Best Features: great bottle and chocolate aroma

The Rail Ale from Howe Sound Brewery is a perfect example of a beer that I have tasted at several events, but never had the chance to review. This beer is available in exquisite 1L pop top (swing top) bottle that sells for $6.95 and is available directly from the brewpub and at several liquor stores around the South Coast. When we popped the bottle, the sweet malt aroma was immediately released; a pleasant mixture of chocolate and roasted sweetness. The pour produced a light and wispy head that lingered. The malty sweetness and roasted flavours are immediately apparent, although the beer is fairly light in body and meaning that the flavours do not linger for an extended period of time. Overall, Rail Ale is very enjoyable and light on the tongue, with a nice subtle sweet malt and roasted flavour. Try this beer with a dessert made with molasses or bitter-sweet chocolate, spicy curry dishes or Thai food to help cool your tongue. A great centerpiece for any table, try giving one of these beers as a gift instead of a bottle of wine the next time you are a dinner guest!

Beer Fact: Howe Sound Brewery has a good selection of beer with seasonal offerings. Brewpubs are the perfect location to try some beer and food pairings because they usually offer a wide variety of beer and food under one roof.

(4 out of 5)

Best Feature: rich dark brown colour

Howe Sound Brewing’s Rail Ale is a delicious brown ale that unfortunately has limited distribution in British Columbia.  I love the packaging used by this brewer: a 1L swing top style dark brown bottle, it grabs your attention right away.  When poured, the head was loose with rather large bubbles and its overall colouring was a rich dark brown.  The nose was a charming burnt malt aroma with undertones of sweetness.  The mouthfeel was light to medium and the flavour was distinctly burnt malts but it was not over done.  There was a hint of sweetness in the bitter finish which lasted on the back of my tongue. Overall a very good beer from a microbrew that is slowly distributing more beer outside of Squamish. Try this beer with dishes flavoured with nuts (including dessert) and salty foods will be balanced nicely by the sweetness of the beer.

Beer Fact: Brewpubs generally have smaller boiling kettles and fermentation tanks for making beer. Some seasonal ales run out quickly but brewers are more willing to experiment with different styles and flavours of beer when compared to larger breweries.

(4 out of 5)