As soon as Mike Sharpham referred to nectarines as hairless peaches, I knew we were in for a fun, light hearted interview about their new beer. You see last year they had some issues with the Nectarine Gose – a labeling issue not a beer issue – so I was curious about what was unique…
Gavin Hamilton, a Scotsman who began his career as an apprentice clerk for the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Langley, apparently shot and killed not one, but three bears with a double barrel shotgun on a canoe trip while hunting for wild ducks.
Granville Island Brewing has impressed me in the way that they’ve managed to find, in my mind, a great balance between working within the confines of larger commercial brewing and running a successful small batch brewing program locally. They always have something new on tap in their tasting room, there’s lots of experimental brewing going…
Granville Island Brewing is continuing to pump out some neat beers at their local small batch brewery on Vancouver’s own Granville Island. For this release, they were kind enough once again to invite me out to interview Mike (their beer merchant) about the beer.
If you have walked into the Granville Island Brewing Taproom recently, you may have noticed a new addition to their shop which just so happens to feature new Crowler filling machine set up next to their growler station. One of the first (of three) Crowler filling breweries in Greater Vancouver, this new beer-to-go option has…
There’s been a couple of really interesting things going on at Granville Island Brewing that have really piqued my interest lately. First of all they became the first Bullfrog Powered brewery in British Columbia, which is a great showcase of leadership that I respect greatly as they are investing in cleaner energy solutions. Second, they…
Parallel 49 Brews Brothers Vol 2: This year’s Classic Rock themed Brews Brothers Vol 2 twelve pack is a large multi-brewer BC pack of craft beers featuring a whole different set of breweries from last year’s collaboration pack, which was once again were brewed together at the Parallel 49 brewery in Vancouver, BC. Volume 2 retails for…
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of being invited to a special beer tour put together for beer bloggers as an introduction to the Vine & hops Wine and Craft Beer Tour Company. From what I gathered, they are targeting clients who are interested in customizable private tours as well as running…
Old Yale Brewing Yeti White Stout: This is a white stout hybrid style beer brewed in Chilliwack, BC to a strength of 8% abv using Belgian pilsner malts, peated malt and oats with the addition of Himalayan truffles in the brewing process. It’s interesting to see that they’re clearly building on their successful Canadian Beer of the…
Village 6 Year Old Cheddar and Strange Fellows Talisman Pale Ale: For this beer and cheese pairing I decided to put a pale ale and aged cheddar togeother, which is a standard favourite and a good go-to pairing option for any occasion. Pale Ales, Amber Ales and Red Ales all tend to pair up quite nicely…
Mt. Lehman Blue Capri and Central City Thor’s Hammer Barleywine: I have to start this post by giving a full on shout out to Ken Beattie from Eureka Beer Guide who introduced me to pairing blue cheese and Barleywine together. It truly created what he refers to as a “Eureka Moment” when I first tried it…
Mt Lehman Cheese Co Gozzarella & Steel & Oak Smoked Hefeweizen: Sometimes I’ll put a beer and cheese together just to see what happens and other times my pairing is specifically intentional to attempt to recreate a flavour combination like I did with this one. I wanted try and emulate a smoked mozzarella flavour in this cheese…
Taster Tray Series – Callister Brewing in Vancouver, BC: Today’s feature is Callister Brewing which is located in Vancouver, BC in the East Van (or Yeast Van) brewing district. What makes this place particularly interesting is that it is a functional co-op style brewhouse, featuring Callister brewing and three other breweries under one roof. Specifically, Brewery Creek, Machine…
Taster Tray Series – Strange Fellows Brewing: Today’s feature is Strange Fellows Brewing which is located in East Vancouver, BC – an area we like to refer to as the Yeast Van district since it’s home to a host of great breweries like this one. This place is one of the more celebrated new breweries in BC, a brewery that…
Smits & Co.w Gone Goatee & Old Abbey Ales Belgian Quad: In this pairing I feature two products from two producers in the neighbouring towns of Abbotsford and Chilliwack in British Columbia. It is incredible to see the growth in the outskirts of Greater Vancouver in farming towns such as these ones, each worthy of a local…
Taster Tray Series – One20 Public House: Today’s feature is the One20 Public House which is located in Delta, BC on Scott Road (aka 120th street, hence the name). I recently attended a Steel & Oak Brewmaster’s dinner there and couldn’t resist ordering a taster tray off of their excellent local beer list once the dinner event finished.…
Kootenay Meadows Nostrala & Cannery Naramata Nut Brown Ale: In this pairing I feature two products from two different interior regions of British Columbia, each being an independent producer of beer or cheese. I luckily got to sample this cheese before buying a decent sized serving of it and I figured the earthy and nutty tasting notes…
