The Growler B.C. • Volume 3 Issue 2 • Summer 2017

B.C. CRAFT BEER guide

A Sour Made For Summer

Balance out patio season with our light, refreshing gose (goh-zeh) sour. Crisp like a cider, ripe fruit notes from peaches off set its tartness, making it a perfect summer sour.

AVAILABLE Early June

1.778.840.5005

BRITISH COLUMBIA

| @thegrowlerbc

It’S a FamIly aFFaIr

hazy IPaS

doeS Beer haVe terrIor?

homeleSS BrewerS

SUmmer Beer FeSt doS and don’tS

Brewer VS Brewer: homeBrewer edItIon

UnIon made

SPIrIted BUSIneSS

traVel: tacoma

BrewerS Get hIP to new hoPS

B.c. cIder PrImer

recIPe: GaI yanG thaI GrIlled chIcKen

Breweries by Region

10 62 38 67 78 90 100 111 120

VANCOUVER

LOWER MAINLAND

FRASER VALLEY

SEA TO SKY / SUNSHINE COAST

VICTORIA / GULF ISLANDS

VANCOUVER ISLAND

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

KOOTENAYS

NORTHERN B.C.

Editor’s Note

Summer is a time for celebration, and for craft beer enthusiasts, this means long afternoons and warm nights spent pounding pints on the patio. It means getting a posse together and hitting up your favourite local craft beer festival. It means spending a lazy Sunday bouncing from brewery to brewery, sampling ight after ight of new and exciting avours.

is issue, we’re in a celebratory mood, too! We’re kicking o the summer beer festival season with Vancouver Craft Beer Week’s main event, June 3-4 at the PNE Fairgrounds. Before you head out to the beer fest, though, check out our handy list of dos and don’ts (pg. 46). Hot weather calls for refreshing beers, and we predict hazy IPAs (pg. 16) will be all the rage this summer, especially those made with new and obscure hop varieties (pg. 108). If you’re in the mood for something homemade, we spoke to a pair of B.C.’s most proli c homebrewers for tips on how to start brewing, even if you live in a tiny apartment (pg. 58). And if the strong stu is more to your liking, you’re in luck, because a number of breweries are getting into the distilling business (pg. 86).

However you decide to celebrate this summer, make sure to do it responsibly.

Cheers!

–Rob Mangelsdorf, editor

GROWLER-APPROVED BADGE

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

Brewery Details

GROWLER FILLS

BOTTLES / CANS KEGS

TASTING ROOM

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

Stout

Pale ale

Most ales, actually

WEIZEN

Hefeweizen

Weizenbock

Fruit beer

TULIP

Saison

IPA

Strong ales

GOBLET

Berliner weisse

Quad Tripel

SNIFTER

Barleywine Sours

Anything weird

It's a FAMILY AFFAIR

At many B.C. craft breweries, success is all in the family

by Rob Mangelsdorf

For many craft brewers, making beer is a labour of love. ere’s long hours, loads of stress, and it can take years to recoup the massive start-up costs associated with opening a brewery. Having your family by your side, supporting you every step of the way can often mean the di erence between failure and success.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that so many breweries in this province are family-run businesses. But while working with family has its advantages, it also comes with its own set of unique challenges.

Building a legacy

It was on a visit back to his native Colombia that Andres Amaya received the advice that would change his family’s lives.

Despite Andres’ successful career in hotel management, his father clutched his arm and implored him and his brother Nicolas to strike out on their own and start their own business. “And do it by the time you’re 50.”

You need stability late in life, he told Andres. If you lose your job, no one will hire you if you’re an

L-R: Brent, Adam, Nick and Greg Mills of Delta's Four Winds Brewing Co. Jennifer Gauthier photo

old man. And work together, because you can trust family. Blood is thicker than water.

Andres took his father’s advice to heart, and when he returned to Canada, he and Nicolas began brainstorming ideas for businesses. At rst they considered buying a franchise, perhaps a Tim Hortons. But one afternoon, as they were drinking craft beer in Nicolas’s basement, Nicolas had an idea. ey both loved craft beer, so why not do something they love, and open a brewery?

at was ve years ago, and this past February that idea became a reality with the opening of Andina Brewing Co. on Powell Street in Vancouver. It would not have been possible were it not for the e orts of their entire family.

eir wives, Claudia and Rocío Lievano-Amaya, who are both sisters, handle the brewery's marketing and accounting, respectively. Andres and Rocío’s son Santiago is the brewery’s assistant manager, and their daughter Daniella is currently studying business management with an eye to join the family business as well. Even Nicolas and Claudia’s nine-year-old son Esteban helps out by bussing tables when it’s busy.

“I love that I get to drink beer and work with my family,” says Andres. “I feel a little more free.”

Part of their motivation to build a business together, Nicolas says, is that they want to create something they can leave to their children.

“We know we’re working together for the same goal,” he says. “So we have that trust. at’s one of the best things about working with family, the level of trust we have.”

Understandably, Andina has become the centre of the Amayas lives. ey’ve celebrated birthdays and anniversaries here. ere was even a wedding proposal. ey hope to extend that familial feeling to everyone who visits their brewery.

“Everyone’s an Amaya at Andina,” says Andres. “You come as guests, stay as friends, and leave as family.”

Brotherly Love

When Four Winds co-founder and brewmaster Brent Mills decided to start his own brewery, there was never any doubt that his business would be a family venture.

Brent’s grandfather founded Mills Paint, where it became a family tradition for everyone to work at the paint shop. Today, if you work at Four Winds, there’s about a one in ve chance your last name is Mills.

While Brent takes care of everything beer-related, his father Greg helps manage the business side of things, his brother Adam handles the sales and marketing, his other brother Sean works in packaging, cousin Nick is the brewery’s jack-of-alltrades, and uncle John is the sales rep for the B.C. Interior. Brent’s sister Brooke doesn’t currently work for the brewery, but he says he’d like to change that and bring her into the fold as well.

“Working with family isn’t a new thing to us,” says Greg. “Not every family should run a family

Cédric Dauchot and Chloe Smith of Townsite Brewing in Powell River. Submitted photo

In some ways, we’re opposites, but it works out. - Cédric Dauchot, Townsite Brewing

business, but they all get along so it works out quite well.”

at said, working with family does have its challenges.

“ ere’s de nitely an unspoken level of communication where we just understand each other,” says Adam. But that can create di culties. For one thing, their employees don’t posses the Mills family ESP. “ ere’s 30 other people involved now, so we know we have to work on our communication skills, to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

ey all admit that as much as they think of their employees as family, the sta does get treated di erently. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“If we make a mistake, we yell at each other, and no one takes it personal because we’ve been yelling at each other since we were born,” Brent says. “But you’d never do that to sta .”

