The Growler B.C. • Volume 3 Issue 1 • Spring 2017

B.C. CRAFT BEER guide

More coast for you to enjoy

West Coast Pale Ale is now available at even more retail locations, giving you more chance to enjoy this refreshingly balanced, hop-forward Small Batch release. Find locations at gib.ca/West-Coast-Pale

Breweries by Region

10 42 32 60 64 82 93 103 112

FRASER VALLEY

VICTORIA

ISLANDS & COAST

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

KOOTENAYS

NORTHERN B.C.

Editor’s Note

We did it! We survived the long, cold winter and society didn’t collapse and we didn’t even have to resort to cannibalism (mostly).

With spring around the corner, it’s time for a beer nerd’s fancy to turn lightly to thoughts of love. And with the changing of the seasons comes a changing of the beer list at your local brewery. Gone are the dark stouts and porters of winter, replaced instead with hefeweizens and pale ales.

Spring also means the beginning of craft beer festival season! In the coming months, I encourage you to venture outside of the cave you’ve been hibernating in and sample what B.C.’s craft brewers have been up to all winter long.

On the calendar for this season is the Victoria Craft Beer Week (March 3-11), the Coquitlam Beer Fest (March 9-10), the Okanagan Fest of Ale in Penticton (April 3-4), the Siris Cask Festival in Port Coquitlam (April 22) and the Great Okanagan Beer Fest in Kelowna (May 13).

at’s more than enough to keep you busy until the patios start opening up. (Make sure to come by e Growler booth and say hi!)

Cheers!

–Rob Mangelsdorf, editor

LEGEND

GROWLER-APPROVED

Keep an eye out for our 10 favourite beers this winter!

Brewery Details

GROWLER FILLS

BOTTLES / CANS KEGS

LOUNGE ENDORSEMENT

i.e. you can order a pint or ight

ON-SITE KITCHEN OR FOOD TRUCK

TOURS

KID FRIENDLY

GLUTEN-FREE BOOZE OPTIONS

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

Meet

the

MAD SCIENTISTS

OF CRAFT BEER

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Contrary to what your local craft brewery’s Instagram feed might suggest, making beer is anything but glamorous. ere are no poignant shafts of light to catch motes of dust oating in the air – just uorescent tubes incessantly ickering overhead.

It’s long, hot, backbreaking work. And it’s dangerous! ere are thousands of litres of boiling wort, pressurized gases, con ned spaces and metal bits and pieces jutting out in every direction. ere’s all this math and chemistry involved, too, and that’s no fun either.

Except, that for a certain breed of individual, it is fun.

Ask any brewer what they love about their job, and they will likely tell you it’s the thrill of experimentation, the satisfaction of creating something from scratch, the challenge of taking something and constantly re ning it to make it better, and, of

course, the joy in sampling and sharing your own handiwork.

It should come as no surprise, then, that many B.C. craft brewers were, in fact, scientists in their previous lives. After decades in academia, they traded Bunsen burners and centrifuges for mash tuns and brew kettles. Today in their beer laboratories, they conduct their experiments, combining water, grain, hops and yeast to create delicious craft beer, using many of the same scienti c skills and techniques they used in their previous careers.

James Walton, Storm Brewing

It has been said that a messy o ce is the sign of creative mind, so judging by the looks of James Walton’s shambolic workspace, the man is a certi ed genius. ere are beakers of tinctures and extracts sitting on every available surface, and the ground is

Having a PhD in science isn’t necessary to brew beer, but for these brewers, it sure helps

near ankle-deep with a tangled detritus of hoses, buckets and random brewing equipment.

Here in his laboratory at the north end of Commercial Drive, Walton has not-so-quietly become a visionary force in the B.C. craft beer scene over the past 20-plus years.

Walton has never been shy about letting his freak ag y. With his spiked hair, platform KISS boots, and leather everything, he de nitely puts the “mad” in “mad scientist” – and that’s just the way he likes it.

As a bored teen in Port Alberni, Walton rst began experimenting with beer after reading about brewing in an encyclopedia, of all places. He managed to malt his own barley and eventually created something resembling beer. It was barely drinkable, but it had alcohol in it, and for a 15-year-old without a fake ID, that was good enough.

Walton eventually earned a degree in mycology from UBC (yeast is a fungus, after all), going on to manage a massive mushroom farming operation in the Fraser Valley before moving on to the much cleaner environment of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

But as exciting and lucrative as pumping out intravenous bags and cough syrup was, Walton’s passion lay elsewhere.

“A lot of people thought I was crazy, because no one else was doing craft beer back then,” he says. “But within a few months I knew I’d be successful.”

Unlike many other breweries, Storm Brewing started small and is determined to stay that way. Walton estimates he’s brewed more than 250 di erent beers since he rst opened in 1994, and thanks to the size of his operation, he’s able to oversee each and every batch.

“I don’t want to take over the world,” Walton says. “I just don’t want to sit in an o ce.”

Walton says he draws upon his scienti c training, particularly his background in organic chemistry, on a daily basis. And nowhere is his penchant for

experimentation more evident than in Glacial Mammoth Extinction, believed to be Canada’s strongest beer. Walton ice distills the beer, slowly freezing it so at ice crystals form and settle out. e end result is sweet and syrupy, not unlike port wine, and weighs in at a hefty 25% ABV.

Being a mad scientist of craft beer also has its perks, he notes. In addition to being able to wear leather pants to work, there weren’t any journalists showing up on his doorstep to interview him when he was farming mushrooms.

“I don’t mind the spotlight,” he says with a wry grin. “ ere’s de nitely a glam aspect to it that I like.”

Bart Larson, Mt. Begbie Brewing

To hear Mt. Begbie Brewing owner and brewmaster Bart Larson tell it, his decision to pursue a career in science sounds like it was motivated by having nothing better to do.

“Yeah, I don’t know how I got into science,” he says. “It was more of an aptitude thing, I guess. I was in high school and I preferred science to art at least, you know. I just enjoyed mathematics, chemistry, physics.”

Storm Brewing's James Walton. Dan Toulgoet photo.

We like technology, and we’re not afraid to experiment, and we like solving problems and troubleshooting, so I think that’s why brewing appeals to us.”

- Bart Larson

He’s just being modest, of course. Larson didn’t just “get into science.” He holds a PhD in nuclear physics and has worked on some of the world’s most advanced particle accelerators in his quest to discover the secrets of the universe. For real. So what made him decide to leave the Los Alamos National Laboratory and return to his hometown of Revelstoke and open a brewery, you ask?

“I’m a B.C. boy,” Larson says. “Growing up here, you just can’t think of anywhere better.”

Since there weren’t a lot of nuclear physicist jobs in Revelstoke (shocker, I know), he decided to turn his lifelong hobby of brewing into a business.

For Larson, brewing has always appealed to his analytical side, and he admits he’s “probably more of a scienti c brewer than an artsy kind of brewer.”

“Scientists, we like technology, and we’re not afraid to experiment, and we like solving problems and troubleshooting, so I think that’s why brewing appeals to us,” he says. “It’s that manner of thinking. You’ve been taught this way, like, this is how to approach a problem. Knowing the scienti c method and how to troubleshoot a problem, isolate a variable and do a proper series of tests, you can gure out what you really need to know or what’s really going on.

“Plus,

you’re making beer, which is great!”

Michael Kuzyk, Category 12 Brewing

With a PhD in microbiology and biochemistry, Category 12 owner and brewer Michael Kuzyk’s work in the eld of human disease research helped to advance the understanding of cancer and metabolic disorders. But after years of working his way up the research ladder, he found himself at a point where he wasn’t really doing anything scienti c any more.

“My research career kind of forced me into more of an administrative role,” he explains. “I was away from the lab and I felt like I was really missing out on that experimental day-to-day work. I was

just really 100 per cent writing grants and doing administrative work.”

He had an outlet, though. Kuzyk had started making beer as a poor grad student in the 1990s because he couldn’t a ord it otherwise. Lacking any scienti c challenges at work, he found himself falling down the homebrewing rabbit hole as it helped scratch that scienti c itch his previous desk job could not.

“My friends were always kind of joking – I thought they were joking, I guess – that I should open up my own brewery,” says Kuzyk “ en I’d just kind of laugh it o , like, how do you do that? But I felt the need to kind of reinvent myself, you know, as I got to midlife crisis range, and I began to think that I didn’t have to work for other people all my life.”

Kuzyk, too, discovered that his scienti c background was invaluable in his new life as a brewer.

“I think if you’d talked to me four years ago, I would have felt like maybe I was leaving behind or turning my back on my training,” he says. “I’m really happy about how much it’s used every day. From the sanitary method perspective, as a microbiologist, sterile technique is just drilled in you. Just understanding what is going on at the microscopic level, none of what goes on feels like black art."

Kuzyk has fully embraced his role as “mad scientist,” and his scienti c background has formed the inspiration for Category 12’s entire marketing and branding strategy.

“We kind of call it a mix of Mad Men and Breaking Bad,” he says. “We’re having a lot of fun with it!” j

Category 12's Michael Kuzyk. Meghan Kirkpatrick photo.

VANCOUVER

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

15 West 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.ca

MON-FRI 9AM-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 10AM-11PM

EST. 2013

Oh-so-cool and oh-so-good, 33 Acres is so much more than its sleek, minimalist branding thanks to brewer Dave Varga’s exceptional beers.

33 ACRES OF LIFE

CALIFORNIA COMMON

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.8%40

is reddish amber ale balances caramel and toasted malt with a snap of hops and a dry nish.

VANCOUVER

33 ACRES OF SUNSHINE

F REN C H BLAN C HE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.0%14

Sweet and refreshing with notes of orange peel, coriander and black licorice.

AN D INA BREWING CO .

1507 Powell St. | AndinaBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2016

Andina promises a esta of avour, with an enticing food menu and beer brewed using South American malts, served in a spacious tasting room.

MELCOCHA

A NDEAN M ILD A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.0%27

A mild made wilder with Colombian panela cane sugar, lending notes of molasses, nuts and bread.

MONITA

BLONDE I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.5%60

A lighter, brisker IPA that delivers a bountiful hop pro le of citrus and tropical fruit.

BIG ROCK URBAN

B REWER Y

310 West 4th Ave. | BigRockBeer.com

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 2015

e Calgary brewery’s West Coast outpost delivers the goods, with an accomplished food menu and a rotating lineup of approachable beer.

CITRADELIC SINGLE

HOP IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.0%67

If this doesn’t sell you on the citrus- and tropical-fruit reworks of the Citra hop, nothing will.

VANCOUVER

GRASSHOPPER KRISTALLWEIZEN WHEAT A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%16

Big Rock’s crisp, classic gateway ale has been luring beer drinkers away from macro since 1994.

BOMBER BREWING CO .

1488 Adanac St. | BomberBrewing.com

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2014

Originally named after a beer league hockey team, Bomber hosts the third annual Beer League BASH charity ice hockey tourney, March 11.

APEX DOUBLE PILS

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 6.8%48

An ampli ed pilsner with a big, piney hop pro le. Talk about peak beer!

A BV I BU 6.5%72

A dark beer with a supernova of space-themed hops: Galaxy, Horizon, Comet and Apollo.

VANCOUVER

BRASSNECK BREWER Y

2148 Main St. | Brassneck.ca

MON-FRI 2-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 12-11PM

EST. 2013

is cozy, beautiful 50-person tasting room, and the beers served within, makes it bucket list material for any proper beer enthusiast in the city.

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

D RY HO PP ED PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 7.0%N/A

Brewer Conrad Gmoser’s rst Brassneck brew and still the gold standard.

VANCOUVER

MAGICIAN’S ASSISTANT

D RY HO PPED T ART BLONDE A LE

Availability: Small batch

A BV I BU 6.0%N/A

A pitch-perfect tart with a juicy hop nish. Now you see it. Now you don’t.

CA LLIS T ER B REWING CO .

1338 Franklin St. | CallisterBrewing.com

MON-FRI 2-9PM ^ SAT 1-10PM ^ SUN 1-8PM

EST. 2015

is unique brewery incubator plays host to Boombox Brewing, Real Cask, and Lightheart Brewing, along with Callister’s own brews.

RAD SEEKER (BOOMBOX)

N ORTHEAST I NDIA PALE A LE

A

is is a totally new Northeast IPA with massive amounts of Citra hops.

14

BRAIN TEASER (LIGHTHEART)

N ORTHEAST PALE A LE

A

VANCOUVER

COA L HARBOUR BREWING CO

.

1967 Triumph St. | CoalHarbourBrewing.com

HOURS N/A

EST. 2010

2017 is the year Coal Harbour nally gets its taproom, allowing us to nally ll our growlers full of their award-winning beer.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

IMP ERIAL S MOKED A LE

311 HELLES LAGER

H ELLES L AGER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 8.5%33

e smoky, peaty malts are right up front, giving way to dark chocolate and sweet molasses.

VANCOUVER

D OAN’ S CRAF T BREWING CO

.

1830 Powell St. | DoansCraftBrewing.com

A BV I BU 5.0%19

e one and only. Made in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot, this may be B.C.’s best lager.

SUN-THU 2-9PM ^ FRI 2-11PM ^ SAT 12-11PM

EST. 2015

Come for owner/brewer Evan Doan’s clean and balanced takes on German classic beer styles, but stay for the board games and Lego!

KOLSCH

K OLS CH

WEISS

WEISS B IER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.0%20

is traditional kolsch o ers the crispness of a lager and the mild fruity character of an ale.

A BV I BU 5.0%20

is Bavarian wheat ale nishes clean and dry and is sure to slay your thirst.

OLd dogs, new tricks

by Ryan Ingram

The neighbourhood has changed signicantly since September 1997, when R&B Brewing poured its rst beer.

At the time, co-founders Barry Benson and Rick Dellow were the only people making craft beer in the East Van ‘hood now known as Brewery Creek. Today, the neighbourhood now counts eight breweries and brewpubs, with even more in the works.

e province’s craft beer industry is likewise unrecognizable from 20 years ago. From 2011 to 2015, the number of licensed breweries in the province doubled to more than 120, according to BeerCanada. e sudden competition between breweries and the dizzying array of new beer styles has understandably left some of B.C.’s trailblazing old guard brewers wondering where they t in.

Benson rst began to notice the e ects of the craft beer revolution’s most recent wave when the popularity of growler lls rose, and R&B’s o -sales dropped. It was also tougher to get consistent lines for their kegs at restaurants and pubs, too, as rotating taps between emerging breweries became more frequent.

“So it wasn’t that much to have the respectability of a decade of good brews behind you,” Benson explains.

But the biggest change came just in the last few years – with Brassneck, 33 Acres and Main Street all opening up in walking distance – when R&B couldn’t logistically or nancially create space for a tasting room in their building. Benson admits, delicately, that the brewery fell into “a bit of trouble.”

How B.C.’s legacy craft beer brands are changing with the times

“Our business plan was 20 years old,” says Benson. “Our business model was not where the industry is now.”

So in 2015, Squamish’s Howe Sound Brewing purchased the East Van brewery, providing the capital for a massive renovation. In addition to shiny new brewing equipment, Howe Sound’s investment allowed R&B to acquire the space next door, where they knocked down walls to nally build a tasting lounge: the R&B Ale + Pizza House. e impressively comfortable 60-person space feels somewhere in between your best buddy’s rec room and a neighbourhood pub, with 11 taps, including a few that are tasting-room exclusive experiments.

“ e vibrancy in the neighbourhood in the last 20 years has exponentially increased,” Benson says, noting that the new space has nally let them become a bigger part of the neighbourhood, as well as the craft community.

e brewery will see more changes soon, too, as their core lineup of six-pack bottles, including Raven Cream Ale, will be swapped out for two new, very modern Vancouver-themed four-packs of cans: Dude Chilling Pale Ale and Stolen Bike Lager. And while six-packs of Ravens migrating will likely startle some longtime craft consumers, there’s an even bigger brewery changes on the horizon for one of the province’s biggest legacy craft breweries.

“Bold Moves”

Cue that Michael Jackson song from Free Willy because the killer whale from Vancouver Island Brewing’s decades-old logo has nally been released. But when the brewery’s orca-free relaunch kicks o in March, expect a big splash.

Vancouver Island Brewing has been in the midst of a dramatic makeover that began last year when the brewery’s longtime owner, Barry Fisher, announced he had sold to Ontario businessman Bob MacDonald. e moves that followed the purchase have marked the most drastic example of an older brewery adapting to today’s craft beer revolution.

“[Vancouver Island Brewing] spent so many years looking back that the industry passed them by,” says Chris Bjerrisgaard, VI’s new marketing director.

Bjerrisgaard, formerly of Parallel 49, Central City and a founder of Vancouver Craft Beer Week, is up to the daunting task of turning the legacy brewery, which has been around since 1984 (originally named Island Paci c Brewing) into a major player.

“Frankly, from a marketing guy’s point of view, this is the dream job,” he says. “ is is the test to see if you’re as good as you think you are. Can you take a brand that’s been in decline in an up-market and turn it around?”

