Sky High Grand Fir Ale
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

 

I rarely leave an actual review, but I had to say a few words. I know I rated this beer quite high, but damn, it is everything it says it is-and I've had nothing else to compare it to. It's piney, without being overly bitter and it's fairly light and refreshing. Not a beer I'd have on a regular basis, but if the Phillips people decided to release this yearly or every few years, I'd be first in line.

Appearance - Pours a clear gold with two fingers of bubbly white head.

Smell - bready malts, fir, pine and spruce, citrus, lemon, hint of earthy and floral hops.

Taste - bready malts followed by the strong fir needles, pine and spruce. The citrus, lemon and hint of earthy and floral hops finish the brew off.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes crisp and dry with the fir needles, pine and spruce lingering.

Overall - A brew that displays the fir needle essence well. I feel as though it could use a little more fir needles, pine and spruce to make it a standout.

 

An interesting concept..I've sampled some Scandinavian brews that have used coniferous trees in the mash but not a domestic attempt

Slightly hazy and very pale yellow colour. Lot's of tiny bubbles of carbonation..I'm anticipating a very crisp initial swig

imagine diving through a fir forest and experiencing the usual scent plus lemon..I'd wear this as a cologne

Taste certainly is as advertised..some sweetness from the malts followed by the obvious fir influences..the lemon citrus notes dominate there after..not completely balanced but damn it's close

worth a try for sure...

 

650ml bottle, fast on the heels of Parallel 49's Mr. Needles fir pale ale from their holiday mixed deal last month.

This beer pours a mostly clear, very pale golden yellow colour, with three fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and mildly fizzy bone-white head, which leaves a bit of streaky and sudsy lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of fresh Christmas tree needles, both the acrid green herbal thing and that sappy/resinous character, some muted, but still sassy lemon rind, and a sense of pale malt graininess that doesn't know what it has gotten itself into. The taste is an intense pine tree experience - needle, cone, resin, and dirt, all - with some further cooked lemon and white grapefruit citrus, wan crackery pale malt, and a strange (not really, I suppose) floral bitterness.

The carbonation is quite low-key in its barely there frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and more or less smooth, with just a bit of that sticky stuff you get on your fingers when you touch a fir tree gumming things up, as such. It finishes somewhat off-dry, the muddled fruitiness and still obfuscated malt burbling up amongst the lingering pine tree detritus.

Well, I can't fault truth in advertising, as this is certainly a fir tree in liquid form - when I popped the cap, it was like this year's Christmas tree was still 'alive and well', instead of sitting out by the garbage and recycling area, awaiting its final fate. Like its Vancouver city brewing comrades' offering, this will be polarizing to a certain degree, but it is good on its own, if you think this might be your thing.