He also admits that he tends to prioritize his sta ’s wellbeing over that of his relatives.

“If it’s a family member at work, it’s whatever, but if it’s sta , they’re going to get attention,” says Brent. “I don’t know if I care about my brothers’ enjoyment of work as much as someone who’s not related to me.”

Circle and square

Cédric Dauchot and Chloe Smith of Townsite Brewing in Powell River rst met in Montreal 11 years ago while working together at the French brewpub chain Les 3 Brasseurs. In June 2011, with their newborn daughter in tow, Cedric and Chloe

took the leap of a lifetime to open a brewery of their own, moving to a town that Chloe had only visited once when she was 13 years old. Cédric, who grew up in Belgium, had never been to Powell River at all. But they were determined and they had each other, and soon they had a success on their hands.

“It was very exciting to build [Townsite] from nothing,” says Cédric. “Everything came together perfectly.”

For Cédric and Chloe, because they met on the job, they’ve always had a working relationship, so those roles were already de ned when they started their own brewery.

While the two have very di erent personalities, those di erences compliment each other, they say. It’s evident they share a great deal of mutual respect for each other—a vital ingredient in both a successful business relationship and a marriage.

“I think it works because Chloe is very circle and I am very square,” says Cédric. “She has the creativity and inspiration, and I’m more of an engineer. In some ways, we’re opposites, but it works out.”

at’s not to say it’s all sunshine and lollipops. e workload can be overwhelming at times, especially in the summer months when the brewery is operating at full clip. ankfully, they manage to keep things in perspective.

“I think any business owner has times where they think, ‘Fuck this! is is way too much work!’ I think everybody struggles with that,” says Chloe. “Luckily, we make beer for a living.”

Cédric and Chloe have two children now, both of whom are growing up in the brewery. ey each have their own broom to help out with the sweeping, and love spending time in the brewery’s family-friendly tasting room, creating chalk art all over the walls. It’s a comfort to have the kids so close, says Chloe.

“ ey seem to really like it here,” she says. “It's never an issue getting them to come down.”

Despite spending nearly every moment of every day together, the couple says they don’t tire of each other’s company. ey may be circle and square, but they have a lot in common. Namely, beer.

“At the end of the day, we’re just big craft beer geeks, so talking about beer 24 hours a day is what we actually want to do,” says Chloe. j

Andina Brewing Co. founders (and brothers) Nicolas (on left) and Andres Amaya, with their wives Claudia (on left) and Rocío Lievano-Amaya. Dan Toulgoet photo

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

15 West 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.ca

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

EST. 2013

A space that’s worthy of endless Instagrams, from its clean, blindingly white lounge to the tasty snacks, fresh roasted co ee, and delicious beer.

33 ACRES OF ECHO

IND I A SE SSION A LE

Availability: Year-round

Named after what you hear after asking the bottle where all the crushable beer went.

33 ACRES OF SUNSHINE FRENCH BLANCHE

Availability: Year-round

Required summer sipping with refreshing anise seed, coriander and candied orange character.

AN D INA BREWING CO .

1507 Powell St. | AndinaBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2016

After a long wait, this Yeast Van haunt is nally open and serving up South American-inspired beers, not to mention the best ceviche in town.

Availability: Year-round

5.0%36

ank the Belgian yeast for bubblegum and banana notes, and dry-hopping for pine and citrus aromas.

Availability: Year-round

4.5%22

is light-coloured, crystal-clear kolsch has a kiss of noble hops and a clean, crisp, crushable nish.

BIG ROCK URBAN

B REWER Y & E AT ER Y

310 West 4th Ave. | BigRockBeer.com

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

EST. 1985

Founded by Ed McNally in 1985, Big Rock has been at the forefront of the craft beer revolution for 30-plus years. Its three initial o erings have grown to include 10 signature beers, eight seasonals, four ciders, and a bevy of limited edition beers brewed in the heart of Mount Pleasant. Brewery tours available and beer shop open seven days a week.

KIWI FRUITED BLONDE ALE FRUI TED BLONDE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

is B.C. exclusive features tropical avours from the Southern Hemisphere.

Availability: Seasonal

Belgian-style with a spicy yeast character and apricot avours. A belly op that’ll feel good.

Availability: Year-round

A light touch of hops gives this ltered wheat ale a crisp nish, with fruit and citrus notes

Availability: Year-round

Soft malty avour is balanced with mild hop bitterness for a clean, refreshing nish.

There’s no place like home!

B.C.’s Big Rock brewmaster Jody Hammell has spent 20 years brewing beer all over the world, with stops in Berlin, Calgary, and Whistler. Jody has always considered Mount Pleasant to be home, and now he’s back where he belongs, leading his team of brewers in creating new, innovative, and award-winning beers.

always FRESH ON TAP AT BIG ROCK URBAN

This summer, the forecast is for

Hazy IPAS

by Joe Wiebe

Cloudy beers have started to ll glasses in tap houses and brewery tasting rooms, but instead of German hefeweizens or Belgian wits, these opaque beers are a new-ish style called “hazy IPA” that has taken the West Coast by storm over the past year.

Also known as a New England or Northeast IPA, it originated more than a decade ago at the Alchemist Brewery in Vermont where brewer John Kimmich created an IPA called Heady Topper that was cloudy and hoppy, but with very little bitterness. Heady Topper has since become one of the world’s most sought-after beers, one that you basically have

to travel to New England to taste. Other breweries in the region followed suit, and a whole culture of New England IPAs developed there.

However, because of the lack of ltration and the huge amount of hops being used in the beer, they are generally produced in small batches and only sold at the breweries themselves. Even if they are packaged in cans, as Heady Topper is, they have a very short shelf life and don’t travel well, so they are not distributed very far from the brewery. Recently, however, West Coast breweries have started experimenting with hazy IPAs, including several here in B.C.

So what makes them so special? Essentially, they are all about showcasing hop avours, but without the potent bitterness usually found in extremely hoppy beers. Some hazy IPAs have even been dubbed “zero IBU” beers because the process used to brew them results in virtually none of the bitterness—as measured in International Bittering Units—being extracted from the hops, just all the fruity, citrusy, tropical avours and aromas. e haze is a result of the brewing processes used, as well as the purposeful lack of ltration or ning, which would reduce some of those big, juicy avours.