At the helm of the new VI is former Central City president Tim Barnes, along with former Parallel 49 brewer Danny Seeton, who is designing new recipes for the brewery.

At the DNA-level of the new VI philosophy is guring out “where next.” e new core lineup will see three “legacy” bottled products with drastic updates, plus four brand-new canned brews. Design-wise, it’s purposefully bright and clean.

e beer names – from Sombrio Citrus Session to Carmanah Ale – cover the geography of the Island, while each can and bottle will feature different longitude and latitude coordinates that will cue up to di erent Vancouver Island locales. Also part of the “where next” mission: the lineup of canned beers will feature purposefully low ABV, going no higher than 4.8 per cent.

“For multiple reasons, we believe that session strength... is where a lot of beers are going to end up. We were so far behind the times, we actually wanted to leapfrog ahead of people,” explains Bjerrisgaard, admitting recipe designer Seeton

Vancouver Island Brewing's Danny Seeton and Chris Bjerrisgaard. Meghan Kirkpatrick photo.

was up to the challenge of “just mak[ing] the best thing,” focusing on making sure the session IPA can be held up against another seven per cent hop-bomb.

Piper’s Pale Ale will be the only VI legacy beer that keeps its name, but will feature changes beyond its hip new tartan packaging. “[Piper’s] had probably turned into, I’d say, a bit of a generic pale ale,” said Bjerrisgaard. e new beer will honour Canadian war hero Piper James Richardson and will attempt to turn it into “the quintessential English pub beer” – hopefully on point for another emerging trend, Bjerrisgaard adds.

With a near complete revamp set to kick o , Bjerrisgaard doesn’t mince words when it comes to the brewery’s loyalists.

“ e customer who’s going to bemoan us isn’t buying enough of the beer, and that’s really the long and the short of it,” he says. “We need to shift our demographic. We need to think long and hard about the kind of customer we want and need. And hopefully the ones that we do have will join us, but we’re willing to risk it.”

e bottom line, Bjerrisgaard emphasizes: “Unless you’re willing to do bold moves, you’re not a relevant craft brewery anymore.”

A Tale of Two Islands

No man is an island, and that’s true for breweries competing in B.C.’s craft beer market. Even when they literally have “Island” in their name.

Although established in 1984 – the same year as Vancouver Island Brewing – Granville Island Brewing has also been a ected by the rippling waves of the local craft beer revolution.

Longtime head brewer Vern Lambourne left Granville Island in 2015 to co-found the Parkside Brewery, the fourth brewery on Port Moody’s Brewers Row. While Granville Island found a replacement in local boy-makes-good-beer Kevin Emms, who studied brewing in Edinburgh, and had earned a reputation creating recipes at Coal Harbour Brewing and Deep Cove Brewers. While the lineup of core beers has seen some additions, like Infamous IPA, as well as a Small Batch Series, it hasn’t changed dramatically over the decades. But that doesn’t mean Emms isn’t given room to experiment.

Although most of Granville Island’s beers aren’t brewed at the Granville Island brewery itself, the brewery does serve as a test kitchen for Emms, allowing him to create what could be the company’s next big beer.

Emms emphasizes that the brewery – purchased by Molson Coors through Creemore Springs in 2009 – is still targeting craft consumers.

“Granville Island Brewing, considering it was started to o er more avorful, authentic beers to drinkers that didn’t have a lot of choice… is still very much engaged in doing that,” albeit on their own terms.

Emms says Granville Island’s strategy to attract craft beer drinkers is to nd a balance between honouring the past and staying on trend. A perfect example of that philosophy is Granville Island’s Burly Goat Dopplebock, a Canadian Brewing Award silver medal-winner.

“ e focus isn’t on trying to do anything cutting edge and innovative,” says Emms, “it’s trying to do things really meticulously and traditionally.” j

Can you take a brand that’s been in decline in an up-market and turn it around? - Chris Bjerrisgard

R&B's Barry Benson. Dan Toulgoet photo.

VANCOUVER

DOGWOOD BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | DogwoodBrew.com

WED-FRI 2:30-9PM ^SAT-SUN 11:30AM-9PM

EST. 2015

Vancouver’s only all-organic brewery uses B.C. ingredients as much as possible, including hops from Lillooet and barley malted in Armstrong.

TRIPLE IPA

IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 10.0%70

Crammed full of organic hops, this massive India Pale Ale is like liquid resin.

VANCOUVER

SPARKLING WIT

BELGIAN WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 6.5%10

is tasty glass of “liquid courage” might just awaken your own sparkling wit.

FACULTY BREWING CO.

1830 Ontario St. | FacultyBrewing.com

MON-FRI 2-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 11AM-11PM

EST. 2016

True to its name, Faculty’s helpful crew is eager to educate craft newbies. is “open-source” brewery share recipes online and welcomes collaboration.

340 DUNKELWEIZEN

DUNKELWEIZEN

778 IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.0%18

Clove, banana and vanilla aromas highlight this ode to the dark German wheat beer.

ABV IBU 7.0%75

Dry-hopping Citra, along with Cascade and Centennial, has upped the citrus hop pro le in this IPA.

G RAN VI LL E IS L AN D BREWING

1441 Cartwright St. | GIB.com

HOURS 12-8PM

EST. 1984

Yes, this B.C. craft beer pioneer is now owned by Molson-Coors, but GIB is getting back to its roots by letting its talented young brewmaster, Kevin Emms, have free rein to brew delicious craft o erings in the original location on Granville Island.

BURLY GOAT DOPPELBOCK

D

Availability: Seasonal

is big, dark malty beer won a silver medal at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards.

SCOTTISH ALE SCOTTISH A LE

Availability: Limited

is smooth-sipping Scottish ale balances roasted malt notes with caramel sweetness.

WEST COAST PALE

Availability: Year-round

An American pale ale bursting with fruity Australian hops. Confused? Just try it and see.

SAISON BELGIAN STYLE

S

Availability: Limited

is traditional recipe uses imported Belgian yeast to create a complex blend of fruity and spicy avours.

A road runs through it...

According to Allen Winn Sneath’s 2001 book, Brewed in Canada: the Untold History of Canada’s 350 Year

Old Brewing Industry, GIB founding partner Mitch Taylor had to call Prime Minister John Turner to ask him to strike down an old law requiring a “public road run between the brewery and the store.”

LUPP OLO B REWING C O.

1123 Venables St. | LuppoloBrewing.ca

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2016

Luppolo’s hip tasting room o ers more than just brewer/owner Ryan Par tt’s delicious beers – there’s Italian food, prosecco and kombucha too!

DOUBLE IPA DO

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 8.0%70

Heavily hopped, yet well-balanced, ve northwest varieties provide aromas of citrus, peach and melon.

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 7.5%50

Rich and creamy with moderate hop bitterness and subtle notes of licorice, vanilla and smoke.

MAIN S T REE T BREWING C O.

261 East 7th Ave. | MainStreetBeer.ca

MON-THU 2-11PM ^ FRI-SUN 12-11PM

EST. 2014

Main Street’s building, the Vancouver Breweries Garage, might be a century old, but the beer list is always fresh and exciting. Stop by for a taste of the past, present and future of craft beer, courtesy of brewmaster Jack Bensley.

Availability: Year-round

e beer that started the brewery, as it were: bright, golden and medium-bodied.

Availability: Year-round

Fermented with a blend of yeasts, No. 7 has delicious fruit, pepper and citrus notes.

Availability: Seasonal

e addition of rye grain and a liberal dose of hops results in a spicy, tart and dry saison.

Availability: Seasonal

is dark wheat ale pairs roasted malts with yeasty notes of banana and clove.

Fighting the good fight...

Main Street Brewing is generously sponsoring Growler editor Rob Mangelsdorf in his bid to lose even more of his teeth as he takes part in the Beer Wars charity boxing fundraiser. e main event takes place April 29 at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. For more info, visit BCBeerWars.com.

VANCOUVER

OFF T HE RAI L BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | O eRailBrewing.com

SUN-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-10PM

EST. 2014

Located on the Adanac “bike highway,” this brewery is de nitely popular with cyclists. e 15-tap tasting room always has something interesting.

RAJ MAHAL INDIA

PALE ALE

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%38

is unique session IPA is delicately avoured with ka r lime leaf and lemongrass.

VANCOUVER

PARALL EL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | Parallel49Brewing.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2012

CLASSIC PALE ALE

E NGLISH PALE A LE

Availability:Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%40

A beautifully brewed English pale ale with a rounded caramel avour and pleasant hop nish.

One of Yeast Van’s pioneer breweries, P49 still anchors the scene today. e brewery recently added a restaurant to its popular tasting room.

TRICYCLE

Availability: Seasonal

Ruby red grapefruit juice + P49’s Craft Lager = a delicious, thirst-quenching radler.

Availability: Seasonal

I BU 7.5%10

Kettle souring and aggressive dry hopping creates this tart and fruity sour white ale.

VANCOUVER

P OS T MARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | PostmarkBrewing.com

MON-FRI 11AM-11PM ^ SAT-SUN 10AM-11PM

EST. 2014

Under the guidance of brewer Dominic Giraldes, Postmark’s beer lineup is ring on all cylinders, matching the quality of its beautiful venue.

MOSAIC INDIA PALE

ALE

I NDIA PALE A LE

ISA

I NDIA S ESSION A LE

Availability: Limited Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.2%52

Part of Postmark’s Experimental IPA series, this exudes bright tropical fruit notes.

VANCOUVER

P OWELL S T REE T CRAF T BREWER Y

1357 Powell St. | PowellBeer.com

A BV I BU 4.2%30

A recent recipe tweak to include Citra hops has enhanced this beer’s bright, lively quality.

SUN 12-8PM ^MON 2-8PM ^TUE-THU 2-9PM FRI-SAT 12-10PM

EST. 2012

David Bowkett’s lil’ brewery that could, then did, just got a rebrand. But it’s what’s inside that counts, and Powell beer counts for a lot.

CHEEKY SESSION

S ESSION A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.5%30

Your new lunchtime beer. Packs a fruit bowl of avours in a relatively light package.

DIVE BOMB

D ARK A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%33

It’s still a porter at heart, with a delicate malt palette of caramel, cocoa and nuts.

Get outside the bubble and discover these great Metro Vancouver breweries

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Amere two decades after it was rst proposed, the (very) long-awaited Evergreen Line SkyTrain extension opened in December, connecting the far- ung outposts of Coquitlam and Port Moody to the Metro Vancouver rapid transit grid.

What does this have to do with beer? Well, now it’s easier than ever to visit some of B.C.’s most impressive breweries. And since driving is a really terrible way to go brewery-hopping, there’s no better excuse to load up your Compass card and venture into the vast unknown that is suburban Vancouver.

For those diehard downtown-dwelling Vancouverites who might be unaware, the suburbs are that desolate region that exists beyond Boundary Road. Some of your closest friends and family may have made the trek there – likely not long after having children – never to be seen again.

So what life exists in this seeming black hole? Is this hinterland a hellish hellscape from hell where the living envy the dead? It’s hard to say, but the beer is fantastic!

Seriously though, do yourself a favour, hop a train and get out of the downtown bubble.

THE NEXT STATION IS… MOODY CENTRE

I mean, it’s just all too perfect. e second stop on the new Evergreen Line drops you right o in the middle of the most densely populated brewing district in the province. With Twin Sails, Yellow Dog, Parkside, and Moody Ales all within a block and a half of each other on Murray Street, the area known as Brewers Row is a destination in it’s own right.

e four breweries couldn’t be more di erent, and whether you’re partial to the funky farmhouse ales at Yellow Dog, or Twin Sail’s Con Leche Horchata Milk Stout (7.5% ABV, 18 IBU), there’s something on this block to pique the interest of even the most jaded craft beer snob.

Also, when the sun is out, the adjacent Rocky Point Park is seriously beautiful. Walk o those pints with a jaunt around the waterfront trail.

THE NEXT STATION IS… SCOTT ROAD

Ah yes, scenic Whalley. Easily Metro Vancouver’s most maligned neighbourhood. Until Central City set up shop on Bridgeview Drive, there was really no reason to come here (unless your 1992 Dodge Neon needed a new radiator).

But just a short walk past the junk yards, car lots, and more junk yards, stands Central City’s glorious agship brewery and distillery, like a shimmering diamond in the rough. e facility is so impressive, it’s even helping to spark a bit of a renaissance in the neighbourhood, with new development sprouting for the rst time in decades

Central City is really a must-visit destination for any craft beer fan. e dozens of towering stainless steel tanks give the building a cathedral-like feel, and truly, the 65,000-sq.-ft. building is a monument to the fermentable arts. Central City also o ers one of the best brewery tours in town, running Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Be sure to pick up a bottle of the Sour No. 2 Kriek (10.8% ABV, 17 IBU) while you’re there, before they’re all gone. e second in Central City’s Sour Series, this Belgian-style kriek is infused with cherries and aged for two years in oak wine barrels.

THE NEXT STATION IS… PRODUCTION WAY-UNIVERSITY

(You’re totally reading these in the SkyTrain Lady’s voice, aren’t you?)

Around the back of an unassuming industrial park at the bottom of Burnaby Mountain lies one of B.C.’s most impressive breweries. Despite its humble location, Dageraad has been creating arguably some of the best Belgian-inspired beers this side of the Low Countries. e recently-released Brune (7.5% ABV) is an abbey-style dubbel brewed with mission gs and is worth the trip alone.

Dageraad’s current tasting room is, shall we say, modest. However, the brewery has a new mezzanine tasting lounge in the works that should be open by April.

THE NEXT STATION IS… NEW WESTMINSTER

Since opening in 2014, New Westminster’s Steel & Oak have been producing a consistently impressive roster of European-inspired beers. e small tasting room is tucked in next to an overpass, and is a popular hangout with proud New Westminsterites (New Westminsterians?) who love their local brewery.

One of Steel & Oak’s latest creations, Ka ee (5.1% ABV, 17 IBU), is a blonde ale that tastes almost nothing like it looks. e beer is infused with whole co ee beans, giving it a rich, roasty avor despite it’s light golden hue.

e walk from the station to brewery can be a bit treacherous if you decide to follow Columbia Street, the main trucking route through town, so take the scenic route instead along New Westminster’s waterfront promenade along the Fraser River. It’s a couple minutes longer but totally worth it. j

VANCOUVER

R & B BREWING CO.

54 East 4th Ave. | RAndBBrewing.com

SUN-THU 11AM-11PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-12AM

EST. 1997

is laid-back lounge is a contender for best beer space in the city. It’s cosy but spacious, with loads of charm. Most importantly, the beer and food are aces.

LAVENDER SAISON

SAISON

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.7%21

e yeast strain blend gives a spiciness that works well the subtle oral, lavender notes.

VANCOUVER

WHITE INDIA PALE

ALE

BELGIAN INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 6.5%50

Citrus, pear and orange notes from a variety of hops, plus the addition of natural pear juice.

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 East 1st Ave. | RedTruckBeer.com

MON-THU 11AM-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 10AM-11PM

SUN 10AM-10PM

EST. 2005

It all started with Old Weird Harold, the red ’46 Dodge delivery truck. e good times are still rolling at their vintage-themed Truck Stop.

NORTH WEST STRONG ALE STRONG ALE

Availability: One-o

ABV IBU 6.5%50

Big oral and earthy hop aroma, like papaya and tropical fruit, without the IPA bitterness.

BLACKBERRY BOURBON ALE

ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.3%25

A tartness from Fraser Valley blackberries, and a mellow, woody nish from Kentucky bourbon.

ST ORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | StormBrewing.com

TUE-SAT 10AM-6PM ^ SUN 1-6PM EST. 1994

Storm owner James Walton, bona de brewing legend, has been concocting every known cure imaginable for boring beer since 1994.

IMPERIAL FLANDERS

SOUR ALE

F LANDERS SOUR

Availability: Year-round

A bracingly acidic sipper aged in oak barrels for at least a year. Go on, live a little.

BLACK PLAGUE STOUT

S TO UT

Availability: Year-round

is mighty stout is made smooth with oats and complex with licorice and cocoa.

ST RANGE FELLOWS

BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | StrangeFellowsBrewing.com

MON-THU 2-11PM ^ FRI-SUN 12-11PM

EST. 2014

e tasting room gets weird once a month to observe a Strange Day, inspired by obscure superstitions and folklore from around the world. But really, any day is ideal for Strange Fellows. After all, strange times call for strange beers.

Availability: Limited

Iain Hill works his wizardry with a single hop, getting magical results with each brew.

Availability: Year-round

Refreshing hits of orange and coriander are balanced in this light, silky smooth wit.

Availability: Limited

Aged for a full year in French oak casks, this Brett-kissed brown ale is tart and woody.

Availability: Year-round

is dry-hopped siren lls the nose with intoxicating tropical aromas, enticing you to take another sip.

WHat’s in a name?

Tucked next to Strange Fellows’ tasting room is the Charles Clark Art Gallery, providing a venue for Vancouver artists to share their work, with exhibits changing monthly. e gallery takes its name from the brewery’s location near the corner of Charles Street and Clark Drive.

