After work wrapped up on Friday, I stopped at Urban Liquor in Kelowna on my way home and perused the craft beer section for far too long.
Shoutout to the fine folks at Urban Liquor, it’s always a tough choice because they have such a great selection, but I eventually settled on buying a couple of four-packs that caught my eye.
It’s always a crapshoot buying new beers, but once I got home and tried both I came to the quick conclusion that I made a pair of fantastic selections on this liquor store outing.
From the mountains to the forest, Fernie Brewing’s First Chair White IPA and Beere Brewing’s Bushwhacker West Coast IPA both hit the spot on a relaxing Friday night.
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One of the first craft beers I ever loved was Phillips Brewing’s Electric Unicorn White IPA, so I’m always inclined to try a new white IPA when I see one.
First Chair did not disappoint, as the bright and smooth beer delivered the perfect hit of refreshing citrus at 6% ABV.
The Fernie brewery says this medium-bodied beer, part of their IPA series, is loaded with Centennial and Citra hops, and features a balanced hoppy bitterness and subtle fruity spice.
Bushwhacker is dry-hopped extensively with Simcoe and Motueka hops, the North Vancouver brewery explains, but it’s the Talus hops that made all the difference for me.
Despite a higher ABV at 7.3%, I loved the light and fruit-forward taste of stone fruit brought forward by Talus, which blends beautifully with the notes of fresh pine, lime and grapefruit.
This week’s beer column was a simple “buy and taste test” edition and sometimes that’s the perfect strategy when grabbing some beer for the weekend.
I highly recommend both these creations from a pair of great breweries and I hope you can find them at your local liquor store.
While I can’t speak for their availability around BC, I can promise my Kelowna readers that you’ll find both in the fridge at Urban Liquor on Gordon Drive.
Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.
