soon.

Been drinking a lot of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, feels so nice and refreshing haha. Also been drinking the regular Kronenbourg's as well.

Gulden Draak has to be one of my favourite beers. Tastes wonderful.
10.5% alcohol.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...uldendraak.jpg

coors light with lime<3

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Just had a friend bring this back from japan for me.

My personal top 5:

1) Asahi Superdry

http://www.ndc.co.jp/en/selection/img/87asahi02.jpg

2) Hoegaarden

http://www.betel.co.il/food/wp-conte...hoegaarden.jpg

3) San Miguel Pale Pilsen (hence the username)

http://www.foodwinenet.com/wp-conten...BPale_main.jpg

4) Fiji Blond (The specialty beer on tap in Wings [IE on Granville] )

http://www.greatwings.ca/images/fijiBlond.jpg

5) Good ol' B.C. Kokanee!

http://rideontop.ca/wp-content/uploa...06/kokanee.jpg

I just bought a box of this stuff after reading your review. It's a good lager. Super smooth.

Have you taken some sort of beer tasting course? Your review is very detailed. I always wanted to learn about these things.

anyone know where to get asahi in bellingham?

No, I've never taken a beer tasting course. Although, there is a company which offers beer tasting classes locally called Just Here For The Beer.

Most of what I've learned about tasting and reviewing beer has been through reading blogs and mimicking the overall style, the aspects they focus on, and other such details. Of the local beer blogs, lovegoodbeer.com is my personal favourite. If you go to beeradvocate.com/beer/101/taste, you'll find a good little tutorial on 'proper beer tasting, a few other interesting articles, and concise reviews on many thousands of different beers.

I've learned to love and appreciate so many little details in good beer over time, when before it was just the general flavour that drew me to micro-brews.

Tried this for the first time. Not bad actually. The raspberry isn't too overpowering at all, unlike most other fruity beers.

there's an apricot flavoured beer i tried that wasn't bad either. can't remember the name though.

Apricot Ale | Pyramid Breweries ?

http://justbeer.files.wordpress.com/...pricot-ale.gif

^ I have a friend who RAVES about Pyramid. Except it's insanely expensive here; just under $15 for a 6 pack bottle.

that might of been it, colour of the bottle is the same. it was at a friend's and he offered it to me so i said sure why not

some that im really into right now:
Delirium Tremens
Mirror Pond IPA
Red Racer ESB

You might have also tried the St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale. Really good beer as well.

http://www.palaisimports.com.au/imag...4PK_LR.jpg?848

the "Herman's" are not the same as the "Herminator" they sell, which is a seaonal beer i believe, the Herminator is a strong boc, 8% i think, and i actually preferred it much over the "herman" which tasted very meh to me

as for the apricot beer, could it have been this "Cheapeau" ?

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...r/IMG_2463.jpg

if so, usually i'm not a fan of fruit flavoured beers, but this one was VERY nice, i was super impressed, imo it was almost more of a cider, but absolutely refreshing and tasy

The Grimbergen next to it was also freakin awsome, suprinsgly the servers who work at Biercraft are very knowledgeable regarding their menu, and i described what i liked in a beer and what i was looking for that night, and he nailed it with the Grimbergen, although i think it's a fairly common beer

their taster's are also pretty good, i just let the server pick them for me, but you can taste any 4 they have on tap:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...r/IMG_2466.jpg

Honestly, I probably drink more than your average person but im no where nearly an alchy lol, i could give up hard liquor in a blink of an eye and never think twice

giving up a nice beer though in a frosty glass... impossible lol

^for cheap paddles go to st. augustines. i think they're only 8.50

Just picked up...

Parallel 49 Seed Spitter
Granville Island Limited Release Ginger Beer
Drift Wood Fat Tug IPA

Just had me a bottle of dat derr ginger beer. So yummy! I'm going to go and grab more and stock up.

http://www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk/home...read-group.jpg

Had some of this guy the other night. Cotdamn man, really does taste like banana bread. Next day I had some weird fake banana burps though.

Oh man oh man, Delirium is so good. I love it.

If you go to Parallel 49 brewing themself, just off Victoria and Triumph street or smth, you can buy a growler (64oz) for $5 and fill up for $10. Refills are then $10 for anything they have, I got the Seed Spitter, great for easy drinking in the sun.

Not a fan of the GI Ginger Beer, bleh.

Fat Tug, a favourite as well, I dare say you could even use it to introduce someone to IPA/hoppy beers.

I just picked up a sample case from Fernie Brewing Co.
Current favourite is Buck Wild Ale.

http://www.ferniebrewing.com/sites/d.../%2B162636.jpg

Just tried the Pyramid Apricot, it's not cheap, but it's pretty good for a fruity beer. I'm usually not a fan of fruity beers.