Brewing

offering aficionados with a taste for extraordinary beer the opportunity to receive rare, barrel-aged & exclusory limited release beers

. 2 x 750 ml bottles of 4 releases = 8 bottles

. preferential price on additional bottles

. 15% off growler fills for the year

. fellowship shirt & 2017 patch

. two private fellowship events

$175 [$150 for 2015 fellows]

www.strangefellowsbrewing.com

STRAT HCONA BEER C O.

895 E. Hastings St. | StrathconaBeer.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2016

irsty Vancouverites are coming around to Strathcona’s über cool tasting lounge and their modern takes on traditional beer styles.

VIENNA

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 4.2%21

Austrian by way of Mexico, this refreshing session-strength lager is dark, malty and subtly sweet.

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 10.0%100

Careful, this citrusy IPA is smoother than it lets on thanks to the Azaca, Wakatu and Cascade hops.

BL ACK KE TTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | BlackKettleBrewing.com

MON-SAT 11AM-7PM ^ SUN 1-5PM

EST. 2014

Now in its third year, things are chugging along for Bryan Lockhart and Phil Vandenborre’s brewery, thanks to the thirsty North Van clientele.

PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%N/A

No name required: malt-heavy with an earthy and oral hop bite and caramel nish.

INDIA PALE ALE

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.4%N/A

Made with pale and crystal malt. Hop notes of citrus and oral. No name required here either.

LEFT IMPERIAL IPA

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

is juicy IPA is big and bold, with heaps of tropical hops aroma and fruit avours. A taste of the Deep South, thanks to the addition of smooth bourbon and zesty blood oranges.

D EE P CO V E BREWERS

AN D D IS TI LLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | DeepCoveCraft.com

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2013

After a day of North Shore outdoors fun, this is a top spot to cool down with a beer. Or if you want to turn things up, the distillery can help you there. Don’t forget to check out the live music lineup, every Friday and Saturday night.

DRY DOCK DOUBLE

IPA

DO UBLE IPA

Availability: Seasonal

A deceptively light malt body for a double, with Citra and Mosaic hops shining through.

WATERSHED WITBIER

WIT B IER

Availability: Seasonal

A avorful farmhouse-style wheat ale with oats, spices and Japanese yuzu peel.

APRICOT IPA

FRU IT I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Small batch

is hop-loaded brew is fermented on approximately a bajillion pounds of apricots. Works for us.

LOOKOUT SESSION

WEST COAST PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Fragrant and fruity hop-forward session ale starring a trio of New Zealand hop varieties.

Wigged out...

Just up the Indian Arm from Deep Cove lies a relic from another time. e Wigwam Inn was built in 1910 as a shing lodge, but during prohibition it gained popularity as a gambling den and speakeasy for the wealthy, and was even rumoured to have been a hideout for Al Capone.

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Crt. | GreenLeafBrew.com

SUN 11AM-9PM ^ MON-THU 11AM-10PM

FRI-SAT 11AM-11PM

EST. 2013

Soak up the sun on Green Leaf’s Lonsdale patio, where you can pair your pick of the Quay’s food with the brewery’s versatile beer selection.

BONFIRE AMBER

LAGER

AMBER LAGER

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.4%25

A robust, malty lager that showcases the tropical fruit and spice of the Ella hop.

NORTH VAN

PIE HOLE PALE ALE

AMERICAN PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.6%35

Green Leaf’s chewy, fruity and piney agship beer has been brewed here since opening day.

HEARTHSTONE BREWERY

1015 Marine Dr. | HearthstoneBrewery.ca

DAILY 11AM-8PM

EST. 2014

e wait for Hearthstone was worth it. It’s the only North Shore brewery with a full restaurant that can whip up Italian brick oven-baked pizzas.

BURNING BRIDGES

DIPA

DOUBLE INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: One-o

ABV IBU 9.0%130

Piney resinous aroma and tropical undertones, with a sweet caramel body and light fruit hop pro le.

HEARTHSTONE INDIA

PALE ALE

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.5%95

Amarillo and El Dorado fuel this hop-bomb, giving it stone fruit, citrus and tropical notes.

A-FRAME BREWING CO.

38927 Queens Way | AFrameBrewing.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2016

Squamish locals have been loving their city’s second brewery. e tasting room is cozy and there’s a roster of excellent ales.

OKANAGAN LAKE

CREAM ALE

CREAM A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.3%15

A refreshing, well-balanced, easy-to-drink ale with just enough hop and grain character.

SPROAT LAKE PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.2%34

As hop pro les get ever exotic, it’s worth remembering the classics. Here’s a dry-hopped ode to Cascade.

st.

Hildegard st. Hildegard

e fascinating and complicated history of one of beer’s most revered gures

by Rob Mangelsdorf

In the annals of beer history, St. Hildegard of Bingen holds a unique distinction. e 12th century German abbess is responsible for the earliest surviving writings on the use of hops in beer, and for that she has been venerated as an uno cial patron saint of beer. “As a result of its own bitterness,” Hildegard wrote in the Physica, her classic text on health and healing, circa 1150, “[hops] stops putrication when put in [beer] and it may be added so that it lasts so much longer.”

at might not seem like much, but the importance of hops in beer can’t be understated. In addition to avouring beer, hops kills o a lot of the microrganisms that will spoil beer, while creating an ideal environment for beer yeasts to do their thing.

e earliest proto-beers were more of a boozy porridge, likely discovered when an old loaf of bread was forgotten about in some damp corner, and wild yeasts had their way with it. Hunger will drive people to do

some desperate things, like tucking into that soggy mess. As beers came more re ned, there became a greater need to preserve it, which was pretty much impossible until hops came along.

e Germans even included hops in the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 – the Reinheitsgebot – which limited brewers to just four ingredients: water, malted barley, yeast, and of course, hops. (Well, technically, it was just water, barley and hops. No one had any idea what yeast was. In fact, fermentation was literally believed to be an act of God.)

In honour of Hildegard’s contribution, Driftwood Brewing recently released their Naughty Hildegard ESB. “We like Hildegard’s style and we can’t imagine beer without hops,” the beer’s label states. However, as it turns out, her contributions to beer-making might be the least interesting thing about her.

Hildegard was born in 1098 to a noble family in the county of Sponheim, about 100km west of present-day Frankfurt. As a child she experienced visions of God, which she described as “living light.” She was given over to the care of a nun at the age of eight, who taught her to read and write, and by 14, she was a nun herself. When her mentor passed away in 1136, Hildegard was unanimously chosen to lead her Benedictine monastery.

Hildegard also devoted her time to writing musical compositions, poems and plays, as well as theological texts, medical books and scienti c essays. She founded two monasteries, and extensively travelled around Germany on numerous speaking tours. She lived into her 80s, and she pretty much never stopped working.

Amazingly, much of that work has been preserved, and for a woman in the highly patriarchal Middle Ages, that’s unique, says UBC historian Arlene Sindelar.

“She was a woman who wrote in the 12th century and that’s not the most common thing,” she says.

“She was somebody who men listened to and had signi cant authority, mostly in the church. ey paid attention to her and she didn’t hold back when she was going to admonish somebody.” Her most well-known work, the Scivias, details her many visions of God, and made her somewhat of a celebrity in her day.

“Any woman who makes this kind of an imprint on a culture, I think part of it is her personality, her drive, her desire to know, her desire to accomplish,” says Sindelar. “And she was supported in her fearlessness, I think, by her belief that God spoke to her truly.”

Beer, as it turns out, was never much of a priority for Hildegard, and her role in the development of brewing may not have been as pivotal as some make out.

Beer historian (yes, that’s a real thing) Richard Unger notes that there is evidence of hops use in beer in Northern Germany as early as the 6th century, well before Hildegard had written about it. As it turns out, Hildegard’s writings may not have even been the rst to recommend the use of hops in beer, either – they are just the oldest historians have found.

“I think her importance lies in other things than her contribution to brewing,” says Unger. “ at is a very minor part of what she writes about.”

And yet, Hildegard’s story endures. More than 800 years after she died, she’s revered as a proto-feminist icon, one of the founders of holistic medicine, a Christian mystic, as well as an important gure in brewing.

“She’s a giant among women, most of whom sink into obscurity,” says Sindelar. “But she hasn’t. She invoked the authority of God… she wrote about all these di erent things, from poetry to recipes to comments on health to these visions she had… and she did not hesitate to speak her mind.”

In other words, she was a total bad-ass. j

H OWE SOUN D BREW I NG CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave. | HoweSound.com

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 1996

If you can’t make it up to Squamish to visit this convivial brewpub in person, look for Howe Sound’s unique one-litre “potstopper” bottles in stores.

PILSNER PLUNGE

PILSNER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.2%25

is traditional Czech pilsner is clean and crisp with a oral hop aroma.

WHISTLER

C OAS T M OUN TAIN

B REWING C O.

SEA TO SKY DARK

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.0%16

To ee, chocolate and biscuit combine with yeast esters, orange peel, and peppery paradise seed.

Unit 2 1212 Alpha Lake Rd. | CoastMountainBeer.ca

MON-WED 1-8PM ^ THU-SAT 1-10PM ^ SUN 11AM-8PM

EST. 2016

A welcome addition to the Function Junction neighbourhood, Coast Mountain’s tasting room is focused on locals rst. Tourists are welcome too!

THE SURVEYOR

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 7.0%68

Solidly built with just enough malt to showcase a bunch of di erent Northwest hops.

FORECAST

WEST COAST PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.6%38

e fresh-squeezed juicy character comes courtesy of dry-hopping with Amarillo hops.

W HISTLER BREWING CO .

1045 Millar Creek Rd. | WhistlerBeer.com

MON, TUE & THU 1-8PM ^ WED & FRI 1-10PM SAT-SUN 12-8PM EST. 1989

anks to a logo redesign, spi y new labels and some new beer styles recipes under brewer Matt Dean, Whistler’s looking pretty hip these days.

FUNCTION

Availability: Small batch

Clean, approachable and qua able, featuring seven varieties of new and old hops.

Availability: Year-round

Just like its namesake lake, it’s un ltered. Has a hop bite of grapefruit and passion fruit.

DAGERAAD BREWING

114 - 3191 underbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com

MON-WED 2-8PM^THU 12-8PM ^FRI-SAT 12-9PM SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2014

Dageraad could stand pat with its core lineup, but it continues to impress with a diverse bunch of seasonal and limited releases. eir new mezzanine tasting lounge is set to open any day now, so we’ve been promised.

WHITE BELGIAN WIT

Availability: Year-round

Brewed with mission gs and Trappist yeast, this malty, fruity beer is a religious experience.

BRUNE BELGIAN DUBBEL BLONDE BELGIAN BLONDE ALE

Availability: Year-round

is blonde is absolutely brilliant, and has backto-back golds at the B.C. Beer Awards to prove it.

Availability: Year-round

Dageraad’s newest year-round beer is this classic witbier brewed with a secret blend of spices.

Availability: Year-round

A Canadian interpretation of a Belgian take on an English beer. Rich and malty with spicy yeast notes.

I’ll drink to that...

2017 got o to a rough start for Dageraad after a aw in the brewery’s bottle conditioning room resulted in this year’s entire batch of 10° (as well as substantial amounts of Londen and other beers) having to be thrown out. If you can, support the good folks at Dageraad by picking up a bottle of their amazing beer.

April 2017 (ish)

Near Lougheed Highway

A 5 minute walk from Production Way Skytrain

ST EAMWORKS BREWING CO .

3845 William St. | Steamworks.com

SUN-WED 12-10PM ^THU-FRI 12-11PM

EST. 1995

Steamworks’ Burnaby brewery and tasting room is the perfect place to sample the accessible and sublime beers of brewmaster Julia Hanlon.

PILSNER

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%30

A rich, malty lager with a spicy, oral hop character, perfect for the warm days ahead.

JASMINE IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.5%60

Made with Belgian yeast and jasmine owers, this IPA is oral and fruity, refreshing and complex.

ST EE L & OAK BREWING CO .

1319 3rd Ave. | SteelAndOak.ca

SUN-WED 12-8PM ^ THU-SAT 12-10PM

EST. 2013

Steel & Oak makes great beer, including some less commonly brewed German styles along with barrel-aged gems and wholly unique creations.

RED PILSNER

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%35

is full-bodied pilsner is slightly sweet with a oral aroma and a crisp, spicy bitterness.

DRY-HOPPED ESB

E XTRA SP EC IAL BITTER

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.6%40

A West Coast take on the traditional British style: it’s malty with citrusy hop notes.

MOO DY A L ES

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

Founded by two home-brewing buddies who decided to turn their hobbies into a business, Moody Ales anchors the west end of Brewers Row.

INTREPID MATCHA

SAISON

S AISON

CHIPPER BLONDE

BLONDE A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.9%35

Based on local homebrewer Steve Sheldon’s recipe, this is crisp, earthy, spicy and unique.

A BV I BU 5.5%22

ree malts and a single hop variety go into this light, approachable and refreshingly crisp beer.

THE PARKSI DE BREWER Y

2731 Murray St. | eParksideBrewery.com

MON-THU 2-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM ^ SUN 12-8PM

EST. 2016

It’s been a bit chilly on the patio of late, but thankfully Parkside has a spacious, cosy interior where you can warm up with nely crafted beer.

DAWN

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

A

Delicately grainy and grassy, with a crackle of spicy hops to keep your attention.

DUSK

WEST COAST PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.3%35

A straightforward, satisfying pale ale with citrus hop character judiciously balanced by biscuity malt.

T WIN SAI L S BREWING

2821 Murray St. | TwinSailsBrewing.com

MON-TUE 2-10PM ^ WED-FRI 12-11PM

SAT-SUN 11AM-11PM

EST. 2015

Twin Sails has switched direction away from their original Germanstyle focus, and that’s excellent news for hop lovers.

DAT JUICE

PALE WHEAT A LE

STREET LEGAL

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.2%25

A pale ale brewed with aked and malted wheat, with a juicy Citra hop bite.

PORT M OODY

A

YE LL OW D OG BREWING CO .

1- 2817 Murray St. | YellowDogBrew.com

MON-THU 2-10PM ^FRI-SAT 11-11PM ^SUN 11-8PM

EST. 2014

Widely considered one of the best breweries in B.C., and the rst to open on Brewers Row, Yellow Dog recently opened a new tasting room.

SIT AND STAY

I NDIA S ESSION BELGIAN A LE

SHAKE A PAW

S MOKED PORTER

A

BV

Lots of di erent hop and yeast avours converge in this spicy, citrusy, peppery beer.

46

BRITANNIA BREWING CO.

110-12500 Horseshoe Way | BBCO.ca

DAILY 11AM-5PM

EST. 2016

Britannia no longer rules the waves, but this Britannia has made waves in Steveston, where its taproom serves up a full menu of fresh food and beer.

CHAI SAISON SAISON

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.7%24

Flavoured with a rooibos tea blend featuring orange, star anise, clove and pepper.

ASHORE RYE PORTER

PORTER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.1%28

A ne, delicately sweet, traditional porter given a spicy kick with malted rye.

FUGG L ES & WAR L OCK CRAF T WORKS

103-11220 Horseshoe Way | FugglesWarlock.com

MON-TUE 12-9PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-9PM ^ SUN 12-7PM

EST. 2012

F&W lets its geek ag y, with video game and sci- references. But its lounge is as welcoming as it gets, even if you have zero nerd cred.

SHIVA SESSION

WHITE IPA

WHITE I NDIA P ALE ALE

HAZE FOR DAZE

H AZY PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Small batch

A BV I BU 5.0%58

American Belgo yeast and grapefruit notes give this the white IPA the best of both worlds.

A BV I BU 5.0%29

Resembling a sunset on the desert planet Tatooine, with a bright orange aroma and citrus avour.

FOUR WIN D S BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | FourWindsBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2013

More expansions are underway at Four Winds, whose mix of Belgian and West Coast beer culture have made beer writers run out of superlatives!

JUXTAPOSE WILD IPA

WILD I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Yeah, those cloudy IPAs are juicy, but Jux balances their fruitiness with earthy spice and Brett funk.

LA MAISON

WILD S AISON

Availability: Year-round

I BU 4.5%30

An impeccably balanced, refreshing saison full of citrus, tropical and stone fruit and peppery spice.

C EN T RA L C I TY B REWERS + DIS TI LLERS

11411 Bridgeview Dr. | CentralCityBrewing.com

MON-FRI 11AM-9PM ^SAT-SUN 10AM-9PM

EST. 2003

Central City’s spirits are starting to soar (look for a new single malt whisky), but dependably avourful Red Racer beer is still the driving force.

RED RACER IMPERIAL

IPA

IMP ERIAL I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 9.0%90

Simply stu ed with hops, this powerful ale oozes citrus, pine and tropical-fruit character.

RED RACER PILS

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%25

Quality pilsner malt, Hallertau hops and a whole lotta lagering make for a classic pils.

