The Growler B.C. • Volume 2 Issue 4 • December-February 2016

VOLUME

02 04 ISSUE

C R A F T

$2 B E E R

Display until mar 15, 2017

H A N D B O O K

BEST ENJOYED ALL YEAR

Our year-round Small Batch release balances hops upfront with a solid malt base for a refreshing Pale Ale to enjoy year round.

NEXT RELEASE:

Mocha Porter Nov. 21

MARCH 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11, 2017

Beer Week is back.

Celebrate BC Craft Beer!

9 DAYS 15 EVENTS 50 BREWERIES INFINITE JOY Full details at

VictoriaBeerWeek.com Purchase tickets

vicbeerweek.eventbrite.ca @vicbeerweek /vicbeerweek @vicbeerweek

BRITISH COLUMBIA

SEA TO SKY ISLANDS & COAST

1.778.840.5005 thegrowler.ca | @thegrowlerbc editor Rob Mangelsdorf editor@thegrowler.ca PUbliSher Gail Nugent gnugent@thegrowler.ca contribUting writerS Megan Cole Daniel Coles Shawn Conner Andrew Fleming Lito Howse Ryan Ingram Stephen Smysnuik Darcy Wiebe Joe Wiebe Jan Zeschky ProdUction & deSign Tara Rafiq Juliana Sauvé Photo editor Jonny Healy coVer illUStration Neil Manuel Social Media Danielle Boileau diStribUtion Craig Sweetman (Newsstand) Debbie Tang (Direct) orders@thegrowler.ca

KOOTENAYS

FRASER VALLEY

LOWER MAINLAND VANCOUVER VICTORIA

Published by Glacier Community Media 303 West 5th Avenue Vancouver, B.C., V5Y 1J6

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

Contents 08 18 28 36 48 60 70 76 81 90 100 106 110 112 114

drink UP: b.c. beer awardS winnerS liSt 10 USeS For yoUr SUrPlUS SUdS bizarre liqUor lawS oF b.c.’S PaSt: Part 3 brewer VS. brewer the caSe oF the Sneaky weaSel UnSUng heroeS oF beer: the tool Shed gUyS barrel-aged beerS the liFe and tiMeS oF the beer oUt here wtF iS... FUnky beer? hoMebrewing in yoUr condo: 101 traVel: toronto b.c. brewPUb liStingS reciPe: beer Mac and cheeSe Mother’S Milk beer to the groUnd

Breweries by Region

10 31 43 57 64 73 85 94 103

LEGEND GROWLER-APPROVED BADGE Keep an eye out for our 10 favourite beers this winter!

VANCOUVER

Brewery Details

SEA TO SKY LOWER MAINLAND

GROWLER FILLS

FRASER VALLEY

BOTTLES / CANS

VICTORIA

KEGS

ISLANDS & COAST

LOUNGE ENDORSEMENT

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

ON-SITE KITCHEN OR FOOD TRUCK

KOOTENAYS

TOURS

NORTHERN B.C.

KID FRIENDLY

i.e. you can order a pint or flight

GLUTEN-FREE BOOZE OPTIONS

Editor’s Note Howdy! Two years ago, unapologetic beer nerd Stephen Smysnuik birthed The Growler, and raised this little bundle of joy into B.C.’s most trusted craftbeer guide. Like any parent, he should be proud of what he’s brought into this world. As Steve mentioned in his column last issue, he’s leaving us (albeit temporarily) to raise his actual baby, which is a way more important job. In his absence, you’re stuck with me. Who am I? Glad you asked. In addition to serving as editor of the Vancouver weekly arts and entertainment rag, Westender, since 2014, I’ve also been known to partake of the occasional sudsy beverage. I’ve been brewing beer in my tiny East Van apartment for close to three years now, and I bring to The Growler a near-lifelong passion for beer. Incidentally, I have my own child on the way, but I’ll be continuing to work, putting in the long hours required to taste as much delicious B.C. craft beer as possible. Clearly, I’m going to be a terrible father. But my child’s loss is the beer-drinking public’s gain! Now that we’ve dispensed with introductions, I promise to talk about myself as little as possible going forward. After all, it’s really about the beer, amirite? (Oh, and for those wondering how I lost my front tooth, the answer is a Hell’s Angel’s fist, a microphone and a snorkel. In that order.) - Rob Mangelsdorf, editor

Suggested Glassware STANGE

Kolsch Marzen Bock

PILSNER Lager Pilsner Witbier

NONIC PINT

IPA Stout Most ales, actually

WEIZEN

Hefeweizen Weizenbock Fruit beer

TULIP

Belgian ales Saison Strong ales

GOBLET

Berliner weisse Quad Tripel

SNIFTER

Barleywine Sours Anything weird

YALETOWN

W 6TH AVE

GRANVILLE ISLAND

DOWNTOWN CENTRAL

W BROA DWAY

COAL HARBOUR

WEST END

CAMBIE ST

S T

W 12TH AVE

MOUNT PLEASANT

W 7TH AVE

W 2ND AVE

W 5TH AVE

GASTOWN

25 1A

QUEBEC ST

05 12

MAIN ST

ST MAIN ST

TER

M IN

PRIO R ST

E BROADWAY

AV E

E 12TH AVE

STRATHCONA

E HASTI N GS ST

POW ELL ST

GREAT NORTHER N WA Y

13 04

ELL

VENABLE S ST

P OW

07 14

GRANDVIEWWOODLAND

16 02

vA N COUvER

CLARK DR

COMMERCIAL DR

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

Br ew ery Cr eek

33 Acres Andina Big Rock Bomber Brassneck Callister Coal Harbour Doan’s Craft

BREWERIES

COLUMBI A ST

09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

E 4TH AVE

E 5TH AVE

E 3RD AVE

Faculty Granville Island Luppolo Main Street Off The Rail Parallel 49 Postmark Powell Street R&B Red Truck

E BROA DWAY

E 8TH AVE

E 7TH AVE

E 6TH AVE

US TR

E 3R

IAL

S TAT I O N S T

D E

T V

18 1S

AV E

22 23 24 25 26

Dockside Pat's Pub Steamworks Steel Toad Yaletown

BREW pUBS

19 Storm 20 Strange Fellows 21 Strathcona

IND

VERNON DR

12 Kings Pub Alibi Room BierCraft The Blackbird Central City on Beatty Street 32 Craft Beer Market 33 Darby’s Gastown

27 28 29 30 31

WILLIAM ST

CLARK DR

tAp ROOMS

E HASTINGS ST

FRANKLIN ST

T ART S

P OW

08 ELL

TRIUMPH ST

CHARLES ST

Walking Route

Water Taxis

SkyTrain

y east va n

E PENDER ST

NAPIER ST

lEGENd

ADANAC ST

E GEORGIA ST

FRANCES ST

The Devil’s Elbow The Lamplighter St. Augustine’s Stateside Craft Tap & Barrel, Olympic Village 39 Tap & Barrel, Coal Harbour 40 Tangent Café

34 35 36 37 38

VENABLES ST

PANDORA ST

GRANDVIEW-WOODLAND

STEW

SA L S B U RY D R

C S T

EBE

E 2ND AVE

MOUNT PLEASANT

M A N I TO B A S T

O N TA R I O S T

MAI N ST

S COT I A S T

E 1ST AVE

B R U N SW I C K ST

ATHLETES WAY

ODLUM DR

AL A VE

MCLEAN DR

M IN

V I C TO R I A D R

TER

COMMERCIAL DR

SEMLIN DR

The complete list of B.C. Beer Awards winners. The seventh annual B.C. Beer Awards was held on Oct. 15 in Vancouver, and thanks to the hard work of dozens of highly qualified – and likely very inebriated – certified beer judges, we have the ultimate list of B.C. brewing excellence. The judges sampled close to 800 (!!!) different beers from across the province to decide the winners, which is completely bonkers. Here, then, are their picks for the very best beers in B.C. BEST IN SHOW STEAMWORKS BREWING COMPANY // FL AGSHIP IPA DAN SMALL HOMEBREW AWARD SHO OGAWA & NOVIA CHEN RICHARDS BUELL SUTTON LLP — ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD FIELD HOUSE BREWING CO. CBC PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD BOOMBOX BREWING COMPANY // PABLO ESCO GNAR IPA TIMBER BREWER’S CHALLENGE BRASSNECK BREWERY // OLD MONEY MILD INTERNATIONAL L AGER

GERMAN WHEAT

GERMAN PALE L AGER

BRITISH BITTER

KOLSCH

BRITISH PALE ALE

GERMAN AMBER BEER

BRITISH BROWN ALE

EUROPEAN DARK BEER

SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALES

| 1 | 33 Acres // 33 Acres of Darkness | 2 | Moody Ales // Vienna Lager | 3 | Central City // Red Racer Pils | 1 | Central City // Red Racer Old School Lager | 2 | Persephone // Keller Pilsner | 3 | Steamworks // Steamworks Pilsner | 1 | Steamworks // Steamworks Kolsch | 2 | Mt. Begbie // High Country Kolsch | 3 | Swans // Arctic Kolsch | 1 | Gladstone // Gladstone Altbier | 2 | R&B // Vienna Lager | 3 | Moon Under Water // Potts Pils | 1 | Steel & Oak // Dark Lager | 2 | Cannery // Baltic Porter | 3 | Central City // Red Racer Dopplebock

| 1 | Barkerville // Demimondaine Dunkelweizen | 2 | Moon Under Water // THIS IS HEFEWEIZEN | 3 | Steel & Oak // Weizenbock | 1 | Foamers' Folly // English Bitter | 2 | R&B // Red Devil Ale | 3 | Lighthouse // Beacon ESB | 1 | Bid Ridge // Clover IPA | 2 | Nelson // Paddywhack Organic IPA | 3 | Strathcona // English IPA | 1 | Nelson // After Dark Ale | 2 | Mt. Begbie // Tall Timber Ale | 3 | Foamers' Folly // Aethelred the Mild | 1 | Steamworks Brewpub // Classic Scotch | 2 | Ravens // Irish Stout | 3 | Moody Ales // 1880 Export Stout

NORTH AMERICAN AMBER ALE | 1 | 33 Acres // 33 Acres of Life | 2 | Howe Sound // Troller Bay Ale | 3 | Tree // Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale

NORTH AMERICAN BROWN ALE | 1 | Foamers' Folly // Bandit Brown | 2 | Phillips // Slipstream | 3 | Tree // Kim-Ach-Touch Ale

BRITISH STOUT

| 1 | Barkerville // 52 Foot Stout | 2 | Townsite // Perfect Storm | 3 | Faculty // 710 Oaked Stout

STRONG ALE

| 1 | Central City // Thor's Hammer | 2 | Persephone // Wee Heavy | 3 | Red Collar // Wobbly Bob

FRUIT BEER

| 1 | Tin Whistle // Pinot Noir Raspberry Blonde | 2 | Red Truck // Red Truck Raspberry Ale | 3 | Dead Frog // Tropic Vice

SPICED BEER

| 1 | Lighthouse // Jackline Rhubarb Grisette | 2 | Tofino // Spruce Tree Ale | 3 | Brassneck // Hibiscus Wit

SMOKE AND WOOD AGED BEER

| 1 | Dageraad // Entropy Series No. 1 | 2 | Brassneck // Inertia II | 3 | Central City // Thor's Hammer Bourbon Barrel Aged

SPECIALT Y BEER

| 1 | Steel & Oak // Roggen Weizen | 2 | Dageraad // Londen | 3 | Field House // Sour Wheat Gose

NORTH AMERICAN LIGHT BEER

| 1 | Nelson // Hooligan Organic Pilsner | 2 | Parallel 49 // Jerkface 9000 | 3 | Granville Island // Cypress Honey Lager

NORTH AMERICAN PORTER & STOUT | 1 | Dead Frog // Commander Imperial Stout | 2 | Main Street // Stag and Pheasant Imperial Stout | 3 | Moody // Russian Imperial Stout

NORTH AMERICAN IPA

| 1 | Steamworks // Flagship IPA | 2 | Yellow Dog // Play Dead IPA | 3 | Boombox // The Ultra Delux

SPECIALT Y IPA

| 1 | Dageraad // Blonde IPA | 2 | Red Truck // White ISA | 3 | Steamworks // YVR ISA

IMPERIAL IPA

| 1 | Parallel 49 // 187 On and Undercover Hop | 2 | Tofino // Cosmic Wave Double IPA | 3 | Main Street // Second Anniversary Double IPA

BELGIAN ALE

| 1 | Strange Fellows // Jongleur Wit | 2 | Old Abbey // Bier de Garde | 3 | Barkerville // White Gold Witbier

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

| 1 | Dageraad // Dageraad Blonde | 2 | Main Street // Saison No. 7 | 3 | Fernie // Old Barn Saison

TRAPPIST ALE

| 1 | 33 Acres // 33 Acres of Euphoria | 2 | Central City // Central City Belgian Strong | 3 | Dageraad // 10 Degrees

NORTH AMERICAN BLONDE ALE

EUROPEAN SOUR ALE

NORTH AMERICAN PALE ALE

NORTH AMERICAN WILD ALE

| 1 | Nelson // Organic Wild Honey Ale | 2 | Postmark // Postmark Blonde | 3 | Field House // Dutch Pale Ale

| 1 | Yellow Dog // Chase My Tail Pale Ale | 2 | Callister // One Hop Mind | 3 | R&B // East Side Bitter

| 1 | Strange Fellows // Raynard | 2 | Main Street // Cantus Fermus | 3 | Phillips // Bizarro | 1 | Parallel 49 // Bodhisattva | 2 | Old Abbey // Sour Raspberry | 3 | Strange Fellows // Little Red One

VANCOUVER

33 ACRES BREWING CO. 15 West 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.ca

MON-FRI 9AM-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 10AM-11PM EST. 2013 Mount Pleasant’s one-stop shop for coffee, brunch, food trucks and brewmaster Dave Varga’s superb takes on classic beer styles.

33 ACRES OF DARKNESS

33 ACRES OF NIRVANA

S C H WA R Z B I E R Availability: Year-round

W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.0%

IBU

The prince of dark lager derives its coffee-cocoa depth from three specialty malts.

ABV

7.0%

IBU

An uncompromising West Coast trip through awe-inspiring pine and citrus.

VANCOUVER

ANDINA BREWING CO.

1507 Powell St. | AndinaBrewing.ca HOURS TBD EST. 2016

Andrés and Nicolas Amaya have hired brewmaster Andrew Powers (Red Truck) to helm this unique operation with a South American twist.

MELCOCHA

MONITA

ANDEAN MILD ALE

B L O N D E I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.0%

IBU

Brewed with panela (raw cane sugar), this is rich and full-flavoured, despite a lower alcohol content. 10

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.5%

IBU

This light IPA’s name is Colombian slang for a light-skinned, fair-haired woman.

She feeds yo u beer and or anges...

DAN’S HOMEBREWING SUPPLIES DAN’S HOMEBREWING Huge selectionSUPPLIES 1218 west pender, vancouver • 604.685.1212 coalharbourliquorstore.com

Huge selection of beer & wine-making beer &ofwine-making Hugeof selection beer & wine-making equipment & ingredients equipment ingredients equipment & & ingredients 835East East Hastings St. 835 St. Vancouver, Vancouver,BC BC 835604-251-3411 EastHastings Hastingsbeermaking.ca St. Vancouver, BC 692604-251-3411 East Hastings beermaking.ca St., Vancouver, BC 604-251-3411 beermaking.ca

tel: www.beermaking.ca Tues604-251-3411 to Sat: 11am - 6pm, Sun: noon - 5pm

CRAFT BEEr & CLASSIc cOcKTAILS OPEN WEEKDAYS 3PM TO LATE / WEEKENDS NOON TO LATE HAPPY HOUR 3-5PM DAILY • SUNDAY ROAST

2616 Main Street, Mt Pleasant | www.thecascade.ca I

@thecascaderoom

VANCOUVER

BIG ROCK URBAN BREWERY

310 West 4th Ave. | BigRockBeer.com SUN-THU 11AM-12AM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-12AM EST. 2015 Taking inspiration from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, brewmaster Jody Hammell puts a little rock ’n’ roll in each recipe.

MIDNIGHT RHAPSODY DARK ALE

WINTER SPICE ALE SPICED ALE

DA R K A L E W I T H B E R R I E S Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.5%

IBU

Availability: Seasonal

A dark and tasty jam with aromas of roasted malts, currants, and dried stone fruit.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, with a clove and caramel aroma.

VANCOUVER

BOMBER BREWING CO.

1488 Adanac St. | BomberBrewing.com DAILY 12-11PM EST. 2014

It’s the stuff of Canadian lore: a brewery that can be traced back to a hockey locker room, that’s still scoring with fans.

BOMBER PALE ALE PA L E A L E

RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

Availability: Year-round

R U S S I A N I M P E R I A L S TO U T Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A hefty (but dry) malt base highlighted with fruity, piney and tropical hop goodness. 12

ABV

9.0%

IBU

Made with 14 types of malt for massive roastiness. A tribute to the 18th-century English exports.

VANCOUVER

BRASSNECK BREWERY

2148 Main St. | Brassneck.ca

MON-FRI 2-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 12-11PM EST. 2013 Named after a song by the Wedding Present, fittingly, the brewery has established a beautiful and long-lasting relationship with Vancouverites.

SPIRIT OF DIXMAS

ONE TRICK PONY

I N D I A PA L E A L E

I M P E R I A L I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

7.0%

IBU

N/A

An annual tradition reunites former brewers of the legendary DIX brewpub to recreate its IPA.

ABV

9.0%

IBU

N/A

This little pony’s been getting fat on Mosaic hops, winning Best in Show at the 2015 BCBAs.

VANCOUVER

CALLISTER BREWING CO.

1338 Franklin St. | CallisterBrewing.com

MON-FRI 2-9PM ^ SAT 1-10PM ^ SUN 1-8PM EST. 2015 B.C.’s four-in-one brewery, with landlord Callister sharing its space with Boombox, Lightheart and Real Cask. Try the homemade sodas!

ZWIRBELBART (CALLISTER)

BLACKBURN BEST BITTER (REAL CASK)

D U N K E LW E I Z E N Availability: Limited

BEST BITTER Availability: Limited

ABV

5.7%

IBU

N/A

Callister’s dark wheat beer hits all the right traditional German notes of banana bread and clove.

ABV

4.5%

IBU

N/A

Real Cask’s bitter is as authentic as you’ll get in Canada, featuring wonderfully aromatic floral hops. 13

VANCOUVER

COAL HARBOUR BREWING CO.

