Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - North Shore News - A33
TASTE
Dark ale doesn’t provide enough bold flavour From page 31 to calm me down. That’s when I popped the top on the Hoperation, appreciating the fact that the label featured a plane that was literally dropping bombs. They appear to actually be hop bombs, which is an understandable choice considering what lies inside the bottle. A super hoppy IPA hybrid with the Belgian backbone adding unique flavour to the mix. Just what I needed. This one definitely isn’t for the faint of heart though.
If you don’t want your beer to slap you in the face a bit you might want to steer clear. Also, it’s 7.3 per cent alcohol. In baseball draft terms, it’s either a first-round home run for those who can handle the heat or, for the risk averse, a loose cannon whose arm will probably fall off after two weeks. Final round: Vancouver Island Brewing’s Absolute Darkness India Dark Ale The draft was winding down and so was I. VIB’s Absolute Darkness finished off the evening and with India Dark
Ale on the label I was expecting a beautiful black beverage with some surprising flavour. Well, score that one-for-two. The beer did pour jet black and had a very nice hop aroma but once it hit the mouth there wasn’t a lot of pop. Roasted malt flavour dominated and that whiff of hops is nothing more than that: a whiff. If you’re looking for a bit of a boozy stout then this, at 6.5 per cent, is a nice dark substitute. But if it’s bold flavour you’re after, find another vessel to India. A common fantasy baseball
mantra is “don’t pay for saves.” Closers are a volatile bunch
and you can always find a replacement if yours don’t pan out. That sort of sums up the Absolute. If it’s late in the game, you’re in need of a dark ale and the Absolute is what’s
left on the board, go ahead and grab it. Save your big bucks, however, for something with a little more upside. In baseball draft terms it’s a late-round stash.
BUY 1 GET 1 FREE!
BEEF & VEGETABLE PIE
Regular Price $7.50ea
(weight 750g)
Special valid April 25 - May 1, 2013
As Good As Homemade Lynn Valley Centre 604-985-1622