Homebrewers

The aussie invasion edition

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Australia and Canada have always had a natural a nity for each other. Perhaps it’s the shared colonial heritage that’s responsible for that connection. Or maybe it’s the fact that both countries are sparsely-populated outposts at opposite ends of the Paci c; one encased in ice, the other scorched by the sun.

Personally, I think our common love of beer could have a lot to with it. Don’t believe me? Well, take a look at who’s brewing your favourite craft beer or

pouring your next pint. Don’t be surprised if they have a funny accent and a penchant for wearing ip- ops.

It’s true! Hordes of Aussies, Working Holiday Visa in hand, land on our fair shores every year, and the ones that don’t end up in Whistler working the ski lifts seem to gravitate towards the craft beer industry. In fact, plucky antipodeans like Dean McLeod at Victoria Caledonian Brewing (and previously with Lighthouse Brewing), Daniel Murphy at

Canoe Brewpub and former Steamworks brewer Caolan Vaughan have all had a role in the growth of the B.C. craft beer scene.

As it turns out, Australia is also undergoing its own craft beer revolution. From its humble beginnings in the gastronomic capital of Melbourne, craft beer has spread to every state and major city.

I sat down with fellow Aussies Mike Roberts (head brewer at Old Yale Brewing) and Joshua McGrogan (Field House Brewing’s tasting room manager and “Director of Experience”) to chat about what drew them to Canada (women, as it turns out), their perspective on B.C.’s craft beer scene, and what’s brewing Down Under.

Also, before I get any angry emails, I realize Josh isn’t technically a brewer, but he’s Australian, he knows his beer, and he was available.

GROWLER: So how the hell did you guys end up in Canada?

MIKE ROBERTS: I was travelling Europe and I met a bunch of Canadians travelling around, and they said if you’re ever in Canada, come stay with us… so I ended up coming out to Canada. I had plans to go back to Australia and study to become a brewer – I was working at a brewery in Edmonton – and I stopped in to visit some friends in Vancouver, and met a girl at a party. We did the long distance thing, and she moved down to Melbourne for a year, then we moved back here and got married.

JOSHUA MCGROGAN: Yeah, similar story. I graduated from university at the end of 2012 with a bachelor’s of commerce and decided to move to England, to London. I ran a gastropub there, and that’s where I met my now ancée, and we moved [to Abbotsford] where she’s from.

MIKE: Yeah, almost every person you meet from back home, you ask them, what brought you here, and they answer, “I married a Canadian girl.”

JOSHUA: Australia and Canada, our cultures are very compatible, and in a lot of ways we’re very similar. We both de nitely have a love for beer.

MIKE: Yeah, we mix really well, we have similar drinking habits, and when Canadians and Austra-

lians get together, it’s always a good time.

GROWLER: So what’s the beer scene like in Australia right now? We’ve seen unprecedented growth here in B.C. in the past ve years, but a lot of that had to do with the liquor laws nally changing. Has there been that same sort of growth in Australia?

MIKE: Australia has similar issues with taxation, so it’s very tough to turn a pro t for a craft brewery. All the taxation laws were written by Foster’s, basically, back in the day. So they’re made for large scale [operations], so it’s just tough to do small batch. But [unlike B.C.] the laws haven’t really changed much, they are still lobbying for changes. ey’ve made it easier here, so you’ve seen that explosion, but it’s happening [in Australia], just not as fast. [ e craft beer scene] started in Melbourne and blew up there, way earlier than Vancouver. e food and co ee scene and wine scene was always there, so beer just t right in. And now other big cities are following. Sydney, Brisbane is really taking o , Adelaide is great, Perth is crazy, there’s some great breweries there.

JOSHUA: A lot of the craft breweries there are huge, though. Even the ones that are just your local brewery… they are pumping out a lot of beer. Everyone is doing large-scale packaging too.

We caught up with Mike Roberts (top) and Joshua McGrogan (bottom) at Old Yale Brewing's new tasting room. Photos by Lou Lou Childs.

You’re just starting to see the rst growlers coming to Australia. And even craft beers are still sold in 24-packs. Smaller bottles, like the 650mL bombers we have here, you barely ever see those. People still tend to buy beer in volumes.

GROWLER: at’s because it’s so hot out and everyone is so thirsty!

MIKE: at’s part of it, for sure! Yeah, the drinking culture is di erent. It’s a little more adult, almost, except that we get hammered all the time, so we’re like children in that way. In Melbourne, there are places where you can drink in public, so you can just take beers down to the park. I’ve taken kegs down to the park or to the beach. ey give us a little more exibility, I suppose. Here, if you have even an empty bottle in the car, they can ne you for it, and it seems ridiculous.

GROWLER: What have you noticed as far as trends in beer styles in Australia?

JOSHUA: Well, yeah, Australia is really hot, a lot hotter than over here. So there’s a lot of craft lagers, kolschs, and we have a beer called summer ale, which is not really a style…

MIKE: It’s an Australian made-up thing!

JOSHUA: Yeah, it’s basically a pale ale, but they call it summer ale. A lot of the beer styles are made for drinking lots of beer when it’s hot, so they’re really, really light avor pro les. Which is great! Lately, every time I go back, I’ve seen more [breweries] popping up and they are being more adventurous with things that are going crazy over here, like lots of wild yeasts, Bretts, sours, big hoppy IPAs. So that stu is starting to catch on. A lot of those guys are keeping track of what’s happening over here, because it seems to start in North America, and that’s what’s really of interest. I think [Australia] is de nitely a bit behind the trends, but it’s slowly catching up.

GROWLER: Tell me about the perception of the B.C. beer scene in Australia. Do B.C. beers even register down there?

MIKE: I knew about the big American breweries. e brewery I worked at in Melbourne (Mountain Goat Beer) had a sister brewery thing going on with Brooklyn Brewery… and if you’re into craft beer, you know about the American breweries. But as far as Vancouver, B.C., I don’t think many people do know. Australia is in a bit of a bubble, too. We’re so far removed from everywhere else. We’re a bit isolated.

GROWLER: What are some of the di erences you see between the B.C. and Australian beer scenes?

JOSHUA: It seems like the big di erence here is, you serve your community rst. In Australia, breweries serve all of Australia. So they are pumping out big volume, as far as possible. Like, back home, all my favourite craft beers were made in really, really big breweries, like Little Creatures, Matilda Bay. It’s not really common to have a local brewery. I think Australians are still catching on to craft beer, because there’s not enough [smaller] breweries around experimenting and trying new things.

MIKE: It’s uber local here, isn’t it? e population in Vancouver is smaller than Melbourne, but you have way more breweries, they’re just producing less beer. So they can experiment and try new things.

JOSHUA: Yeah, it’s amazing, I love it! j

It seems like the big di erence here is, you serve your community rst. In Australia, breweries serve all of Australia.

- Joshua McGrogan

RUSSELL BREWING CO.

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | RussellBeer.com

HOURS N/A

EST. 1995

You might not know it because they (still) haven’t opened their tasting room, but brewer Kevin Wilson has produced an impressive range of beers.

EASTERN PROMISES

PILSNER PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.8%28

East meets West Coast: a strong pils backbone with a juicy bite of Citra hops.

BARREL

BEER MILK STOUT STOUT

Availability: Small-batch

ABV IBU 8.0%33

More bitter than you’d expect from an ESB, but still balanced with rich and roasty notes.

AGED ROOT

WHITE ROCK BREWING

13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | WhiteRockBrewing.ca

MON-SAT 11:30AM-7PM ^ SUN 11:30AM-5PM

EST. 2015

It’s connected to a U-Brew, but South Surrey’s only brewery is far from an amateur operation. A core of loyal customers has kept business brisk.

WHITE ROCK OCEAN LAGER

LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%22

is full- avoured lager uses aromatic Hallertau and Saaz hops and a base of Munich and Crystal malts.

WHITE ROCK

WHITE ROCK BEACH BEER CO.

FIRESIDE NUT

BROWN ALE

BROWN ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 6.0%32

Warming, rich and roasty, Fireside is well-balanced and with specialty malts and Cascade hops.

15181 Russell Ave. | WhiteRockBeachBeer.com

FRI 4:30-7PM ^ SAT 11AM-3PM ^ SUN 10AM-3PM

EST. 2014

e new tasting room brings the beach to uptown White Rock, while the bigger and better brewing system means the taps will never run dry.

WEST BEACH

AMERICAN PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.5%36

A Paci c Northwest classic showcasing the oral, citrus avours of Centennial hops.

EAST BEACH

AMERICAN BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%32

A mild-mannered Canadian take on the British staple using local malt and hops.

F OAMERS ’ F O LLY

B REWING C OR P.

19221

122A Ave. | FoamersFolly.ca

SUN-THU 10AM-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 9AM-11PM

EST. 2015

An unconventional brewing set-up, including two brewhouses under the same roof, lets Foamer’s Folly experiment in just about any style they choose. e proof is in their ever-changing tap and growler- ll list.

NITRO HOT BOX IPA

Availability: Year-round

A big ol’ piney, citrus hop-bomb that’s surprisingly smooth with a nice nish.

Availability: Seasonal

Honey from Pitt Meadows bees gives a nice sweetness that balances with the hops.

Availability: One-o

Dark caramel and fruit avours never overstay their welcome, nishing clean and dry

Availability: One-o

Wheaty, fruity, big and juicy, this hazy IPA is perfect anyway, anyhow, anywhere you choose.

X marks the spot...

e Xs that adorn Foamer’s Folly’s branding are inspired by the nearby train crossing on Harris Road – the bane of every Pitt Meadows resident, especially during rush hour. If you’re tired of waiting for the world’s slowest train to pass, check out the 20 taps of craft beer available at Foamer’s Folly instead.

PINTS, FLIGHTS AND GROWLER FILLS.

6-PACKS AND BOTTLED BEERS AVAILABLE IN LIQUOR STORES ACROSS THE LOWER MAINLAND.

20 taps and only 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

MADE BY THE TRACKS

Pitt Meadows brewed.

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | MapleMeadowsBrewingCo.com

TUE-THU 2-7PM ^FRI-SAT 12-8PM ^SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2014

Carlo Baroccio’s brewery has been turning out interesting styles since Day 1. e variety of beer – with up to 10 taps on the go – encourages lingering.

NEGRA NOCHE BOCK

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 6.2%20

A robust, dark-copper bock that slips down dangerously smoothly.

MAPLE RIDGE

RIDGE BREWING CO.

WEST COAST ALE PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.5%30

ere are hops aplenty in them thar Meadows... and most of them are in this refreshing ale.

22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | RidgeBrewing.com

MON-THU 2-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-8:30PM SUN 11AM-6:30PM

EST. 2015

Ridge’s family-friendly tasting room is home to its extensive selection of craft beers, as well as live music every other Monday.

WIND AND SEA

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%33

is beer will get your senses going with its bright, tropical aroma and citrusy hop kick.

PUSSY CAT BLONDE PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.5%15

is patio chugger lands somewhere between a Czech pilsner and an American lager.

KP U B REWING L AB

20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew

FRI 1-5PM

EST. 2016

Come by the fully operational 4,500-sq.-ft. teaching brewery on Fridays to sample the handiwork of students in Kwantlen’s brewing program.

KPU WEST COAST IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

KPU VANILLA PORTER PORTER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 6.0%N/A

Brewed with three types of malt and dry hopped with Cascade and Chinook hops.

A BV I BU 5.5%N/A

A substantial, smooth beer with a complex and avourful dark malt character and notes of vanilla.

TRA D ING POS T B REWING

107 - 20120 64th Ave. | TradingPostBrewing.com

MON-THU 2-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM ^ SUN 12-7PM EST. 2015

Trading Post has got their community covered for fresh brews with their central Langley tasting lounge and the Fort Langley taphouse.

WEST COAST IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

TRIPEL

BELGIAN T RI P EL

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 6.3%61

A fully-loaded hop-bomb: notes of tropical fruit, pomelo and grapefruit, pine and a bitter resin nish.

A BV I BU 8.7%27

Fruity aroma and medium spiciness with notes of coriander, sweet orange and anise.

D EA D FROG BREWER Y

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way | DeadFrog.ca

MON-FRI 10AM-5PM ^ SAT 12-4PM

EST. 2005

Head brewer Cole Smith is keeping Dead Frog hopping with some memorable new creations that have slotted in seamlessly with the classics.

REINA DE FUEGO CHOCOLATE PORTER SP IC ED PORTER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 6.0%16

Featuring chocolate and to ee avours and a lick of chili heat in the nish.

ABBOTSFORD

OBSIDIAN DAGGER

IPA NOIRE

BLA C K I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 6.5%50

A great example of the style. Citrus and berry hop avours, caramel malt and a roasty nish.

F IE LD H OUSE B REWING CO .

2281 West Railway St. | FieldHouseBrewing.com

TUE-WED 12-8PM ^ THU-SAT 12-10PM ^ SUN 12-5PM

EST. 2016

One of B.C.’s most interesting breweries is in Abbotsford?! is oneyear-old operation has a gorgeous tasting room and an eclectic beer list.

MULLED

DARK

SAISON - WINTER

D ARK S AISON

WILD MUSCARI

F ARMHO U SE A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: One-o

A BV I BU 6.0%26

Brewed with orange peel, cardamom, peppercorn, cinnamon and clove, then conditioned on oak chips.

A BV I BU 6.0%20

is Steamworks collab was fermented with wild yeast harvested o owers from atop Mt. Seymour.

O LD ABBEY AL ES

1A - 30321 Fraser Hwy. | OldAbbeyAles.com

DAILY 11AM-8PM

EST. 2015

With more than 20 beers on tap at any time, even the pickiest beer drinker will nd something to savour at Old Abbey.

PURPLE DRAANK

Availability: Year-round

Pucker up with this tart blueberry- and raspberry-festooned sour. aank us later.

COASTAL IPA

Availability: Year-round

A recipe tweak has resulted in an impressively-balanced ale that retains plenty of citrus hop character.

Dry-aged beef, smoked meats, & award-winning sausages, all handcrafted by our in-house butcher team.

Much like craft beer, we believe locally raised, gourmet meats are

RAV ENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd. | Ravens.beer

TUE-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-9PM ^ SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2015

is Abby brewery works closely with Fraser Valley farms to source its ingredients, putting a local twist on traditional beer styles.

FARMERS FRENCH SAISON S AISON

GOLDEN ALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.8%27 A BV I BU 4.8%18

is summer sipper is light and hazy with hints of lemongrass, black pepper and a dry nish.

MISSION

MISSION SP RINGS BREWING COM PAN Y

7160 Oliver St. | MissionSprings.ca

Biscuity malt sweetness and subtle hop character make this ale balanced and sessionable.

SUN-THU 11AM-11PM + FRI-SAT 11AM-12AM

EST. 1996

One of B.C.’s oldest craft brewhouses, Mission Springs has been putting out an eclectic lineup of dependable beers for more than 20 years.

TRAILBLAZER

PILSNER

PILSNER

CHERRY BOMB

BELGIAN FARMHO U SE ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 4.5%17

is crisp pilsner is designed solely to satisfy your thirst, which it does in spades.

A BV I BU 5.5%23

Fermented with sour cherries, this approachable farmhouse ale is tart and refreshing.

C HAOS & SOL ACE C RAF T

B REWING C O.

1 - 9360 Mill St. | ChaosAndSolace.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2016

Like its name, everything here is a contradiction: Fresh beers that pay tribute to the past, and a hip tasting room, with reclaimed wood and brick.

PARAMOUNT PORTER

PORTER

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.3%36

Honouring the fallen Paramount eatre through a roasty and moderately dark traditional style.

CHILLI WACK

LAKESIDE

HEFE-WEISSE

H EFE-WEISSE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.4%15

Fruity and spicy aromatics of banana, clove and citrus give life to this traditional wheat beer.

O LD YAL E BREWING CO .

404 - 44550 South Sumas Rd. | OldYaleBrewing.com

TUE-SUN 11AM-7PM

EST. 2000

e expanded brewery means brewer Mike Roberts can deliver more goods, while the tasting room has the vibe of being outdoors without the rain.

BC BACKYARD LAGER

L AGER

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%15

A crisp rye craft lager made with 100 per cent B.C.-grown ingredients, including Chilliwack hops.

WESTCOAST IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.0%75

Citra and Galaxy hops pack a big punch in this IPA that still has balanced drinkability.

CANOE BREWPU B

450 Swift St. | CanoeBrewpub.com

DAILY 11:30AM-LATE

EST. 2002

Housed in a 120-year-old former powerhouse on the Inner Harbour, Canoe might have the best patio of any brewery in B.C.

BOCK BOCK

PALE ALE

NORTHWEST PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 6.5%22

is traditional German-style Bock is rich in malt character with a subtle hop aroma.

VICTORIA

AB V IBU 5.0%20

Paci c Northwest hops take centre stage, supported by a robust maltiness for a full- avoured pint.

DR IFTWOO D B REWER Y

450 Hillside Ave. | DriftwoodBeer.com

TUE-SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2008

A watchword for craft beer quality in B.C., Driftwood’s commitment to brewing consistent staples matches its enthusiasm for innovation.