When Steamworks Brewing’s Flagship IPA won Best in Show at the B.C. Beer Awards last October, it marked a symbolic shift away from the clean and dry West Coast IPA style that has dominated the marketplace here for several years (i.e. Driftwood’s iconic Fat Tug IPA) towards this new, hazy style. But Steamworks wasn’t the rst B.C. brewery to produce a New England IPA. at was probably Super ux Beer, operating out of Vancouver’s Callister Brewing at that time, who brewed a murky beer called Pulp IPA late in 2015. at beer was only available on tap, though. North Van’s Bridge Brewing released their Sidecut North East IPA in 650ml bottles a few months later, making it the rst packaged hazy IPA in B.C. But the breakthrough moment seemed to be when Port Moody’s Twin Sails Brewing started experimenting with the style as part of its new small-batch series in tall cans. e rst one it released was a hazy, juicy pale ale called Day Blink (yes, a pale ale: the “hazy” brewing process can be used in any hoppy beer from ISAs right through to Double IPAs). Twin Sails quickly followed Day Blink with a bunch of hazy, hoppy beers, including Space Armadillo Double IPA, Dat Juice, Juice Plus, Bread Winner, High Socks, and Two Straws, a so-called “milkshake IPA” brewed with mango, pineapple and unfermentable lactose. e pinnacle, perhaps, depending on your feelings about the style, was Hot Take Zero IBU IPA, in which tons of hops were added after the boil so that virtually no bitterness was extracted, just all the fruity aroma and avour.

According to John Folinsbee, who developed the recipe for Steamworks’ award-winning Flagship IPA and has since moved over to Squamish’s brand new Backcountry Brewing, the malts used in hazy IPAs are very important as well. Instead of sweet caramel notes typically found in West Coast IPAs to balance out the bitterness, brewers use lighter malts “to make the hops shine” and other grains that contribute texture to the mouth feel: “oats, wheat, aked oats, anything that builds body in the beer. You’re trying to create an IPA that’s like juice—pulpy, thick and sweet.”

Equally important is the yeast. “ at Heady Topper yeast is a really powerful yeast strain,” Folinsbee elaborates. “It throws a lot of tropical fruit esters.” It’s an English ale yeast that generates much more fruitiness, whereas most West Coast IPAs use an American ale yeast that results in cleaner, more fully fermented (attenuated) beer.

And then there’s magic. Seriously, there is a sort of magical interaction between yeast and hops that seems to add an extra dimension of avour to hazy IPAs. Folinsbee refers to this as “biotransformation” and argues that “even the hop scientists don’t really understand where the avour comes from. Hops are interacting with yeast during fermentation and they’re taking these hop compounds and transforming them into something else. It can change avours in hops that you don’t even like and turn them into more appealing avours.”

Whether it’s magic or not, more and more B.C. breweries are experimenting with hazy IPAs. Twin Sails keeps pumping out di erent versions, and Yellow Dog, next door, recently took home Best in Show at the Okanagan Fest of Ale for its High 5 Hazy IPA, which it launched last fall. Super ux has two in cans: Colour & Shape and Rainbow Machine. Bridge’s Side Cut is part of its year-round lineup. Spinnakers Brewpub and Cannery Brewing recently launched their own packaged versions, and many other breweries have been experimenting with them in their tasting rooms. It’s safe to predict that this summer will de nitely be hazy. j

ver’s Callister Brewing at that time,

VANCOUVER

BOMBER BREWING CO .

1488 Adanac St. | BomberBrewing.com

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2014

Bomber has boomed beyond post-hockey locker-room beers. ere’s lambic in the loft, imperial stout in cans and passion fruit ale in high demand.

BIKE ROUTE SESSION

ALE BE S T B I TTER

Availability: Seasonal

3.9%35

e best bitter on two wheels. A sturdy malt pro le with the citrus and tropical joys of Mosaic.

VANCOUVER

THE BANDIT

KÖL S CH

Availability: Seasonal

5.3%20

German ingredients fermented long and cool, like the Germans do. Clean, refreshing rm bitterness.

BRASSNECK BREWER Y

2148 Main St. | Brassneck.ca

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

EST. 2013

Brassneck has been brewing a legendary line-up of brews since day one. And the best way to taste Conrad Gsomer’s latest is to make the pilgrimage.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Small batch

Each version of this sour features rotating seasonal fruit. e times, they are a-changeling.

Brassneck’s take on the juicy hazy IPA. It’s big hoppy goodness with little bitterness.

VANCOUVER

CA LLIS T ER B REWING CO .

1338 Franklin St. | CallisterBrewing.com

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

EST. 2015

Canada’s rst collaborative brewery is home to Real Cask Ales, Lightheart, Boombox, and Callister itself, so you’ll always nd something new.

BLOSSOM DREAERIE (CALLISTER) GRISETTE

CA$H MONEY IPA (REAL CASK ALES)

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 5.8%N/A

is tart French farmhouse ale is the welcome recipient of some generous dry-hopping.

VANCOUVER

COA L HARBOUR BREWING

CO .

A BV IBU 7.1%N/A

is cask-conditioned IPA melds its English roots with some aggressive North American hopping.

1967 Triumph St. | CoalHarbourBrewing.com

HOURS N/A

EST. 2010

With prime real estate on the Yeast Van circuit, Coal Harbour looks to be opening its doors to the public by the end of the year with a tasting room.

GUAVA GOSE GO SE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 3.8%9

A salty, sour and refreshing gose that pairs with summer and is available all year.

SMOKE & MIRRORS

IM P ER I AL SMO K E A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 8.5%33

It’s not an illusion: this rich, thick and smoky ale is a seven-time award-winner.

VANCOUVER

D OAN’ S CRAF T

BREWING CO .

1830 Powell St. | DoansCraftBrewing.com

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

EST. 2015

One of the most distinctive East Van breweries by virtue of its bijou tasting room, Ola Volo artwork, Lego nights and ability to brew German styles so well.

KÖLSCH KOLS CH

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.0%25

Is there a better kölsch in B.C.? Clean, lightly dry and grainy, with fruit and herbal subtleties.

VANCOUVER

D OGWOO D BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | DogwoodBrew.com

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 5.0%26

e Doan brothers’ aromatic take on a traditional, crisp, clear weissbier.

WED-THU 2-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-10PM ^ SUN 12-8PM

EST. 2015

Not only are the brews tasty but brewer Claire Wilson uses certi ed B.C.-grown ingredients that’ll make you feel good, as well.

RYE SAISON

C OLLA B ORAT I ON SA ISON

Availability: One-o

A BV IBU 6.0%10

A certi ed organic collaboration with East Van’s Callister. Spicy rye goodness meets a zesty saison.

LONDON FOG LAG ER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 4.3%10

Velvety smooth, brewed dry tannins of earl grey tea and organic French vanilla.

WEISS KRISTALLWE I ZEN

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 shares recipes online and welcomes collaboration.

340 DUNKELWEIZEN

DUNKELWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.0%18

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

778 IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 7.0%75

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

VANCOUVER

G RAN VI LL E IS L AN D BREWING

1441 Cartwright St. | GIB.com

DAILY 11AM-9PM

EST. 1984

One of the province’s rst breweries, GIB’s core lineup hasn’t changed drastically over the years, but brewmaster Kevin Emms isn’t afraid to experiment at his Granville Island test kitchen—the results of which can found in GIB’s Small Batch Series.

