Beer column: Spring has arrived and that means a bunch of new releases from Phillips

This might just become an annual thing.

It was last April that I wrote a column about a trio of exciting new spring releases from one of my favourite BC breweries – Phillips Brewing in Victoria.

Nearly a year later, Phillips has once again emerged from winter with multiple new beers that will have many rushing to the liquor store this weekend.

The brewery has dropped two new Dinosours, and announced the return of the Dreamsicle that debuted a year ago, along with a new flavour of Solaris that is an early contender for ‘Beer of the Summer’ for me.

Dinosaur Power Watermelon Smash

Coming in at 7% ABV (alcohol by volume), this new addition to the Dinosour lineup packs a punch.

Phillips calls it “dangerously refreshing,” however, and I can certainly see that being the case on a hot summer day.

“This hazy pink beast is packed with juicy watermelon, zesty citrus and a tart bite that hits just right,” the brewery says.

Dinosaur Berry Lemonade

You’d be hard pressed to come up with a taste more associated with summer than lemonade and Phillips has channeled that feeling with this Dinosour debut.

Full of ripe BC berries and zesty lemonade, the “vibrant, hazy pink sour is the perfect balance of sweet, tart and flavourful.

This is the one to track down if you’re hoping to drink a few in the sun, as it’s much lighter alcohol wise at 4.2% ABV.

Solaris Raspberry Wheat

Phillips may have rattled a lot of fans when it switched things up and replaced its Solaris White Peach Ale with a Solaris Summer Wheat Ale last spring.

People grew to love the new Solaris offering and they will certainly love the latest version of it – the Solaris Raspberry Wheat Ale.

The brewery says it offers “a vibrant, refreshingly tart twist packed with real raspberry flavour and a smooth wheat finish.”

I haven’t tried the new Dinosours yet, but my wife and I found the new Solaris at our local liquor store and had to take a pack home.

We were blown away by the taste -- fruit forward and not too wheaty -- and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good fruit beer.

I suspect this will be a very popular choice for BC beer drinkers this summer and moving forward.

Bonus Mixed Pack!

I'm here to talk about new beers from Phillips, but the brewery's latest mixed pack is worth mentioning as well (plus, it has a new beer in it).

The Playlist Party Pack features the Solaris Wheat Ale, Tiger Shark Pale Ale and Glitter Bomb Hazy Pale Ale, as well as the debut of the Tiny Party Lil' Hazy IPA.

Tiny Party is a very cool new addition to the Phillips lineup, with the taste of a hoppy hazy beer but a low ABV at just 3%. You will only find this new beer in the Playlist Party Pack, at least for now.

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.