1967 Triumph St. | CoalHarbourBrewing.com HOURS N/A EST. 2010 The quiet but dependable brewery that begs questions, like “Why are they named ‘Coal Harbour’ if they’re in Yeast Van?”

BLACKWING PORTER

311

P O RT E R

LAGER

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

ABV

7.5%

IBU

With notes of dark chocolate, caramel and dried fruit, it’s complex, yet highly quaffable.

ABV

5.0%

IBU

Brewed in the traditional German Helles style, it’s a lager for all occasions, any time of the year.

VANCOUVER

DOAN’S CRAFT BREWING CO.

1830 Powell St. | DoansCraftBrewing.com SUN-THU 2-9 PM ^ FRI 2-11PM ^ SAT 12-11PM EST. 2015 The brothers Doan serve up brilliant, Euro-inflected beer at their cosy nook in Yeast Van. Come for the beer, stay for the Lego and video games.

RYE STOUT

WEST COAST IPA

N O RT H A M E R I C A N S TO U T

W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.5%

IBU

An inky monster from which emanates depths of chocolate, coffee and earthy, spicy rye. 14

ABV

6.7%

IBU

A boldly fruity IPA that retains notes of pine, citrus and floral notes.

VANCOUVER

DOGWOOD BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | DogwoodBrew.com

WED-FRI 2:30-9PM ^SAT-SUN 11:30AM-9PM EST. 2015 There are lots of reasons to support this brewery: it’s all organic, it’s a pioneer in the South Vancouver area, and the beer tastes good, too.

ORGANIC STOUT

ORGANIC IPA

S TO U T

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round

ABV

4.0%

IBU

This smooth, quaffable stout boasts flavours of coffee, chocolate and molasses.

THE BREWER’S CANDY STORE Homebrewers can shop where the professionals shop!

6908 Palm Ave, Burnaby 604-473-9463 • Toll Free 1-888-554-7273 bosagrape.com

ABV

5.9%

IBU

Who says organic hops aren’t as good? This West Coast IPA is proof they are.

is Vancouver’s only craft beer focused sports bar. Featuring 12 taps and casks plus multiple TVs.

395 Kingsway | 604-558-1208 12kingspub.com | @12KingsPub 15

VANCOUVER

FACULTY BREWING CO.

1830 Ontario St. | FacultyBrewing.com

MON-FRI 2-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 11AM-11PM EST. 2016 An “open source” brewery that happily divulges its recipes, Faculty is an unpretentious operation that prides education over fashion – but also manages to have some of the coolest branding in town.

516 CENTENNIAL ESB EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

505 HOP HASH WHITE IPA

Availability: Seasonal

W H I T E I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.5%

IBU

A richly malty, full-bodied bitter with toffee notes balanced by the citrus lilt of Centennial hops.

ABV

6.2%

IBU

An experimental beer using Amarillo hop hash – leftover residue from the pelletization process – from Chilliwack Hop Farms.

241 MINZEWEIZEN

323 SOURWEISSE

MINT HEFEWEIZEN

S O U R W H E AT A L E

Availability: Limited ABV

5.2%

IBU

This milky wheat beer is brewed with peppermint tea, giving it a refreshing taste and a smooth finish.

Availability: Limited ABV

5.5%

IBU

This kettle sour wheat ale is refreshing and crisp, with a tart mouthfeel and citrus notes.

School is in session!

Faculty Brewing Co. is the brainchild of husbandand-wife team Mauricio Lozano and Alicia Medina. The name was born out of Mauricio’s experience as a professor, and the beers are numbered like university courses, with 100-level beers being the most approachable, and 700-level beers being the most complex. 16

VANCOUVER BC

1830 ONTARIO ST @FACULTYBREWING

EST 2016

10 USES for

your surplus suds by Andrew Fleming

e've probably all found ourselves at some point or another with the unusual dilemma of having unwanted beer. Whether it's cans of Coors Light left in the cooler that a bad friend brought to a party, a failed batch of homebrew, or even an open growler of your favourite local craft brew you forgot in the back of the fridge, it just seems wrong to pour it down the sink.

!!cciihh

Fortunately there are plenty of ways to â&#x20AC;&#x153;waste not, want not,â&#x20AC;? since, not only is beer an easy fix for a boring party, it has a whole bunch of other uses as well. Here are 10 to keep in mind.

RREEE EBB

HEAT YOUR HOME If you live in a place where the landlord pays the heating bills and they like to cut costs by keeping the temperature low in winter, a handy heating hack is to place a frozen can of beer on top of the thermostat to trick it into thinking the place is cold, so it will turn up the heat.

hi c !

h ic !

hi c ! ER

BEER SLAY SOME SLUGS

MURDER SOME MICE BEER

Marauding molluscs on the notoriously rainy West Coast can wreak havoc on your garden and/or nearly legal outdoor grow-op. One solution is to bury a jar with the rim level with the surface, fill it a third of the way with beer and wait for the slimy bastards to fall in and drown.

Of course, slugs and sorrows aren't the only easy things you can drown with beer. If you don't have a cat at home, one way to get rid of mice is to put out buckets with beer at the bottom and with a ramp leading to it. The blinddrunk mice who find their way in won't be able to climb out again.

BEAUTIFY YOUR LAWN Got ugly brown spots on your lawn? Beer can help! Grass gets thirsty, too, and the fermented sugars in organic beer are great for both aiding plant growth and killing fungi. So just sprinkle some on and wait.

! ci h

LATHER UP YOUR LOCKS While beer is best-known for going to your head, it can also go on your head as a makeshift shampoo for shinier and more voluminous hair. Flat beer is best to help avoid the tell-tale smell and funny looks. Repeat as necessary.

PUT OUT A FIRE While obviously not as effective as the real deal in the event of a fire, a shaken up can or three may be able to get the job down in the event of a barbecue flare-up. Or, speaking of barbecues...

While some people swear by hair of the dog as a hangover cure, in moderation beer can also (sometimes) RE help settle an upset stomach EB thanks to the same carbonation that makes ginger ale do the trick. Only using real ale instead is more fun.

h ic !

! ci h

SOOTHE YOUR GUT

BEER

ic !

h ic !

h hic !

h ic !

! ci h

BEE

SOAK YOUR DOGS Beer can make you legless, but it can also put you back on your feet after a long day. Fill a bucket with ice-cold beer and soak your tootsies in it to enjoy the soothing effect of carbonation on sore feet.

MARINATE MEAT Beer is slightly acidic and therefore makes for a mean marinade. While it won't alter the flavour as much as wine-based marinades might, soaking meat for a few hours before tossing it on the grill is a great way to tenderize leaner cuts. Added bonus: marinating with beer before grilling may reduce carcinogens present in the char.

POLISH YOUR POTS Back in the olden days, breweries would use the last bit of beer from empty kegs to polish the copper vats. Beer's natural acidity makes it a great natural polisher for pots, pans and even jewelry, and it can also help loosen up rusty bolts.

VANCOUVER

GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING

1441 Cartwright St. | GIB.com HOURS 12-8PM EST. 1984

One of B.C.’s granddaddy microbreweries, GIB has kept a consistent small-batch sideline separate from its parent Molson factory. Under the Granville Bridge, brewmaster Kevin Emms has put together a solid core of limited releases.

SO-CAL STYLE IPA I N D I A PA L E A L E

KELLERBIER UNFILTERED

Availability: Limited

PILSNER Availability: Limited

ABV

7.8%

IBU

Big and bold, just like the great state of California. Bright citrus and grapefruit notes dominate thanks to an epic dose of West Coast hops.

ABV

IBU

P O RT E R Availability: Limited

A well-balanced pale ale featuring fruity Australian hops that’s versatile for food pairing.

MOCHA PORTER

N O RT H A M E R I C A N PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round 5.5%

IBU

This hazy, unfiltered pilsner starts with mild hop bitterness and finishes clean and dry with citrus fruit notes.

WEST COAST PALE ALE

ABV

5.3%

ABV

6.0%

IBU

A luxurious blend of dark malts, cocoa nibs and JJ Bean coffee with a lightly roasty finish.

Green beer?

Granville Island Brewery might be the most environmentally friendly brewery in the province. Granville Island’s Zero Waste Initiative helps prevent 429 tonnes of C02 from entering the atmosphere — the equivalent of taking 90 cars off the road for a year! 20

VANCOUVER

LUPPOLO BREWING CO.

1123 Venables St. | LuppoloBrewing.ca DAILY 12-11PM EST. 2016

Named after the Italian word for hop, the founders pay tribute to their Italian heritage while keeping things very West Coast.

WEST COAST FARMHOUSE ALE FA R M H O U S E A L E Availability: Seasonal ABV

4.7%

IBU

A West Coast twist on the Belgian farmhouse. Crisp and refreshing with floral and citrus aromas.

DUNKLEWEIZEN D U N K E LW E I Z E N Availability: Year-round ABV

5.5%

IBU

With banana, cloves, chocolate and dried fruit, this’ll be a classic take on the dark German style.

Awesome

Burgers & amazing local craft brews Our burgers are made with 8oz 100% Alberta beef patties, house-made aiolis & jams and organic brioche buns.

local craft brews on special every day

$5.25

/20 oz. imperial pint

@THEGROWLERBC 783 Homer St, Vancouver • 604-689-2800 jimmystaphouse.com • jimmyspubpatio

VANCOUVER

MAIN STREET BREWING CO.

261 East 7th Ave. | MainStreetBeer.ca MON-THU 2 -11PM ^ FRI-SUN 12-11PM EST. 2014 One of the coolest — and most spacious — tasting rooms in the city, housed in the historic Vancouver Breweries Garage. It’s also the only spot where you can taste brewer Jack Bensley’s experimental handcrafted cask ales.

RED BACK N O RT H W E S T A M B E R A L E

STAG & PHEASANT IMPERIAL STOUT

Availability: Seasonal

I M P E R I A L S TO U T Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.5%

IBU

The malt backbone finishes dry and lets the hop profile shine through with tropical fruit, pine and earthiness.

9.0%

IBU

A rich and roasty award-winner with notes of chocolate, coffee, pine — even a nice hint of smokiness.

WESTMINSTER BROWN ALE

OLD KNIGHTS PALE ALE

B R OW N A L E Availability: Year-round

PA C I F I C N O RT H W E S T PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

6.0%

IBU

Delicious malty flavor with a spectacular hoppy finish. Citrus and pine aromas are balanced by a complex bill of Canadian, English, and German malts.

ABV

5.5%

IBU

A Pacific Northwest take on the classic English extra-special bitter. Hop-forward with lots of dank piney notes and a sturdy malt backbone.

NAKED FOX IPA

NUMBER 7 SAISON

I N D I A PA L E A L E

SAISON

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.8%

IBU

This dry IPA is brewed using a variety of North American and southern hemisphere hops.

ABV

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.0%

IBU

Light in colour with a golden haze, this farmhouse saison bursts with fruity esters, pepper and citrus notes.

VANCOUVER

OFF THE RAIL BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | OffTheRailBrewing.com SUN-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI -SAT 12-10PM EST. 2014

This cozy spot overlooks the busy Adanac bike path — the perfect place to try a “Psycle Path.” If that’s not your speed, they’ve got 14 other taps.

EAST BOUND NUT BROWN

INTO THE BLACK OAT STOUT

B R OW N A L E Availability: Seasonal

OAT M E A L S TO U T Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A well-balanced classic that’s appropriately nutty from the chocolate and roast barley.

ABV

4.8%

IBU

Smooth and rich with big hits of roasty goodness, complimented with a mild hop bitterness.

VANCOUVER

PARALLEL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | Parallel49Brewing.com DAILY 11AM-11PM EST. 2012 P49 continues to balance serious brewing chops — including evermore impressive output from its barrel room — with serious fun.

TOQUES OF HAZZARD

UGLY SWEATER M I L K S TO U T

I M P E R I A L W H I T E I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Seasonal ABV

9.2%

IBU

A dangerously strong, light-bodied wheat ale with bright and bold tropical and citrus hops. 24

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.0%

IBU

It’s time to pull on the sweater again. A seductively smooth, roasty stout sweetened with lactose.

FROM 16 UNDERDOGS TO THE PREMIUM PRAIRIE BEER Visit us at original16.com to learn about how our original 16 founders took matters into their own hands and risked it all to start their own brewery.

WE BREWED CRAFT BEER BEFORE THERE WAS CRAFT BEER.

BC’S BEST CRAFT BEER STORE since 2008!

Best 19th annual

City of the

2016

GOLD WINNER

CRAFT BEER is our PASSION and our SPECIALTY. Proudly offering the most sought after DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL selections. Open 11-11 EVERY DAY 14th & Main • FREE PARKING AROUND BACK www.brewerycreekliquorstore.com 604-872-3373

Insta

18 craft beer taps thoughtfully curated

Vancouver’s best jazz musicians, live Thu & Sun Great brunch 7 days a week 2095 Commercial Drive (at 5th), Vancouver. Mon & Tue 8am to 3pm, Wed to Sun 8am to late

VANCOUVER

POSTMARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | PostmarkBrewing.com

MON-FRI 11AM-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 10AM-11PM EST. 2014 Postmark shares its amazing location with Vancouver Urban Winery and Belgard Kitchen, making it one of the best places for a night out.

MANDARINA WHEAT

CDA

A M E R I C A N W H E AT A L E

C A S C A D I A N DA R K A L E

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.3%

IBU

This one is all about German Mandarina hops, so named because of their distinct tangerine aroma.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

This Pacific Northwest-style ale is dark and rich with piney, dank hop flavours and aromas.

VANCOUVER

POWELL STREET CRAFT BREWERY

1357 Powell St. | PowellBeer.com

SUN 12-8PM ^ MON 2-8PM ^ TUE-THU 2-9PM FRI-SAT 12-10PM EST. 2012 All the acclaim and awards for Old Jalopy Ale over the years hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t slowed down Powell Street.

HOPDEMONIUM IPA N O RT H W E S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

CZECH STYLE PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

PILSNER Availability: Year-round

ABV

7.2%

IBU

A golden-coloured quencher with a nice, smooth bitterness from the floral and grapefruit hops. 26

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A classic pils brewed with Bohemian pilsner malt, with a spicy and floral hop finish.

VANCOUVER

R & B BREWING CO.

54 East 4th Ave. | RAndBBrewing.com

SUN-THU 11AM-11PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-12AM EST. 1997 R&B enters its 20th year in fine fettle, with a growing roster of interesting brews served up in its busy, yet cosy, retro-styled lounge.

DUDE CHILLING PALE ALE

DOUPLE IPA D O U B L E I N D I A PA L E A L E

N O RT H A M E R I C A N PA L E A L E Availability:Year-round ABV

5.2%

IBU

Availability: Seasonal

Named after the notorious nearby park, this staple is stuffed with Centennial, Citra and Galaxy hops.

ABV

8.8%

IBU

This complex IPA is double dry-hopped, with flavours of citrus, tropical fruit, floral and resin.

VANCOUVER

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 East 1st Ave. | RedTruckBeer.com

MON-THU 11AM-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 10AM-11PM SUN 10AM-10PM EST. 2005 The Truck Stop Diner is a great spot to eat and sample Red Truckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beers, which are getting more interesting and diverse every month.

RED PILSNER AMERICAN PILSNER

BLACKBERRY BOURBON ALE

Availability: Seasonal

M I L D PA L E A L E Availability: Limited

ABV

5.0%

IBU

The red hue comes from blended malts, while Simcoe hops provide the citrus/pine aroma.

ABV

5.8%

IBU

Blackberries and bourbon? Why not! This fun little number is a moderately sweet sipper. 27

HGreatTied

House Debate

BIZARRE LIQUOR LAWS OF B.C.'S PAST: PART THREE by Daniel Coles, esq.

Originally a British term, a tied house is a bar or restaurant that has an association (financial or otherwise) with a brewery that is likely to cause the brewery’s beer to be favoured over other brands. The association can come in many forms from the brewery actually owning or operating the bar or restaurant, to less direct forms of control by way of loans, mortgages or other contractual relationships. The concept is controversial for pub owners and beer drinkers alike.

or breweries, tied houses guarantee a steady market for their beer, and for a pub owner it may mean cheap credit or other incentives too good to pass up. On the other hand, too many tied houses in your neighbourhood and tap selections start to look pretty similar. For bar owners, getting in too deep with a brewery may result in a loss of operating control or, ultimately, ownership. In the U.K., the practice remains popular, although not without controversy. Everyone who’s been to England is familiar with pub signs with “Guinness” written in bold letters prominently across the bottom. In most American states, tied houses are strictly prohibited, along with other initiatives that integrate production, distribution and retail. In B.C., we have ended up somewhere in the middle — although it took the better part of a century to get here. In 1952, the members of B.C.’s Liquor Inquiry Commission faced a startling realization: the province’s breweries, whose chief function they thought ought to be limited to producing beer, wielded significant control over numerous hotels, legions and beer parlours.

The nefarious breweries' choice method of exerting control was financial: the province’s larger breweries would guarantee significant loans to licensed hotels and beer parlours in amounts that would otherwise be out of reach for most establishments. In many instances, the breweries would simply loan the money directly to the hotels or beer parlours with little, if any, expectation of repayment. In return, the brewery obtained influence over the establishment and, above all else, assurance that the bar would only sell its product. For a brewery, this was a considerable asset: an account that could never be lost. The Liquor Control Branch’s policy during this era, that a beer parlour could only serve one brand of beer at a time (and a formal application was needed to switch brands), exacerbated the situation, driving up the “price” of securing the prized draft lines. The money the breweries were “loaning” to beer parlours, or kept on their books as guaranteed debts during this era, was considerable. In the fall of 1952, Vancouver Breweries Ltd. had guaranteed approximately $519,000 in loans to hotels and beer parlours (approxi-

mately $4.6 million in today’s money) and Coast Breweries Ltd. had guaranteed over $800,000 (approximately $7.2 million in today’s money). Many of the establishments that had been “tied-up” by the breweries are names still familiar in Vancouver today: the Astoria, the Cecil, the Kingston and the Metropole, all of which were operated as hotels at the time. Given the vast quantity of money the breweries were securing by the 1950s, the commissioners determined that “local brewers exercise absolute control over numerous retail outlets.” Had the beer parlours of the day been cheery, clean and safe environments, the Commission probably would have had little interest in peering into their books. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The hotels that were tied to breweries were described by the commissioners as debaucherous slums, and their patrons viewed as “drunken, quarrelsome and disorderly.” To combat this situation, the Commission recommended legislation banning tied houses and other forms of financial incentives moving from brewers to retailers. For almost 60 years, the tied house laws and policies that originated in the 1950s remained

in force in B.C. By 2010, however, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch began consulting on relaxing some of the historically harsh restrictions on relations between breweries and the bars that sell their suds. By this time, technical names had been given to the sorts of market conditions and anti-social behaviour that were identified in 1952. The intense competition between breweries to secure draft lines — to the point of guaranteeing loans for hundreds of thousands of dollars — is now referred to as “destructive competition.” The availability of too much cheap beer — thought to be a by-product of tied houses or other inducements provided by brewers — leads to “spillover effects.” Permitting tied houses in B.C., for the first time in six decades, would require careful consideration to ensure that the bad old days of destructive competition and spillover effects did not return. Ultimately, in 2013, the province settled on new policy, permitting small and medium-sized breweries in B.C. to have tied house relationships with up to three offsite bars and restaurants. j

Visit TheGrowler.ca for parts one and two of BIZARRE LIQUOR LAWS OF B.C.'S PAST 29

VANCOUVER

STORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | StormBrewing.com TUE-SAT 10AM-6PM ^ SUN 1-6PM EST. 1994

James Walton was making weird and delicious beer in East Van long before the recent explosion of new breweries. There’s no place quite like it.