PEACH

Availability: Small batch

GOSE GO SE SAISON BELGIAN STYLE

Availability: Small batch

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.0%17 A BV IBU 6.3%30 A BV IBU 5.5%38 A BV IBU 4.719

GIB’s only year-round small-batch brew. Fruity hops from Australia liven this laidback brew.

A crisp, un ltered saison with pepper, spices and fruit avours with a moderate hop bite.

Back in the day...

22

VANCOUVER

LUPP OLO B REWING C O.

1123 Venables St. | LuppoloBrewing.ca

MON 3-10PM ^ TUES-THU 3-11PM ^ FRI 2-11PM

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

EST. 2016

Get a taste of la dolce vita and a birra or two at Luppolo. at means well crafted beer, good co ee, Italian sandwiches and fresh pastries. Bella!

NEW WORLD SOUR

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 4.5%10

A refreshingly tart sour balanced by robust dry-hopping with Nelson Sauvin and Hallertau Blanc hops.

DOUBLE IPA

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 8.0%70

A hop monster packed full of citrus and tropical fruit notes, with a restrained balancing bitterness.

MAIN S T REE T BREWING C

O.

261 East 7th Ave. | MainStreetBeer.ca

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

EST. 2014

ere’s something for just about everyone at Main Street Brewing. e tasting room is inviting and comfortable, and the selection of beers is delicious and deep, no matter your level of craft brew expertise.

Availability: Year-round

Packed with hops from around the world. Sly, dry and something you should try.

Availability: Seasonal

Tart and hop-bursted for tropical avours of grapefruit, lime, lemon, mango and peach.

MAIN STREET PILSNER

PILS NER

Availability: Year-round

A hop-forward take on the classic English pale ale. Aromatic with citrus and pine notes.

Availability: Year-round

Bright, clean and nishes crisply with a hop bite from the Noble hops.

Home, sweet... garage?

e historic building that houses Main Street Brewing Co. is actually one of the few surviving remnants of the original Brewery Creek brewing district. e building was built more than 100 years ago, in 1913, and was originally the garage for the Vancouver Brewery.

Does beer have have Terroir? have Terroir?

Does beer have Terroir?

Oh my god, Becky! Did you taste the terroir in that beer? It’s so big!

It’s just like one of those fancy French wines.

by Rebecca Whyman

The concept of terroir and its in uence are enthusiastically debated in the wine world. Very few of the beer geeks I asked cared one whit about terroir, and hadn’t even given it a thought before I asked. After some debate, they decided that although it was an interesting philosophical question, terroir didn’t matter to their beer drinking experience or in uence their beer purchases.

e casual beer drinker isn’t interested in the minutiae of which malts or hops are chosen for the beer, let alone where they’re grown. ey just care that the nal product tastes good. So there you have it.

e beer world doesn’t care about terroir.

Enter Harley Smith and Tracy McLean of Longwood Brewing. ey care. ey care a lot!

But before we get to why they care, and why you might also, allow me to drone on about what “terroir” means. Indulge me please, I read a LOT on the topic.

Terroir is the concept that where something grows

a ects its make-up in many ways, most importantly, its avour. Terroir accounts for natural in uences like soil and climate, often in very small areas of land, producing di erent characteristics in crops. If identical crops grown a couple of kilometres apart have measurable di erences from each other, those di erences are attributed to terroir, and believed to a ect avour.

e concept of terroir grew out of Burgundy, France, evolving from a de ning aspect of agricultural production into a marketing concept and economic protection mechanism. “Terroir is about asserting and justifying di erences at local and even micro levels and ultimately of acquiring social, economic and political bene ts from such claims,” according to Marion Demossier of the University of Bath.

We can thank terroir for the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in France and the American Viticultural Areas (AVA). In a nutshell, these two systems protect the names of geographical regions from being used on products from

outside those areas. No calling that bubbly wine “champagne” unless those grapes were grown in the Champagne region!

Terroir is meant to evoke a sense of place. And some places just produce better tasting things, okay? But do not mistake terroir for the locavore movement. Although related to farm-to-table, terroir does not necessarily celebrate local products. It is concerned with which growing areas produce the best crop, and the use of traditional methods to bring out that unique avour in the nished product. e French know you get your wines from speci c regions, your cheeses from others and your produce from yet others. ere is none of the 100km diet in terroir. If the best crop grows 600km away, then that is the one that should be had.

From a marketing perspective terroir is a golden concept. Elevate one area’s foodstu s above the rest and give people a story to go along with the nal product, and they’re lining up to pay large sums for it.

If you’re still with me after that long trip through terroir, you won’t be surprised that not much about it makes me eager to apply it to my beloved beer. But wait! I want beer to claim terroir! Not least because then we can convince whoever becomes the Minister of Agriculture that beer has gravitas – that beer is as important to the economy as wine. en they’ll change the ALR rules to allow Persephone to keep their farm brewery, and joy will abound!

Hear ye! Hear ye! I propose that, just like the New World took Old World brewing traditions and made them our own, we take the Old World concept of terroir and make it our own. Let’s keep the sense of place, the belief that where something is grown comes out in its avour, and the desire to produce the best crop. We’ll ditch the protectionism, the pro teering and the snobbery.

And this is where Harley and Tracy make their entrance.

Familiar with terroir from drinking wine, Harley and Tracy associate the term with Longwood’s beer. “It seemed to aptly describe what we were doing, which is simply supporting our local farmers to create a community driven beer,” they told me. Terroir is important to them, “because it describes the regional avour derived from years of working with the farm community to create a uniquely local beer.”

As they point out, nothing tastes as good as that tomato you grew in your backyard/container garden.

“If you want to create a uniquely original avour, there is no substitute for controlling all your ingredients from start to nish.” Yes! is is how terroir matters!

100 per cent of Longwood’s current hop supply comes from within 20km of the brewery, and 50 per cent of their barley comes from central Vancouver Island. ey rely on the local community to buy their beers, and in turn they support their local growers. eirs is a reciprocal relationship from which we all bene t. It’s the New World version of the farmhouse ale!

Longwood is among many B.C. craft breweries that brew with authenticity, integrity and strong commitment to the communities they serve. e use of locally grown, organic, creative and foraged ingredients is becoming widespread as craft beer comes of age. If that’s what terroir can mean, then damn, I’m glad it’s in my beer! j

Longwood Brewery in Nanaimo tries to capture the taste of Vancouver Island by using local ingredients wherever possible, including locally-grown raspberries for its Berried Alive raspberry ale. Jonny Healy photo.

