Brewhouse Big Wolf Bitter

Brewed by Whistler Brewhouse/High Mountain
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Whistler, Canada

Serve in English pint

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Draught at the brewpub, 30 IBU
Hazy amber color; creamy head. The aroma shows some English style hops and yeast, and subtle fruity hops. It has a very good flavor of caramel, toffee, hops; sweetish and quite fruity too. Balanced, Very good.

UPDATED: AUG 26, 2007 Notes from August ’07 with Dave Woodward as brewmaster...can’t remember if that’s the same as before. Bright dark copper. Brown sugar malts on the nose with rich woody, grapefruity hops. On the palate, more toast comes through along with a slightly pithy grapefruit bitterness. Clean, tasty. In time the brewer’s intent is to get an IPA into the regular lineup and recraft this brew in a more English style. But for now it’s pretty good.

Notes from Jan ’06 with the same brewer as last August: Golden-amber colour. Toasty-earthy English hop aroma. A bit thin. Astringent roast background hints at mashing/sparging issue. Unpleasant. Ar 7 Ap 3 Fl 4 P 2 O 6 = 2.2

Notes from August ’05 with the new brewmaster. Slightly hazy dark brown. Earthy, spicy aroma with crystal malt and light foresty hop. Light bitterness. A little bit of stale hop character and punchy dark malts. It’s not huge, but it’s got character. It’s also very similar to the brews at Howe Sound - is that where they got their new brewmaster? I’ll have to find out. Ar 7, Ap 3, Fl 7, P 3, O 14 = 3.4

2nd annual Vancouver Caskival. Thin suspended yeasty chunks in a nice copper coloured beer with a thin white head. Aroma is a bit spicy, a touch of berry fruitiness and light caramel malt. Well-balanced flavour, light malt along with earthy and woody hops. Light spiciness as well. A bit of lingering bitterness. Very earthy finish. Nice bitter.

On tap at the brewpub, a block from my hotel during the week. IBU of 30 was not enough. Too high a carbonation impeded the mouthfeel and the taste. Too much more like a slightly hoppy lager than a bitter, crystal malt used, not a great drinker. Not getting any hops in the smell, nothing special to look at.

Hand pumped cask at the brewpub in Whistler. Hazy orange, dense orange-tinted tan head. Caramel and earthy hop aroma. The palate delivers the same, along with a subtle apricot fruitiness and a moderately bitter finish. Low carbonation. A terrific ESB-- took home a growler!

Caramel, toffee and toasty malts in the nose with some floral hop character and fruity esters. Hazy burnished copper coloured body is topped by a dense, fine bubbled, off white head that coats the glass. Caramel malts are well balanced by floral and citrus hops that provide a moderate level of bitterness. Medium light body with subdued but entirely appropriate soft bubbled carbonation. Sampled on cash at Dix (Caskival 2007).

(Draught) Sampler from the brewpub. Pours a near headless golden body. Nose of cereal and sour milk. Smooth flavour, a tad fizzy with a tonic grain finish. Slightly below average for this style. 4/2/4/3/9

Draft at the brewpub. Menu said 5.4% ABV, 30 IBU’s. Poured a clear amber-light brown color with an off white head. Smelled of grassy hops and pale malt. Light to medium bodied with carbonation on the lower end of the spectrum. Pine and grass flavors were accompanied by an earthy note and pale malt. There was mild to moderate bitterness that peaked at the end.

Hazy amber,lasting tan head.Light malt/hop nose.Lacks malt,mostly bitter hop profile with lasting finish. Poor balance

Despite some of the other ratings of this beer, I did not find it to be the least bit hoppy. It utterly failed to challenge me and was merely a mildly malty brew. Not that it was bad, but I had hoped for a tad more character.