Taster Tray Series – Doan’s Craft Brewing in Vancouver, BC: Today’s feature is Doan’s Craft Brewing which is located in Vancouver, BC near the center of the East Van brewing district. Mike and Evan, the owners of the brewery, were actually the little brothers of my childhood friend Jon so it was pretty interesting to see them…
Moonstruck Ash Ripened Camembert & Moon Under Water Brett IPA: In this pairing, my intent was to explore how the Brettanomyces in the Farmhouse IPA mixed with some of the mild funk in a typical Camembert cheese, while also seeing how the ash interacted with the beer. I also couldn’t resist pairing two products with the word…
Taster Tray Series – Howe Sound Devil’s Elbow Ale & Smokehouse: Today’s feature is the Devil’s Elbow Ale & Smokehouse which is in Vancouver, BC at a convenient location right next to the Stadium Skytrain station, which is core feature of our public transit system. I’ve been meaning to visit this place ever since it opened in 2014,…
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks Brie & Dageraad Blonde: Featuring another delicious brie cheese, in this post my intention was to explore melding of spicy yeast esters from a Belgian blonde ale and a the creamy buttery flavours of a soft creamy cheese. This style of beer can be paired with all kinds of cheeses, but it is best with a…
Yellow Dog Brewing Play Dead IPA: This beer is brewed in Port Moody, BC to a strength of 6.8% abv with 75 IBUs. Their IPA was recently released in tallboy style cans which is the perfect size for a drink like this and can be found in most private liquor stores. Aroma and Appearance: Play Dead IPA pours…
Taster Tray Series – Big River Brewing Company in Richmond, BC: One of my favourite things to do is sample beer, be it at a festival, at a bottle share, a bar or even better at the brewery where the beer is made. In this blog series I’ll be featuring different taster trays from mostly local…
Natural Pastures Comox Brie & Category 12 Saison: Admittedly, I am a huge fan of brie cheese (who isn’t right?) so you’ll likely see a lot of brie cheeses or similar varieties on this blog because I find them to be utterly delicious. For this pairing, my intention was to couple the spices from a…
Strange Fellows Nocturnum: This beer is brewed in Vancouver, BC at this new place that has a flair for the strange and unusual. It comes in at a strength of 6.5% abv with 65 IBU’s and should be available in 473 mL cans very soon, making it a little easier to get a hold of for the…
Village Amber Ale Cheese and Driftwood New Growth Pale Ale: Continuing with my beer and cheese pairing experimentation on this blog, I managed to find a cheese that was already infused with an Amber Ale for my next beer and cheese pairing adventure. Most Pale Ales will pair up nicely with a sharp cheddar cheese, or even…
Parallel 49 Brews Brothers: A first of its kind in BC, the Brews Brothers 12 pack is a large multi-brewer BC collaboration pack of beers that were brewed together at the Parallel 49 brewery in Vancouver, BC. This variety pack of beer, which retailed for $25-$30 in stores across BC and Alberta, is likely all sold…
The Farmhouse Brie with Old Yale Witbier: In general wheat based ales aren’t massive palate busters, so in order to incorporate them into a good beer and cheese pairing be sure to look for a delicate cheese that won’t over power the beer. You’ll want something that will work to cut into the fat a…
Category 12 Brewing Unsanctioned Saison: This beer is brewed in Victoria, BC to a strength of 6.9% abv, using their house Belgian yeast and 27 IBUs of Zythos hops. Unsanctioned Saison also features Pilsner, Belgian Caravienne and Rye malts according to their website. I’m always game for a good Saison style beer and this had gotten some…
Old Yale Brewing Vanishing Monk Belgian Witbier: I received this beer as a part of a solicited review sample pack where the brewer has offered me a sample of beer and asked me to review it. Vanishing Monk is a Belgian Witbier that is brewed in Chilliwack, BC to a strength of 5% abv with a…
Village Maple Cheddar with Cannery Maple Stout: Beer and cheese make a natural pairing as both are farmhouse foods, they often have great cutting and complementing characteristics, and BC just so happens to have great craft brewers and artisan cheese makers – so I thought this would make a fun feature to try out on…
Dageraad Sri Lanka Belgian Dubbel: This is a really interesting Belgian Dubbel which is brewed to a strength of 7.5% abv featuring tamarind and kithul treacle; two things I knew nothing about prior to drinking this. Sri Lanka by Dageraad is a single release small batch brewed beer, so if you are interested in trying it…
Craft Beer Revolution – The Insider’s Guide to BC Breweries (Second Edition): Authored by Joe Wiebe, aka the Thirsty Writer, this is the quintessential guide to the world of craft beer in British Columbia which has been updated to include 40 new breweries that have opened up since the first edition came out in 2013.…