If you want to create a uniquely original avour, there is no substitute for controlling all your ingredients from start to nish. - Harley Smith and Tracy McLean, Longwood Brewing

OFF T HE RAI L BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | O eRailBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

is 15-tap tasting room on the Adanac bike route is the perfect spot to park your bike and refuel with a pint or a growler ll.

SMASH APA

A MER I CAN PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

is Single Malt And Single Hop (SMASH) pale ale combines rich pale malt with obscure Strata hops.

VANCOUVER

PARALL EL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | Parallel49Brewing.com

TASTING ROOM REOPENS IN JUNE

EST. 2012

PASSION FRUIT HEFF

HEF EWE I ZEN

Availability: Seasonal

4.6%14

Tart and sweet, this German wheat ale has a tropical twist thanks to the addition of passion fruit.

P49’s renos should be done by the time you read this. And you’ll already know that the East Van staple now has food, a patio and 40 (!?) taps.

TRICYCLE

GRA

Availability: Year-round

Tart and expertly hopped. Picked up a gold in last years’ B.C. Beer Awards.

Availability: Year-round

Lager + grapefruit juice = Canadian Brewing Awards gold medal-winning thirst quencher.

VANCOUVER

P OS T MARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | PostmarkBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

Postmark sells the West Coast lifestyle as well as its beer, with beautiful labels adorning bottles of Dominic Giraldes’ full- avoured brews.

MANDARINA WHEAT

A MER I CAN W HEAT ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.3%15

A spritzy, briskly bodied wheat ale from a citrus essence with Mandarina Bavaria hops and orange peel.

VANCOUVER

P OWELL BREWER Y

1357 Powell St. | PowellBeer.com

DAILY 12-10PM

EST. 2012

SPRUCE TIP ALE

GOLDEN A LE

Availability: Small batch

BV IBU 5.7%29

A restrained amount of tangy fresh spruce tips help complement pine and citrus hops.

Don’t let the rebrand fool you: Powell is still on the same street, and they’re still brewing their previous award-winners, and some interesting new brews, too!

CHEEKY SESSION

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

BV IBU 4.5%30

A light and refreshing hop-forward session ale with fruity aromas and avours.

BV IBU 7.0%58

A hazy IPA showcasing the juicy hop notes of grapefruit, orange, melon, apricot and berries.

R & B BREWING CO.

54 East 4th Ave. | RAndBBrewing.com

SUN-TUE 11AM-11PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-12AM

EST. 1997

R&B’s kitschy tasting room has quickly become a Brewery Creek institution, and for good reason; locals know the beer and pizza here is top-notch.

SHAKE YOUR FRUITY

MILKSHAKE IPA

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 7.3%38

is fruit smoothie of an IPA is brewed with lactose, oats and apple puree for a soft and full body.

DUDE CHILLING PALE ALE

AMERICAN PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.2%40

R&B’s mainstay pale ale is dry-hopped with Citra, Galaxy and Centennial, and now available in tall cans.

Just a few paces north of the steam clock, we are a friendly place to grab a bite, hoist a pint and relax in good company.

Open daily for lunch and dinner until late.

www.theblackfrog.ca

604.602.0527

108 Cambie Street /BlackFrogEatery @blackfrogeatery

VANCOUVER

RE D T RUCK BEER CO.

295 East 1st Ave. | RedTruckBeer.com

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

SUN 10AM-10PM

EST. 2005

“Build it and they will come.” e analogy works well with Red Truck. People keep coming for the diner food, open-air concerts and beer, natch.

RED TRUCK GOLDEN ALE

GOLDEN A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 4.8%18

Bright and breezy yet surprisingly complex, with citrus, herbal, spice and honey character.

VANCOUVER

RED TRUCK ALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.2%28

e beer that rst required a red truck to deliver it, it remains a crisp, malt-forward ale.

ST ORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | StormBrewing.com

TUE-SAT 10AM-6PM ^ SUN 1-6PM

EST. 1994

Next time you visit, look for plastic and toy rats throughout the brewery, gifts from fans of Storm’s Black Plague Stout, for which the rat is the logo.

PINEAPPLE PARADISE PILSNER

GERMAN W HEAT A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.0%20

What better way to toast summer than with paradise in a glass? And pineapple, too.

HURRICANE IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 7.0%50

is hop-bomb is one of B.C.’s original IPAs, dating back to the late 1990s.

Homeless brewers

nd a home with contract breweries

by Joe Wiebe

Contract brewing is part of the beer business that most people know little about. e idea is simple: rather than build your own brewing facility, you pay an existing brewery that has excess capacity to brew your beer for you. It is legal, and the product is generally still considered to be craft beer. Some of the world’s most highly regarded breweries, such as Mikeller and Evil Twin, operate without brewing facilities of their own.

According to the Ontario Brewer’s Directory (MomAndHops.ca), there are 65 contract breweries to go along with more than 200 brick-andmortar breweries in that province. Here in B.C., however, there have been only a few examples in recent years. Probably the best known is Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks, which started o as a contract brewery paying Dead Frog Brewery to produce its beers before it opened its own facility in Richmond in 2015. Dead Frog also helped Steamworks while it was building its Burnaby facility.

Contract brewing seems to be on the rise here in B.C. as part of the huge boom in new breweries (more than 50 have opened in B.C. since 2015). It makes sense—after all, a brewery generally

costs upwards of $1 million or more to build, so why not start without an actual facility and build up your brand and capital until you can a ord to build your own place?

In Vancouver, there are two unique companies that are designed to help contract breweries: Callister Brewing, which opened in 2015 and operates an incubator space for new breweries; and Factory Brewing, a brand new facility with a business model entirely devoted to contract brewing.

Callister is a small-scale operation located just o Clark Drive with a tasting room that serves its own beer along with three other resident breweries that sign up for one-year terms. Arguably, Callister is more of a co-op than a true contract brewery. In its rst year, the resident breweries were Real Cask, Super ux (originally Machine Ales) and Brewery Creek. Real Cask stayed on for Year 2, while the other slots were lled by Boombox Brewing and Lightheart Brewing.

For Adam Henderson and Matt Kohlen, co-founders of Super ux, Callister was the perfect opportunity to explore the idea of starting a brewery.

“We began without too much in terms of plans,”

Henderson admits, adding that he is quite busy with his other business, Copper & eory, a craft beer distribution company.

“Nobody else there was really making IPAs,” he says. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but they’re very popular. Half of the time people would say ‘What’s your IPA?’ so we got some notoriety and we learned how to dry hop pretty well, I think.”

After their year at Callister, however, they realized they needed to brew bigger batches of beer to continue to grow their business and meet demand. Super ux next worked with Dogwood Brewing for about ve months, and now is beginning to work with Strathcona Brewing.

