New Beer, who dis? - New Arrivals #1

Author: Kathleen Mackinnon

Greetings all! This will be the first in what will become a bi-weekly feature on the blog, where I’ll be shining a light on new and exciting beer (and cider...and anything else fun that comes in a can…), and give you a brief rundown on what makes them so great. Hopefully this will help some of you in your beer buying endeavours, and shine a light on some things you may not have picked out on your own. Don’t forget to check back every two weeks to see what’s just arrived in store  and without further ado, here’s what’s hitting our shelves this week. Cheers!

 

Steamworks North by NorthWest IPA - Steamworks went back to basics in the best way for this classic West Coast-style IPA. Clean bitterness, intense but not overwhelming hops, and that distinct pine flavour that put this style on the map in the first place, this will be the perfect beer to have on hand for all the IPA lovers going into summer, but it’s punchy enough to warm you up on a colder day too. IPAs in this style are also perfect for barbecue season, as they will hold up against stronger flavours such as BBQ sauce and spicy ribs.

  

Raven’s Brewing Daydreamin’ Session Sour - Don’t get me wrong, stronger sours certainly have their place, but there’s something about this little number that comes in at just 3%ABV that I really love. Tart passion fruit gives this sour a delightful tropical vibe, and while it’s tart enough to please any sour lover, it’s decidedly tame enough that you can drink these all afternoon. A real summer knockout that I can’t get enough of, this is also perfectly suited to go with chips and salsa, of all things. Stunning!

  

Île Sauvage Mosaïque Mango Sour - Mango goodness all the way down! This beauty is everything you want in a sour, a verifiable fruit bomb with the perfect balance of tartness and hops, there’s really nothing not to like about this one. Switch up your weekend brunch routine by swapping out your mimosa for one of these, you won’t be disappointed. Ile Sauvage is rapidly becoming a favourite brewery for sour enthusiasts everywhere, and with good reason! 

  

Annex Ales Idle Hands Italian Pilsner - A bit of a different take on a classic pilsner, I was surprised by this one! Clean and easy drinking, but with more of a hoppy backbone than you’d typically expect from this style, I can definitely see this becoming a summer favourite for many. Perfect for all your outdoor gatherings, this one should please your pilsner drinking friends, surely, but also has enough clean, hoppy bitterness that your IPA drinking cohorts should also be more than satisfied. Another great release from Annex.

 

Black Diamond Raspberry Lemonade Vodka Soda - If you’ve been in the store in the last few weeks you may have recently become a fan of the Black Diamond Distillery Earl Grey Mule, and with good reason. They’ve knocked it out of the park once again with their summer seasonal, a perfectly sweet, delightfully fruity take on a hard lemonade, with the addition of juicy raspberries to really take it up a notch. You’ll definitely want a few of these kicking around in your fridge during the summer, I know I’ll be keeping them on hand. The ideal patio drink.

 

Collective Arts Hard Teas Mixed Pack - After weeks of waiting with baited breath, the Collective Arts Sparkling Hard Iced Teas have finally landed in Alberta. Not your average hard iced teas, these delicious teas are made using custom blends of fruit teas, giving them a great deal more flavour than you can typically expect from a sugar free cooler. Available in 3 delicious flavours, these are bound to be on heavy rotation for the warmer months. 

 

Collective Arts Pink Gin Soda Rhubarb Hibiscus - Yes, two Collective Arts features this week but we couldn’t resist. Adding to their already stellar line of gin sodas, you’ll want to expect the unexpected with this one. Cinnamon and cardamom are added to the mouthwatering rhubarb hibiscus combination giving it a complexity that is honestly pretty unusual in the realm of canned coolers, but I’m certainly not complaining. Fresh, fruity, and a little bit spicy, I recommend that any gin lover looking to try something new give these a shot. As for the non-gin lovers, well, there’s still time...

 

That’s all for this round, folks, but don’t forget that we have plenty of other carefully curated craft beer on our shelves just waiting to be discovered, come check it out! 


-KM