It was a good call. When I opened a bottle of Cellar Dweller at a neighborhood poker game a couple weeks after Ryan gave it to me, it was a big hit. We also tried another barleywine that he brought with him, the Old Bad Cat from Fat Cat Brewery in Nanaimo, BC. The Cellar Dweller's tons of malt and hops blew away the Bad Cat, which was merely syrupy in comparison.
Last week I opened the other bottle of Cellar Dweller so I could give a slightly more descriptive report than "tons of malt and hops". The bottle was at room temperature, and the hop aromas may have faded a bit, because strong alcohol was the main component in the nose this time. Flavorwise, it has lots of everything, all balanced well against one another: brown-sugar (or even burnt-sugar) malt, lots of bitter, orangey hops, and a little alcohol sting (it is 12%). It was pleasantly viscous, with a hoppy/roasty finish that didn't overstay its welcome. This time Dave, Carla, and I compared it with a year-old bottle of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, and the fresh Old Cellar Dweller won hands down. The hops in the Bigfoot were bitter but losing their floral qualities, and the body just wasn't as full as the Driftwood.
Ryan also brought some cans of Red Racer IPA from Central City Brewing in Surrey. It was a very nice, big IPA, plenty of hops but not over the top. He also dropped some off with Ezra, who describes it in more detail in this review, as well as comparing it to Bear Republic's Racer 5. Ezra also reports that Bear Republic has sued Central City, claiming that Red Racer infringes their Racer 5 trademark. Don't you think the world would be a better place with fewer lawyers in it?
Anyway, many thanks to Ryan for the unexpected beer delivery. And definitely seek out some Old Cellar Dweller or other Driftwood beers if you find yourself in the Great White North.