HURRICANE IPA

BRAINSTORMS

I N D I A PA L E A L E

UNIQUE & SPECIAL BEERS

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Rotating

ABV

7.0%

IBU

“Lots”

Back when James first brewed this IPA. it had chunks of hops floating in it.

ABV

N/A

IBU

N/A

Storm’s beer board is always changing. Check the brewery’s Instagram feed for the latest experiment.

VANCOUVER

STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | StrangeFellowsBrewing.com MON-THU 2-11PM ^ FRI-SUN 12-11PM EST. 2014 Further proof that it’s a good time to be Strange. Between weirdo holiday celebrations and their inventive line of brews, SF always stands out.

NOCTURNUM

TART SERIES

DA R K I N D I A PA L E A L E

SOUR ALE

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.5%

IBU

A roasty, chocolate-brown-coloured ale that’s big and balanced, with a wolf-sized hop bite. 30

Availability: Limited ABV

4-5%

IBU

N/A

Iain Hill’s sour beer series is one of the best around. What will his next tart muse be?

VANCOUVER

STRATHCONA BEER CO.

895 E. Hastings St. | StrathconaBeer.com DAILY 11AM-11PM EST. 2016

Despite the NIMBY warnings, society didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t collapse when S.B.C. opened. On the contrary, it has nestled nicely into the neighbourhood.

STRATHCONA VIENNA LAGER

STRATHCONA BRITISH IPA

VIENNA LAGER Availability: Year-round

E N G L I S H I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

4.2%

IBU

A classic, smooth amber lager with a toasty, crusty maltiness and crisp finish.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

A well-balanced English-style IPA with a restrained yet fruity hop profile. Dry finish.

VANCOUVER NORTH VAN

BLACK KETTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | BlackKettleBrewing.com MON-SAT 11AM-7PM ^ SUN 1-5PM EST. 2014

A loyal local following has Black Kettle bubbling away, producing a dependable line of classics, interesting seasonals and one-off wonders.

BLACK IPA

PORTER

B L A C K I N D I A PA L E A L E

P O RT E R

Availability: Limited ABV

6.5%

IBU

Roasty flavours are kept light so they better meld with citrus, pine and floral hops.

Availability: Limited ABV

5.8%

IBU

A comforting malt-forward pint for the colder months, with notes of chocolate and coffee. 31

NORTH VAN

BRIDGE BREWING CO.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | BridgeBrewing.com SUN-THU 1-7PM ^ FRI-SAT 1-9PM EST. 2012

After a recent move a better location, Bridge tripled the size of its brewhouse, allowing it to release six winter beers this season.

BOURBON BLOOD ORANGE WHEAT ALE

SLEIGH BOOSTER I M P E R I A L R E D I N D I A PA L E A L E

A M E R I C A N W H E AT A L E Availability: Year-round ABV

5.5%

IBU

Availability: Seasonal

Brewed with fresh blood oranges and bourbon, this beer is floral, citrusy, bourbony goodness.

ABV

9.0%

IBU

Big caramel malt and giant hop flavours will get you through the holidaze.

NORTH VAN

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | DeepCoveCraft.com DAILY 12-11PM EST. 2013 Winter is in full swing, and luckily, Deep Cove offers an ideal shelter for the thirsty on the North Shore.

LUMINESCENT P O RT E R

SHAKETOWN SPRUCE TIP BLACK IPA

Availability: Seasonal

B L A C K I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.8%

IBU

This luxurious CBA winner is aged in cocoa nibs and wood-oven-roasted coconuts. 32

ABV

4.8%

IBU

A deceptively dark-bodied sipper thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brightened up with hops and brewed with spruce tips.

NORTH VAN

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Crt. | GreenLeafBrew.com SUN 11AM-9PM ^ MON-THU 11AM-10PM FRI-SAT 11AM-11PM EST. 2013

A tasting room that perfectly fits in with the fresh, locally-sourced market vibes of the Lonsdale Quay.

BONFIRE AMBER LAGER AMBER LAGER Availability: Seasonal ABV

4.5%

IBU

This is a big-bodied lager with notes of toffee, caramel, nuts, spice and slight roastiness.

LOLO STOUT S TO U T Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.5%

IBU

Chocolatey and roasty. Made for winter nights sipping in front of a fireplace.

We design, fabricate and install: Custom stainless steel brew tanks Tables • Countertops • Sinks & more for breweries, restaurants and other hospitality services.

www.abcss.ca 33

NORTH VAN

HEARTHSTONE BREWERY

1015 Marine Dr. | HearthstoneBrewery.ca DAILY 11AM-8PM EST. 2014 It’s been an agonizing couple of years waiting for Hearthstone’s tasting room to open its doors, but any day now it’ll — wait, it’s finally open!?! Well then, see you there.

MR. FUNGI CHAGA BLACK LAGER

GRAHAM CRACKER ALE

BLACK LAGER Availability: Limited

W I N T E R WA R M E R Availability: Seasonal

ABV

4.0%

IBU

Brewed with chaga mushroom, the hottest new super-food. Tastes like coffee, earth and flower power.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

Over 50 kilos of graham crackers go into this brew, along with cinnamon and ginger.

HEARTHSTONE PILS

HEARTHSTONE IPA

CZECH PILSNER

N O RT H A M E R I C A N I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.0%

IBU

Saaz and Marynka hops give this refreshing pilsner a delicate spice.

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.5%

IBU

You like your hops? Good. Then strap on your boots comrade, because you are in for a ride!

WHat’s crackin’?

In the year 1829, Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham invented the graham cracker in an attempt at staving off what he considered “unhealthy carnal urges” – AKA masturbation. As a tribute to Reverend Graham, Hearthstone decided to concoct their own Graham Cracker Ale. So instead of knocking one out this evening, knock one back with Hearthstone. 34

BREWER

E M P L O Y E R vs E M P L O Y E E E D I T I O N by Stephen Smysnuik

With Brewer vs. Brewer, the concept has always been the same: put two brewers from different breweries in the same room, make them ask each other questions, take pictures of them answering these questions, then hope to gawd that the conversation doesn’t bore our faithful readers into a coma. But what if, instead of getting brewers from different breweries, we got brewers from the same brewery to interview each other? Right? That was the idea of the Employer vs. Employee Edition (per the headline). So we gathered Four Winds’ Brent Mills (“employer”) and Kylo Hoy (“employee”), and had them take some time to finally ask each other the burning questions they haven’t yet asked each other while working together in a professional capacity. That was the idea, anyways. Alas, Mills and Hoy know each other so well, and spend so much time together inside and outside of work, that there just weren’t too many prodding questions left to ask. Instead, the two pals geeked out over their newfound obsession — cycling — while The Growler geeked out over a test batch of Four Winds’ Vélo (a delicious hazy American pale ale with lemons) and asked the two of them questions instead. Maybe we should call this The Growler vs. Four Winds Edition instead? Ah, whatever. 36

BRENT MILLS

I'd prefer sometimes that beer have zero alcohol so I can continue to drink it, but it's not going to happen. - Brent Mills

GROWLER: Who comes up with the recipes for you guys?

you’re going to be broke and you’re also going to gain 30 pounds.”

BRENT MILLS: It’s a combination. I’d say the majority of our creations are done while we’re riding bikes. We try to commute to and from work [on bikes], and then, outside of work, we spend a lot of time riding bikes.

And it’s true. Before we opened, I was somewhat fit. Then I gained probably 40 pounds in a year. I recently dropped some weight due to cycling, but the balance man…

For me — and Kylo would probably agree — riding a bike is meditative. It gives me a clear mind. It’s when the brain is most stimulated, so a lot of creative ideas come up at that point. And because we’re always riding together, we shovel ideas back and forth, which is pretty sweet.

BM: That’s why we love cyclocross, because it’s so beer-related. During a race, somebody in the audience will pass a beer to a cyclist, who will drink it and throw the cup in the crowd.

KYLO HOY: Discussing this in a meeting [would be] forced. We have tons of ideas that come out when we’re cycling. This [raises his glass of Vélo] was an idea where we wanted to try to make a beer that tastes like Gatorade. How do we do that?

KH: Just cut consumption.

KH: And it’s a reason to cut back on drinking beer. It’s a competition and if you have that extra weight, you’re just not going to do as well. We’re >>

GROWLER: How do you manage to balance beer culture and beer drinking with, um… BM: Athletics? GROWLER: Athletics, yeah. It’s something I’ve had trouble balancing. I think a lot of people do in this industry, what with all those potbellies. BM: Absolutely. KH: Cut down beer consumption. That’s the first thing. We dropped a lot of weight taking up cycling. BM: Jorden Foss [founder of Steel & Oak Brewing] has a sweet quote. He says, “When you open a brewery, you’re going to work 80 hours a week,

KYLO HOY 37

are no six packs, no four packs, just single bottles. Their culture is designed around tasting and appreciation, whereas in North America it’s just about consumption. KH: Quantity and cost. But it is changing here. GROWLER: It’s even worse in England. The culture seems designed to get you loaded quickly, selling four-packs of tallboys for like £4.

not exactly fit right now, but this is our plan [laughs]. GROWLER: Plus, waking up hungover regularly is a bummer. BM: Yeah, you get over it. You get to the point where you’re like, “I’ve done this enough, I’d rather feel good in the morning.” We’ve spent enough late nights drinking beer that I don’t desire to do it too often anymore, which is funny. I never thought the day would come. Maybe it’s an aging thing, or it’s an excessive thing, like this has happened far too many times. Enough is enough. KH: For me, I work so hard here for so many hours, and on the weekend, we have, what, two days? And one of those is all messed up because of a huge hangover? I’m not saying that I don’t get out and get lit. This happens – BM: Oh, it happens. KH: – but it’s nice to cut it back. Especially once this cyclocross season comes. GROWLER: Do either of you have any reservations or guilt about making alcohol for a living, like how that might affect people? KH: I’ve thought of that, but we’re making a craft product that should not just be consumed as a 12pack in one day. It’s a pricier product, and I don’t think people are going to treat it that way. I hope they’re not drinking it just to get drunk. It’s more of a taste thing. But I’ve thought of that. I’ve had the guilt [laughs], especially when I’m making it and getting drunk doing it. BM: I was just in Denmark, which is one of the fast-growing craft brewing destinations in the world. Their beer styles are very progressive and their beers are very well done. But you can only buy single bottles – 350ml single bottles. There

KH: It’s funny. I have a British guy staying at my house right now. He works at some pub, and he said that he got in trouble for pouring pints right up to the brim with no head. It’s different in England – they want their beer filled to the brim and you’re cheating them if you give them the head. Anyone in the craft brewing industry knows that the head can show you so much about the beer, about how well made it is. BM: Beer drinking cultures around the world are interesting. Back to the topic of producing beer or alcohol as a product that’s potentially – well, definitely poisonous, because just by definition, alcohol is poisonous – the craft beer movement around the world is taking the step back from overconsumption of beer. They’re making it more of a conscious drink, where you have to think about it, rather than drinking it without thinking about it. You want foam on your beer. You don’t want to look at it as this beer that will get me this much more drunk if it’s filled to the top than if it’s not filled to the top. Whereas with craft beer, you don’t even care. Well, I’d prefer sometimes that beer have zero alcohol so I can continue to drink it [laughs], but it’s not going to happen. Alcohol is tasty. j

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SQUAMISH

A-FRAME BREWING CO.

38927 Queens Way | AFrameBrewing.com HOURS TBD EST. 2016 Located in Canada’s “outdoor recreation capital,” A-Frame is the perfect place for a well-earned beer after a long day hiking, biking or skiing.

ELPHIN LAKES BELGIAN ALE BELGIAN SINGLE Availability: Year round ABV

5.5%

IBU

A fruity, spicy, floral, yet easy-going golden ale. Highly carbonated and dry, in the Belgian style.

MAGIC LAKE PORTER A M E R I C A N P O RT E R Availability: Year round ABV

5.8%

IBU

A robust, roasty and dry porter, with caramel, chocolate and subtle fruity notes providing complexity.

SQUAMISH

HOWE SOUND BREWING CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave. | HoweSound.com DAILY 11AM-12AM EST. 1996

There are few beer-focused locations as stunning as Howe Sound’s pub and restaurant, thanks to the looming Stawamus Chief.

POTHOLE FILLER I M P E R I A L S TO U T

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HOP

Availability: Seasonal

I M P E R I A L I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

9.0%

IBU

A B.C. classic. Thick and complex, with a variety of dark malts and blackstrap molasses. 40

ABV

8.0%

IBU

One of B.C.’s first imperial IPAs, Eclipse is bold with spice, herbs and resin.

LIQUOR LICENSING & DISPUTES

WE CAN HELP.

Dennis Coates Q.C.

Barry Carter

700 -275 Lansdowne St.

1380 -885 West Georgia St.

Kamloops, BC V2C 6H6

Vancouver, BC V6C 3E8

Cell: 250.319.4808

Ph: 604.682.6299

dpc@mjblaw.com

jbc@mjblaw.com

Site Planning • New License Applications • Buying or Selling Licenses Disputing Licensing Infractions, Penalties or Board decisions • Liquor Retail Stores (LRS) For a full listing of our lawyers and services, please visit our website mjblaw.com

WHISTLER

COAST MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.

Unit 2 1212 Alpha Lake Rd. | CoastMountainBeer.ca MON-WED 1-8PM ^ THU-SAT 1- 10PM ^ SUN 11AM- 8PM EST. 2016 Kevin Winter left Pemberton so he could develop his brewing skills at Mission Springs. He’s gone full circle now, opening his own brewery.

FIELD GUIDE

THE SURVEYOR

ALE

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.3%

IBU

This is a flavourful ale featuring specialty malts and a heap of Cascade hops.

ABV

7.0%

IBU

The “brewer’s favourite,” this bold IPA features Columbus, Chinook, Equinox and Citra hops.

WHISTLER

WHISTLER BREWING CO. 1045 Millar Creek Rd. | WhistlerBeer.com

MON, TUE & THU 1- 8PM ^ WED & FRI 1- 10PM SAT-SUN 12- 8PM EST. 1989 Pre- or après-ski, Whistler’s Function Junction brewery makes for a thirst-quenching stop on the way in or out of town.

CHESTNUT ALE

WINTER DUNKEL

CHESTNUT ALE

DA R K L A G E R

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.0%

IBU

A rich maltiness complements a bold, nutty character, before a clean, crisp finish. 42

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.0%

IBU

Whistler’s winter classic boasts chocolate and wheat malts for a chocolatey-orange finish.

BURNABY

DAGERAAD BREWING

114 - 3191 Thunderbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com MON-WED 2-8PM^ THU 12-8PM ^ FRI 12-9PM SAT 12-9PM ^ SUN 12-6PM EST. 2014 Like the farmhands of Bruegel’s paintings, Burnaby’s Belgian masters work damn hard and are thirsty for good beer.

ANNO 2016

DAGERAAD BRUNE

BELGIAN GOLDEN STRONG

DUBBEL

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

ABV

8.4%

IBU

Dageraad’s swan song to the year is a luscious blend of coriander spice and Keremeos pears.

ABV

7.5%

IBU

Trappist yeast meets figs in this heavenly addition to Dageraad’s year-round roster.

BURNABY

STEAMWORKS BREWING CO.

3845 William St. | Steamworks.com SUN-WED 12-10PM ^ THU-FRI 12-11PM EST. 1995 Here’s to the big winner at this year’s B.C. Beer Awards. Headbrewer Julia Hanlon and company nabbed five awards, including two golds.

FLAGSHIP IPA N O RT H E A S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

WINTER WHITE STOUT

Availability: Year-round

W H I T E S TO U T Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.7%

IBU

Juicy and intensely hopped with a trio of antipodean hops. Winner of Best in Show at the BCBAs.

ABV

5.1%

IBU

A surprisingly light-coloured stout with comforting tastes of winter, aged in espresso beans. 43

NEW WEST

STEEL & OAK BREWING CO.

1319 3rd Ave. | SteelAndOak.ca

SUN-WED 12-8PM ^ THU-SAT 12-10PM EST. 2013 These New Westminsterites have injected a joyful camaraderie — and long-overdue quality German styles — into B.C.’s beer scene.

WINDROSE

DARK LAGER

P O RT E R

MUNICH DUNKEL

Availability: Limited

Availability: Year-round

ABV

6.0%

IBU

S&O’s porter boasts an oat, rye, wheat and barley grain bill and chocolate, caramel and toffee notes.

ABV

5.4%

IBU

Probably the best dunkel in B.C., filled with nutty and chocolate flavours, and a sprightly body.

RICHMOND

BRITTANNIA BREWING CO.

110-12500 Horseshoe Way | BBCO.ca DAILY 11AM-5PM EST. 2016 Britannia launched its pourhouse in Steveston Village this summer with six beers on tap, tasty grub, and regular cask nights.

ADRIFT HOP BLONDE HOPPY BLONDE ALE

WAVE CRUSADER XPA

Availability: Year-round

E X T R A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

4.7%

IBU

Mouth-watering citrus and tropical fruit aroma. Balanced and dry with a small hop bite. 44

ABV

5.7%

IBU

A smooth-sailing hybrid between American IPA and British pale ale.

RICHMOND

FUGGLES & WARLOCK CRAFTWORKS

103-11220 Horseshoe Way | FugglesWarlock.com MON-TUE 12-9PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-9PM ^ SUN 12-7PM EST. 2012 From its beer-geek name to some of the longest lineups you’ll ever see at festivals, this brewery has certainly come a long way!