NAUGHTY HILDEGARD

NORTH W EST E XTRA SPEC I AL BITTER

FARMHAND SAISON

SAI SO N

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 6.5%65

What if hop pioneer Hildegard von Bingen had cultivated Mosaic 800 years ago? Here’s your answer.

AB V IBU 5.0%18

Classic Belgian yeast avours of bubblegum, clove and banana are boosted by pink and black pepper.

HOY NE B REW IN G CO .

101-2740 Bridge St. | HoyneBrewing.ca

MON-FRI 12-6PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2011

Sean Hoyne rst trained under B.C. brewing legend Frank Appleton at Swans, then moved to Canoe before opening his own shop six years ago.

HARD RAIN DO U BLE I NDI A PALE A LE

Availability: One-o

Ideal for those West Coast winter days when it seems like the rain will never end.

HELIOS

Availability: Year-round

Traditionally brewed in Germany’s steel belt, this malt-forward lager is robust and satisfying.

AB V IBU 7.6%N/A

AB V IBU 6.0%N/A

by Joe Wiebe

On Wednesday, November 23, 2016, just after the lunch rush at 1:30pm, patrons sitting upstairs at Spinnakers Brewpub noticed smoke gathering in the room. e large, central replace had a blaze going, as usual, but this was di erent. Something had gone wrong. Customers and sta evacuated the building and the re department was summoned. Fire and smoke began pouring out of the roof around the chimney. As the re ghters worked to ght the blaze, which had spread from the chimney through the roof, a plume of smoke rose into the sky, and could be seen across the Inner Harbour throughout the downtown area. City residents were trans xed, watching from a distance or on their screens, as re ghters climbed up on to the roof to pull apart the chimney to get at the source of the problem.

e thought of Canada’s oldest brewpub – built in 1984 and considered the “cradle of the craft beer revolution” – going up in smoke was devastating.

It took hours to douse the nal ames, and then came the questions that lled the talk radio shows and TV news hours. How extensive was the damage? Would Spinnakers be able to re-open?

Paul Had eld, Spinnakers’ original architect and its owner since 1986, was in Hawaii with his wife Mary when the re occurred. A text from their daughter Kala, who is part of the brewing team at Spinnakers, alerted them to “Call me ASAP!”

eir rst thoughts were that something had happened to their other daughter, Carly, who was in Mexico at the time, so when Kala told them the pub was on re, Paul says he was actually relieved.

Later, when they checked the story online, Paul says he was amazed by how much attention the re got. “CHEK did a ridiculous amount of time, and then we switched to Global and CTV and CBC, and everybody was running the story.”

Meanwhile, his cell phone was buzzing with calls

e provincial capital proves craft beer runs through its veins in aftermath of brewery re.

and messages from people o ering help and support.

“I guess what surprised me,” Paul admits, “was that so many people seemed to care. So many people saw this place as an institution in the country.”

Had eld maintained his sense of humour despite the devastating event. When I texted him a question about the future the next day, he replied, “Rauchbier, Bamberger style?”

e Had elds returned from Hawaii on the weekend after the re. Paul had spent the days thinking about what needed to be done so when he arrived on the scene he was ready to act.

“Fortunately, I had not been traumatized by the event,” he says, “by the massive clean-up that everybody did over the four or ve following days. I got to walk in on Monday and see what needed to be done.”

While some predicted the remediation would take several months, Paul disagreed. Although not an active architect any more, his intimate familiarity with the building meant he was the best architect for the job. But he needed the assistance of a colleague, John Keay, to approve his drawings so that contractors could begin the necessary work. Had eld gures that saved several weeks. He also decided not to wait for insurance before starting the work.

“ e most expensive part of this whole thing was being closed,” he explains. “We were able to get the downstairs bar area along with some additional seats in the grain loft back online within nine days of the re, and the whole [downstairs] restaurant came on four weeks to the day – to the meal – of when the re happened.”

Repairs to the upstairs pub, where most of the damage occurred, would take longer. Ironically, with the replaces and chimneys pulled out, both the upstairs pub and the downstairs dining room are brighter and more open – actually improved by the re, which, by the way, was deemed accidental.

Spinnakers has put out a special beer called Fire ghters irst Extinguisher, a “hopped up West Coast session lager” (4.2% ABV, 35 IBU), as “an expression of our gratitude for the diligence and sensitivity of the dedicated crew who fought a great battle and saved our historic brewpub.” Par-

tial proceeds from sales of this beer will support the Victoria Fire ghters Charitable Foundation. Looking back, it was disarming to see how much the average citizen of Victoria cared about the Spinnakers re. What resounded loud and clear was how much people care about Spinnakers, how important Spinnakers is to the fabric of Victoria, how people missed it when it wasn’t there for a while.

Back when Spinnakers opened more than 30 years ago, the term “craft beer” didn’t even exist, and neither did pubs, at least not in B.C. ere were dingy, windowless beer parlours with no food service, and then there were restaurants, but Spinnakers helped to change all that. e fact that it brewed its own beer was simply a bonus at the time. Over the decades that followed, Had eld fought many battles with the B.C. Liquor Distribution Board, rst to be allowed to package beer for o -sales and then to be able to sell that beer in government liquor stores, which balanced the playing eld for microbreweries and brewpubs and helped modernize tired old liquor laws.

Craft beer is part of life in Victoria now, part of the DNA of this community. is is not just because of Spinnakers, although its historic position as Canada’s rst brewpub is certainly a big part of the story. ere are three other brewpubs here, too, each unique and special for a di erent reason. Swans was built in 1989 by Frank Appleton, who helped John Mitchell build Canada’s rst microbrewery in Horseshoe Bay in 1982 (Mitchell helped build Spinnakers next). Canoe, where Sean Hoyne brewed for years before striking out on his own in 2011, is in

Photo: Times Colonist

a stunningly beautiful, renovated power station from the 1880s. Its waterside patio is arguably the best in B.C.

Tug wasn’t actually Driftwood’s rst IPA. at was 2009’s Sartori Harvest, the rst wet-hopped IPA released in BC.

In 2011, Hoyne Brewing opened across the parking lot from Driftwood, and the Moon Under Water Brewpub opened nearby. Since then, four more breweries have opened in Greater Victoria: the Four Mile Brewpub in View Royal, Category 12 Brewing in Central Saanich, the Axe and Barrel Brewhouse in Langford, and Victoria Caledonian Brewery and Distillery in Saanich, whose beer is packaged under the name Twa Dogs.

e Great Canadian Beer Festival started here in 1993 with 70 di erent beers from 23 breweries from Canada and the Paci c Northwest. B.C. had fewer than 15 breweries then, compared to more than 130 now. Beerfest, as locals refer to it, has occurred annually on the weekend after Labour Day ever since. Last September, the two-day event featured more than 200 beers from 64 Canadian breweries, most of them from B.C., with more than 4,500 people attending each day.

Lighthouse Brewing also opened in the ‘90s, followed by a little one-man operation you probably have never heard of, called Phillips Brewing, which opened in 2001. My favourite anecdote about Matt Phillips comes from Mike Spence, the proprietor of the Drake Eatery, who operated another restaurant around the time Phillips opened. He remembers calling Matt to ask if he could get some of his beer on tap. According to Mike, Matt replied that he already had seven accounts and that was more than enough. Last summer, a buddy of mine was visiting family in Newfoundland and spotted Phillips beer on sale there. ings have changed a little.

en there’s Driftwood. Widely regarded now as one of B.C.’s top breweries, if not the best, Driftwood launched in 2008 with a trio of beers: two Belgian styles (White Bark Wit and Farmhand Ale) and a pale ale, then called Driftwood Ale, since renamed New Growth. No IPA in sight. At the time, co-founder Jason Meyer told me: “ ere are a lot of good IPAs out there. We know that the bar has been set high, and we intend to try and set it just a bit higher.” Perhaps you’ve heard of the IPA they eventually released? Fun fact: Fat

Another brewpub will be built in 2018 as part of the Hudson District development downtown, and although Phillips has not made any o cial announcements, it’s clear the brewery is making way for a new tasting room. Lighthouse is working on a tasting room in its Esquimalt location, too, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Driftwood expand into a new, stand-alone brewery with a tasting room in the next few years.

Trace the history of all these Victoria breweries and you’ll end up back where it all started: at Spinnakers. Luckily, the re didn’t destroy this special and historic place, but it did serve as a reminder not to take it for granted. If you haven't been there in a while, or even worse, if you never have, it’s time to plan a visit. j

e fourth annual Victoria Beer Week returns March 3-11, 2017, with 16 events spread out over nine days. Highlights this year include a new barrel-aged beer event on Saturday, March 4 and Lift O ! on March 11, where 12 brand new beers will be launched by B.C. craft breweries. Visit VictoriaBeerWeek.com for the complete schedule and more information.

So many people saw this place as an institution in the country. - Paul Had eld

MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY

350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca

SAT-THU 11:30AM-11PM ^ FRI 11:30AM-12AM

EST. 2012

e Moon is often full with people full of the Moon’s ne beer and grub. Clay Potter delivers handsome examples of German and West Coast styles.

THIS IS HEFEWEIZEN

HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.5%15

As authentic as it gets in B.C. Pair with a freshly baked pretzel and weisswurst, if you can.

LIGHTSIDE OF THE MOON

LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.2%12

Here’s to quality adjunct beer. A mash containing 30 per cent rice makes for a super-brisk experience.

PHILL IPS BREW ING & MALTI NG C O.

2010 Government St. | PhillipsBeer.com

MON 10AM-5PM ^ TUE-THU 10AM-6PM

FRI 10AM-7PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2001

e only craft brewery in Canada that malts its own barley. at attention to detail is apparent in the consistency of Phillips’ award-winning beers.

HAMMER OAK AGED

IMP ER I AL STO UT

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 8.3%N/A

Phillip’s Hammer Imperial Stout gets the barrel-aged treatment with some toasted French oak.

VICTORIA

SAINTS B.C. BENEFIT BREW

IM P ER I AL PILS N ER

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 7.0%N/A

Full proceeds from this custom beer will help fund SAINTS end of life animal sanctuary.

SP I NNAKER S BREWPU B

308 Catharine St. | Spinnakers.com

DAILY 8AM-11PM

EST. 1984

Canada’s rst brewpub su ered a scare in November, after a re damaged the building. Luckily no one was hurt, and the beer is still owing.

PEACH PARADISE HEFEWEIZEN

W HEAT ALE

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 4.5%20

Red Fife steeped in Silk Road’s Peach Paradise tea, with notes of citrus, clove and bright peach.

SNAKEBITE

CIDER/ B EER

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 6.5%5

A blend between crisp, cold fermented beer and their house formulated B.C. apple cider.

S WAN S BREWPU B

506 Pandora Ave. | SwansHotel.com

MON-FRI 11AM-LATE + SAT-SUN 9AM-LATE

EST. 1989

New brewer Chris Lukie (ex-Lighthouse) is churning out lots of interesting, new beers to go along with Swans’ lineup of old faithfuls.

DOPPELBOCK

DOPPELBOCK

Availability: One-o

AB V IBU 8.0%20

is malty beer was brewed with German Hallertau Blanc hops and cellared for eight weeks.

BELGIAN BLONDE

Availability: One-o

AB V IBU 6.8%23

Smooth and tasty, this was brewed with French Aramis, German Opal hops, and a fragrant yeast.

1-866- 549 -1 323

sal es@ t hin kuni versal .co m ww w. thin kunive rsa l. co m

VANCOU V ER IS LAN D

B REWER Y

2330 Government St. | VanIslandBrewery.com

TUES-SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 1986

anks to a complete rebrand and the addition of former Parallel 49 brewer Danny Seeton, Vancouver Island Brewing suddenly has some serious craft beer cred. Look for an entirely new line of sessionstrength beers hitting shelves March 1.

Availability: Year-round

is pale golden lager comes correct with biscuity malts and a subtle hop bitterness.

Availability: Year-round

Unlike its import competitors, this beer has complexity coming from premium grain, malt and hops.

SOMBRIO CITRUS SESSION

S

Availability: Year-round

is fruity full- avoured IPA is session-strength so you can drink it all day long.

Availability: Year-round

Tons of bright avour thanks to a proprietary blend of citrus zests added to each batch.

W Hat’s in a name?

Vancouver Island Brewing’s Piper’s Pale Ale is named after First World War hero and Victoria Cross recipient Piper James Richardson, who inspired troops during the Battle of the Somme with the rousing sound of his bagpipes.

VICTORIA CALEDONIAN BREWERY AND DISTILLERY

761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com

DAILY 10AM-10PM

EST. 2016

Victoria’s newest brewery is very Scottish. Everyone seems to wear kilts, even brewmaster Dean McLeod (he’s Australian, but with Scottish roots).

TWA DOGS SEAS BETWEEN US RED INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 7.0%Loads

is malty, hoppy beer is Twa Dogs’ rst bomber and is also in a mixed 12-pack.

CENT. SAANICH

TWA DOGS HOLY WILLIE’S ROBUST PORTER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.5%25

Rich and malty, this tasty porter will disappear quickly, leaving you praying for more.

CATEGORY 12 BREWING

Unit C - 2200 Keating Cross Rd. | Category12Beer.com

TUE-SAT 12-6PM ^ SUN 12-4PM

EST. 2014

Barrel-aging, a strong bunch of core beers, a creative brewmaster, and a location near the ferry. C12 is the Four Winds of the Island. Just sayin’...

ELEMENTAL SERIES

BRETT SAISON

BRETT SAISON

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 6.0%25

Your funk and your fruit all in one delicious package… for a very limited time.

INSUBORDINATE SESSION INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 4.5%49

All of the avour of an IPA at a much more manageable alcohol level.

L IGHTHOU SE B REW IN G CO .

2 - 836 Devonshire Rd. | LighthouseBrewing.com

MON 8AM-4:30PM ^ TUE-FRI 9AM-6PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 1998

Heading into its 19th year, Lighthouse is trying to increase consumer awareness about its beers. A new tasting room for 2017 should help. SHIPWRECK

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 6.5%59

is fruity and oral hop-bomb is comparable to another Victoria IPA with a nautical name.

VI EW ROYAL

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 9.1%65

Arrr, if hops be what you crave, this beer be what you seek. Arr!

4 MI LE B REW ING CO.

199 Island Highway | 4MileBrewingCo.com

DAILY 11AM-11:30PM

EST. 2014

is brewpub in one of Victoria’s oldest houses (dating back to 1858) has recently reinvigorated itself with a new brewer.

MOSAIC SESSION IPA

S ESS ION I NDI A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 4.5%40

Bursting with the fruity, tropical avours of Mosaic hops, but lighter in alcohol.

TANGERINE DREAM

A MER I CA N W HEAT A LE

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 4.2%20

Brewed with wheat malt and oats, along with citrusy hops, sweet orange peel and coriander.

A XE AN D BARREL BREW ING CO.

2323 Millstream Ave. | AxeAndBarrel.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2015

Barbecue and craft beer are together at last at Axe and Barrel’s Langford brewpub. Bottles of brewer Andrew Tessier’s beer hit shelves this spring.

LANGFORD LAGER

A MER I CA N LAG ER

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 4.8%10

is refreshing lager is just the thing to wash down that plate of smoked pork ribs.

SOOKE O CEANSID E B REWERY

AXE STOUT

IR I SH STO UT

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 4.0%40

Full-bodied and malt-rich with a healthy dose of hop bitterness for a smooth, dry nish.

1-5529 Sooke Rd. | SookeOceansideBrewing.com

WED-SUN 12-8PM

EST. 2016

Last stop for growler lls before you start the West Coast Trail! Sooke’s rst brewery (yes, there’s another on the way) has proven to be wildly popular.

REENA O’REILLY

POINT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Small batch

AB V IBU 4.5%31

A classic roasty stout with hints of chocolate and co ee and an airy nish.

AB V IBU 5.0%Varies

A single malt, single-hop ale, using a sturdy Maris Otter malt base and rotating through hop varietals.

Who's brewing what

THE GROWLER GUIDE TO SHADOW BRANDS, CONTRACT BREWERIES AND PROPRIETARY BREWS

by Jan Zeschky

It’s bloody di cult to keep up with the number of breweries opening in B.C. these days, let alone all the di erent beers they produce. Making this task even more di cult are the many additional brands appearing on taps and in liquor stores that aren’t necessarily brewed in their own brick-and-mortar facilities.

Some brewing companies brew under contract at another brewery. Some breweries create di erent brands. Some breweries create di erent brands and make them look like they’re independent breweries.

Confused? Let’s try to x that.

Here’s a list of made-in-B.C. beer brands, some of which you may have happened upon and wondered, “where the hell did they come from?”

Legend

Contract brewery:

An independent brewing company – usually one that’s starting out and doesn’t have its own facility – that brews its beer under licence at another brewery.

Proprietary brand:

A brand that di ers in name and appearance from the brewery’s main brand(s), but is still noticeably made by that brewery (i.e., it probably says so on the label).

Shadow brand:

A brand that di ers in name and appearance from the brewery’s main brand(s), with very little information to tell who actually makes it. Often masquerades as an independent brewing company.