“We are not just making a brand to sell,” Henderson insists. “We’re putting our knowledge of how beer is made, our love of what we want to see be made – we’re putting that into it. Where your beer is made is important to a degree. Ultimately, what’s important is how it’s made and if a drinker likes it. It shouldn’t matter to the drinker. We’re doing our job if it doesn’t.”

Henderson and Kohlen intend to open their own brewery, hopefully within the next couple of years. Meanwhile, Boombox seems to have picked up the IPA gauntlet at Callister. At the B.C. Beer Awards last October, it won third place out of 58 entries in the competitive North American IPA category for its Ultra Deluxe IPA, and also took home the CBC People’s Choice Award for its Pablo Esco Gnar IPA, a Northeast IPA that was brewed in collaboration with Super ux.

Factory Brewing’s business model is all about making beer for other breweries. Located near Strange Fellows Brewing in East Vancouver, it will be working with several local companies, including Doan’s Craft Brewing Co., which opened in 2015 in what was Powell Brewery’s original location.

at building’s footprint only allowed for a very small brewhouse, which has been challenging.

“We wanted to get into this industry more than anything, and this was the perfect scenario to get our foot in the door,” Evan Doan says, but acknowledges that, “the past year has been a huge struggle to make enough money to continue growing here. So Factory is a dream come true for us.”

Factory will brew and package Doan’s core brands—Rye IPA, Rye Stout and Kolsch—while Doan’s will brew beer for two new series at their own facility: the 1830 Series, which will include “the beers we’ve always wanted to brew but never have been able to,” and the Fun Time series, which will feature collaborations with other breweries.

Expect to see several other smaller breweries from B.C. making using of Factory’s services, including Twin Sails Brewing, Postmark Brewing and Salt Spring Island Ales, as well as a new “homeless” start-up called Two Wolves Brewing. j

Brewmaster Andres Palma of Factory Brewing works with craft brewers to help them create their beer on Factory's 50hL brewing system. Dan Toulgoet photo

Where your beer is made is important to a degree. Ultimately, what’s important is how it’s made and if a drinker likes it.

- Adam Henderson, Super ux

ST RANGE FELLOWS

BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | StrangeFellowsBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

e only thing strange about Strange Fellows Brewing is its uncanny ability to put out consistently incredible Belgian-inspired West Coast brews. e brewery’s new Fellowship program allows craft beer fans to get in on exclusive, limited-run beers and all sorts of perks and discounts.

Availability: Seasonal

is oxymoronic “Russian Imperial ISA” is dryhopped for loads of sunny citrus and fruit.

Availability: Small batch

Tart and dry, bright and fruity, with a mild spiciness and tastefully restrained brett funk.

Availability: Year-round

e spiciness of a witbier with the citrus hop character of an IPA. e best of both worlds!

Availability: Year-round

A unique combo of yeasts join forces to help impart fruit and spice to this farmhouse-style saison.

All in the family...

For Strange Fellows co-owner Aaron Jonckheere (pictured on the right, with co-owner Iain Hill), brewing is in his blood. His grandfather came to Canada from Belgium in the 1950s and was shocked by the lack of quality beer, and began making beer at home. Eventually, his grandfather taught his father to brew beer, and his father taught him, when Aaron was barely 16.

STRAT HCONA BEER C O.

895 E. Hastings St. | StrathconaBeer.com

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2016

Don’t let Strathcona’s beautifully designed tasting room give you doubts about style over substance; the beer is good, the pizza is good, so, life is good!

RYE ESB

E XTRA S P EC I AL B I TTER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 6.2%50

A strong English bitter that retains a decent balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness.

NORTHWEST PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.1%45

ere’s some New Zealand Wakatu hops in here, but mostly it’s about citrus and oral Cascade.

BL ACK KE TTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | BlackKettleBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

One of Metro Vancouver’s more reclusive breweries, Black Kettle is nevertheless a con dent crafter of well-made ales and is worth seeking out.

PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.0%N/A

A crisp ale, well balanced between caramel-sweet malt and earthy, oral hops.

INDIA

PALE

IND I A PALE A LE

ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 6.4%N/A

An IPA in the now-traditional West Coast vein, with a full avour pro le of citrus and oral hops.

BRI D GE BREWING C O.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | BridgeBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2012

ere’s always a strong mix of brews on tap, but did you know that you can also get delicious, locally-sourced tacos at Bridge now, too?

BOURBON BLOOD

Availability: Year-round

Zesty and oral with a clean citrus avour, brewed with bourbon and blood oranges.

Availability: Year-round

A juicy and cloudy hop-bomb with peach, tangerine and tropical fruit notes.

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | DeepCoveCraft.com

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2013

With summer in full e ect, you’ll want to take full advantage of Deep Cove’s fully serviced, deluxe patio, that’s open until 10pm on those warm nights.

YUZU WIT WITBIER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%18

Citrusy Yuzu fruit from Japan is added to this bright Belgian-style witbier.

NORTH VAN

PICNIC

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 6.4%60

Conditioned on 200 pounds of apricot puree, this will be one sweet India Pale Ale.

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Crt. | GreenLeafBrew.com

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

FRI-SAT 11-12AM

EST. 2013

Right next to the SeaBus terminal, Green Leaf draws a mix of locals, tourists and daytrippers who come to sample the brewery’s interesting range.

BURNING ROCK ALE

STEINBIER

WEIZENHOWER HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.0%26

A rare style that derives its caramel and smoke avours from hot granite rocks dropped in the wort.

ABV IBU 5.0%6

is refreshing take on the hefeweizen style is brewed with orange peel, coriander and sa ron.

APRICOT INDIA PALE ALE

HEAR T HS T ONE BREWER Y

1015 Marine Dr. | HearthstoneBrewery.ca

Hearthstone is fully realized and is in full ow with an excellent range of beer, Mediterranean-themed food and a new patio for al fresco imbibing.

Availability: Seasonal

is quirky, cukey sour ale found many fans last year. Dry-cucumbered for maximum refreshment.

Availability: Small batch

D AGERAA D BREWING

114 - 3191 underbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

Inspired by a public square in Antwerp, the Dageraadplaats, founder and brewer Ben Coli continues his mission of crafting interesting and uniquely delicious Belgian-inspired brews, made in Burnaby.

Availability: Seasonal

Peppery, hoppy, e ervescent and bone-dry. Brewed after traditional farmhouse ales from Wallonia and Northern France.

Availability: Small batch

Aroma of noble hops and oral booziness, paying tribute to the city that inspires Dageraad.

Availability: Year-round

is take on the traditional Belgian spiced wheat ale is creamy with a citrusy aroma.

