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Beer column: Can Phillips repeat the success of Dinosour with Gorilla Mode?

There aren’t many British Columbian breweries that have better branding than Phillips Brewing.

The Victoria brewery has become one of BC’s biggest producers of craft beer thanks to their delicious creations and marketing strategies behind them.

A perfect example of that is their collection of sours, which are all branded under the Dinosour label.

<who>Photo Credit: Phillips Brewing

Now, I may be a bit off on the history here, so forgive me if that’s the case, but when the first Dinosour beer was released by Phillips it appeared to be a one-off.

It was either one or two sours with the fun dinosaur-related branding and they only came out in the summer.

Over time, it evolved into an entire lineup of different Dinosours that you could purchase in a variety of ways, including the Jurassic mixed pack.

The many different Dinosours have become a staple of Phillips’ beer lineup, and it appears as though the brewery is looking to repeat that success with Gorilla Mode.

Announced earlier this week, Gorilla Mode instantly gives off the same vibe as Dinosour with its powerful animal mascot and colourful cans.

These aren’t light summer sours, however, as Phillips says Gorilla Mode will bring “bold flavours that swing through every sip” in the form of strong IPAs.

And when I say strong, I mean strong.

The first two Gorilla Mode beers are the Thunder Punch Hazy IPA, which comes in at 9% ABV (alcohol by volume), and the Juice Wizard IPA, which comes in at a whopping 9.5% ABV.


Let’s start with Thunder Punch, which pours a hazy golden colour and offers up enticing aromas of yuzu, tropical fruit and citrus.

“Thunder Punch offers a hop-forward flavor with notes of citrus and tropical fruit, balanced by a smooth base of wheat and oats,” says the Phillips website.

“Medium-bodied with a pillowy soft mouthfeel, it finishes crisp and slightly dry, with a tropical, hoppy punch featuring Alora, Motueka and Eclipse hops for a clean, refreshing finish.”

Now onto Juice Wizard, which pours a similar colour but will produce juicy aromas of stone fruit, citrus and lemon zest.

“The flavor bursts with bold hops, showcasing notes of citrus and nectarine, balanced by a subtle wheat and malt backbone,” the brewery explains.

“Dry-hopped with orange juice and natural fruit flavors, it finishes crisp, refreshing and perfectly crushable.”

I’m not exactly sure how a beer that is 9.5% ABV can be described as “crushable,” but I’m going to take the brewery’s word for it.

These two Gorilla Mode beers are rolling out to liquor stores across the province and you should hopefully be able to find them to try out this weekend.

I have yet to get my hands on one, but as a Phillips super fan I’m very excited to try them and just as excited to see how the Gorilla Mode branding progresses in the future.


Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.



Send your comments, news tips, typos, letter to the editor, photos and videos to [email protected].



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