B.C. Brew Co. Sun Peaks Cream Ale, Honey Ale and Pilsner are brewed at Prohibition Brewing Company, Kelowna. A location outside Kamloops has been earmarked for a brewery, farm and malting facility.

B.C. Genuine Draft (Westline Brewing) Westline is “under a NDA with our current brewing facility,” but the location is “100 per cent B.C. owned and operated,” according to spokesman Elliot McKerr.

Big Surf Beer Co. Brewed by Prohibition Brewing Company, Kelowna, under the Allen Brands umbrella.

Bone Beer Brewed at Prohibition Brewing Company, Kelowna.

Boombox Brewing Company Brewed independently under licence at Callister Brewing Co., Vancouver.

Bowen Island Brewing Co. Ltd. Brewed by Northam Beverages, Kamloops.

Canterbury Dark Mild Brewed by Paci c Western Brewing, Prince George.

Canuck Empire Brewed at Dead Frog Brewery, Aldergrove.

Cariboo Brewed by Paci c Western Brewing, Prince George.

East Van Brewing Company is forthcoming brewery and tasting room in the 1600-block Venables Street is, according to its website, a “Product of Prohibition Brewing Co.” EVBC beer has been brewed at Prohibition in Kelowna since 2015, and has been available at Metro Vancouver venues operated by the Jennings Group, including London Pub, Manchester Pub, Narrows Public House, Two Lions Pub and Stateside Craft.

Good Company Lager Brewed at a facility in Kelowna. Co-owner Patryk Drozd, who runs the Cobalt, e American and Boxcar venues in Vancouver, says he can’t reveal the exact facility due to a non-disclosure agreement. Owners Drozd and Michael Kiraly (ex-Steam Whistle) plan to eventually open their own brewery in Metro Vancouver.

Hell’s Gate Brewing Co. Brewed by Turning Point Brewery in Delta, which is owned by Labatt, a subsidiary of AB InBev.

Ironhorse Original Brewed by Paci c Western Brewing, Prince George.

Kokanee Owned by Labatt, a subsidiary of AB InBev. Brewed at the Columbia Brewery, Creston.

Kootenay true ale Owned by Labatt, a subsidiary of AB InBev. Brewed at the Columbia Brewery, Creston.

Lightheart Brewing Brewed independently under licence at Callister Brewing Co., Vancouver.

lucky lager Owned by Labatt, a subsidiary of AB InBev. Brewed at the Columbia Brewery, Creston.

Lululemon beer Curiosity Lager, Sunset Strawberry Wit and Courageous Blonde were all brewed at Turning Point Brewery in Delta, which is owned by Labatt, a subsidiary of AB InBev.

Pacific Brewed by Paci c Western Brewing, Prince George.

Real Cask Brewing Brewed independently under licence at Callister Brewing Co., Vancouver.

Red Racer Brewed by Central City Brewers + Distillers, Surrey.

scandal Brewed by Paci c Western Brewing, Prince George. Appears to have been discontinued, but bottles still available at government liquor stores.

Shaftebury Brewed by Tree Brewing Co., Kelowna.

Sneaky Weasel Craft Lager (Balderdash Brewing) Brewed by Northam Beverages, Kamloops.

Stanley Park Brewing Brewed by Turning Point Brewery, Delta, which is owned by Labatt, a subsidiary of AB InBev.

Superflux Beer Company Brewed at Dogwood Brewing, Vancouver.

TNT Brewed by Paci c Western Brewing, Prince George.

Twa Dogs Brewed by Victoria Caledonian Brewery & Distillery, Victoria. Brewery & Distillery, Victoria.

RE D ARROW B REW IN G C O.

5255 Chaster Rd. | RedArrowBeer.ca

SUN-THU 11AM-6PM ^ FRI 11AM-8PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2015

Red Arrow’s ivy-covered, red brick building stands out next to the highway just outside Duncan, and its gorgeous tasting room is one of the best in B.C.

HOP SHOP IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

IM P ER I AL I NDI A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 7.5%95

Supercharged with enough Zeus and Mosaic leaf additions to satisfy any hop-head.

CHEMAINU S

RI OT BREW ING C O.

101A - 3055 Oak St. | RiotBrewing.com

MIDNITE UMBER

NORTH A MER I CA N B ROW N A LE

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 5.1%33

Ruby brown with notes of to ee and brown sugar balanced by Southern Hemisphere hops.

MON-THU 11AM-9PM ^ FRI-SUN 11AM-11PM

EST. 2016

Riot has its own purpose-built home as part of a new Chemainus retail development. With beer nally owing, the tasting room’s a hit with locals.

JUNK PUNCH

I NDI A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 6.0%75

Brewer Fabian Specht learned under Gary Lohin at Central City. Guess what? It shows.

WORKING CLASS

HERO

DARK MI LD

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 3.8%14

is tasty beer is proof positive that a low-alcohol beer can be rich and avourful.

LON G WOO D B REWER Y

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | LongwoodBeer.com

WED-FRI 2-6PM ^ SAT 12-5PM

EST. 2013

Long a leading light in the Island’s beer scene, Longwood opened its production brewery in 2013 to allow brewer Harley Smith to expand his line.

INDEPENDENT PILSNER

IM P ER I AL P I LS N ER

STEAM PUNK

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 7.0%70

A powerful declaration of independence. Lightly grainy and spicy and impressively balanced.

NANAI MO

AB V IBU 5.0%19

A light-bodied, crisp dark ale given a brisk graininess from a generous use of wheat.

WHIT E SA ILS BREW ING

125 Comox Rd. | WhiteSailsBrewing.com

MON-WED 3-9PM ^ THU 3-11PM ^ FRI-SAT 12PM-12AM SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2015

A new snack menu and locally roasted co ee are joining the regular music and cask nights at White Sails’ spacious yet cosy taproom.

CATHEDRAL GROVE COMMON

C AL I FORNIA C OMMO N

SHACK ISLAND STOUT

S TO UT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 5.2%38

A classic Cali common with fruity and caramel sweetness balanced by light herbal hop bitterness.

AB V IBU 5.4%40

A smooth, hearty and roasty stout featuring hints of chocolate, molasses and co ee.

WOL F B REW IN G CO.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | WolfBrewingCompany.com

SUN-MON 12-5PM ^ TUE-THU 12-6PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-7PM

EST. 2010

Wolf’s Liverpudlian brewmaster Kev Ward brings some Old World style to the burgeoning Mid-Island craft beer scene.

BELGIAN ABBEY

B ELGI AN B LONDE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 6.6%30

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

LO VE SH ACK L IB ATION S

SCOTCH ALE

S COTCH ALE

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 6.5%34

Six di erent malts go into this dark copper take on a traditional “wee heavy.”

#1-4134 Island Hwy. West | LoveShackLibations.com

SAT 12-4PM

EST. 2016

Dave Paul does it all, from brewing to bottling. e LoveShack is a little old place where we can go to drink beer made with heart.

CRAFTY CREAM ALE

C REAM A LE

Availability: Small batch

AB V IBU 5.5%15

is golden beaut is a quencher with a subtle sweetness on a smooth and soft body.

PRECIOUS PORTER

P ORTER

Availability: Small batch

AB V IBU 5.0%25

is porter has a chocolaty richness and is not based on the novel Push by Sapphire.

CUMBERLAN D B REW IN G CO .

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | CumberlandBrewing.com

SUN-WED 12-9PM ^ THU - SAT 12-10PM

EST. 2014

Cumberland Brewing is very much a re ection of the town it calls home: small, creative and full of personality.

BLACKCURRANT SAISON

SAI SO N

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 4.5%N/A

e latest in a long line of fruity saisons from Cumberland brewmaster Mike Tymchuk.

AB V IBU 5.0%N/A

Cumberland’s rst porter, so-named because it is assistant brewer Caitlyn’s Best Concoction.

F ORBIDDEN B REW IN G CO.

1590 Cli e Ave. | ForbiddenBrewing.com

WED-SUN 12-10PM

EST. 2015

Located in the Westerley Hotel, Forbidden’s beers are all made with organic ingredients, and – bonus – there’s even a free pool table.

WILD IPA

WI LD I NDI A PALE A LE

HELLES BOCK

H ELLES B OCK

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 6.5%50

Wild Sacc. trois yeast helps impart tropical pineapple avours in this hoppy IPA.

AB V IBU 6.5%25

is medium-hued bock balances a smooth maltiness with a crisp spicy hop nish.

CBC PORTER PORTER

G LADSTONE B REW IN G CO.

244 4th St. | GladstoneBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 2015

With brewmaster Tak Guenette at the helm and a new canning line about to start production, the future looks bright for this Comox Valley brewery.

MUNICH HELLES

H ELLES LAG ER

BELGIAN DUBBEL

Availability: Seasonal Availability: One-o

AB V IBU 5.3%20

Old World hops and malts combine for traditional dark golden palate pleaser.

BEAC H F I RE

594 - 11th Ave. | BeachFireBrewing.ca

TUE-SUN 11:30AM-8PM

EST. 2016

AB V IBU 7.8%20

is spicy, warming dubbel was brewed in honour of Gladstone’s second birthday.

Campbell River has welcomed Beach Fire with open arms. e space includes a restaurant serving an extensive assortment of tapas.

BEACH BLONDE ALE

SINGLE-HOPP ED B LOND E

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 4.9%36

A basic, lager-like blonde ale with a slightly sweet malt pro le and a light, hoppy nish.

HIGH TIDE PALE ALE

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 5.5%40

is pale ale has some citrusy hop character in the taste but very little hop aroma.

B ELGI AN DUBBEL

CAM P BELL R IVER

TW I N CITY

BREW ING C O.

4503 Margaret St. | TwinCityBrewing.ca

TUE-SUN 11:30AM-9PM

EST. 2017

Twin City looks set to make Port Alberni proud, serving inventive beer and food in a sleek venue originally built in the 1940s.

SWEDISH GYMNAST

SINGLE-HOPP ED B LOND E

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 4.9%36

A light blonde with great balance and a lot of hops. ese guys are good at beer names.

TO

PORTER ALBERNI

PORTER

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 5.3%36

Twin City’s tribute to what it calls “the much-under-appreciated Valley we call home.”

FINO B REW IN G CO.

Units C & D, 681 Industrial Way | To noBrewingCo.com

DAILY 11AM-9PM

EST. 2011

No trip to B.C.’s Paci c playground is complete without a stop at To no Brewing. eir solid lineup of beers is easy to nd if you can’t make the trip.

SPRUCE TREE ALE

GOL DEN A LE

TOFINO LAGER

LA G ER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 6.5%N/A

You can literally taste the West Coast in this golden ale thanks to foraged Sitka spruce tips.

AB V IBU 5.0%N/A

is light lager is the perfect refresher after a long day of sur ng at Long Beach.

T OWNSIT E B REW ING

5824 Ash Ave. | TownsiteBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2012

A standout gem of the sparkling Sunshine Coast. e brewery oozes historic charm, and Cedric Dauchot’s beer is consistently great.

PERFECT STORM

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 5.5%30

PR isn’t too far to go to get Canada’s best oatmeal stout. ankfully, it’s widely distributed, too.

NS

ZWARTE WHEAT

Availability: Year-round

AB V IBU 5.2%20

e addition of midnight wheat makes for a nourishing, bready take on a zesty citrus witbier.

PER S EP H ONE B REW IN G CO.

1053 Stewart Rd. | PersephoneBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2013

B.C. agriculture laws that apply to breweries, but not cideries and wineries, have put Persephone in a tough spot. Grab a bottle and help them out.

WEST COAST KETTLE

Availability: Small batch

AB V IBU 5.0%10

e brewery’s second kettle sour is red in colour and packs big-time tropical hop aromas.

BEST BITTER

B

Availability: Seasonal

AB V IBU 4.0%40

Interesting hop aroma of blackberry and peach on a sessionable English Bitter.

GIBSO

SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES

270 Furness Rd. | SaltSpringIslandAles.com

DAILY 12-5PM

EST. 1998

is idyllic cottage brewery makes its beers with water from its own natural mountain spring, as well as organic and non-GMO ingredients.

EARL GREY IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 7.0%45

Tea time meets happy hour with this bergamot-infused, British-style IPA.

MAYNE ISLAND

MAYNE ISLAND BREWING CO.

SPRING FEVER GRUIT GRUIT

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.2%0

Made without hops and brewed with wild herbs, spices and roots for a bright, cider-like avour.

490 Fernhill Rd. | MayneIslandBrewingCo.com

FRI-SAT 1-4PM

EST. 2016

It’s been two years in the making, but there’s another Gulf Islands brewery. It’s focusing on small batches to serve the local community.

MAYNE ISLAND FORAGER

SAISON

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.2%10

Di erent locally-foraged additions, like blackberries, juniper and nettles, are used in each batch.

SINGLE HOP IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.6%40

e plan with this IPA is to showcase the di erent “workhorse” hops for each brew.

Information InCider

Another craft revolution is growing as B.C. cideries boom

by Megan Cole

Nearly a decade ago it seemed like B.C. was watching the decline of one of its oldest products; apples. e Okanagan was becoming the destination in Western Canada for wine enthusiasts, and with the growing popularity of B.C. wines came the devaluation of the apples, which had long been one of the staple crops in the area. Farmers were tearing out their apple trees to make way for more lucrative grape vines. But what those farmers didn't see coming was the wave of interest in local craft products, which has brought with it craft cider.

e renewed interest in apples has meant some young entrepreneurs who are pursuing cider are heading back to the land where apples were once a focus, to plant the seeds of their new business.

BACK TO THE ROOTS

Robin Cairns and his business partners at Dominion Cider, Mike Harris and Luke Cyca, are country boys who'd met while doing their undergraduate degrees at SFU. Like many young students, the trio had been brewing beer and cider in their apartments. But when Harris and his wife bought a farm in his hometown of Summerland two years ago, they were faced with the option of

taking the cider hobby and making it a career.

“We started the process to get a licence and moved into an operation on the 10-acre farm,” says Cairns. “We're in market with two products we did in our rst year.”

Like many farms in the area, a portion of Cairns’ land is currently used to grow grapes for the wine industry.

“We harvest them and sell them to Saxon Estate Winery next door,” he says. “We're planning to remove the two acres of vineyard in the next year or two so that we have more room to plant apples, which is kind of the opposite of what a lot of the orchardists in the Okanagan Valley have done of the last few years.”

Despite how ubiquitous the wine industry has become in the Okanagan, Cairns says there is a lot of interest from locals in getting back to the agricultural roots of the area, which is in orcharding and tree fruits.

“A lot of the people who come through the farm and the cidery are pretty keen that we're trying to bring back that heritage,” he says.

History was also a contributing factor to how Salt

Spring Wild Cider got its start. For an island that is 182.7 square kilometres, Salt Spring Island has a rich apple history dating back to 1860. According to the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival, held annually in October, more than 450 varieties of apple are grown organically on the Island.

“My partner Gerda [Lattey] and I were both sort of in an endless search for jobs on Salt Spring,” says Mike Lachelt, co-owner and director of Salt Spring Wild Cider. “I was newer to the Island than Gerda, and was noticing all the apple trees, and we got to talking together and decided to make a bunch of cider.”

e rst batch of cider that Lattey and Lachelt made wasn't from apples harvested from a local orchard, instead the pair went around knocking on doors and calling neighbours asking for their apples. Enjoying the fruits of their labour, Lattey and Lachelt thought cider might be the perfect business for them, and Salt Spring Island.

As Salt Spring Wild Cider was getting its start, Lachelt says he was doing some research on the craft cider industry and saw the swell of enthusiasm south of the border and thought it was a good time to get into the business.

“It seems to have started mainly down in the States, in the Paci c Northwest, in Oregon and Washington State,” he says. “What's going on down there has been quite incredible with cider. You go into pubs and there are three local ciders on tap, and there are some places that only serve cider.”

In B.C., domestic craft cider sales were worth $55 million in 2015. According to BC Liquor Distribution Board, domestic cider sales increased by 11.8 per cent in 2015, and numbers from 2016 indicate continued growth with more cideries coming into the market.

THE OTHER CRAFT REVOLUTION

With craft beer having exploded in popularity across the province over the past ve years, the craft cider industry has also experienced a leg-up, thanks to consumers’ increased interest in locally -made craft beverages.

“We get a lot of crossover with the craft beer drinkers, and they already know what's up,” says Dane Brown, director of operations at Sunday Cider. “We kind of position ourselves with craft breweries. ere are some cideries that position themselves with wine, but it's about the same >>

We get a lot of cross-over with the craft beer drinkers, and they already know what's up.

- Dane Brown, Sunday Cider

alcohol content as beer, you can buy it in a pint, and you can ll a growler with it. It feels closer to beer for us.”

anks to the fact that cider is gluten-free, it’s also become popular as an alternative for those who can’t stomach craft beer, but still want a local craft beverage. Many B.C. craft breweries reserve a guest tap in their tasting room for local cider, so they have something to o er gluten-free drinkers.