ICARUS MOSAIC SAISON SAISON Availability: Seasonal ABV

7.0%

IBU

DARK SIDE R U S S I A N I M P E R I A L S TO U T Availability: Seasonal

This Belgian saison was brewed atypically with the distinct and flavourful American Mosaic hop.

ABV

9.0%

IBU

No doubt we will all be lured by its siren call: “Come to the dark side…”

DELTA

FOUR WINDS BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | FourWindsBrewing.ca DAILY 11AM-7PM EST. 2013

They’re still the people’s favourite. Get to Delta for top tacos and some of the most innovative and drop-dead delicious beer in the province.

OAT PORTER

FEATHERWEIGHT IPA

P O RT E R

INDIA SESSION ALE

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.5%

IBU

Oats make this smooth and creamy, while specialty malts lend coffee and cocoa accents.

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.5%

IBU

Featherweight by name, heavyweight by flavour; namely, tropical fruits and resin hops. 45

SURREY

CENTRAL CITY BREWERS + DISTILLERS

11411 Bridgeview Dr. | CentralCityBrewing.com MON-FRI 11AM-9PM ^ SAT-SUN 10AM-9PM EST. 2003

The Red Racer brand rides on tirelessly — and no wonder, with the tireless Gary Lohin at the helm in the Surrey operation’s massive brewhouse.

RED RACER AMBER ALE

RED RACER WINTER ALE

AMBER ALE Availability: Year-round

WINTER ALE Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.0%

IBU

This well-balanced, flavour-packed amber replaces the Red Racer Copper Ale.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

Central City re-releases its winter warmer, which marries Northwest hops with a kick of spice.

SURREY

RUSSELL BREWING CO.

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | RussellBeer.com HOURS N/A EST. 1995

There’s new ownership for the Surrey brewery, but otherwise it’s business as usual under headbrewer Kevin Wilson.

COCONUTS PORTER

NAUGHTY & SPICED

P O RT E R

Availability: Limited ABV

6.5%

IBU

A tropical brew for the cold winter days, with coconuts and light carbonation. 46

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.0%

IBU

A rich porter spiked with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, aged in oak and vanilla beans.

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STORE

Merch. Subscriptions. Beer.

(Just kidding. No beer.) the-growler.myshopify.com

THE CASE OF THE

SNEAKY WEASEL Shadow brands, contract brewing, and the rise of “crafty” beers by Ryan Ingram

iguring out where a beer is actually brewed can be a bit like solving a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, that comes in a six-pack. Take Sneaky Weasel. The “real craft lager” first appeared in the province’s liquor stores around six months ago, with a slickly-designed can, featuring a mischievous rodent wearing a bandit mask.

Aside from the brewery name — appropriately named “Balderdash Brewing” — details were scarce on where this mysterious brew came from. For those in the craft beer intelligentsia, Sneaky Weasel had the immediate signs of a common frustration: the “shadow brand.” Although a shadow brand sounds like something illicit — like it’d be whispered about conspiratorially in backroom marketing meetings — it’s a totally common business strategy in the beer business. Albeit, one that consumers might not typically be aware of. One of the most in-depth looks at the province’s shadow brands came from beer writer Chuck Hallett on his Barley Mowatt blog in 2013. He described the shadow brand as a “beer that sure looks like it’s made by an independent brewery, but in reality is just rolled off the assembly line between batches of Big Brewery Beer No. 3 and No. 4.” He dug deep to shine some light on the province’s shadow brands.

THE MURKY UNDERWORLD OF SHADOW BRANDS For most breweries, the labels on their beers tell you everything you need to know; from what’s in the beer, to where it’s brewed. But not all of them. During Hallett’s research, he encountered a spectrum of brews that didn’t quite live up to their label. There was Stanley Park Brewing — actually a Turning Point brand, sold to Labatt last year — that’s brewed on Annacis Island, far away from the Vancouver tourist spot. There was also the sub-category of contract brewers. These are breweries, usually start-ups, without brick-and-mortar spaces that brew elsewhere while waiting for a space. But bigger breweries that don’t have the space to keep up with demand also use contract brewing. Two notable examples of this in the U.S. are Boston Beer Co.’s Samuel Adams and Brooklyn Brewing. Both breweries actually began brewing in Pittsburgh and Utica, New York, respectively. Hallett’s list of shadow brands ran deeper and more complicated than one might expect, but on the shadow brand concept now, Hallett stressed to The Growler that it isn’t as nefarious as it sounds. “This isn’t necessarily underhanded. This is a practice that is common throughout business to promote products to different consumer bases,” he explained. “You create a brand to match your demographic.” But shadow brands can still rightfully raise the hackles of those who care about beer and where it comes from. “The worst ones, from that point of view, would be the ones that are pretending to be something that they’re not,” said Hallett. “Let’s take the macros, who are spinning off their sub-brands in a deliberate attempt to mislead consumers into believing a story about the beer that simply isn’t backed up by reality,” referring to Blue Moon and Shock Top, two notorious brands that have the appearance of being craft, despite being created by two of the world’s largest brewers, Anheuser-Busch InBev [AB InBev] and MillerCoors.

Ken Beattie, Executive Director of the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild, suggests that the concept of shadow brands might stem from the larger uneasiness of the “crafty” beer strategy that’s capitalizing on the popularity of craft beer. “The sociological attraction of craft beer,” explained Beattie, “is the fact that if you go to the brewery, you can meet the brewer and have a conversation with someone who’s completely knowledgeable about those brands.” The crafty beers and shadow brand both obfuscate that.

IT’S CRAFTY The issue of ownership can be just as important as where the beer is brewed. Highlighting the most extreme example of crafty brands — and why people might care where their craft beer comes from — Beattie floats the idea of a large multinational operation purchasing a local brewery, but keeping it a secret who was pulling the strings. Craft beer nerds have suffered a rough fate watching with some high-caliber breweries getting purchased by AB InBev, like Seattle’s Elysian, Chicago’s Goose Island and Oregon’s 10 Barrel, each becoming another brand in the brewing giant’s arsenal. Which brings us back to Balderdash Brewing. On the spectrum of shadow brands, it’s hard to prove there’s much deception simply due to the lack of information provided by the brewery. On its website, the only tidbits revealed about anyone involved is that it’s a “100 per cent locally-owned company,” staffed with lovers of craft beer. And while technically both of those things are correct, Balderdash is not an independent brewery.

SNEAKY WEASEL REVEALED The biggest reveal about Balderdash Brewing lies in small print on the can: an address that leads directly to Yeast Van, minutes away from a handful of the city’s craft breweries. The address doesn’t lead to a brewery, but to the office of the Northam Group. >>

Don Gordon, VP sales, is the first to admit Northam “sounds like we’re selling photocopiers,” but the B.C. alcoholic beverage company was founded in the mid-2000s to buy Whistler Brewing and Bowen Island Brewing from Big Rock, with the goal of bringing beer production back to Whistler.

In some way, if you find out your beer isn’t brewed by who you thought it was, that’s cheating on you a bit.

- Chuck Hallett

Today, their portfolio also includes Lonetree Cider and Hey Y’all Southern Tea. Gordon — also Chairman of the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild — explained the new brand to The Growler, admitting that he’s glad if people think that “something’s up” when they stumble across Sneaky Weasel. Sneaky Weasel and Balderdash Brewing were created as a brand to bring “excitement” to what Gordon calls an untapped beer market in B.C.: the value drinker; those looking for a six-packs for under $8. Names aside, another sign of them not taking the new brand seriously is that they also give away whoopee cushions. “The consumer that drinks Sneaky Weasel is not a kettle-sour drinker,” said Gordon. “It is targeted towards value beer drinkers who want a good-tasting beer.”

The use of shadow brands is common in the value market because it distances them from a company’s more prestigious brands. “You can’t cross-contaminate your brand,” noted Hallett. Cariboo, Hell’s Gate, and Big Surf Brewing are also shadow brands chasing the same “value” demographic, operated by Pacific Western Brewing, Turning Point, and Prohibition Brewing, respectively. And Northam’s the same. Balderdash Brewing was created as a separate entity for branding reasons, even though Sneaky Weasel is brewed and packaged in the same Kamloops facility as many of Northam’s other beverages. Yet even though they’re clearly having fun with the tongue-in-cheek new brand, Gordon still takes issue with the “shadow brand” concept as a whole, dismissing it as simply contract brewing. Pointing to Sam Adams and Brooklyn Brewing’s contract brewing past, he says it can be seen as a strength that successful craft breweries can operate without a brick-and-mortar brewery. But as the popularity in craft beer rises, more people will presumably care about exactly where their beer comes from. “People have very personal relationships with their alcoholic beverages,” said Hallett. “In some way, if you find out your beer isn’t brewed by who you thought it was, that’s cheating on you a bit.” And while Gordon may disagree with the shadow brand label, Balderdash Brewing and Sneaky Weasel are playing with definitions in an even trickier way. Sneaky Weasel might be something completely unique: the first shadow brand that’s technically a craft beer while also being purposely crafty. Or maybe they’re a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a six-pack, that comes with a whoopee cushion.j

SURREY

WHITE ROCK BREWING

13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | WhiteRockBrewing.ca MON-SAT 11:30AM-7PM ^ SUN 11:30AM-5PM EST. 2015 Although not technically in White Rock, this South Surrey brewery branched off from the neighbouring U-Brew.

OCEAN LAGER

DIRTY GOLD ALE

GERMAN LAGER

ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.0%

IBU

This no-frills mainstay is popular with all. Goes down smooth with a crisp hop finish.

ABV

5.9%

IBU

Unfiltered, hoppy and smooth, and best enjoyed in a red Solo cup, presumably.

WHITE ROCK

WHITE ROCK BEACH BEER CO.

15181 Russell Ave. | WhiteRockBeachBeer.com FRI 4:30-7PM ^ SAT 11AM-3PM ^ SUN 10AM-3PM EST. 2014 With the expansion next door complete, the new pier-themed design gives vibes of beach-drinking at its finest.

WEST BEACH

BORDER

A M E R I C A N PA L E A L E

BA LT I C P O RT E R

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

The Pacific Northwest pale ale meets English bitter, giving it a nice citrusy grapefruit hop bite.

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.2%

IBU

A touch of sweetness and light fruitiness complement the big, malty aroma and chocolate notes. 51

PORT MOODY

MOODY ALES

2601 Murray St. | MoodyAles.com MON-TUE 3-9PM ^ WED 1-9PM ^ THU 1-10PM FRI 12-11PM ^ SAT 11AM-11PM ^ SUN 12-8PM EST. 2014 Moody took home three trophies at the 2016 B.C. Beer Awards, showing they’re doing a lot of things right.

VIENNA LAGER

AFFABLE IPA

VIENNA LAGER

W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.5%

IBU

This style originated in 19th-century Austria and later thrived in Mexico with emigrant brewers.

ABV

6.8%

IBU

A light malt body and moderate bitterness allow the tropical, fruity hops to burst out.

PORT MOODY

THE PARKSIDE BREWERY

2731 Murray St. | TheParksideBrewery.com

MON-THU 2-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM ^ SUN 12-8PM EST. 2016 If you can’t make it to PoMo to check out Brewers Row, fret not: Parkside is now available at government and private liquor stores.

DAWN

GRAFITTI

PILSNER

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.9%

IBU

We’re not sure if we’re supposed to drink this beer until dawn, or starting at dawn. 52

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.9%

IBU

This Pacific Northwest IPA has big grapefruit, pine and floral hop notes.

PORT MOODY

TWIN SAILS BREWING

2821 Murray St. | TwinSailsBrewing.com MON-TUE 2-10PM ^ WED-FRI 12-11PM SAT-SUN 11AM-11PM EST. 2015

One of the four fantastic breweries that make up PoMo’s Brewers Row was founded by twin brothers Clay and Cody Allmin.

CREAM & SUGAR

DAY BLINK

B R E A K FA S T M I L K S TO U T

S I M C O E PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

7.5%

IBU

A rich and creamy coffee stout that you can get away with drinking in the morning.

ABV

5.0%

IBU

Powered solely by the piney and fruity Simcoe hop, it’s a hazy-coloured easy-drinker.

PORT MOODY

YELLOW DOG BREWING

1-2817 Murray St. | YellowDogBrew.com

MON-THU 2-10PM ^ FRI -SAT 11-11PM ^ SUN 11-8PM EST. 2014 Who’s a good dog? Yellow Dog is, scoring two B.C. Beer Awards: a gold for North American Pale Ale and silver for North American IPA.

HIGH 5 HAZY IPA

OLD DOG ALTBIER

I N D I A PA L E A L E

A LT B I E R

Availability: Seasonal ABV

7.0%

IBU

Hazy, hoppy dankness with notes of mango and grapefruit, balanced with a piney, resinous finish.

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.0%

IBU

Malt-forward with juicy fruit and subtle nuttiness. It’s complex, but finishes crisp and clean. 53

PITT MEADOWS

FOAMERS’ FOLLY BREWING CORP.

19221 122A Ave. | FoamersFolly.ca

SUN-THU 10AM-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 9AM-11PM EST. 2015 Two separate brewhouses and a rotating crew of brewers allow Foamers’ Folly to put a zillion beers on tap at once — and most of them are great!

FLASHING AMBER AMERICAN AMBER

PRE-PROHIBITION PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

PRE-PROHIBITION LAGER Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.5%

IBU

This beer features a balanced malt and hop character with subtle toasted-caramel flavours.

ABV

5.8%

IBU

The perfect fuel for a debate over prohibition while sitting in FF’s 16-tap tasting room.

MAPLE RIDGE

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | MapleMeadowsBrewingCo.com TUE-THU 2-7PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-8PM ^ SUN 12-6 PM EST. 2014 Carlo Baroccio has made it his mission to serve a cross-section of popular craft beer styles in his functional but welcoming tasting room.

DARK NECESSITIES

AMBER EARS

M O C H A S TO U T

AMBER ALE

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.1%

IBU

A sneak peek at beer by Silver Valley Brewing, which made this rich stout at the Meadows. 54

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.2%

IBU

Baroccio used just a little too much specialty malt to call this Golden Ears, so he went with amber.

MAPLE RIDGE

RIDGE BREWING CO.

22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | RidgeBrewing.com MON-THU 2-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-8:30PM SUN 11AM-6:30PM EST. 2015 Ridge has growlers designed for celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and even for proclaiming your affection for Hairy Donuts.

HAIRY DONUT

LONDON PORTER

AMERICAN AMBER

P R E - WA R E N G L I S H P O RT E R

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Limited

ABV

5.4%

IBU

Ah, yes, one of the more memorably-named beers around: toffee-bodied with herbal and floral hops.

ABV

4.0%

IBU

Sweet and chocolatey with a hint of hazelnut. Presumably pairs well with bangers and mash.

LANGLEY

KPU BREWING LAB

20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew FRI 1-5PM EST. 2016

Get a taste of what the next generation of brewers is learning as part of Kwantlenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brewing and Brewery Operations diploma program.

KPU PALE ALE PA L E A L E

KPU BELGIAN DUBBEL

Availability: Limited

A B B E Y- S T Y L E D U B B E L Availability: Limited

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A straightforward pale ale with a floral hop aroma from French Triskel finishing hops.

ABV

7.0%

IBU

A beer with full-bodied maltiness, and fruit and spice from the Belgian Abbey yeast.

LANGLEY

TRADING POST BREWING

107 - 20120 64th Ave. | TradingPostBrewing.com

MON-THU 2-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM ^ SUN 12-7PM EST. 2015 From pride in its Langley roots to the use of quality local ingredients, Trading Post is all about community.

RYE AMBER ALE

DARK MILD

AMBER ALE

MILD

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

A luscious, bready-toasty malt base mingles with fruity English ale yeast, balanced by Cascade hops. 56

Availability: Seasonal ABV

3.9%

IBU

A heady symphony of malt with notes of toast, chocolate and toffee, but it still remains sessionable.

ALDERGROVE

DEAD FROG BREWERY

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way | DeadFrog.ca MON-FRI 10 AM-5PM ^ SAT 12-4PM EST. 2005

As new breweries pop up, Dead Frog remains one of the Fraser Valley originals. Funny thing is, it’s more creative and experimental than most.

ATOMIC CHERRY TART CHERRY ALE TA RT A L E Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.0%

IBU

NUTTY UNCLE P E A N U T B U T T E R S TO U T Availability: Limited

A crisp red ale bursting with fresh cherries, premium malts, and a refreshingly tart finish.

ABV

6.1%

IBU

One of the most unusual beers brewed in B.C., you have to try it once.

ABBOTSFORD

FIELD HOUSE BREWING CO.

2281 West Railway St. | FieldHouseBrewing.com

TUE-WED 12-8PM ^ THU-SAT 12-10PM ^ SUN 12-5PM EST. 2016 Yep, one of the best breweries in the province is in Abbotsford. Fresh off their much-deserved “Rookie of the Year” win at the B.C. Beer Awards.

LAVENDER ESB EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

TOASTED COCONUT BLACK LAGER

Availability: Seasonal

S C H WA R Z B I E R Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.5%

IBU

Local, organic lavender lifts this classic ESB with floral aroma and spice notes.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

With chocolate and coffee notes, this dark lager is still light, complemented by toasted coconut. 57

ABBOTSFORD

OLD ABBEY ALES

1A - 30321 Fraser Hwy. | OldAbbeyAles.com DAILY 11AM-8PM EST. 2015 Old Abbey keeps producing the goods — all 24 taps and various bottles of them — at its spacious showcase brewery just off Highway 1.

SCOTTISH MONK S C OT T I S H A L E

EL NINO WINTER WARMER

Availability: Year-round

WINTER ALE Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.5%

IBU

An authentic, strong, malt-forward Scottish ale with satisfying earthy and nutty notes.

ABV

8.0%

IBU

Rich, thick and bold with notes of cinnamon and oak.

ABBOTSFORD

RAVENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd. | Ravens.beer

TUE-THU 12PM-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-9PM ^ SUN 12-6PM EST. 2015 There are a lot of great tap handles around the province, but none quite like the row of black birds that guard each of Ravens’ tasty taps.

IPA I N D I A PA L E A L E

HOT CHOCOLATE PORTER

Availability: Year-round

P O RT E R Availability: Seasonal

ABV

7.0%

IBU

Celebrating the hop dankness, it’s got juicy hits of tropical fruit, citrus and pine. 58

ABV

6.0%

IBU

A big-bodied winter treat with a velvety and rich dark chocolate flavor and a hint of vanilla.