Availability: Year-round

Dageraad’s agship ale is a perfect balance of fruity, spicy esters, citrus hop aroma, and nutty malt.

WHat’s in a name?

Dageraad is named after the Dageraadplats, a nondescript public square on the east side of Antwerp, Belgium. e square itself is fairly unremarkable, but with its picnic tables, throngs of children, and café patios, it o ers a wonderful glimpse into the Belgian way of life. Unsurprisingly, it was here that owner Ben Coli fell in love with Belgium.

ST EAMWORKS BREWING

CO .

3845 William St. | Steamworks.com

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

EST. 1995

e Gastown brewpub is great, but if you want to see where all the awardwinning action happens, check out the Burnaby brewery and taproom.

SUMMER ALE W

Availability: Seasonal

IBU 4.8%20

A thirst-quencher brewed with sweet orange and lemon peel and grains of paradise.

ST EE L & OAK

Availability: Seasonal

Tropical notes from the three Southern hemisphere hops shine through the clean malt pro le.

BREWING CO .

1319 3rd Ave. | SteelAndOak.ca

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

EST. 2013

is New West institution is heading into its third year with a mix of old and new. After brewing mostly German styles, they nally made an (excellent) IPA.

ROSELLE

W HEAT ALE

Availability: Year-round

5.5%22

Hibiscus, rose hips and Belgian yeast give notes of oral, banana, raspberry and spice.

SMOKED

Availability: Seasonal

5.2%15

Traditional Bamberg-style un ltered wheat beer. Banana and clove hefe notes meet smoked malts.

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

Moody Ales is one of few B.C. breweries to package their beers in “crowlers” —one-litre cans—as well as 650mL bottles and regular growlers, too.

SUBLIME PINEAPPLE

HEFEWEIZEN

PI NEAPPLE HEF EWE I ZEN

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 4.8%22

German yeast, American hops and pineapple juice: cloudy, fruity, refreshing and delicious.

CHIPPER BLONDE

A MER I CAN BLONDE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.5%22

is beer might seem simple, but it’s got more than enough avour to satisfy.

B.C. SUMMER BEER FEST CALENDAR

M AY 26- J U NE 4

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

PNE Fairgrounds, Vancouver VancouverCraftBeerWeek.com

JU NE 24

Tri-Cities Summer Cask Festival

Queen Street Plaza, Port Moody TriCitiesCaskFestival.com

JU LY 8

Squamish Beer Festival

O’Siyam Pavilion, Squamish SquamishBeerFestival.com

JU LY 8

Farmhouse Saison and Wild Beer Fest

UBC Farm, Vancouver FarmhouseFest.com

SE P T. 8-9

Great Canadian Beer Festival

Royal Athletic Park, Victoria GCBF.com

SE P T. 13-17

Whistler Village Beer Festival

Whistler Olympic Plaza, Whistler GibbonsWhistler.com

THE PARKSI DE BREWER Y

2731 Murray St. | eParksideBrewery.com

MON-THU 12-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM ^ SUN 12-9PM

EST. 2016

Located next to Rocky Point Park, Port Moody’s most spacious lounge accommodates thirsty joggers, kayakers and post-shift workers alike.

DIM WIT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.9%15

A no-nonsense, classic take on the style, which means coriander and citrus notes are to the fore.

PORT M OODY

A BV IBU 7.0%60

Parkside’s single malt, single hop DIPA has already seen Galaxy, Citra and Lemondrop take centre stage.

T WIN SAI L S BREWING

2821 Murray St. | TwinSailsBrewing.com

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

EST. 2015

It’s a tough job keeping up with the seemingly weekly releases of delicious boundary-pushing hop experiments, but someone’s got to do it.

DAT JUICE

A MER I CAN W HEAT PALE A LE

STREET LEGAL IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.2%25

Brewed with aked wheat and powered by the citrusy, grapefruity goodness of the Citra hop.

A BV IBU 6.5%45

A juicy take on the newest hop craze, that’s double-hopped with Simcoe, Columbus and Centennial.

YE LL OW D OG BREWING CO .

1- 2817 Murray St. | YellowDogBrew.com

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

EST. 2014

Murray Street may be crowded with breweries, but Yellow Dog manages to stand out thanks to its impressive line of award-winning beers.

TAKE A WALK

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.8%15

Citrus and tropical fruit dominate this refreshingly sessionable wheat ale.

J&S Reclaimed Wood

Handcrafted Furniture & Millwork for your Home and Business

CHASE MY TAIL

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.2%50

is classic West Coast-style pale ale starts with piney hop aromas up front, nishing fruity and dry.

@jsreclaimedwood

jsreclaimedwood.com

B RI TANNIA B REWING CO .

110-12500 Horseshoe Way | BBCO.ca

DAILY 11AM-5PM

EST. 2016

Go straight to the source for lls, or head to Britannia’s cute taphouse near Steveston’s shorefront, where well-crafted brews pair splendidly with sea air.

ADRIFT HOP BLONDE ALE BLONDE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.7%25

A crisp, dry and refreshing blonde ale given a delightful citrus lift from late hop additions.

RI CHMOND

ASHORE RYE PORTER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.1%32

is excellent porter combines classic nutty, chocolate and co ee hints with a light, earthy rye spiciness.

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

For a brewery that fully embraces nerd culture, it’s not surprising to nd a TARDIS in Fuggles & Warlock’s tasting room.

RYEGAR RYE IPA IND I A PALE A LE

KAKERU DRY-HOPPED EQUINOX SOUR

SO U R ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 6.8%68

Rye spiciness with loads of hops, including Mosaic, Columbus, Cascade, Nugget, Centennial and Citra.

A BV IBU 5.4%21

An un ltered kettle sour, dry-hopped with Equinox. Expect citrus, tropical, fruit and oral aromas.

BROWN P ORTER

FOUR WIN D S BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | FourWindsBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2013

Best brewery in Canada (2015), best beer in Canada (2016), and their e ortlessly cool lounge has best tacos in Delta (probably).

SOUR

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Bright, tart, e ervescent, with lemon and mineral notes. A lovely warm weather beer.

Bursting with tropical fruit and grounded by some subtle brett funk. Worth paying attention to every sip.

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

For Canada’s 150th b-day, Central City teamed up with 12 breweries across the country for their patriotic “Across the Nation Collaboration.”

LEFT

THE DIVIDE

UPPER REACHES

PALE ALE SPRU

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Teaming up with Four Winds, expect intense hop tones and tropical fruit avour.

Ontario White Spruce tips and peach juice are used in this collaboration with Beau’s Brewing.

RUSSELL BREWING CO.

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | RussellBeer.com

DAILY 7AM-2:30PM

EST. 1995

Russell has a big, diverse beer lineup, including several award winners and some really unusual beers. Now, if only that tasting room could open soon...