Even though Sunday Cider doesn't fall under the de nition of a farm-based cidery, they are working to produce a high quality craft product made from real apple juice pressed in Keremeos from apples harvested from an orchard they work with in the Okanagan.

Brown says the cider industry provides a unique opportunity for apple growers, by providing a market for irregular apples that might not be pretty enough for grocery stores.

“Orchards are having a tough time, so the cider industry is going to be huge for the province,” he says. “B.C. is de nitely the apple basket of Western Canada… and [cider] is going to help out a lot of the orchardists who didn't know what things were going to look like 10 years down the road.

GOOD THINGS GROWING

Much like the craft beer industry’s spirit of cooperation – where breweries regularly collaborate on beers, share large orders of ingredients, and even deliver product on the same truck – Lachelt says the community amongst cider houses has grown, too.

“It's interesting in B.C., because a lot of the local cider producers have gotten together and problem-solved, and shared all kinds of information about the process,” he says. “ ere is this feeling that there is no cost in being helpful to our competition, in fact we can help ourselves out by putting better cider on the shelves so that more people will be interested in drinking craft cider.”

Some of the province’s most long-standing craft cideries are helping to create those connections, for the betterment of the industry.

Mike

has been working to form the B.C. Farm Crafted Cider Association with over 20 other similar

Jason Child and his family bought Merridale Cider in 1999, and up until recently, Merridale (which was founded by Al Piggot in 1990) had been the lone B.C. “land-based” cidery, which means their apples were all grown on site. Child has been working to form the B.C. Farm Crafted Cider Association with over 20 other similar operations in the province so they can lobby, advertise and source things together. eir shared success has meant Child has been able to expand his operation and experiment with new products.

“Now we can try new and di erent things, and we know people will support that,” he says. “It's nice to have this camaraderie. We aren't just competitors, we're a community as well.” j

“Now we can try new and di erent we're a community as well.”

We can help ourselves out by putting better cider on the shelves so that more people will be interested in drinking craft cider.

-

Lachelt, Salt Spring Wild Cider

KAMLOOPS

RED COLLAR BREWING CO .

355 Lansdowne St. | RedCollar.ca

TUE-WED 4-10PM ^ THU-FRI 3-10PM ^ SAT 1-10PM

EST. 2014

e temple to beer that David Beardsell built aims at proving what the lifelong brewer has always known to be true: Life is better with beer.

RYE, RYE, RYE (& GINGER ALE)

RYE PALE A LE WITH GIN GER

RAD ALE

A ME R ICAN RED A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 5.0%18

A golden ale with subtle spice and a light heat from fresh ginger root.

CRANN ó G ALES

706 Elson Rd. | CrannogAles.com

DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM

EST. 2000

A BV I BU 5.0%30

Presumably named after the 1980s BMX movie due to its impressive balance between malt and hops.

Don’t expect to see a huge expansion any time soon. Sorrento’s organic farm brewery is a pioneer of sustainability that works just ne as is, thanks.

GAEL’S BLOOD

POTATO A LE

A

BV I BU

Turns out you can mash potato in a mash tun. Smooth, rich in malt and lavishly hopped.

94

BLACKSTRAP BOOTSTRAPPER

BR OWN A LE

A

BNA BREWING CO .

1250 Ellis St. | BNABrewing.com

SUN-THU 1PM-LATE ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-LATE

EST. 2015

BNA might be the coolest place to drink craft beer in the Okanagan, but if you can’t make it there, its beer is now available in liquor stores.

FUBAR

WIT B IE R

Availability: One-o

A BV I BU 5.0%15

is refreshing and surprisingly complex wit dazzles with notes of orange and chocolate.

PAMELA BEL G IAN BLONDE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%21

BNA’s original blonde recipe gets a makeover with a touch of lime zest and ka r.

B OUNDAR Y B REWING

2 - 455 Neave Crt. | BoundaryBrewing.beer

DAILY 12PM-LATE

EST. 2016

Lineups have stretched out the door at Kelowna’s newest brewery, where owner/brewer Oliver Glaser cooks up classic German styles.

DOUBLE BALTIC PORTER

BALTIC PO R TE R

ALTBIER

A LT B IE R

Availability: Limited Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 8.8%25

is big, boozy beast is described as “a northern German take on a traditional English stout porter.”

A BV I BU 5.5%35

A traditional alt that’s malt forward, delicately hopped, crisp and satisfying.

K ETTLE R IV ER B REWING C O.

731 Baillie Ave. | KettleRiverBrewing.ca

DAILY 12-10PM

EST. 2016

e DIY attitude and indie ethos of Kettle River has made them a welcome addition to Kelowna’s brewery scene.

GENTLEMAN COWBOY SESSION IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 4.4%45

Swings rst with a big citrus and grapefruit wallop, but nishes re ned and qua able.

RED CURRANT GRISETTE

GRIS ETTE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV I BU 4.6%12

Light bodied with spicy aromas, it’s refreshing, complimented with a nice tartness from the red currant.

TREE BREWING BEER INSTITUTE

1346 Water St. | TreeBrewingBeerInstitute.com

SUN-TUE 11AM-9PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-10PM

EST. 1996

is is Tree’s R&D lab where small batch brews are poured fresh from the tanks. Enjoy pizza made with spent grains and cask nights on ursdays.

MEXICAN LAGER

M EXICAN-STYLE VIENNA LAGER

Availability: One-o

A BV I BU 4.0%15

is clean and refreshing amber lager originated when Austrian brewers emigrated to Mexico.

OAT’N ABOUT

O ATMEAL STO UT

Availability: One-o

A BV I BU 5.0%22

Slightly sweet with a smooth body, this is quite simply a good, old-fashioned oatmeal stout.

TREE BREWING

1083 Richter St. | TreeBeer.com

MON-FRI 11AM-5PM

EST. 1996

Tree Brewing’s main production facility and tasting room in Kelowna’s North End is also worth a visit.

KELOWNA PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.8%15

is award-winning pilsner is mildly hopped and well-balanced, just the thing for hot Okanagan days.

CUTTHROAT

WEST COAST ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%36

Five di erent hop varieties and ve di erent malts go into Tree’s workhorse ale.

TICKETS

Early Bird

Advance

All Access + G.A.

MAY 11 - 13, 2017

Main Event May 13, Waterfront Park

SOLD OUT SOLD OUT

ON SALE NOW - AVAILABLE AT GOBF.CA

DETONATE BREWING

#104 - 9503 Cedar Ave. | DetonateBrewing.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2017

e beer scene in the Okanagan continues to grow! is nanobrewery is the rst in Summerland. Pop in for samplers and growler lls on weekends.

CALL THE HOPS

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.6%74

A hop-forward beer with a signi cant malt character to balance the hops.

PENTICTON

CITRA PALE ALE

PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.0%27

is lighter pale ale has a tropical citrus avour coming from the Citra hops.

BAD TATTOO BREWING CO.

169 Estabrook Ave. | BadTattooBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2014

Unlike some regrettable ink you might see at the nearby beaches, Bad Tattoo is an excellent Penticton xture, thanks to Robert eroux’s brews.

VAGABOND PILSNER

PILSNER

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 4.5%25

Brewed traditionally and using only Czech Saaz hops, it’s light, crisp and pairs well with sun.

GHOST RIDER BLACK

IPA

CASCADIAN DARK ALE

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 6.6%80

Have a re extinguisher nearby for this barrel-aged black IPA brewed with habanero peppers.

CANNER Y BREWING

198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com

MON-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI 12-9PM ^ SAT 11AM-9PM SUN 11AM-8PM

EST. 2000

e Cannery has settled into its spacious digs, o ering the most taps in town. Probably the only B.C. brewery with a British bar billiards table.

HOP CHOWDAH

N EW ENG LAND IPA

THE MUSE AND THE GOLDEN PROMISE

E XT R A PALE A LE

Availability: Small batch Availability: Year-round

BV

I BU 6.5%35 A

An ex-beer-iment that taps into the latest craze. Smooth juicy, citrus notes with light bitterness.

PENTICTON

HIGHWAY 97 BREWERY

954 Eckhardt Ave. | Hwy97Brewery.com

DAILY 11AM-9PM

EST. 2016

Situated in Tin Whistle’s former home, Penticton’s newest craft brewery o ers an Okanagan twist on traditional beer styles.

APRICOT

HEFEWEIZEN

F RUIT W HEAT A LE

I BU 6.5%35

ROASTED CARAMEL PORTER

ROBUST POR TE R

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A

I BU 4.5%22

is light and refreshing ale is infused with fresh apricots from local Okanagan farms.

Penticton I

Penticton isn’t just about the beach, the peach, and the Naramata Bench. is small, South Okanagan city within easy driving distance of the coast has a thriving, cutting-edge craft beer scene that includes four breweries, a quaint brewpub, and one of the longest running annual beer festivals in B.C. Here’s a rundown on one of my favourite, undiscovered craft beer communities in B.C.

by Joe Wiebe

Bad Tattoo Brewing

BadTattooBrewing.com

Bad Tattoo’s custom-built facility, located within walking distance of the beach, includes an on-site pizza restaurant, making it one of the most popular dinner options in town. e beer is good, too, thanks to the creativity of the biggest brewmaster in B.C., Robert eroux, an ex-football player from Montreal. A specialty is La Resureccion, a Belgian Quad aged in spirit barrels, which is released on November 1st each year.

Barley Mill Brewpub

BarleyMillPub.com

is two-level brewpub has a large, pub-style restaurant downstairs and a family-friendly bistro upstairs that is decorated with a huge collection of sports memorabilia. e atmosphere is friendly and welcoming throughout with a kitchen that will sat-

isfy every appetite. During the Okanagan summer months, join them on their patio for a frosty pint.

Cannery Brewing

CanneryBrewing.com

is brewery was named for its original venue, the Cannery Trade Centre, a historic building in the heart of Penticton where it was based from 2001 until it opened its own facility in 2015. e “new” Cannery is a busy spot – its popular tasting room has the best nachos in town and a busy calendar featuring musicians and other events. Look for Cannery’s new Hop Chowdah New England IPA this spring.

Highway 97 Brewing

Hwy97Brewing.com

Penticton’s newest brewery just opened in Tin Whistle’s old location following extensive ren-

ovations to the building. Right o the highway as you drive into town next to the popular Kettle Valley Station Pub, the new operation is an open warehouse-style brewery with a tasting room at the front. Look for a solid group of core beers with seasonal releases in coming months, including Red IPA and Highway 97 ESB.

Tin Whistle Brewing

When Cannery moved into its new facility, Tin Whistle jumped at the opportunity to take its spot in the Cannery Trade Centre. is marked a big step up in terms of space and Tin Whistle has taken advantage of that by trying new things such as barrel-aging. Its rst attempt, Pinot Noir Raspberry Blonde Ale, won First Place at the B.C. Beer Awards last fall.

Okanagan Fest of Ale FestOfAle.ca

e best way to experience Penticton’s craft beer culture is at the Okanagan Fest of Ale, a two-day beer festival held in early April at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre annually since

1996. is year, more than 60 craft breweries and cideries will be featured, along with food vendors and live entertainment.

Check out the Fest of Ale website for a listing of o -site events, including an IPA-focused seminar led by me at Bad Tattoo Brewing on ursday, April 6, and the infamous Murderer’s Row cask night held at the newly renovated Kettle Valley Station Pub on Saturday, April 8. CAMRA B.C. members, make sure you pack your membership card for bene ts all around the South Okanagan.

T HE T IN W HISTLE

B REWING C O.

112-1475 Fairview Rd. | No website

MON-SAT 11:30AM-5:30PM

EST. 1995

ings at the Okanagan’s rst craft brewery have been a little quiet as of late, but we’re hoping to hear more soon, and taste some new brews too.

OSPREY WHITE ALE

W HITE I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.5%45

An Okanagan take on the Belgian-inspired ale. Freshly-pressed pear juice with crisp hop bitterness.

FIREHALL BREWER Y

6077 Main St. | FirehallBrewery.com

SUN-THU 12-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-9PM

EST. 2012

KILLER BEE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 6.0%N/A

Strong, sweet honey notes buzzing around in this dark-bodied ale, with a touch of caramel.

Based in a converted rehall, this Okanagan brewery opened its Beer Shop & Social tasting room last summer following a Kickstarter campaign.

HOLY SMOKE STOUT

SMO K ED S TO UT

Availability: Year-round

BACKDRAFT BLONDE

BLONDE A LE

Availability: Year-round

4.5%25 A BV I BU 5.2%15

Well balanced with smoke and roasted co ee/ chocolate avours from the re-dried barley malt.

An easy-drinking but not simple blonde ale that will extinguish your thirst like no other.

ROSSLAND BEER CO.

1990 Columbia Ave. | RosslandBrewing.com

SUN-THU 12-7PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-9PM

EST. 2012

It won’t be long before Rossland erects a statue of Ryan Arnaud and Petri Raito, thanks to their remarkable beer and their much-loved brewery.

PAYDIRT PALE ALE

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.2%37

Tropical Citra and citrusy, oral Cascade bring the juice to this very easy-going pale ale.

NELSON

BACKROADS BREWING CO.

460 Baker St. | BackroadsBrewing.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2016

SEVEN SUMMITS

MILK STOUT

MILK STOUT

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.8%20

Peak deliciousness: A smooth luxurious feast of mocha and chocolate.

Experienced brewmaster Mike Kelly is at the wheel for this new venture, which, contrary to its name, sits right in the centre of Nelson.

MANDARINA KELLYBIER

KELLERBIER

WHITE INDIA PALE ALE

WHITE INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.0%23

An un ltered Helles lager that features the citrus notes of the Mandarina Bavaria hop.

ABV IBU 6.5%60

A transatlantic fruit salad combining coriander and orange-peel notes with a blast of New World hops.

N ELSON B REWING CO .

512 Latimer St. | NelsonBrewing.com

DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM

EST. 1991

B.C.’s largest all-organic brewery has been putting out medal-winning brews for more than 25 years. eir tasting room can’t come soon enough!

HAPPY CAMPER SUMMER ALE

A ME R ICAN PALE A LE

HOOLIGAN

PIL S NE R

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.2%34

Go to your happy place with this easy-drinking ale that refreshes with notes of orchard fruit.

A BV I BU 5.0%22

Clean, crisp and crushable. Everything you want in a pilsner and nothing you don’t.

TORCHLIGHT BREWING CO.

511 Front St. | TorchlightBrewing.com

TUE 11AM-6PM ^ WED-THU 11AM-7PM

FRI-SAT 11AM-9PM

EST. 2014

Torchlight is moving into an expanded new facility two blocks down the road this spring and soon hope to have their beer available across B.C.

BROADSIDE IPA ENG

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Talk about a complex beer: it’s dark, dry-hopped, and kettle soured, with lavender and hibiscus.

Experience the full power of malt and hops in this full-bodied ale. Fire all guns!

Photos by Dan Toulget

old Jalopy cheese fondue

BY TRE T JORDAN

Old Jalopy Pale Ale from Powell Street Craft Brewery is one of my favourite local beers. I’m a fan of pale ales and Jalopy is a well-balanced brew – malty, hoppy and delicious. I also love cheese, so why not put them together? I cooked at a Swiss-German restaurant many years ago and fondue was one of our most popular dishes. Such a simple dish made with quality ingredients and cheese. Fondue is a perfect dish on a rainy evening and great for friendship.

Serves: 4-6

Cooking time: 20 minutes

INgredients

1 cup Powell Street Old Jalopy beer

½ lb grated gruyere cheese

½ lb grated gouda cheese

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp grainy mustard

1 clove minced garlic

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1

In a small bowl, add the cornstarch with a touch of water or beer. Stir to combine; this forms the slurry that will be needed later.

Step 2

Put the minced garlic and beer into a fondue pot or another suitable pot.

Step 3

Bring to a boil and slowly add the grated cheese while stirring with a wooden spoon.

Step 4

Once the cheese has been added and is melted in, stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue to boil while stirring.

Step 5

e fondue will start to come together and smooth out as the cornstarch cooks.

Step 6

Turn down the heat and add the mustard and Worcestershire.

Step 7

Season with salt and pepper.

Step 8

Serve warm with fresh baguette, pickles, sausage and boiled potato. e fondue is also delicious with roasted orets of cauli ower or Brussels sprouts. j

Tret Jordan is the executive chef at Homer Street Cafe and Bar, Tableau Bar Bistro and Musette Ca e.

F ERNIE BREWING CO . 26 Manitou Rd. | FernieBrewing.com

MON-SAT 10AM-6PM EST. 2003

When you’re done shredding Fernie’s ve legendary bowls, treat yourself to some of the ne beers being produced by the mighty Fernie Brewing Co. Fernie’s new brewmaster, Je Demaniuk, is picking up where his father, Gord, before him left o , o ering a wide and varied selection of styles.

THE

REAL PEEL GRAPEFRUIT IPA

Year-round Availability:

Seasonal

A BV I BU 6.4%68 A BV I BU 5.035 A BV I BU 6.035 A BV I BU 5.010

A traditional take on a Bavarian pilsner, perfect for après ski refreshment.

