Laurelwood Part 2 / 2 (I know, I know, LONG Overdue)

I know this post has been LONG Overdue...but I've been going through some "stuff" lately, but I have the best family, friends, co-workers, and girlfriend in the entire world :)

That aside, here's the long overdue post from the night of Laurelwood's launch party in Canada, along with my friends at BeerThirst! Better late than never, right?

Okay, so back on May 8th, I got to chill with the Laurelwood crew + BeerThirst crew and celebrate their launch into Canada!

Here are the other 4 beers that I promised:

Laurelwood Brewing (Part 2!) at the Hop and Vine Pub in Burnaby, BC
Photo: Brewji

5. Workhorse India Pale Ale (7.5% ABV; 80 IBU)

Like in the previous post, Laurelwood is known for their ability to brew and renew the IPA genre, while maintaining incredible results.

The workhorse is a grittier, hoppier, kick-in-the-mouth IPA compared to its counterpart in the Green Elephant. It's a true westcoast IPA, but kind of on steroids.

You get the pine, citrus-y grapefruit and orange peel, as well as a buttload of hops. There's a medium mouthfeel, and the bitterness lingers well into the next beer tasting.

Tammy isn't the biggest fan of IPA brews, as they're quite the acquired taste. However, I still think this stands up as a strong competitor in the class.

I give the Workhorse India Pale Ale an impress-your-friends-by-drinking-this 8.0 / 10
Tammy gives the Workhorse India Pale Ale a 6.5 / 10



6. Red Elephant IRA (6.8% ABV; 80 IBU)

Okay, don't get it twisted. IRA stands for India Red Ale...in this instance.

I had to ask, just to confirm, what I should be hoping for in this brew. Was it going to be hop-forward? Was it going to have a mix between hop and malt-powered tastes? Well, I'm about to find out.

On sniff, you get an array of everything from pine, citrus, to malts and sweetness. It seems like it's going to be a balanced beer. Not many breweries can pull that off.

Initially on taste, I get a medium-bodied malty tone, followed immediately by a transition into a pine-y, hoppy, IPA flavour, which is mellowed by some winter-ale caramel-like flavours. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we have a beer with an identity crisis...but that isn't stopping me from giving it a few more tastes.

The lingering after-taste is more citrus-y pine. However they may have brewed this one, it had me reaching for more. It definitely doesn't taste like you're drinking 6.8% ABV, and I am almost certain it didn't taste like it was 80 IBU.

I give the Red Elephant IRA a deceptively-indecisive 8.5 / 10
Tammy gives the Red Elephant IRA a 7.5 / 10


7. Organic Portland Roast Espresso Stout (6.3% ABV; 34 IBU)

This is the brew I've been waiting for! To me, Espresso Stouts are like the bacon of the beer world. It's really hard to screw it up, but also equally difficult to produce a perfect brew.

On sniff, this brew has distinct notes of roasted coffee, some dark cherry hints, and a bit of smoke. It smells absolutely incredible. If you love coffee, and you love beer, you'll be on this faster than a cat on a laser pointer dot.

The taste? Imagine a maraschino cherry, covered in dark chocolate (the good quality kind). Then imagine your favourite chocolate porter, and add roasted espresso beans to the mix. Sound difficult to picture in your head? Then give this brew a go!

Absolutely beautiful.

I give the Organic Portland Roast Espresso Stout a chocolate-dipped-cherry-with-espresso 10 / 10
Tammy gives the Organic Portland Roast Espresso Stout a delicious 9.0 / 10


8. Organic Tree Hugger Porter (5.8% ABV; 45 IBU)

This is it! The last brew of the party. I love myself some stouts and porters, and seeing as how the last one stacked up, I'm down to give this one a try.

On sniff, I get typical porter scents...roasted cocoa, malts, some coffee. Smells good!

On taste, I get the roasted cocoa, I get roasted malts, there is some coffee in there mixed in with some chocolate tastes as well. It's nowhere near being called a chocolate or coffee porter, but having a solid porter with the right mouthfeel, and having the undertones of those flavours is exactly on point.

Compared to the last brew (the espresso stout), this is a little more robust in flavour, and a little less dessert-like. Still delicious.

I give the Organic Tree Hugger Porter an I'll-hug-a-tree-for-another-glass 9.5 / 10
Tammy gives the Organic Tree Hugger Porter an 8.5 / 10





There you have it! Sorry for the long wait. I'm back in the game, and I look forward to blending life's tasks with the joy of bringing you the best in the brew world.

Cheers!