Russell Brewing Luck of the Irish Red Ale: Brewed in Surrey, BC this seasonal release Irish Red Ale has an alcohol by volume of 5% and contains 30 IBUs worth of hops. I enjoyed this on a fairly quiet mid-week St. Patrick’s Day as a nice way to settle down after a busy day of…
Dageraad 10° Belgian Quadrupel: Is the first Quadrupel release from Burnaby, BC based Belgian style brewer Dageraad, which comes in at a strength of 10% abv and is brewed with unrefined sugar to fruit up the fermentation. This beer is can be aged or enjoyed now, per the bottle it’s good for at least three years but…
Bomber Brewing Blood From A Stone Collaboration: In collaboration with Stone Brewing Compamy to celebrate their BC launch, Bomber Brewing released this 6.8% abv and 60 IBU Red Rye IPA in a screen printed bottle, keeping with the Stone Brewing tradition. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a clear amber colour with medium carbonation and two fingers of ivory…
Bomber Brewing Apex Barleywine: Brewed to a strength of 10% abv with apparently 15 different malts and 73 IBU’s, this barleywine was aged in french oak red wine barrels for 9 months before bottling and was released in January 2015. Aroma and Appearance: It pours a dark red amber colour with minimal foam and some centered carbonation.…
Phillips Hammer Barrel Aged Imperial Stout: Likely the cheapest barrel aged Imperial Stout I have ever seen (like $7 for a 22 oz bottle), this beer is brewed to a strength of 8.3% abv and is aged in bourbon barrels for an undisclosed period of time. Aroma and Appearance: Pours with two fingers of foam, a dark…
Central City / Four Winds Collaboration Maiden Voyage Cedar Aged Pale Ale: In conjunction with the BC Craft Brewers Guild, this is part of a collaboration series which should be continuing soon in the spring of 2015 with hopefully another release, perhaps with different brewers? Maiden Voyage was brewed to a strength of 6% abv, with…
Central City Winter Cask Festival 2015: In BC I would say this is one of the larger cask events that is offered, this particular one featuring 39 casks from 37 breweries which is kind of crazy when you think about it. The Winter Cask Fest is held annually in January at the Central City Brewpub location in…
BC Beer Awards: So I am super late to the game in writing up my review of this event, I mean everyone has probably seen multiple copies of the list of 2014 Award Winners posted on many great sites. In fact I even shared my favourite of the reviews by Mike’s Craft Beer on twitter already (it’s good,…
Barkerville Brewing 52 Foot Stout: I have often complained that BC does not make very many good quality basic Stouts compared to other places, a category somewhat lacking for some reason locally, however in recent years the tide has turned and finally we have some decent one’s in our province. This beer is brewed in Quesnel,…
Dageraad – Wet Hopped Blonde Ale: Is a Fresh Hopped Belgian Blonde Ale that is brewed in Burnaby, BC at a strength of 7.5% abv and some local Centennial hops. I had been eagerly awaiting this re-fermented bottle and it was something I was super glad to find at a private store recently. Word is the brewer…
Dageraad De Witte with Passion Fruit (2015): This year’s version is a Sour Fermented Belgian Wheat Ale brewed to a strength of 5.2% but this time with the addition passion fruit and a healthy dose of dry hopped Citra hops. It’s great to see a brewer use some creativity to change things up with their…
Dageraad Randonneur Saison: Is a genuine Belgian Style Saison that is brewed locally in Burnaby, BC by a very stylistically dedicated Belgian brewery which comes in at a strength of 6.4% abv. Saisons were traditionally brewed for farm labourers, often at much lower abv’s so they could drink it through they work day and still function. This…
Howe Sound Brewing Total Eclipse of the Hop Imperial IPA: This is a Imperial IPA brewed in Squamish, BC at a strength of 8% abv with 90 IBUs of 6 undisclosed varieties of hops. It comes in a 1L flip top bottle that Howe Sound Brewery is known for, which is named a pot stopper according to their…
Townsite Brewing Perfect Storm Oatmeal Stout: This is a stout brewed in Powell River, BC at a strength of 5.5% with 30 IBUs featuring Columbus, Cascade and Golding hops per their website. I haven’t had a lot of great BC stouts so I like to try different one’s to see where the gems are. Aroma and Appearance: This pours…
Russell Brewing – Hop Therapy ISA: I had been meaning to pick this up to try it because I really like the DIPA version, however I was hesitant because it was only offered in 6 packs and I don’t buy a lot of those – however I guess Ninkasi was watching over me as I managed…
Howe Sound Cloudburst Lemongrass White IPA: This IPA was release in Feb 2014 I believe as a spring seasonal beer and was discovered in a recent cellar clean out effort where I grabbed bottles that were in the now or never stage, mostly IPAs at this point. It is brewed at a strength of 6% abv with…
Deep Cove Brewers University Brew Off IPA: This IPA was the winning beer in a brew off between two local University home brewing clubs SFBrew (SFU) and BrUbc (UBC) competing in the Hops Connect Cup University Home Brewing Competition (as reported on Canadian Beer News). It was originally dubbed Hop-A-Rella, released in April of this year ant…
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