Beer Thirty with Ysgaroth

If you're looking for a band that's got too many things going on all at once, you might want to look into Ysgaroth.

They've pretty much got their fingers in all of the metal pies.

I bet that looks a bit like Terminator 2...

Anyway, these British Columbians can be found on the greatest music website on the planet, BANDCAMP.

Now, let's crack open a beer to go with that metal.

1. My personal favorite beer style is the might Double India Pale Ale. The best DIPA in the world is STLIPA by Urban Chestnut. Tell me about your favorite style?

When I first got into beer I couldn’t get enough of stouts, but over time I’ve just come to love sours - it doesn’t matter what kind.

Bottle conditioned, fermented on berries, whatever. My favourite sour I’ve ever had was the Strathcona Brewing Love Buzz, which was a vanilla raspberry sour - best beer I’ve ever had, and it was only a limited release.

Life is pain.

2. Many international people have laughed at me for this, but American Beer is the best in the world. Not American Lagers, that piss water is best used for drinking 15 of them while you're at the karaoke bar, but American Craft Beer. Which nation is pumping out the best beer?

I’m legally obligated to say Canada, but I’ve been loving a lot of Danish craft beer lately, especially the stuff coming from Amager Brughus.

Haven’t been able to get any recently because of the pandemic, but Danish beer was definitely giving the local stuff a run for its money.

3. Even though I'm a giant beer snob, I'll drink beers that break the Bavarian Purity Laws. My personal favorite is Schalfly's Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout. It's a might 22oz of 10% ABV Stout aged in bourbon barrels. It'll warm your heart and soul.

What beers do you love that break Reinheitsgebot?

Most sours I enjoy break the Bavarian Purity Laws, so there are a lot that I like!

Founders Brewing’s KBS, CBS, and Frootwood are all amazing, but my favourite beer that breaks the Bavarian Purity Laws has to be the House of Funk Juno sour. It’s a dry hopped sour with blood orange, guava, and vanilla, and it’s just so good.

Plus, the brewery is about a 15-minute drive from my house so I can always get more whenever I want.

4. Right now, you couldn't pin me down and get me to give my favorite St. Louis Brewery, though Urban Chestnut's STLIPA does put them in the lead...but if you put a gun to my head, it's Schlafly Brewing. What do you think of your local brewers?

Vancouver has so many amazing local brewers. Granted, some are definitely over-hyped, but as a whole the local craft beer scene is insane.

Plus, there are new breweries popping up almost every day it seems like - I think my favourite has to be House of Funk right now though.

5. Hops or Malt? Personally, I feel like a jerk for asking the question. Give me a malty Scottish/Scotch Ale or a hoppy DIPA...and I'm happy...but you gotta pick one.

Hops are the enemy, and malt is king. This is the hill that I will die on.

6. Whenever I'm road tripping. I'm always bringing back beers. Ohio, Great Lakes Brewing. East Coast, Yuengling. Western New  York. Genessee. What do you bring home? 

Honestly, any beer I pick up when I’m on the road usually doesn’t make it back with me, so I don’t bring anything home.