Dropped into Whatcom Wine and Spirits a couple weeks back after finding out they were carrying a brand of beer I was interested in checking out.

Unfortunately they didn’t have what I was looking for but they did have an interesting selection of crafts. Ended up grabbing a few random bombers and cans, including a Great Plains Brown Ale from Two Wolves, a brewer that was new to me.

Factory Brewing

Turns out Two Wolves use Factory Brewing to brew, bottle, and distribute their product.

Factory is a key player in the BC brewing scene, providing resources to brewers who may not have the means to get their creations to open market.  In a nutshell, you create, they do the rest.

 

The Brew

The Details: Brown Ale, 5.5% ABV, 18IBU

The Pour: They’ve decided to use the term “brown ale” quite liberally for some reason – maybe for marketing or to garner a broader appeal. Whatever the case may be this pours like a porter or stout. Rich dark body with a strong tan frothy head, that settles to a healthy firm top layer.

Being an unfiltered beverage, there were plenty of floaties (nice!).

The Smell: Rich malty, coffee, chocolate.

The Swig: The initial pour and smell gave everything away. Very nice tasting beer that was leaning somewhere between a porter and a stout. Rich to the palate, yet very smooth and easy drinking. Well balanced flavour, and just downright yummy.

WIBTA?: An emphatic absolutely. This beverage hit all of my bases. It was super easy to drink, had a very well balanced flavour, and was on point for mouth feel.

The Closing Notes

An absolute winner in my books! You could pair this with just about anything and it would be right at home. I can see myself drinking this pretty much any time of year. Don’t let the fact it is a dark beer fool you. Sitting right in the mid-range for body and depth, it’s quite a versatile beer.

If you’re new to dark beers, may I suggest picking up a pack of these and sharing them with some friends – they’ll thank you for it.

Available in stores as tall cans. I got mine at Whatcom Wine & Spirits – they also have a link on their website to other private retailers stocking their product. From what I can see it is currently not available at BC Liquor stores.

Well that’s it for now, gonna go quench that panda sized thirst… Cheers!

*WIBTA is where I ask myself “Would I Buy This Again?”