CHILLIWACK

CHAOS & SOLACE CRAFT BREWING CO.

1 - 9360 Mill St. | ChaosAndSolace.com DAILY 11AM-7PM EST. 2016

Chilliwack’s newest brewery is bringing some style to the historic old town. The hip tasting room is all wood and brick, with a nice open vibe.

PARAMOUNT PORTER P O RT E R

LAKESIDE HEFE-WEISSE

Availability: Year-round

HEFE-WEISSE Availability: Year-round

ABV

6.3%

IBU

Chocolate and roasty aroma with a complex, rich malt flavour. Goes down extra smooth in winter.

ABV

5.4%

IBU

With banana, citrus and bubble-gum aromas, it’s a new twist on the traditional German wheat beer.

CHILLIWACK

OLD YALE BREWING CO.

404 - 44550 South Sumas Rd. | OldYaleBrewing.com TUE-SUN 11AM-7PM EST. 2000 At its new brewery, Old Yale is making lots of interesting new beers to go along with older favourites.

B.C. BACKYARD LAGER RY E L A G E R Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

100 per cent of the ingredients in this beer are grown in beautiful British Columbia.

SASQUATCH STOUT OAT M E A L S TO U T Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

Canada’s Best Beer (2014 Canadian Brewing Awards) is still as tasty as ever. 59

Unsung Heroes of Beer:

the tool shed brewing guys GRAHAM SHERMAN & JEFF ORR by Stephen Smysnuik

ately, Graham Sherman might be best known as the Calgarian brewer and co-founder of Tool Shed Brewing who “fired” a critical patron and beer writer. But Sherman’s been making headlines, alongside his business partner Jeff Orr, since 2013, when the duo helped reshape Alberta’s archaic brewing laws to make them more friendly for start-up craft brewers. Prior to 2013, the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission’s Class C liquor policy stipulated that in order to open a brewery, business owners had to brew a minimum of 500,000 litres of beer, or 5,000 hectolitres. That’s an enormous amount of beer for a start-up, and one that would require a sizeable brewing facility costing far more than the average entrepreneur could put up. As a result, the brewing industry in Alberta was skeletal, with Big Rock and Wild Rose dominating local craft beer sales. A few others cropped up, including Calgary’s Village Brewing, which was launched in 2011 by a collective of former Big Rock executives, with enough savvy and experience to launch a brewery to meet the minimum requirement. Enter Sherman and Orr, who met while stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, working as communications contractors for the government and military. They were hyper-nerdy overachievers with high-security clearance and a penchant for techno-gadgetry. They bonded over a love of coffee roasting. They also spent months at a time isolated from their families in Calgary. When they landed back home after that first stint, they abandoned coffee roasting for homebrewing, making batches in

Sherman’s backyard tool shed. “Nobody gives a shit about coffee,” Sherman says now. “People came over and said, ‘Yeah man, that’s some great espresso,’ but that’s as far as it went. “[But] everything just culminates around the beer. Beer is the connector.” Once they realized that, they decided to open a brewery together. Craft beer, they noticed, was coming to Calgary. They quit their stressful, isolating jobs and started making plans for Tool Shed Brewing in Fall 2012. But — and that’s a huge but — they came up against the AGLC’s minimum brewing requirement. Sherman — about as high energy and obsessive a beer enthusiast as you’re likely to find — was perplexed. “Why would this law exist?” he says. “It obviously had to have been from lobbying by big breweries not wanting to have any competition. What could be the reason for there to be a law that says you can’t get started without anything less than 5,000 hecs?” He says they laid out their plans for the AGLC, showing them economic development case studies of breweries throughout Canada and the U.S., and what the agricultural and economic impact would be. But no — they couldn’t get a license. “We saw this made absolutely no sense and we had to find [a solution] in the meantime to pay our mortgages,” Sherman says. So they took advantage of another AGLC policy that put no tariffs or restrictions on importing alcohol into Alberta. So while the AGLC made

We saw this made absolutely no sense and we had to find a solution in the meantime to pay our mortgages. -Graham Sherman it as difficult as possible to make alcohol in the province, they could import as much of it as they wanted from anywhere in the world. Sherman got a distribution license and sought contract brewers in B.C. They found what they were looking for in Aldergrove’s Dead Frog Brewery, which agreed to put Tool Shed’s beer into production. Orr moved out to the Fraser Valley to oversee operations. By September 2013, they were brewing beer in B.C., then shipping every batch back into Alberta to sell, all the while trying to raise enough money to build a brewery big enough to meet the minimum brew requirement. “This was insane enough that it got lots of traction,” says Sherman, who pitched this story to just about every media outlet in the province. Sherman and Orr weren’t alone in the fight. The Alberta Small Brewers Association had been lobbying to change the rules for years, and had even sued the AGLC to force the change. Fallentimber Meadery was also pushing for change around the same time Tool Shed was. “The former Class C policy was outdated and it didn’t reflect the best interests of the evolving liquor manufacturing sector in Alberta,” says Heather Holmen, spokesperson for the AGLC. “It was time for a change.” Much to Sherman and Orr's delight, the AGLC announced the new Class E policy on Dec. 5, 2013, eliminating the minimum production capacity requirements. Sherman and Orr rushed to the AGLC's head

offices in St. Albert and were the first to apply for a brewing license under the new policy. The AGLC tweeted out a photo of the two men, gleefully manhandling their application papers, with the caption: “We’re thinking the new Class E Liquor Manufacturing policies made Alberta’s craft beer brewers happy.” Holmen couldn’t confirm whether or not Tool Shed’s efforts were the catalyst — or even influential — in the AGLC’s decision to update the policy, and said it launched its policy review in Fall 2012, which was around the time Tool Shed was getting started. But people in the brewing industry credit Tool Shed, along with Fallentimber, for influencing the changes. “Their efforts are definitely why we exist today,” says Derek Waghray, co-founder of Dandy Brewing, the second Calgary craft brewery to open up after the minimum brew policy had been eliminated. “Our whole company was all about starting small, remaining full owners of our company and things like that. That was huge for us.” In the end, Sherman and Orr ended up with a brewery much bigger than they had originally planned. “The ironic part is, because we made so much noise and got so many people asking for our beer,” Sherman says, “we ended up building a brewery that was bigger than 5,000 hecs anyway.” j

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VICTORIA

AXE AND BARREL BREWING CO.

2323 Millstream Ave. | AxeAndBarrel.com DAILY 11AM-7PM EST. 2015 Former Swans brewer Andrew Tessier plans to experiment with monthly releases, packaging in bombers and a barrel program.

RYE PALE ALE

CITRUS WITBIER

PA L E A L E W I T H RY E

BELGIAN WIT

Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.2%

IBU

Leaning towards amber in colour, and full-bodied with a dry, spicy and citrusy finish.

ABV

5.0%

IBU

Brewed with Curacao orange peel, coriander, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves.

VICTORIA

CATEGORY 12 BREWING

Unit C - 2200 Keating Cross Rd. | Category12Beer.com TUE-SAT 12-6PM ^ SUN 12-4PM EST. 2014 Category 12: The scientific term for the reaction caused when craft beer recipes meet the inventive mind of brewer Michael Kuzyk.

EXCITATION

SUBVERSION

C A C A O E S P R E S S O S TO U T

I M P E R I A L I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.4%

IBU

Rich organic cacao nibs and a buzz of fairly-traded espresso gives this stout an energetic boost. 64

ABV

8.8%

IBU

An old-school IPA pushed to its bitter and juicy hop limits for bold and tasty results.

R A I S E Y O U R S P I R I T S Buy Local CANADA’S ON LY VOD KA , GI N A N D LI Q U E U RS , FERMENT ED A N D D IS T I LLED F ROM H O N EY.

F U NDA M EN TA LLY AGA I N S T T H E G RA I N .

Find local retailers at:

www.waywarddis t il lat ion hou se.c om

CELEBRATING B.C.’S COCKTAIL CULTURE 1725_WGHE_Alch_x1a.pdf

10/28/16

5:41 PM

@TheAlchemistBC @TheAlchemistMag

WINTER 2016

WINTER 2016 / 04

Pick up the latest issue at local distillers, independent liquor stores and your favourite cocktail bar.

WARM UP

HOME BAR

Put some fire in your glass

SEA TO SKY

Festive recipes to impress your friends

BOTTLE TALK

Whistler’s best cocktail bars

B.C. listings and tasting notes

VICTORIA

DRIFTWOOD BREWERY

450 Hillside Ave. | DriftwoodBeer.com TUE-SAT 11AM-6PM EST. 2015

Fat Tug was the beer that launched a thousand hopheads, and helped kick off a province-wide craft beer boom.

BLACKSTONE

SINGULARITY

P O RT E R

B O U R B O N BA R R E L A G E D S TO U T

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Limited

ABV

6.0%

IBU

N/A

A highly-quaffable porter with a rich body thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full of that coffee and dark chocolate goodness.

ABV

11.5%

IBU

N/A

A question desperately asked by futurists and beer nerds alike: when is the Singularity coming?

VICTORIA

HOYNE BREWING CO.

101-2740 Bridge St. | HoyneBrewing.ca MON-FRI 12-6PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM EST. 2011

Hoyne Brewing is celebrating its fifth anniversary this winter, but Sean Hoyne himself has been brewing beer in Victoria since 1989.

GRATITUDE

VOLTAGE

W I N T E R WA R M E R

E S P R E S S O S TO U T

Availability: Limited ABV

9.0%

IBU

N/A

The label features a poem on gratitude; the strong ale inside will leave you feeling grateful. 66

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.7%

IBU

N/A

This fully charged beer is brewed with freshly pulled shots of espresso from Habit Coffee.

VICTORIA

LIGHTHOUSE BREWING CO.

2 - 836 Devonshire Rd. | LighthouseBrewing.com

MON 8AM-4:30PM ^ TUE-FRI 9AM-6PM^ SAT 11AM-6PM EST. 1998 Despite its size and name, Lighthouse keeps something of a low profile outside of its Island base. A new tasting room is currently in the works.

SEAPORT VANILLA STOUT S TO U T Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.5%

IBU

SHIPWRECK IPA W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

Madagascan vanilla beans lend a luxurious edge to this rich, satisfying stout.

ABV

6.5%

IBU

Fruity and floral hop aromas and flavours are prominent in this well-balanced brew.

VICTORIA

MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY

350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca

SAT-THU 11:30AM-11PM ^ FRI 11:30AM-12 AM EST. 2012 Big changes are coming as the Moon plans a massive expansion. In the meantime, the brewpub is hopping and the beer is always top-notch.

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON OAT M E A L S E S S I O N S TO U T Availability: Seasonal ABV

4.2%

IBU

Chewy, roasty and flavourful, this low-alcohol stout is ideal for dark and dreary winter nights.

ORANJE MAAN I M P E R I A L M A N DA R I N W I T Availability: Seasonal ABV

8.2%

IBU

This oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for you if you prefer your winter warmers with some alcoholic heft. 67

VICTORIA

PHILLIPS BREWING & MALTING CO. 2010 Government St. | PhillipsBeer.com

MON 10AM-5PM ^ TUE-THU 10AM-6PM FRI 10AM-7PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM EST. 2001 Victoria’s craft beer titan hasn’t slowed the innovation train since Matt Phillips maxed out those credit cards to start his brewery.

CITRICITY GRAPEFRUIT ZEST IPA

SCARFFACE C R A N B E R RY O R A N G E W I T

F R U I T I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round ABV

6.2%

IBU

Availability: Seasonal

Citrus, juice, citrus juice and juicy citrusness.

ABV

4.3%

IBU

Ever the non-conformist, Phillips’ new winter ale is a bright and breezy fruit-laden wheat beer.

VICTORIA

VANCOUVER ISLAND BREWERY

2330 Government St. | VanIslandBrewery.com DAILY 10AM-6PM EST. 1986 Big changes are coming from VIB in 2017. Victoria’s oldest production brewery is set for rejuvenation, having assembled a dream team of staff.

HERMANNATOR

19 IPA

EISBOCK

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal ABV

9.5%

IBU

Hermannator won’t be going anywhere, VIB assures us. Which is good – we’d riot if it was axed! 68

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.0%

IBU

This light-bodied, heavily-hopped IPA named after the Island Highway is a sign of things to come.

Meet up at the Bard. Drink. Local. Beer.

Large selection of rotating cra�t beers on tap. LIVE MUSIC NIGHTLY NO COVER HAPPY HOUR DAILY 3PM-6PM

777 courtney st victoria bc thesmithspub.com

1022 GOVERNMENT ST. VICTORIA, BC

Beer Law

Advice on tap

RBS' beer and distillery lawyers serve up the following advice: • licensing and regulatory issues • business structuring, growth and operations • employee issues

• commercial leasing • raising capital • trademarks and brand protection

Chris Lennon, Carlos Mendes, Aneez Devji, Joe Chan CraftCounsel.ca | BCBeerLaw.com | 604-682-3664

Craft beer embraces the lost art of barrel-aging by Megan Cole

n competitive industries like craft brewing, staying ahead of the curve and on top of the trends is vital to keeping consumers interested. Craft brewers are taking traditional styles and flavours and making them their own using different ingredients. Oak barrels, which have been used in making spirits like bourbon, whisky and wine, have gained popularity in craft beer because of the unique flavours that can be imparted through barrel-aging. Unlike bourbon makers of the United States who are required by federal code to use new charred oak barrels to produce their product, breweries acquire their barrels from distilleries and wineries that have already bottled their products. But with so many breweries exploring the world

of barrel-aging, and there being only a couple dozen cooperages (barrel makers) left in the U.S., the number of barrels available to breweries is limited. “Barrel-aging is sort of a popular thing to do these days," says Chloe Smith, manager of Townsite Brewing in Powell River. "Which means we are getting creative with where we get our barrels, because they are so in demand.” Smith adds that it isn't just harder to get barrels, it's also more expensive. Since Townsite began barrel-aging their beers, the price has increased from $100 a barrel, to $150. “We buy them from wineries, from Jack Daniels, from whisky houses and distilleries,” she said.

“We go together with our brewing colleagues and when they are placing orders, we will do one together. We are reaching out to everybody to see where we can get barrels, and we are getting all kinds of stuff like fruit wine, red wine, whisky and bourbon.” Even though Jack Daniels, the only major distiller that makes their own barrels, produces half a million empty barrels a year, most of those go to the Scotch whisky industry. In the world of craft beer, Victoria's Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. have been ahead of the curve with barrel-aging beers. Matt Phillips, founder of Phillips, says they've been producing barrel-aged beers for nearly seven years. “It's definitely more difficult to get a hold of barrels now,” he says. “I think it has a lot more to do with the Scotch whisky industry and distilleries than breweries.” Because those two industries are sucking up a lot of barrels, there are fewer left for the craft breweries looking for them, he says. Phillips built a relationship with Heaven Hills Distillery in Kentucky where he was at one point sourcing up to 150 barrels a year. Now the brewery is only using about 50 annually, and some of this has to do with the challenges of getting the barrels with the right flavour profiles for its beer. While some craft breweries have looked to their partners in the spirits and wine industries, Rogue Ales and Spirits, based in Newport, Oregon, decided to start coopering their own barrels. This was a natural fit with their DIY mantra, which now includes growing their own hops, producing their own honey and distilling their own spirits. Unlike other breweries that began barrel-aging their products in vessels they'd sourced, Rogue hadn't put beer in a barrel until they had a “real reason to do it.” “Once we got inspired to make our own barrels

Barrel-aging is sort of a popular thing to do these days, which means we are getting creative with where we get our barrels, because they are - Chloe Smith so in demand. we really felt we had a story to share and a product we thought would be really unique,” says Brett Joyce, president of Rogue. In the fall of 2016, Rogue released their first beer aged in their own barrels. Their Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout is a beer that doesn't just go from farm to glass, but from farm to barrels, made by Rogue and soaked in their own whiskey where it is aged for six months before being bottled. “Barrel-aged products provide a lot of complexity that consumers are looking for, which pairs with the experimentation that breweries are into, and there is also the rarity of barrel-aged beers,” says Joyce. “I'm glad that in some small way, we control our own destiny by making our barrels, but that certainly wasn't our intent the way growing our own hops was. We didn't want to be 100 per cent reliant on the open market, and accidentally the barrel making provides that as well.” While Rogue may have chosen to enter the cooperage industry, it is safe to assume that most craft breweries will stick to sourcing their barrels the way they have been. But with certain barrels, like bourbon, being in high demand, those in the craft beer world think we'll see brewers do what they do best: get creative and use what they can find to innovate great new beer flavours.j

VICTORIA

VICTORIA CALEDONIAN BREWERY AND DISTILLERY

761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com DAILY 10AM-10PM EST. 2016

Victoria’s newest brewery is a Scottish-themed spot that sells beer under the “Twa Dogs” brand.

DROUTHY NEIBOR I N D I A PA L E A L E

HOLY WILLIE’S ROBUST PORTER

Availability: Year-round

P O RT E R Availability: Year-round

ABV

7.6%

IBU

This hoppy IPA will satisfy both you and your drouthy neibor (“thirsty neighbour”).

ABV

6.5%

IBU

With its name inspired by Robert Burns’ “Holy Willie’s Prayer,” you’ll be praying for more.

SOOKE

SOOKE OCEANSIDE BREWERY

1-5529 Sooke Rd. | SookeOceansideBrewing.com WED-SUN 12-8PM EST. 2016 With an experienced chef like Ryan Orr as owner, you know the beer is going to be flavourful and pairing-ready. The branding is killer, too.

RENFREW RED ALE

CEDAR JUNIPER IPA

IRISH RED ALE

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.1%

IBU

SOB is promising a medium-bodied, malty ale with a dry finish. 72

Availability: Limited ABV

7.3%

IBU

A unique IPA featuring a profile of Spanish cedar, juniper berries and noble hops.

DUNCAN

RED ARROW BREWING CO.

5255 Chaster Rd. | RedArrowBeer.ca

SUN-THU 11AM-6PM ^ FRI 11AM-8PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM EST. 2015 Looking for a spot to get craft beer goodness in Duncan? All signs point here, to Red Arrow’s red brick tasting room.

IDLE HANDS

HOP SHOP

ORANGE ALE

I M P E R I A L I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.66%

IBU

A devilish concoction with toffee malt, candied orange peel and a dash of vanilla bean.

For F or th or tthe he Bod he Body ody od dy Music Food Fo

ABV

7.5%

IBU

This one’s for all the hop-heads. A dankly bitter beauty with notes of guava, herb and spice.

