It's been a few years since I've done the Ten great beers available in Manitoba column, but ever since I started writing for the Brandon Sun, I put Ten great beers on hiatus. Buuuut for one night only, I'm bringing it back. Here's my fifth edition of Ten great beers in Manitoba! My sixth edition will likely be popping out in the autumn or early winter once the new Manitoban breweries are canning and distributing to Liquor Marts, vendors and pubs across the province.
- PEI Brewing Gahan Vic Park Pale Ale - There's only been a few times in my life where I reviewed a beer where it was an immediate sellout as soon as I raved about it. The first was Whistler Brewing's Bear Paw Honey Lager, the second was Prince Edward Island Brewing's Gahan Vic Park Pale Ale. A liberally hopped saison style pale ale, it won gold at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards. You can already tell that this is a beer worth salivating over
- Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA - Oh god, I tell everyone this story. I was in Minot, North Dakota back in April checking out the beer scene there. Before heading back to Manitoba I picked up a sixer of Deschutes' Fresh Squeezed IPA. Holy hell, it's delicious! Low and behold, only a week or two later, the MLCC brought it to Manitoba! Sure, I wasn't paying $9.99/6-pack anymore (more like $3.99/bottle), the stuff we got in Manitoba was just pure liquid hop heaven.
- Garún Icelandic Stout - I miss the days when Lava Stout was available here in Manitoba - it was a heavenly, thick, smokey stout that made Manitoban autumns memorable. While Lava Stout is no longer sold here in Manitoba, Garùn is the next best thing. At 11%+ ABV, it's easily the strongest stout in all of Manitoba.. and since Manitoba is home to the largest Icelandic population outside Iceland, I'll keep spending the $x.xx on this, it's worth every cent!
- Driftwood Fat Tug IPA - Four or so years ago I kept hearing about Fat Tug and how it's the best IPA in Canada. When I first tried it, I thought it was alright, but I had better. Now days, it's easily my go-to IPA when I want a liberally hopped yet balanced West Coast-style IPA.
- Black Bridge Milk Stout - I've only tried a few Milk Stouts over the years, with Charlevoix's La Vache Folle being regarded as THE milk stout in Canada. Black Bridge's Milk Stout is easily one of the best Milk Stouts I've ever had, very much on par with Charlevoix.
- Double Trouble Fire in the Rye - I LOVE rye beers.. but there's very few rye beers in Manitoba. Double Trouble's Fire in the Rye Ale is regarded (by me) as one of the best rye ales in Canada. Absolutely love the roasted maltiness, the full-on-rye action and caramel maltiness to it.
- John H R Molson Bros 1908 Pale Ale - Why is a Molson product on the list? Well, Molson did an awesome job at a history inspired pale ale using similar strains of hops and barley that may have been used over one hundred years ago. Grainy, unfiltered and a hint of caramel malt. Surprisingly tasty
- St Bernardus Abt 12 - I don't have to say much here.. there's a reason why this beer is rated among one of the top beers in the world. Try it and you'll know what I mean.
- Boulevard Single Wide IPA - I remember first buying this for $6.99 per six-pack down in North Dakota. Awesome solid IPA with a liberal amount of hoppy bitterness to it. Not too bitter but easily one of the top 10 IPAs I've ever had.
- Half Pints Old Red Barn - Sours have become one of those styles that all the good breweries have experimented with in the past few years. When I first tried it, I found it was mostly sour and not much else. Then they released their second edition of the beer for Coast to Coaster Beer event at the MLCC.. damn, it's a sour treat, full on tart and sour but so good that you almost want to buy another bottle to drink once the current bottle is finished!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
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