Enjoy your stay!

is surprisingly light saison packs a punch of avour with spicy, peppery and fruity notes.

Seasonal

OVER TIME

B EER W ORKS

136A Wallinger Ave. | OverTimeBeer.ca

DAILY 10AM-7PM

EST. 2016

Over Time’s “Beer Works” tasting lounge is a great place to polish o pints après ski, whether you’re a local or just in town for the weekend.

PRESENT

Availability: Year-round

is enthusiastic West Coast IPA is brimming with citrus and pine hop notes.

A RROWHEAD BREWING CO .

GOOD EVENING

Availability: Year-round

is chocolate, roasty, toasty malt-forward beauty is full-bodied, but smooth enough to be sessionable.

481 Arrow Rd. | ArrowheadBrewingCompany.ca

SUN-WED 11AM-7PM ^ THU-SAT 11AM-8PM

EST. 2012

Inspired by Portland’s diverse beer scene, Shawn and Leanne Tegart have been Keeping the Kootenays Weird since 2012.

BERRIES OF THE NIGHT

ORIGINAL 83 HONEY

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

I BU 5.0%N/A

Clean and crisp wheat ale complimented with a nice tart accent from B.C.-grown raspberries.

Not too heavy, not too sweet, and easy to drink. Brewed with honey from local bees.

WHITETOOTH BREWING

623 8th Ave. North | WhitetoothBrewing.com

WED-MON 2-10PM

EST. 2016

Golden’s sole brewery is just over four months old and brewer Evan Cronshaw has already established a solid line of six core beers.

WHITETOOTH SESSION

BLONDE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.8%17

Light and easy like a Sunday morning. Also, easy to drink on a Sunday morning.

MT. B EGBIE BREWING CO .

521 1st St. West | Mt-Begbie.com

DAILY 9AM-5PM

EST. 1996

TRUTH, DARE, CONSEQUENCE

NOR DIC IMPER IAL STO UT

Availability: One-o

A BV I BU 10.0%84

A hearty take on the Scandinavian farm stout that isn’t messing around. Balanced with juniper berries.

Last year, Bart and Tracey Larson’s institution moved from its downtown location linto a bigger facility that allows them to make way more beer.

BRAVE LIVER SCOTCH ALE

SCOTCH A LE

Availability: Year-round

A

Aged for one month on single malt-soaked American oak to bring complexity to this wee heavy.

REVELSTOKE LAGER

O LD- S TYLE LAGER

BU 6.5%22

111 REV EL S TO KE G OLDEN

THREE RANGES BREWING CO.

1160 5th Ave. | reeRanges.com

WED-SAT 3-8PM ^ SUN 1-6PM

EST. 2013

If you’re a community of barely 1,000 people and don’t have your own brewery yet, you’re missing out. Just ask the townsfolk of Valemount.

ALPENGLOW AMBER ALE AMBER

MUDBOGGER DARK LAGER DARK LAGER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.8%30

A robust, full- avoured and balanced ale featuring Crystal malt and Simcoe and Sorachi Ace hops.

QUESNEL

BARKERVILLE BREWING CO.

185 Davie St. | BarkervilleBeer.com

ABV IBU 5.5%18

ere’s a little roast, a little smoke and a whole load of satisfaction in this muddy-coloured lager.

MON-WED 12-6PM ^ THU 12-8PM ^ FRI 12-9PM SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2014

Located in Quesnel, 80km away from its historic namesake, Barkerville is producing some of the best beers in Northern B.C.

52 FOOT STOUT

EXPORT STOUT

WANDERING CAMEL

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 7.0%70

Named for the depth at which Billy Barker struck gold and made with locally-sourced birch syrup.

ABV IBU 6.5%48

is bold thirst-quencher features a heaping humping of tropical fruit and citrus avours.

CROSSROADS BREWING

508 George St. | CrossroadsCraft.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2016

If all goes to plan, PG’s rst craft brewery will be open by the time you’ve read this. We’re looking forward to what brewer Patrick Moore has in store.

GEORGE STREET BROWN ALE BR OWN A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%25

To ee, chocolate and biscuit malt aromas and avour highlight this qua able English style.

IRON BRIDGE OATMEAL STOUT STO UT

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 4.7%25

Rich and dark in colour, but silky smooth with big chocolate and co ee notes.

We design, fabricate and install: Custom stainless steel brew tanks

Tables • Countertops • Sinks & more for breweries, restaurants and other hospitality services.

www.abcss.ca

S HERWOOD M OUNTAIN BREWHOUSE

Unit 101 - 4816 Hwy. 16 West | SherwoodMountain.beer

MON-FRI 11AM-7:30PM ^ SAT-SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2014

Terrace’s own craft brewery has expanded its capacity, giving brewer Darryl Tucker the opportunity to explore a wider variety of beer styles.

MUNICH LAGER

DA RK LAGER

Availability: Small batch

A BV I BU 5.1%12

A classic brown lager showcasing the depth and complexity of Munich malts. ink bread crusts.

PRINCE RUP ERT

W HEEL H OUSE B REWING

CO .

217 1st Ave. East | WheelhouseBrewing.com

PARKER’S IPA

I NDIA PALE AL E

Availability: Small batch

A BV I BU 5.6%55

A lighter, English-style India Pale Ale dryhopped with Mosaic and Cashmere hops.

THU-FRI 4-11PM ^ SAT 2-11PM ^ SUN 2-6PM

EST. 2013

e craft beer from this outpost at the edge of the world is still a rare nd outside Prince Rupert, so reel in some Wheelhouse beer if you see it.

BENTHIC

INDIA

BLACK ALE

BLAC K I NDIA PALE A LE

FLAGSHIP PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A

As inky as the ocean’s depths but as bracing as a spring storm, thanks to Amarillo and Simcoe hops.

A BV I BU 5.3%38

is pale ale aunts ve di erent malts and fruity-fresh Citra, Cascade and Centennial hops.

How a “retirement project” grew into the largest hop farming business in Canada

by Jennifer Foden

Six years ago, John Lawrence decided to get into hop farming after encouragement from a friend who used to work in the business himself. Lawrence, a former mechanic, started o with two acres as a retirement project. Today, his business, Chilliwack Hop Farms has 300 acres of land and 15 employees.

“Retirement went sideways,” he says with a laugh. While Lawrence only got into hop farming a few years ago, the industry has a long history in the Fraser Valley.

“Hops was a mainstay in Chilliwack for many years,” he says. For more than a century, nearly 2,000 acres of land in the Valley was used for growing hops. In the 1990s, the last hop farm closed after the owner passed away and his 1,000-acre farm was sold o .

However, with the boom of the craft beer industry over the past ve to 10 years, there has been a resurgence of hop farming in the area.

“Between the weather and the high quality soil, growing hops in the Fraser Valley just works so well,” says Lawrence.

He also saw an opportunity to sell his hops to smaller craft breweries that didn’t have the capacity to buy from larger suppliers in the United States and Europe.

“Often small breweries only want to buy 10, 20 or 50 pounds of hops at a time,” Lawrence says. “However, most suppliers require that you buy 200 pounds at once, which is ne for big businesses, but not so much for the smaller craft breweries.”

For Chilliwack Hop Farms to grow, though, there was a de nite challenge: farmland in B.C. is very expensive. So, when Lawrence saw the potential and opportunity in his original two acres, he decided to expand the business by crop sharing. He approached several landowners who had the acreage, but not the equipment or knowhow to grow hops. ey would provide the land, Lawrence and his team would do the work, and together, they’d share in the pro ts. Today, the majority of the 300 acres Chilliwack Hop Farms operates on is owned by other farmers.

“It’s like a farm co-op,” says Lawrence. “On that shared land, we grow over 15 di erent varieties of hops that are sold around the world.”

So, does the owner of the largest hop farms business in Canada ever get to try the beer made from his crops?

“Occasionally,” he laughs.

Cheers to that “retirement” John.

Here it is again! e brewpub section!

e brewpub is a unique place in which to imbibe craft beer. e focus of the brewpub may not necessarily be on the beer itself, but instead, the food, or the patio, or the hockey game on the giant projection screen.

But while the brewing operations in many of these pubs are modest, that doesn’t stop them from making some seriously fantastic beer.

Since few brewpubs bottle and keg their own beer – or even o er growler lls – 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 BREWING CO.

1253 Johnston St. | DocksideVancouver.com

VANCOUVER

PAT’S PUB & BREWHOUSE

403 East Hastings St. | PatsPub.ca

In addition to a wide selection of approachable session ales and lagers, Dockside has one of the most impressive patios in the city.

HAUPENTHAL HEFEWEIZEN HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.8%N/A

Named after veteran brewmaster Peter Haupenthal, this wheat ale is perfect for the patio.

In addition to more than 20 craft beers on tap from local breweries, Pat’s also o ers their own line of craft beers brewed on-site.

SKID ROAD

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.6%66

A hop pro le of tropical and stone fruit, with a dry nish.

STEAMWORKS BREW PUB

375 Water St. | Steamworks.com/Brew-Pub

STEEL TOAD BREWERY

97 East 2nd Ave. | SteelToad.ca

Steamworks’ original location in Gastown is still one of Vancouver’s best places for an after-work pint and a bite, with eight dining areas and two patios.

EMPRESS IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

is IPA has ve varieties of hops for a strong nose and delicious hop avour.

VANCOU V ER

YALETOWN BREWING CO.

1111 Mainland St. | MJG.ca/Yaletown

Head brewer Chris Charron holds down the fort at this hip and inviting Mount Pleasant pub. Keep an eye out for some strong guest taps too.

HOP EXCHANGE

SIN G LE HO P P ALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.5%40

e Toad’s rotating experiment, featuring a new hop each batch.

WHISTLER BREWHOUSE HIGH MOUNTAIN BREWING

4355 Blackcomb Way | MJG.ca/BrewHouse

With eight taps of craft beer made in-house and an excellent kitchen, Yaletown is still one of the best places to drink beer in Vancouver.

ROUNDHOUSE WHEAT

HEF EWEIZEN

Availability: Year-round

An un ltered wheat beer brewed in the traditional Bavarian style.

With a prime location, an extensive food menu and the experienced Derrick Franche in the brewhouse, this is the Village’s top beer destination.

5 RINGS IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 7.5%70

West Coast IPAs don’t come much more classic than this.

BIG RIDGE BREWING CO.

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

CRAIG STREET BREW PUB

25 Craig St. | CraigStreet.ca

New brewmaster Ashley Brooks hasn’t wasted any time making her mark, picking up a gold and a silver at the 2016 B.C. Beer Awards.

SCHWARZBIER DARK LAGER

SCHWA RZB IE R

Availability: Seasonal

e Cowichan Valley’s original craft beer destination is environmentally-focused, community-minded (free shuttle bus!) and lays on all kinds of deliciousness.

SHAWNIGAN IRISH

RED ALE

IR IS H RED A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV I BU 5.0%22 A BV I BU 5.4%22

Toasted malts, caramel, and notes of co ee and chocolate come together with a subtle hop bitterness.

LONGWOOD BREWPUB

5775 Turner Rd. | LongwoodBrewpub.com

Malt forward and rich with pronounced caramel notes and just enough hops to balance.

THE NOBLE PIG BREWHOUSE

650 Victoria St. | eNoblePig.ca

Whether it’s the spacious restaurant or cosy downstairs pub, Longwood has been a haven for thirsty Nanaimoites since 2000.

EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

E XT R A S P ECIAL BITTE R

Availability: Year-round

A strong, copper-coloured English-style bitter, well hopped with British varietals.

Believe it or not, Fascist Pig Pilsner was around before last year’s American election. e beers here will leave a much better taste in your mouth too.

IMPERIALIST PIG IPA

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

6.0%63

Heavily hopped with Columbus, Willamette, Cascades and Styrian Goldings.

SALMON ARM VERNON

BARLEY STATION BREW PUB

20 Shuswap St. North | BarleyStation.com

MARTEN BREWING CO.

2933 30th Ave. | MartenBrewpub.com

No matter how fast you’re cruising along Highway 1, this is a required craft beer pitstop to check out brewer

Damon Robson’s latest and greatest.

BUSHWACKER

BROWN ALE ENG

Availability: Year-round

Chocolaty, nutty English brown ale. Gold winner at 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards.

Located right in the heart of Vernon at 30th and 30th, Marten boasts a big, beautiful, two-level room with the brewery right in plain view.

B.C. BUD

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Citrusy orange and grapefruit hop notes balanced with medium malt.

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Handmade high quality wooden crates

We specialize in store display and home décor, custom branding and display solutions. Start your own bike gang or join ours! Flying Frenchman bike crates available at a bike shop near you.

cumberlandcratecompany.com

FREDDY’S BREWPUB

124 McCurdy Rd. | McCurdyBowl.com

BARLEY MILL BREW PUB

2460 Skaha Lake Rd. | BarleyMillPub.com

Connected to the McCurdy Bowling Centre, Freddy’s beer list isn’t going to blow you away, but it’s ne for a fun night of bowling and brews.

CHANNEL CAT

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%22

A pale ale dry-hopped with Cascade and Amarillo hops.

NELSON

THE SAVOY BREWERY

198 Baker St. | SavoyHotel.com

is English-style community pub has served Penticton for almost 20 years, o ering all-malt beer, an extensive food menu and frequent live music.

NITE MARE BROWN

ENGLISH BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%50

Rich with specialty malts, this pub favourite features a dry, roasty nish.

THE HEID OUT

821 Baker St. | eHeidOut.ca

e Savoy Hotel’s brewery produces creative styles to pair with the locally sourced food o ered in the café and live-entertainment lounge.

SAVOY STOUT

DRY IRISH STOUT

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.7%34

A classic dry stout served on nitro for a luscious mouthfeel.

e East Kootenays’ only brewpub is an unassuming, très cool spot. Everything is brewed on-site, including six core beers and the occasional seasonal.

WILD HORSE WIT

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%21

A Canadian-style Belgian wheat ale with cloves, coriander and fresh Valencia oranges.

To the

BEER GROUND

e 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 breweries we hope to see opening up across the province in the coming months.

AN GRY H EN B R EWIN G CO.

Kaslo (mid-2017) Former Steamworks and Big Ridge Brewpub brewer Shirley Warne is behind this brewery in the tiny hamlet of Kaslo on Kootenay Lake. Kaslo village council approved Angry Hen’s development permit in November, and the owners of the brewery are hoping to be operational by mid-2017. e perfect time for a Kootenay beer-cation!

A NOTHE R BEE R CO.

New Westminster (mid-2017) ere was a time when Sapperton was the brewing capital of B.C., but since the Labatt brewery closed in 2005, there’s been sad lack of beer in an area now known as “ e Brewery District.” Alex Jopson and Clete Hanson are hoping to change that and are planning to open Another Beer Co. just a few blocks away from where the historic brewery used to stand (it’s a Save-On-Foods now).

FACTO RY BREWIN G

Vancouver (spring 2017) Factory will be a contract brewer o ering support to breweries that don’t have tank capacity to match demand. It will also brew some American brands that normally aren’t distributed here.

GI BSONS TA P WO RKS

Gibsons Tapworks (early spring 2017) is one kinda snuck up on us – by the time you read this, it will probably already be open. Launched by three friends, this community-focused operation is located close to Molly’s Reach, the famous restaurant from e Beachcombers.

MOU NT ARR OW S MITH B R EWIN G C O.

Parksville (late spring 2017) Local boy David Woodward (formerly of To no Brewing, Axe and Barrel Brewing and e Whistler Brew-

House) is returning home and is bringing his 15+ years of brewing experience with him. e focus will be on “crisp and tasteful West Coast and British-inspired beers,” with much of the ingredients being sourced locally.

NORTH PAW B R EWIN G

Tri-Cities (fall 2017) is brewery is aiming to open in Coquitlam, but is still looking for a space. In the meantime, it has done a collaboration brew with Foamers’ Folly and will appear at the Coquitlam Craft Beer Festival on March 9.

SILVER VALLEY B R EWIN G

Maple Ridge (early 2017) Silver Valley Brewing is hoping to become downtown Maple Ridge’s third craft brewery, alongside Maple Meadows and Ridge Brewing. A 1,600-sq.ft. tasting room and brewery is in the works, and owners are hopeful the city will approve their application for a lounge licence.

SOO K E B R EWIN G

Sooke (summer 2017) Not to be confused with Sooke Oceanside Brewing, Sooke Brewing will be located in the South Island hamlet’s “downtown,” in a stunning 3,500-sq.-ft. purpose-built brewery. e tasting room will have a lounge endorsement, making it one of the few breweries in the region to o er pints on site.

TR ENCH B R EWIN G & DIS TILLIN G

Prince George (late spring 2017) Trench will be o ering spirits as well as craft beer when it opens its doors this spring, and promises to “have something for everyone. Our styles will be diverse, clean and inspired by avors native to the North.” Co-owners Jesse Hoefels and Craig Schwenning will be handling brewing duties and plan to o er pilsners and lagers “brewed in the traditional Czech brewing method.” j