F Fo or the or the th he Soul Sou So oul ul For

Drink

F Fo or the or the th he Spirit Spi Sp piririritit For

PENNY FARTHING PUBLIC HOUSE | 34 UNIQUE TAPS 250-370-9008 | PennyFarthingPub.com | 2232 Oak Bay Ave 73

CHEMAINUS

RIOT BREWING CO.

101A - 3055 Oak St. | RiotBrewing.com MON-THU 11AM-9PM ^ FRI-SUN 11AM-11PM EST. 2016 It’s taken years, but Riot is here, complete with a full lounge and patio. The beer is in the safe hands of ex-Central City brewer Fabian Specht.

LIPSLIDE LAGER

JUNK PUNCH IPA

HELLES LAGER

W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round

ABV

4.8%

IBU

Promises to be as authentic and refreshing a Helles as you’ll find in B.C.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

Junk Punch lands in the Island’s IPA market with a bold hop profile amply balanced by malt.

NANAIMO

LONGWOOD BREWERY

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | LongwoodBeer.com WED-FRI 2-6 PM ^ SAT 12-5PM EST. 2013

Harley Smith and his brewing crew keep Longwood humming at peak proficiency, producing some of Nanaimo’s best beers using local ingredients.

STOUTNIK R U S S I A N I M P E R I A L S TO U T

SUPER “G” GINGER GINSENG

Availability: Year-round

CREAM ALE Availability: Seasonal

ABV

7.5%

IBU

Blacker than a Moscow winter, this beer will warm your cold Russian bones, comrade. 74

ABV

6.0%

IBU

Brewed using an old recipe from Hugo’s, a Victoria brewpub that closed in 2008.

NANAIMO

WHITE SAILS BREWING

125 Comox Rd. | WhiteSailsBrewing.com

MON-WED 3-9PM ^ THU 3-11PM ^ FRI-SAT 12PM-12AM SUN 12-6PM EST. 2015 White Sails is helping revitalize Nanaimo’s downtown with a space for locals, artists and craft beer enthusiasts thirsty for Tyler Papp’s brews.

SNAKE ISLAND

GALLOWS POINT

C A S C A D I A N DA R K A L E

C H O C O L AT E P O RT E R

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

6.5%

IBU

This WBA gold medalist has a bold coffee-chocolate maltiness balanced by heaps of hops.

ABV

5.7%

IBU

A malt showcase highlighting a restrained roastiness and seductive chocolate and caramel notes.

NANAIMO

WOLF BREWING CO.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | WolfBrewingCompany.com SUN-MON 12-5PM ^ TUE-THU 12-6PM^ FRI-SAT 12-7PM EST. 2010 Nanaimo’s south-end brewery is making positive changes to its beer list, reflecting a renewed focus on more challenging and interesting styles.

THE TRIPEL

THE BELGIAN ABBEY

BELGIAN TRIPEL

A B B E Y- S T Y L E B L O N D E A L E

Availability: Limited ABV

9.6%

IBU

N/A

A big, bold Belgian beer brewed with Trappist yeast, European malts, herbal hops and spice.

Availability: Limited ABV

6.6%

IBU

N/A

Full of spicy yeast character with delicate pepper notes and a herbal citrus hop aroma. 75

Glacier Fresh The

LIFE

& TIMES OF THE BEER OUT HERE

WRITTEN BY ANDREW FLEMING & ILLUSTRATED BY NEIL MANUEL

Kokanee was born in 1959 in the Kootenay Mountains, and his proud parents, the Columbia Brewery, named him after the Kokanee Glacier that overlooks their hometown of Creston, B.C. “Kokanee” is also an Interior Salish word for a type of landlocked salmon, but sharing a name with a fish hasn't hurt his popularity any with Western Canadian beer drinkers.

In the '80s, his fame took off after teaming up with a hapless park ranger and a thirsty sasquatch for an award-winning ad campaign.

A sasquatch is also hidden in various different spots surrounding Gray's Peak, the mountain featured on Kokanee's iconic label. It’s a bit like Where's Waldo for lager lovers.

Welcome to

London, ON

Kokanee headed east in the '90s after striking a deal with Labatt...

...although he soon headed back home after critics pointed out a beer can't be “glacier fresh” if it's brewed in Ontario.

LIVE

DIE

In 2008, he went online and asked fans for help in deciding the future of his relationship with the Kokanee Ranger.

The long-running sidekick was eventually killed in an ad spoofing the finale of The Sopranos.

He made his film debut starring in 2012’s The Movie Out Here, a low-brow buddy comedy shot in Fernie that was panned by critics.

36%

St. John’s

But while Kokanee failed to make it big in Hollywood, the self-styled “beer out here” can today be found as far away as Newfoundland.

Which is probably due to so many Newfies having worked in the oil fields and/or because of their famous fondness for fish.

QUALICUM

LOVESHACK LIBATIONS

#1-4134 Island Hwy. West | LoveShackLibations.com HOURS TBD EST. 2016 This new brewery is likely B.C.’s smallest: a one-man show producing 100-litre batches of bottle-conditioned beer.

KILLER KOLSCH

D.P.A.

KÖ L S C H

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.8%

Availability: Year-round

IBU

“A clean, crisp lager-style ale, able to slay the mightiest thirst,” says the brewer.

ABV

6.5%

IBU

“Dave Paul’s Ale.” This is a full-bodied IPA with a maltiness balancing the Northwest hops.

CUMBERLAND

CUMBERLAND BREWING CO.

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | CumberlandBrewing.com SUN-WED 12-9PM ^ THU - SAT 12-10PM EST. 2014 With the opening of the new Rider’s Pizza across the street, there are now two places to taste Cumberland’s impressive beers.

PILSNER

CASCADIA DARK ALE

CZECH PILSNER

I N D I A B R OW N A L E

Availability: Seasonal ABV

4.8%

IBU

N/A

Cumberland can spare the fermenter space to brew this proper pilsner only once a year. 78

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.5%

IBU

N/A

Part of a series of rotating specialty IPAs, this local favourite will return in December.

COURTENAY

FORBIDDEN BREWING CO.

1590 Cliffe Ave. | ForbiddenBrewing.com WED-SUN 12-10PM EST. 2015

Forbidden in name only, the cozy Comox Valley brewery is worth venturing to for its selection of tasty small-batch brews.

FRESH HOPPED SAISON SAISON Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.5%

IBU

FORBIDDEN IPA I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

A fruity, light saison that’s well-hopped with fresh goods from a local Courtenay hop farm.

ABV

7.0%

IBU

Your taste buds will dig exploring this IPA, which is big on citrus and tropical flavor and aromas.

COURTENAY

GLADSTONE BREWING CO.

244 4th St. | GladstoneBrewing.ca DAILY 11AM-12AM EST. 2015

Courtenay’s downtown brewery is bumping thanks to the delicious beer courtesy of ex-Steamworks brewer Tak Guenette. The pizza’s great, too!

STRAIGHT EIGHT

CZECH DARK LAGER

I M P E R I A L I N D I A PA L E A L E

BOHEMIAN DUNKEL

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

8.8%

IBU

100

This hot rod of a beer showcases tropical flavours of Australian Ella and Summer hops.

ABV

6.0%

IBU

An obscure style with roasty malts and spicy hops rarely brewed outside the Czech Republic. 79

CAMPBELL RIVER

BEACH FIRE

594 - 11th Ave. | BeachFireBrewing.ca HOURS TBD EST. 2016 Campbell River’s very own craft brewery will be open any day now! Pop in to the tasting room to sample some beers, or nosh on some tapas.

HIGH TIDE PALE ALE W E S T C OA S T PA L E A L E

WHEELBENDER STOUT

Availability: Year-round

I R I S H S TO U T Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.5%

IBU

A West Coast pale ale that focuses on New World hops with big aromas and flavours.

ABV

4.5%

IBU

A classic, light-bodied, easy-drinking stout that is perfect for cool evening beach fire sessions.

TOFINO

TOFINO BREWING CO.

Units C & D, 681 Industrial Way | TofinoBrewingCo.com DAILY 11AM -9PM EST. 2011 Endless beaches, magical rainforests, abundant inlets, fresh seafood and fresh beer await every traveller to Tofino. Life must be hell there.

TOFINO DARK LAGER

HOPPIN’ CRETIN IPA

DA R K L A G E R

W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal ABV

4.5%

IBU

A fine balance of crisp and brisk mouthfeel with richer, roasted malt aromas and flavours. 80

Availability: Year-round ABV

7.5%

IBU

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: This citrus-tropical-pine monster is one of B.C.’s best.

WTF!? is

Funky Beer? An exploration of that funky beer trend

by Lito Howse

he days of massive hop-bombed beers seem to be giving way to more experimental brewing styles in the craft beer scene. One of the major trends right now is melding the fruity funk of dank hops with the fruity funk of wild yeast strains. Yes, there are funky hops and funky yeasts, and together, they make some funky beers. The best way of describing funk is as “something out of the ordinary,” but many describe the smell and taste of these beers as horse sweat, Band-Aid, and barnyard. Sounds appetizing, right? No? We didn't think so either, but trust us, give these wild beers a sip and they’ll win you over.

FUNKY HOPS Hops aren’t always bitter, they can actually bring a wide array of flavours to the beer depending on timing and quantities. Mosaic hops produce qualities of passionfruit and mango when used in moderate amounts, but when they cross a certain threshold, depending on the timing and amount, BOOM, gym socks and B.O. become their primary traits. Polaris hops can have a similar funk potential. Sirachi Ace hops tend to have a lime zest and peppery flavour when used in smaller quantities, but will taste like herbs or buttery dill if too many are used or if they’re from a bad crop.

FUNKY YEAST Regular brewer's yeast is from the Saccharomyces yeast family (Sac for short), which consists of hundreds of strains that have been cultivated to do exactly what brewers want. These strains add predictable traits to the beer and can do anything, from adding fruity flavours to drying out the finish. For example, Wyeast 3711 is a standard

French Saison yeast that dries out the saison without being too heavy on the yeast aftertaste and tastes quite different from its Belgian counterparts. Brettanomyces (Brett for short) is from another genus within the Sac family, and can be used to brew beer, but produces a funky taste and is much more unpredictable to brew with. Brett is one of the most prevalent yeasts in the natural environment, and is something brewers try to avoid contaminating their batches with, unless they introduce it on purpose. Brett will run wild and take over a beer's flavour. This flavour domination is because Brett can eat more complex sugars in the fermentation process than Sac. This ability to eat a wider array of sugars allows Brett to dank up the beer with its unique flavour, and can take months instead of days to finish fermenting. Sac and Brett can work together and be added at different stages of the brew to help tame the funkiness of the Brett. There are also different types of Brett and some are more funky than others. Brett C generally produces a dank, pineapple flavour. Brett B creates that horse sweat flavour, and Brett L (Lambicus) can produce that horse sweat flavour, but sometimes just a general earthiness or funk.

FIVE DANK BEERS TO CHECK OUT Brassneck Brewery | Buzzkill Four Winds Brewery | Operis Brett Saison Dageraad Brewing and Brassneck Brewery collab | Uncomfortable Silence Swans Brewpub | Master Blaster North American Brett Saison(ishhh) Strange Fellows Brewing | Greybeard j

POWELL RIVER

TOWNSITE BREWING

5824 Ash Ave. | TownsiteBrewing.com DAILY 11AM-7PM EST. 2012

Belgian brewmaster Cédric Dauchot has brought the famed styles of his homeland to Powell River. New for 2017: Townsite’s barrel-aged series.

SHINY PENNY

PERFECT STORM

B E L G I A N I N D I A PA L E A L E

OAT M E A L S TO U T

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

8.5%

IBU

Fruity and boozy, with loads of flavor. It’s a penny worth saving in the cellar, too.

ABV

5.5%

IBU

The perfect stout? The Canada Brewing Awards said so. It also placed at the B.C. Beer Awards.

GIBSONS

PERSEPHONE BREWING CO.

1053 Stewart Rd. | PersephoneBrewing.com DAILY 11AM -7PM EST. 2013

If we were forced with the “tough” decision to live the rest of our days at any brewery, Persephone’s tranquil 11-acre farm would be our pick.

HOP YARD RED ALE

DRY IRISH STOUT

W E S T C OA S T- S T Y L E R E D A L E

I R I S H S TO U T

Availability: Year-round

ABV

6.0%

IBU

With big citrus and pine aroma, it’s hop-forward but with notes of dark caramel and toasted malts. 82

ABV

4.5%

IBU

Coffee aroma with a taste of freshly-baked oatmeal cookies. Goes down smooth and finishes dry.

SALT SPRING

SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES

270 Furness Rd. | SaltSpringIslandAles.com DAILY 12-5PM EST. 1998

Salt Spring may enjoy the most bucolic setting of any brewery in B.C., complete with its own hop farm and mountain spring.

CRÃ&#x2C6;ME BRULEE VANILLA STOUT I M P E R I A L M I L K S TO U T Availability: Seasonal ABV

8.0%

IBU

Adult dessert in a glass, packed with flavours of organic vanilla, chocolate and coffee maltiness.

HEATHER ALE H E AT H E R A L E Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

Four-thousand years in the making, this ale recreates the brew of the ancient Picts of Scotland.

T HOM P SO N O K A N AGAN 05 5

SORRENTO

KAMLOOPS

TO W H I STL ER

SALMON ARM VERNON

97B

97A

TO VANCOUVER

VERNON

KELOWNA

97C

02 03 08 11 12

01 04 07 10

PENTICTON 33 3

W 06

OLIVER

BREWERIES

01 Bad Tattoo 02 BNA 03 Boundary Brewing

04 Cannery 05 Crannóg Ales 06 Firehall

07 Highway 97 08 Kettle River 09 Red Collar 10 Tin Whistle 11 Tree Brewing 12 Tree Brewing Beer Institute

BREW PUBS

13 Barley Mill 14 Barley Station 15 Marten 16 The Noble Pig

BRITISH COLUMBIA

KAMLOOPS

RED COLLAR BREWING CO.

355 Lansdowne St. | RedCollar.ca

TUE-WED 4-10PM ^ THU-FRI 3 -10PM ^ SAT 1-10PM EST. 2014 Red Collar is the culmination of a life in beer for brewing legend David Beardsell, who learned the craft during his extensive global travels.

BLACK DOG QUAD

DOPPELBOCK

Q UA D R U P E L

DOPPELBOCK

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

11.7%

IBU

A dark, chewy, Trappist-style ale full of dried fruit flavours. Ideal for winter sipping.

ABV

7.7%

IBU

This ramped-up dark lager hides its strength well in a silky sweetness.

SORRENTO

CRANNóG ALES

706 Elson Rd. | CrannogAles.com DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM EST. 2000

Crannog is likely the most ethically sound brewery in B.C. and inspired the revival of the province’s hop industry. Amazing beers, too!

OLD PUDDIN’ HEAD

RED BRANCH

WINTER ALE

IRISH ALE

Availability: Seasonal ABV

8.5%

IBU

A deeply malty winter warmer finished with a touch of organic mace, cardamom and coriander.

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

“Well-mannered yet a bit roguish, just like the perfect boyfriend,” says co-founder Rebecca Kneen. 85

KELOWNA

BNA BREWING CO.

1250 Ellis St. | BNABrewing.com

SUN-THU 1PM-LATE ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-LATE EST. 2015 Kelowna’s best spot to drink a beer has expanded its production capacity so you can actually find bottles in Vancouver.

PANCHO AUSTRIAN CERVEZA

DON’T LOSE YOUR DINOSAUR

Availability: Limited

I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

4.7%

IBU

BNA’s first ever lager is a cross between a Mexican negra and a Vienna lager.

ABV

6.2%

IBU

Juicy tropical and stone fruit flavours and aromas dominate this big IPA.

KELOWNA

BOUNDARY BREWING

2 - 455 Neave Crt. | BoundaryBrewing.beer DAILY 12PM-LATE EST. 2016

One of the more off-the-grid breweries on our radar is the brainchild of Oliver Glaser. His Kelowna-based tasting room should be open soon.

KELOWNA CROWS KÖLSCH KO L S C H Availability: Year-round ABV

5.2%

IBU

A Cologne-style pale ale brewed with local ingredients. Named after Glaser’s rugby team. 86

ALTBIER A LT B I E R Availability: Year-round ABV

4.8%

IBU

A big-bodied but balanced ode to the Düsseldorf style. Maltiness up front, hops at the end.

KELOWNA

KETTLE RIVER BREWING CO.

731 Baillie Ave. | KettleRiverBrewing.ca DAILY 12-10PM EST. 2016 The city’s coolest tasting room is well worth sailing over to. KR is brewing small batches with big ambition and experimenting in many styles.

LOOSE CANOE IPA I N D I A PA L E A L E

DARK PRINCE IMPERIAL STOUT

Availability: Year-round

I M P E R I A L S TO U T Availability: Limited

ABV

7.1%

IBU

Golden sunset-colored, richly hopped with nice citrus and resin aromas and notes.

ABV

9.5%

IBU

Brewed for royalty, this velvety stout is luxurious in sweet molasses malt and balanced with hops.

KELOWNA

TREE BREWING BEER INSTITUTE

1346 Water St. | TreeBrewingBeerInstitute.com SUN-TUE 11AM-9PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-10PM EST. 1996 Tree’s Beer Institute has its own brewery and tasting room with a kitchen. Unique one-off beers are available to sample or for growler fills.

REDWOOD W I N E BA R R E L A G E D A L E

HOF THE HUNKLEWIEZEN

Availability: Limited

D U N K E LW E I Z E N Availability: Limited

ABV

5.5%

IBU

The barrel imparts a delicious background of vanilla and fruitiness to this solid pale ale.

ABV

5.5%

IBU

A deliciously, dark and cloudy German wheat beer, perfect for the colder, darker winter months. 87

KELOWNA

TREE BREWING

1083 Richter St. | TreeBeer.com MON-FRI 11AM-5PM EST. 1996

Tree is celebrating its 20th anniversary by releasing a swath of new beers and mixer 12-packs. Pop into the brewery tasting room to see what’s new.

BACK COUNTRY

YARD SALE PALE ALE

N U T B R OW N A L E

PA L E A L E

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.0%

IBU

This sessionable brown ale is smooth and malty with hints of chocolate and roasted nuts.

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A golden ale with citrusy Cascade hops and spicy notes from some added rye malt.

PENTICTON

BAD TATTOO BREWING CO.

169 Estabrook Ave. | BadTattooBrewing.com DAILY 11AM-11PM EST. 2014

Penticton is the Okanagan’s craft beer hub — and Bad Tattoo’s fabulous pizza selection and excellent beer put it on the top of the pile.

MIDNIGHT HOPMARE B L A C K I N D I A PA L E A L E

FULL SLEEVE STRONG STOUT

Availability: Seasonal

S TO U T Availability: Year-round

ABV

6.6%

IBU

One of brewer Robert Theroux’s creations, this pine and resin-laced beast is a stallion of the style. 88

ABV

5.5%

IBU

An impressively constructed, rich and creamy stout that’s a little sweet, a little dry.

PENTICTON

CANNERY BREWING

198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com

MON-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI 12-9PM ^ SAT 11AM-9PM SUN 11AM-8PM EST. 2000 A purpose-built brewery with a big, welcoming tasting room, new beers and rebranding; Cannery is better than ever.

DARKLING OAT M E A L S TO U T

THE MUSE AND THE GOLDEN PROMISE

Availability: Seasonal

E X T R A PA L E A L E Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.5%

IBU

A smooth, well-balanced stout with bittersweet, roasted flavours to brighten the darkest winter day.

ABV

5.5%

IBU

This delicious, hoppy pale ale was first brewed as a limited release last year.

PENTICTON

HIGHWAY 97 BREWERY

954 Eckhardt Ave. | Hwy97Brewery.com DAILY 11AM-9PM EST. 2016

Situated right by the eponymous road, Highway 97 should catch the eye of passing beer tourists seeking out Penticton’s newest brewery.

HIGHWAY 97 PILSNER

HIGHWAY 97 IPA

CZECH PILSNER

W E S T C OA S T I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.5%

IBU

Highway 97 is promising a refreshing, super clean lager, which will likely be its go-to mainstay.

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.5%

IBU

Packed with B.C. hops, this amber-tinged IPA aims to satisfy Penticton’s growing legion of hopheads. 89

HOME BREWING IN YOUR CONDO: 101 H

by Shawn Conner

ave you ever thought, “Man, I’d love to brew my own beer, but I just don’t have the space?”

Think again. Unless you live under a bridge, you probably have all the square footage you need to brew your own at home. Warren Boyer teaches homebrewing at Beyond the Grape in Port Moody, and he often hears people say they don’t have the space. “They’ll say, ‘I live in an apartment, or I live in a basement suite.’ I just say, ‘That’s not an excuse.’ It’s never stopped me, I have blue ribbons, I have medals, I have best-of-shows that show you can make quality beer in a small space.” To be fair, Boyer lives in a nearly 900-square-foot one-bedroom-and-den. Still, one doesn’t need much space to make a decent batch of homebrew.

There are different methods of homebrewing, varying in complexity, and nearly all can be accomplished in a small space. The simplest method requires only a carboy (a plastic bottle that comes in various sizes, used for fermentation) and bottling equipment. This method uses a brewhouse kit of concentrated wort (liquid extracted from the mashing process, which uses hot water to steep the grain). The wort is poured into the carboy and water and yeast are added.

The is the most space-and-cost effective, notes homebrewer Corey Baker. “Your equipment investment would be $25 for a carboy, the bottles you can probably get free if you’re resourceful, and maybe some siphoning equipment. For a $50 investment, you can make beer at home.” Tip: throw out the yeast that comes with the kit and get better yeast from any homebrew shop in town. Baker now lives in a duplex, but started brewing in a one-bedroom condo. “My challenge was that I wasn’t allowed to brew indoors,” he says. “So we brewed on the deck. We ran garden hoses back to the kitchen and bathroom sink.” A step up from using a brewkit is brewing with extract, which is wort that has been dehydrated into a syrup. “You can get away with a single-vessel system, which is basically just a pot that you pour hot water and syrup into, and then add hops,” Baker says. All that is required is a pot for boiling, a carboy and bottling equipment. Generally, a five-gallon kettle will make a three-gallon batch. A step up is brewing with specialty grains. Here, the brewer’s options become “dramatically broader than when using extract,” Baker says.

It’s completely and totally possible to make good beer in a small space. - Corey Baker To brew with grain, the brewer needs a mash tun (this could be a Coleman cooler or another vessel that can steep grain and water for an hour) and a kettle or pot for boiling, as well as the carboy and bottling equipment. “Now you have two vessels, which might not be as condo-friendly,” Baker said. “So a couple of smart guys came up with brew-in-a-bag.” Brew-in-a-bag began in Australia, and at first, many brewers believed it produced inferior beer to all-grain methods, although now it’s fairly widespread. With BIAB, the grain comes in a mesh bag, which is put directly in the kettle or pot, no mash tun involved. “From an equipment perspective you only need the one kettle,” says Baker. “You compost the grain and reuse the mesh bag. “From an investment perspective, it’s practically nil, you have the same kettle and carboy you’d use in an extract setup. Your carboy will pretty much fit in the kettle which fits in the closet and all you’ve brought into it is this mesh bag.”

Contarary to popular belief, the equipment required to brew beer at home may be minimal, depending on your method.

In both the extract and brew-in-a-bag method, the brew needs to be chilled before the yeast is added and after it’s been brought to a boil. It can be left out overnight or put in a cold-water or ice bath in the tub or kitchen sink.

Lagers need to ferment at refrigerated temperatures, ales at cooler room temperatures.

“Necessity is the mother of invention when you’re dealing with small spaces,” Baker says. Many experienced homebrewers use a copper coil to chill the brew more quickly. “You hook that up to your faucet and run cold water through the kettle.”

“Even if I was in only a 4-or-500 square foot apartment, the only thing I’d be thinking that you might not solve with creativity is the temperature.

decent, steady room temperature.”

Nevertheless, “It’s completely and totally possible to make good beer in a small space,” Baker said.

In general, temperature is a more important factor than space when it comes to brewing at home.

“But even in a non-temperature controlled apartment, you can probably make decent beer eight months of the year.” j

“Temperature control is one of those things that gets people into trouble,” Baker says. “You need a

To learn more about homebrewing, visit your local homebrew shop.

PENTICTON

THE TIN WHISTLE BREWING CO.

112-1475 Fairview Rd. | No website MON-SAT 11:30AM-5:30PM EST. 1995

Penticton’s first craft brewery had been quieter than the name suggests. But last year’s move to a bigger space means more room to make some noise.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE PORTER P O RT E R Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.0%

IBU

OSPREY WHITE IPA W H I T E I N D I A PA L E A L E Availability: Seasonal

Orchard-fresh cherries stand out in this rich brew, complimented by cacao and chocolate barley.

ABV

6.5%

IBU

Fruity sweetness from freshly-pressed Okanagan pear juice and balanced with a nice hop bitterness.

OLIVER

FIREHALL BREWERY

6077 Main St. | FirehallBrewery.com

SUN-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-9PM EST. 2012 Building a brewery near Canada’s only desert was a smart move. Sid Ruhland and co. have been slaking three-alarm thirst for five years now.

STOP, HOP & ROLL

WIND & FIRE

OAT M E A L I N D I A PA L E A L E

HARVEST ALE

Availability: Limited

Availability: Seasonal

ABV

5.6%

IBU

Rolled oats and local hops give this IPA a silky texture and heady citrus aromas. 92

ABV

5.5%

IBU

This blend of rye, wheat, barley, honey and hops was brewed in memory of Ruhland’s late brother, Carson.

KOO T E NAYS 93

N W

A L B E R T A 09

LAKE LOUISE

GOLDEN 23

BANFF

REVELSTOKE

TO KA M LO O P S

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

INVERMERE

31A

KIMBERLEY

95A

02 05 08

NELSON

CRANBROOK ROSSLAND

FERNIE 93

ROSSLAND

UNITED STATES

BREWERIES

01 Arrowhead 02 Backroads 03 Fernie 04 Mt. Begbie 05 Nelson

06 Over Time 07 Rossland 08 Torchlight 09 Whitetooth

BREW PUBS

10 The Heid Out 11 The Savoy

ALBERTA BRITISH COLUMBIA

ROSSLAND

ROSSLAND BEER CO.

1990 Columbia Ave. | RosslandBrewing.com SUN-THU 12-7PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-9PM EST. 2012

This tiny brewery’s tasting room (capacity 30) is always full, but plans are in the works for an expansion at a new site in the next few years.

SEVEN SUMMITS

FOUR ON THE FLOOR

M I L K S TO U T

I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.9%

IBU

This beer is reddish-black with a sweet coffee/ chocolate milk aroma and flavour.

ABV

6.5%

IBU

The hops in this IPA explode with orange, lemon, apricot and pineapple flavours and aromas.

NELSON

BACKROADS BREWING CO.

460 Baker St. | BackroadsBrewing.com HOURS TBD EST. 2016 When Backroads opens, Nelson’s brewery concentration will hit Port Moody heights, with four beer producers within short strolling distance.

WHITE IPA

KELLERBIER

W H I T E I N D I A PA L E A L E

KELLERBIER

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.5%

IBU

Former Nelson Brewing brewmaster Mike Kelly is looking to this IPA for his debut at Backroads. 94

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

In addition to regular offerings, Kelly plans to release specialty one-offs and cask beers.

NELSON

NELSON BREWING CO.

512 Latimer St. | NelsonBrewing.com DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM EST. 1991

A tasting room and growler station are coming to B.C.’s biggest allorganic brewery, which won three golds and a silver at the 2016 BCBAs.

ORGANIC FACEPLANT WINTER ALE

PRINCE OF DARKNESS

W I N T E R WA R M E R Availability: Seasonal

C O F F E E S TO U T Availability: Limited

ABV

6.5%

IBU

This delicious dark ale is brewed with organic brown sugar and molasses.

ABV

5.0%

IBU

Brewed with organic coffee roasted by Oso Negro, the brewery’s neighbour in its historic building.

NELSON

TORCHLIGHT BREWING CO.

511 Front St. | TorchlightBrewing.com

TUE 11AM-6PM ^ WED-THU 11AM-7PM FRI-SAT 11AM-9PM EST. 2014 Nelson’s “little brewery that could” produces almost 50 different beers throughout the year despite being one of the smaller breweries in B.C.

ELEVENTY ONE I M P E R I A L S TO U T

OH BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

Availability: Seasonal

WINTER ALE Availability: Seasonal

ABV

10.0%

IBU

A potent stout that begins the brew process at Original Gravity 1.110.

ABV

5.6%

IBU

This holiday-themed beer brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla will warm your insides. 95

FERNIE

FERNIE BREWING CO.

26 Manitou Rd. | FernieBrewing.com MON-SAT 10AM-6PM EST. 2003

If you like snow, Fernie should be on your winter bucket list thanks to three ski hills around the town. And Fernie Brewing has all your aprés-ski needs covered, too. Thankfully, you don’t have to travel to the Rockies to try its beer — it’s available at a liquor store near you.

BLACK MAMMOTH

JAVA THE HUT

WINTER ALE

C O F F E E M I L K S TO U T

Availability: Limited ABV

8.0%

IBU

This is one of the most complex — and tasty — winter beers brewed in B.C.

Availability: Seasonal ABV

5.0%

IBU

This satisfying beer is brewed with added lactose and coffee from Crowsnest Roasters.

THE GRIZ

SLINGSHOT

PA L E A L E

S E S S I O N I N D I A PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

IBU

Deep amber colour, this refreshing ale blends seven specialty malts, with additions of Warrior, Willamette, Cascade and Centennial hops.

Availability: Year-round ABV

4.5%

IBU

Galaxy and Mosaic hops are responsible for the citrusy, tropical fruit flavours in this easy-drinking IPA.

And the oscar goes to...

The historic town of Fernie is surrounded by the picturesque mountains of the Elk River valley (which get close to 30 feet of snow annually) and was the main filming location for the timeless, cinematic masterpiece, Hot Tub Time Machine. 96

KIMBERLEY

OVER TIME BEER WORKS

136A Wallinger Ave. | OverTimeBeer.ca DAILY 10AM-7PM EST. 2016 The folks behind the Kootenays’ newest brewery have been takin’ care of business, workin’ over time to brew a line of dependable brews.

MOUNTAIN STANDARD

PRESENT IPA I N D I A PA L E A L E

GOLDEN ALE Availability: Year-round ABV

5.0%

Availability: Year-round

IBU

A bright golden, medium malty body with the crisp, dry finish of a lager.

ABV

5.8%

IBU

A whack of piney and citrus notes in this hop-bursting IPA, brewed the West Coast way.

INVERMERE

ARROWHEAD BREWING CO.

481 Arrow Rd. | ArrowheadBrewingCompany.ca SUN-WED 11AM-7PM ^ THU-SAT 11AM-8PM EST. 2012 Yes, Invermere is nine hours from Vancouver, but Arrowhead is one of B.C. beer’s hidden gems in a beautiful region. Plan a trip in 2017.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

LOUDMOUTH SOUP

C O F F E E P O RT E R

D O U B L E I PA

Availability: Limited ABV

7.9%

IBU

N/A

Roasted malt flavours enhanced by espresso from Kicking Horse Coffee right across the street. 98

Availability: Year-round ABV

9.0%

IBU

This huge beer’s recipe has been tweaked to showcase a fresher, brighter hop profile.

GOLDEN

WHITETOOTH BREWING

623 8th Ave. North | WhitetoothBrewing.com HOURS TBD EST. 2016 Golden is latest small town to get their own craft brewery. Whitetooth will be pouring Belgian-inspired and West Coast-influenced brews.

LAUNCH PAD

SPEED METAL

B E L G I A N RY E A L E

F O R E I G N E X T R A S TO U T

Availability: Year-round ABV

6.3%

IBU

Availability: Year-round

A copper-red ale that combines three rye malts, noble hops and eclectic Belgian yeast.

ABV

6.5%

IBU

Earthy and herbal hops balance the heavy, dark chocolate malts in this heavy-duty stout.

REVELSTOKE

MT. BEGBIE BREWING CO.

521 1st St. West | Mt-Begbie.com DAILY 9AM-5PM EST. 1996

Revelstoke is abuzz over Mt. Begbie’s bigger digs downtown, replete with tasting room. Recent award wins prove the beer’s as good as ever.

REVELSTOKE LAGER

STOKED WINTER ALE

LAGER

WINTER ALE

Availability: Limited release ABV

4.5%

IBU

This “old-style” lager is the first of four Heritage Series beers celebrating Revelstoke’s brewing history.

Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.0%

IBU

A robust, malty, dark ale subtly flavoured with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa. 99

VALEMOUNT

THREE RANGES BREWING CO.

1160 5th Ave. | ThreeRanges.com WED-SAT 3-8PM ^ SUN 1-6PM EST. 2013 Plan: open in a tiny, remote ski town and expect slow and steady growth. Reality: work at maximum capacity to keep up with all the demand!

SNOWDANCE PORTER BA LT I C P O RT E R Availability: Seasonal ABV

7.0%

IBU

MOSAIC PALE ALE PA L E A L E Availability: Limited

ABV

Smooth and chocolatey, this beer will warm you up after your very own snow dance.

4.9%

IBU

Only available in the brewery’s tap room, this one is all about the Mosaic hops.

QUESNEL

BARKERVILLE BREWING CO.

185 Davie St. | BarkervilleBeer.com MON-WED 12-6PM ^ THU 12-8PM SAT 11AM-6PM

^ FRI 12-9PM

EST. 2014 Fresh off winning two golds at the B.C. Beer Awards, Barkerville is arguably northern B.C.’s best craft brewery.

STERNWHEELER

52 FOOT STOUT

S C OT T I S H A L E

F O R E I G N E X T R A S TO U T

Availability: Seasonal ABV

7.7%

IBU

A traditional Scottish “wee heavy” with rich caramel flavours and a slightly sweet finish. 100

Availability: Seasonal ABV

7.0%

IBU

Big and bold with roasted malts kept in check by sweet birch syrup from Quesnel.

Brews 6 X from the

THE GROWLER GUIDE TO TORONTO by Stephen Smysnuik

oronto’s claim as Canada’s beer capital has its merits: There are more breweries within T-Dot city limits than anywhere else in the country; these breweries and the seemingly endless beer bars are embraced fully by the locals (and, increasingly, by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario); and for the most part, the beer coming out of this city is approaching the quality you’d expect out of Chicago or Seattle. Yet, for everyone on the West Coast, Toronto might as well be on the moon, given how little most Vancouverites seem to know (or care) about the city’s beer culture. But Toronto is enormous, vibrant and experiencing some kind of Golden Age on all cultural fronts. A tour of Toronto breweries is really a tour of its many unique neighbourhoods. With few exceptions, these neighbourhoods don’t have the same concentration of breweries that Yeast Van,

East Portland or Seattle’s Ballard do. It’s next to impossible to visit more than six breweries in a day, and that’s only if you have a chauffeur driving you all over the city. As such, this guide isn’t intended to cover everything the city has to offer. Instead, it’s a guide to the most creative, artisanal and neighbourhoodfocused breweries and brewpubs in Central Toronto that we visited over our three days in town.

That means we haven’t included Great Lakes Brewing — which is arguably the most popular craft brewery, and certainly one of the best — because it’s out in Etobicoke. Nor did we include Steam Whistle Brewing because it only makes one beer, even though it offers one of the all-time great Canadian brewery tours and employs probably the nicest people in all of Toronto. You should definitely visit both of these places if you can. >>

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to blow any palates apart, but it will do wonders for anyone who’s skeptical about craft brewing’s weirder inclinations.

Added bonus: The air here reeks of chocolate from the Nestlé factory down the block.

Indie Alehouse IndieAlehouse.com

Henderson Brewing HendersonBrewing.com

The Junction is the lone neighbourhood that’s home to multiple breweries, which is ironic, considering the area was dry until 2002. But once city council opened the area up to liquor licences, the mix of low rents and adequate zoning made it an attractive area for the city’s entrepreneurs to launch new breweries.

Henderson Brewing — the Junction’s newest brewery — takes its name from Toronto’s very first brewery, which was founded by Robert Henderson in 1800. The tasting room’s walls are adorned with fake ads and memorabilia from a fictional history in which Robert Henderson’s original brewery never closed. The intention here is to provide a community space, a place for Junction residents to pick up their beer the way they would pick up pork from the local butcher. Its beers — three cores and a monthly limited release — are all designed for approachability. No funky yeasts or 85 IBUs here. Instead, Henderson favours “craft regular beer,” according to owner Steve Himel. It’s not going

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This brewpub is centrally located off the Junction’s main intersection. And after only four years in business, it also has quite possibly the most impressive lineup of beers The Growler has seen outside of Portland, brewing everything from IPAs to Flemish sours. Never mind that the great bulk of these are astounding. Nor should you mind that the venue is all exposed brick, refinished wood and oozes the kind of next-level cool that you’d expect out of a city as trendy as Toronto. But you should definitely mind the bacon popcorn. Bacon.

Popcorn.

Left Field Brewery LeftFieldBrewery.com

Now we go to the complete opposite side of the city, to the up-’n’-coming Leslieville neighbourhood, where the husband-and-wife duo of Mark and Mandie Murphy started the baseball-themed Left Field. The brewery’s aesthetic is the most indebted to the Portland or Seattle style than any other we visited in Toronto — and, in fact, it's the first to feature an open concept and a tasting room as most understand it. As of two years ago, there was nothing operating quite like this. It offers a neighbourhood-pub vibe with a solid lineup of approachable brews, including Eephus, which is the rare brown ale to serve as a flagship beer for a Canadian brewery.

Bandit Brewery

there early enough to avoid said line). It also has one of the all-time great Toronto patios.

Bandit has the most hype surrounding it of any of the breweries we visited, possibly because it had only opened earlier this year, and is located in the relatively hip Roncesvalles neighbourhood.

RAinhard Brewing Co.

BanditBrewery.ca

Or maybe it’s because of the physical brewery itself. Tasting-room culture is just finding its footing in Toronto, and Bandit arguably does it best, with an interior design and sizable patio custom-built to lure millennials in to stay for four or five hours at a time. This is an excellent place to drink beer.

Granted, the beers are hit and miss. Anyone with a (pretentiousness alert!) refined palate may find the offerings here not up their alley, but the feedback we heard from non-snooty beer consumers is that the beer is perfectly acceptable. Plus there’s 20 of them on tap. And that’s ultimately what makes Bandit so appealing — it’s a great-looking and -feeling establishment where regular people can hang out for hours with friends and get a good buzz on.

Bellwoods Brewery BellwoodsBrewery.com

This Ossington brewpub is notorious for its lengthy queues, good food, and small lineup of brews that are fruity, citrusy and just about perfectly suited for the unrelenting hipness of its customers. We hate to peg anything as a “hipster” establishment, but more than any other brewery we’ve visited, this one fits the bill.

We mean this in the best possible way — there’s a refined attention to detail right down to the candle holders that makes this an immersive, high-quality experience that is absolutely worth the trek and worth the wait in line (unless you get

RainhardBrewing.com

Oh shit, we need to go aaaaaall the way back to the Junction. Rainhard, which opened in 2015, is known primarily for its American-style pale ales, but its monthly specialty releases allow founder Jordan Rainhard to experiment with whatever styles he wants. The facility has an open concept, inspired by West Coast breweries, with a tasting room looking out onto the workspace. The brewery will likely see increased traffic within the next year, when another Junction brewery — aptly named Junction Brewery — will move its operation to the enormous renovated heritage building right next door.

Getting around The Beer Lovers Tour (BeerLoversTour.com) offers a variety of tours of the city’s breweries, one of which is a historic brewery tour, exploring sites and scenes that have relevance to the brewing industry of the past. Also, the city has Uber, which is really just the best thing going, really. Vancouver council, if you’re reading this, I mean, Uber is just the best. Really, the best. Hint, hint.

Where to stay The Chelsea Hotel Toronto (ChelseaToronto.com) is centrally located at Yonge and Gerrard Streets, which, while not anywhere close to any of the breweries mentioned here, is smack in the middle of the city and close to all public transport. It’s also affordable, comfortable and offers close proximity to the blissful chaos that is Dundas Square on any given rush-hour day and/or weekend evening. j

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PRINCE GEORGE

CROSSROADS BREWING

508 George St. | CrossroadsCraft.com HOURS TBD EST. 2016 Prince George is finally joining the craft beer revolution (sorry, PW doesn’t count) with the arrival of this downtown brewery.

CLEARCUT LAGER

CUTBANKS PALE ALE

MUNICH HELLES LAGER

PA C I F I C N O RT H W E S T PA L E A L E

Availability: Year-round

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A German lager made properly with traditional German ingredients. Clean, crisp, and refreshing.

ABV

5.0%

IBU

A classic West Coast pale ale combining English pale ale malts with Yakima Valley hops.

TERRACE

SHERWOOD MOUNTAIN BREWHOUSE

Unit 101 - 4816 Hwy. 16 West | SherwoodMountain.beer MON-FRI 11AM-7:30PM ^ SAT-SUN 12-6PM EST. 2014 Increased capacity will give B.C.’s northernmost brewery the chance to brew a wider range of styles and expand its sales range to Prince George.

FRIAR HOUSE LAGER LAGER

COAST MOUNTAIN PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

CZECH PILSNER Availability: Year-round

ABV

4.7%

IBU

Hands down the customers’ favourite, this beer is crisp and dry and just plain refreshing. 104

ABV

5.2%

IBU

A little more malt complexity, specialty hops and yeast result in this authentic Czech Pilsner.

PRINCE RUPERT

WHEELHOUSE BREWING CO.

217 1st Ave. East | WheelhouseBrewing.com THU, FRI 4-11PM

^ SAT 2-11PM ^ SUN 2-6PM

EST. 2013 This microbrewery is off the beaten track, “at the end of the road” in Prince Rupert. Wheelhouse is a charmingly rugged little brewery.

SMOKEHOUSE PORTER S M O K E D P O RT E R Availability: Seasonal ABV

6.3%

IBU

TENNENBAUM STOUT D RY I R I S H S TO U T Availability: Limited

Hot off winning a 2016 Canadian Beer Award, this well-rounded and smokey porter returns.

ABV

4.6%

IBU

The spruce trees make a fresh addition to a traditional coffee and chocolate-tasting Irish stout.

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BREWPUBS

Here it is again! The brewpub section! The brewpub is a unique place in which to imbibe craft beer. The focus of the brewpub may not necessarily be on the beer itself, but instead, the menu, or the patio, or the hockey game on the giant projection screen. The brewing operations in many of these pubs are modest, but that doesn’t stop them from making some seriously fantastic beer. Since few brewpubs offer their wares outside their own establishment, if you want to try what they are brewing, you’re going to have to go to the source. Which is a great excuse for a road trip! VANCOUVER

DOCKSIDE BREWERY

VANC OUV E R

PAT’S PUB & BREWHOUSE

1253 Johnston St. | DocksideVancouver.com

403 East Hastings St. | PatsPub.ca

One of Vancouver’s older brewpubs, Dockside’s patio rivals Canoe’s as one of the best waterfront spots to drink a beer in B.C.

Yes, Pat’s Pub, located in the historic Patricia Hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, brews it’s own beer onsite, and has been doing so for decades, so technically it’s a brewpub. Pat’s Lager isn’t going to win any awards, but this pub is a good place to catch a live show.

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BREWPUBS

W HI S T L E R

BREWHOUSE HIGH MOUNTAIN BREWING

4355 Blackcomb Way | MJG.ca/BrewHouse Brewmaster Derrick Franche makes great beer here, but you have to go in person to taste it because it is never packaged and he rarely brings it to events outside of Whistler. SURRE Y VANCOU VE R

STEAMWORKS BREW PUB

375 Water St. | Steamworks.com/Brew-Pub This Vancouver classic seems ageless. The beer continues to be solid and the many different rooms provide great options for eating. Location-wise, it’s pretty tough to beat its waterfront spot in the heart of downtown.

BIG RIDGE BREWING CO.

5580 152 St. | MJG.ca/Big-Ridge

Head Brewer Ashley Brooks, a graduate of the KPU Brewing program who is one of only a few female brewers in B.C., is doing a great job here. Recent validation came in the form of a gold medal at the B.C. Beer Awards. MI S SI ON

VANCOU VE R

STEEL TOAD BREWERY

MISSION SPRINGS BREWING CO.

97 E 2nd Ave. | SteelToad.ca

7160 Oliver St. | Mission Springs.ca

An incredible heritage renovation to the historic Opsal Steel building created this massive restaurant that resembles a giant German beerhall. Watching brewer Chris Charron work his magic in the brewery behind the glass wall is fun. The food is good, too.

This big, popular restaurant is jammed with automobile-related memorabilia. The beer list has always been strong. It’s a fun spot for a weekend road trip.

VANCOU VE R

YALETOWN BREWING CO.

1111 Mainland St. | MJG.ca/Yaletown

This big, dependable place might be the oldest brewpub in Vancouver (dating back to 1994), but it remains current and well-maintained. The restaurant is solid and the brewery still puts out the same quality of beer it did when Iain Hill (Strange Fellows) was in charge.

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BREWPUBS

DUNCAN

CRAIG STREET BREW PUB

V I C TORI A

SPINNAKERS GASTROPUB

25 Craig St. | CraigStreet.ca

308 Catherine St. | Spinnakers.com

Before Red Arrow opened across the highway, brewer Chris Gress was the brewer here. The beer list is solid, and the pub itself is very comfortable with a decent menu.

Canada’s original brewpub dating back to 1984, Spinnakers should be on every B.C. beer lover’s bucket list. The beer is consistently solid and sometimes innovative (tequila barrel-aged sours anyone?) and the kitchen is highly underrated. Guest houses are also available next door.

VICTORIA

4 MILE BREWING CO.

V I C TORI A

SWANS BREWPUB

199 Island Hwy. | 4MileBrewingCo.com

506 Pandora Ave. | SwansHotel.com

This popular pub is located in one of the oldest buildings in Greater Victoria dating back to 1858, which once served as a roadhouse for stagecoaches in the 19th century. It’s a fun spot with a great kitchen and a beer list that has improved a lot in recent months.

Dating back to 1989, Swans is one of B.C.’s original brewpubs. New brewer Chris Lukie (exLighthouse) is working hard, along with the rest of the management team, to improve to refresh its image and offerings.

VICTORIA

CANOE BREWPUB

KAML OOPS

THE NOBLE PIG

450 Swift St. | CanoeBrewpub.com

650 Victoria St. | TheNoblePig.ca

This historic one-time power station on Victoria’s waterfront is one of the most impressive buildings housing a brewery in B.C. Also, the harbourside patio is the best one in Victoria, if not all B.C. The beer’s good, too.

Kamloops’ only brewpub boasts a great kitchen and a solid beer list, originally created by David Beardsell, who opened Red Collar Brewing a few blocks away. The patio is a beautiful spot, especially in the summer when hops grow across the trellis above the tables.

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BREWPUBS VERNON

MARTEN BREWING CO.

2933 30th Ave. | MartenBrewpub.com Stefan and Pearl Marten have worked hard to transform this one-time nightclub at the corner of 30th and 30th in downtown Vernon into one of the most attractive brewpubs in B.C. They also operate the Naked Pig BBQ and Smokehouse next door. SALMON A R M

BARLEY STATION BREW PUB

20 Shuswap St. North | BarleyStation.com

This place is more than just the perfectly situated pit stop on a road trip from the coast to Alberta. The beer is actually quite good and the kitchen makes great grub, too. P ENTICTO N

BARLEY MILL PUB

2460 Skaha Lake Rd. | BarleyMillPub.com The Barley Mill is a straightforward sports bar pub with its own resident brewing system. The beer produced on-site is approachable, if somewhat unchallenging, but it gets the job done.

KE L OWNA

FREDDY'S BREW PUB

124 McCurdy Rd. | McCurdyBowl.com Kelowna’s first brewpub is located in a bowling alley, so it’s fitting they should offer a Lebowski Lager.

CRANBROOK

THE HEID OUT

821 Baker St.

This was once a popular restaurant called Heidi’s. Following a renovation and a generational takeover by Heidi’s daughter and son-in-law, it has been transformed into Cranbrook’s only brewpub.

NE L S ON

THE SAVOY BREWERY

198 Baker St. | SavoyHotel.ca

Although the brewing system in the Falls Music Lounge in the Savoy Hotel was installed a while ago, it only started producing beer in the past couple months, with a modest list of offerings.

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Recipe

Photos by Jamie-Lee Fuoco

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Beer mac and cheese with Hoyne Dark Matter BY DARCY WIEBE

This stove-top beer mac and cheese requires no baking. Make your cheese sauce, toss with cooked pasta and garnish with crispy breadcrumbs. Serves: 4 Cooking time: 30 minutes I N g r ed i ents 1 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 cups Hoyne Dark Matter 3 tbsp butter 4 tbsp flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp pepper 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 lb macaroni or fusilli 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs 1 tbsp olive oil Step 1 In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Step 2 Add the milk and beer, and stir until the mixture starts to thicken. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and mustard. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Step 3 Immediately after removing from heat, stir in your grated cheeses, one at a time, until melted and smooth. Pour over cooked drained pasta and stir until combined. Step 4 Over medium heat, sautĂŠ the breadcrumbs in olive oil. Keep stirring until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Step 5 Dish up your creamy mac and cheese, and top with the crispy breadcrumbs. Serve with an icecold glass of Hoyne Dark Matter.

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by Rob Mangelsdorf

It might be hard to believe now, but there was a time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not too long ago, in fact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when beer was actually marketed as a health drink.

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THE GROWLER

“

uinness is Good For You,” was the popular catch phrase for the world’s most famous dry stout, and doctors once routinely recommended nursing mothers have a pint a day to help with breast milk production. Anheuser-Busch (the people behind Budweiser, and other watery garbage) even sold a low-alcohol “health beer” called Malt-Nutrine, marketing it directly at nursing mothers. As one magazine ad stated: “The Healthy, Happy Mother owes to Malt-Nutrine, liquid food and tonic, her excellent state of well-being. It gives her endurance and quick restoration and an ample supply of nourishment for the little one at her breast.” Of course, people also used to drive without seatbelts, smoke in hospitals, and take morphine for colds. Today, we know better (thanks, science!). The only thing alcohol cures with any consistency, is sobriety. My wife is currently extremely pregnant, so being the supportive husband that I am, I’ve been researching (AKA Googling) different ways to help ease her transition into motherhood. Naturally, my “research” led to beer, and lo and behold, there might actually be a kernel of truth to the longheld belief that beer can help with breastfeeding. Beer, especially stouts like Guinness, contains these things called galactagogues. And what are they, you ask? “Galactagogues are substances that help promote breast milk supply,” says Vancouver-based International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Roxanna Farnsworth (who obviously knows way more about this stuff than I do). As it turns out, oats, hops and brewer’s yeast are all galactagogues, and can help promote the release of prolactin, a hormone that allows for the production of breast milk.

While Farnsworth is quick to point out that research on non-pharmaceutical galactagogues is sadly sparse, she added that, “many mothers find that consuming natural galactagogues – whether it’s oats or fenugreek (when paired with blessed thistle) – helps their milk supply.” But then there’s the issue of alcohol. Just to be clear, neither myself, nor Farnsworth, are advocating for nursing mothers to consume alcohol. The research is clear and unequivocal: getting drunk while breastfeeding is a really bad idea. About two per cent of the alcohol a mother consumes will make it through to the breast milk, so if you’re getting wasted, baby will be too. According to a study by the American National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “infants actually ingest less milk at the breast during the hours immediately following maternal alcohol consumption. Furthermore, exposure to alcohol in mothers' milk disrupted the infants' sleep wake pattern and motor development in ways that are contrary to the folklore.” So, while there may be beneficial properties to the galactagogues present in some beer, they seem to be offset by the presence of alcohol. And, unfortunately, O’Doul’s doesn’t make a stout. There’s been little (actually, none, as far as Farnsworth can tell) research into the effectiveness of low-alcohol, galactagogue-rich beers on breast milk production, but Farnsworth notes that it’s perfectly fine for breastfeeding moms to have a beer (Lord knows they earned it). “It’s important for breastfeeding moms to be relaxed, and for some people a glass of beer can help with that,” she says. “If mom is super stressed, that doesn’t help anyone.” I’ll drink to that! j

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BEER GROUND To the

The Growler team has been hard at work, tracking down the latest intel on the many new B.C. breweries in the works. If you thought the craft beer revolution was slowing down, boy were you wrong! Here's our list of new and rumoured breweries we hope to see opening up across the province in the next year.

ANGRY HEN BREWING CO.

MOUNT ARROWSMITH

ANOTHER BEER CO.

ONE DUCK

Kaslo (Late spring) Longtime B.C. brewer Shirley Warne (ex-Steamworks and Big Ridge Brewpub) will be the brewer here. New Westminster (Fall 2017) New West’s second brewery will be a small operation located in the historic brewing district in Sapperton.

BACKCOUNTRY BREWING CO.

Squamish (March) With John Folinsbee (ex-Steamworks) confirmed as brewer and a good-sized brewing system in place, Backcountry should be producing lots of tasty beer by the spring.

DISTRICT 43

Tri-Cities (2017) The rumour is that a husband and wife team are working to bring a brewery to the Tri-Cities. Not much to go on, but there you go.

FACTORY BREWING

Vancouver (Spring) This contract brewer will brew some American brands that normally aren’t distributed here along with some core brands for locals that don’t have enough capacity themselves.

Parksville (Early 2017) Dave Woodward (ex-Tofino, ex-Axe & Barrel) returns home to brew the beer at this Island operation. Squamish (Likely never) Sadly, the good people at One Duck announced on Facebook recently that they might not open at all, after getting righteously screwed by the person that sold them their brewing equipment (allegedly).

PROTOTYPE BREWING

Coquitlam (2017) Coquitlam's first brewery is apparently on track to open in 2017, but apart from that we know very little about it.

SILVER VALLEY BREWING

Maple Ridge (Early 2017) This downtown Maple Ridge brewery was started by three local homebrewers.

SOOKE BREWING

Sooke (Spring?) This is a purpose-built facility next to an auto shop in downtown Sooke.

STARKHÜND BREWING

Kelowna (Not sure?) This big, German-themed brewery seems to be on hold.

LANGLEY BREWING

TRENCH BREWING & DISTILLING

Langley (Spring?) From the same folks who opened Old Abbey Ales, this brewery joins Trading Post in Langley.

Prince George (Late spring) Beer, vodka and gin will be the focus of this second brewery to open in Prince George.

MAYNE ISLAND BREWING CO.

TWIN CITY BREWING

Mayne Island (Not sure?) Apparently this Gulf Islands startup has run into a roadblock because of water access issues.

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Port Alberni (February) This mid-Island brewery has been in the works for a long time, but soon there will be a craft beer pitstop halfway to Tofino!

• Exclusive cask launches • 20% off food

1141 Homer Street | @NewOxfordVan

A weekly meeting of beer enthusiasts. Thursdays at 6pm. No RSVP required.

92 Water St | @lamplighter_pub

MONTHLY BEER DINNERS

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911 W Pender St @butcherandbullock

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