PUNCH BOWL GRAPEFRUIT IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

WHITE RABBIT LEMON RAZ RADLER RADLER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 6.5%60

e addition of grapefruit adds another dimension of citrus to this tropical hop bomb.

WHITE ROCK BREWING

ABV IBU 3.5%28

Add lemons and raspberries to Russell’s White Rabbit Hoppy Hefeweizen. Result? Taste and see!

13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | WhiteRockBrewing.ca

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

EST. 2015

White Rock by name, South Surrey by geography. ere’s a loyal following from both sides for this brewery, which is beginning to stretch itself creatively.

PROHIBITION IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

OCEAN LAGER LAGER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 7.0%90

A huge IPA that’s a playground for Citra, Galaxy and Mosaic hops, with juicy citrus and tropical notes.

ABV IBU 5.0%22

Saaz and Hallertau hops round out this crisp, refreshing lager.

WHI TE ROCK BEACH

BEER CO .

15181 Russell Ave. | WhiteRockBeachBeer.com

WED-THU 4-8PM ^ FRI 4-9PM^SAT 12-8PM SUN 10AM-5PM

EST. 2014

Expanded hours and a recent expansion to a new 1,800L brew system are sure signs things are getting serious at this White Rock brewery.

OXFORD HILL HEF

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Notes of honey, orange and banana makes this hefe a refreshing summer sipper.

Cascade, Magnum and Centennial provide the bite dedicated hopheads are looking for.

FOAMERS’

FOLLY BREWING CO.

19221 122A Ave. | FoamersFolly.ca

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

EST. 2015

With 20 taps pouring their award-winning craft beers, there’s always something new and creative on o er at Foamer’s Folly. e tasting room is easily the coolest place in Pitt Meadows, with live music, trivia nights, yummy snacks, and, of course, lots and lots of beer.

FOAMERS’ LAGER

HELLES LAGER

Availability: Year-round

Pale gold with bright clarity, this patio pounder has earthy hop aromas, bready malt body and a crisp nish.

HONEY JASMINE RADLER

Availability: Seasonal

is refreshing beer puts the rad in radler, balancing the tartness of the lemonade with honey sweetness.

JUICY DOUBLE DIPA

Availability: Seasonal

Strawberries and oodles of juicy hops come together in this unconventional, creamy double IPA.

ROSEMARY ISA INDIA

Availability: Seasonal44

Savory yet refreshing, this sessionable IPA balances citrus, pepper and herbal avors with rosemary.

WHat’s in a name?

Located right next to the CP rail lines and the West Coast Express station, Foamer’s Folly takes its name from the term “foamer”—a railway fanatic said to be so obsessed with trains that they are foaming at the mouth. e good folks at Foamer’s Folly have a similar obsession with beer, and have been picking up awards for their innovative brews left and right.

MAPLE

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | MapleMeadowsBrewingCo.com

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

EST. 2014

Now in its second year, Maple Meadows has settled into a dependable neighbourhood brewery serving unpretentious, solid, small-batch brews.

WHITE FERRET

BELGIAN WIT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.2%15

Beat the heat with this traditional Belgian Wit with fruity and spicy notes.

RIDGE BREWING CO.

ABV IBU 6.0%55

is one’s for the hopheads who want something refreshing but hoppy for summertime.

22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | RidgeBrewing.com

MON-THU 2-7PM ^ FRI 2-8:30PM ^SAT 11AM-8:30PM SUN 11AM-5:30PM

EST. 2015

Kitty-corner to Maple Meadows is this family-friendly brewery, a local favourite for its wide selection of beers and live music.

PRIDE

BERLINER WEISSE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 3.6%0

Tart and refreshing, with a big lemon avour and a crisp nish.

ABV IBU 5.6%84

Brewed for the ardent hophead, but balanced with a strong malt backbone.

WHITE IPA INDIA PALE ALE

GREEN EYES WHITE ENGLISH INDIA PALE ALE

KP U B REWING L AB

20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew

WED 12-4PM ^ FRI 1-5PM

EST. 2016

e pilot brewery for students of Kwantlen’s brewing program is open to the public twice a week for tastings, growler lls and tours.

STOUT

Availability: Small batch

A BV IBU 5.0%N/A

is creamy stout has notes of caramel and chocolate with roasted co ee aromas.

Availability: Small batch

A BV IBU 5.0%N/A

A traditional take on the Belgian-style un ltered wheat beer, brewed with orange peel and coriander.

KPU OATMEAL

STO UT

KPU WITBIER WI T BIER

BREWER BREWER

e Homebrewer Edition

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Over the course of the last few years, Brewer vs. Brewer has interviewed some of the best professional craft brewers in the province. But what about the thousands of homebrewers out there? Just because someone doesn’t get paid to make great beer for a living, doesn’t mean they can’t make great beer.

In garages, basements, backyards and cramped apartment kitchens across B.C., some of the best craft beers you’ll never get a chance to taste are being created. Many of the professional brewers at places like Parallel 49 and Doan’s Craft Brewing Company started o making beer on their kitchen stove. In fact, close to 20 former members of the VanBrewers homebrew club are now working as professional brewers.

We sat down with two well-known B.C. homebrewers to talk about what sparked their love for beer and how the homebrewing scene has changed as craft beer has exploded in popularity. Scott Butchart is president of VanBrewers, one of Canada’s most active homebrewing clubs with more than 250 paid-up members. Novia Chen is a two-time B.C. Beer Award Homebrewer of the Year and member of the Tri-Cities Homebrew Club.

We got them together at Dan’s Homebrewing on East Hastings Street in Vancouver, where many a homebrew obsession has begun.

Photos by Jennifer Gauthier

GROWLER: So tell me about how you discovered the exciting world of homebrew?

SCOTT BUTCHART: I got into homebrewing on a CAMRA [Campaign for Real Ale] bus trip to Mission Springs Brewery. Everybody was sampling the wares they had brought on to the bus and this guy and his girlfriend were sitting in front of me and they had a bottle of homebrewed tripel and the guy passed it back to me. I was like, what is this, where is this from? And he goes, I made it! I thought he was totally kidding. So I was like, how do you make this, it’s incredible! He invited me down to his house the next weekend and that’s when I started brewing. at was Graham [With] of Parallel 49 and Katy [Wright], she’s the sales rep now for Canada Malting. So the rst homebrewers I’d ever met got me into homebrewing, and they just turned out to be mind-blowingly good at it. at was 2007, 2008?

NOVIA CHEN: My partner Sho [Agawa] and I, we were both poor grad students and met in grad school in Ohio… and when we came to Vancouver ve years ago, we looked around and we were just like, hmmm, there’s no more cheap beer anymore, like these 12-packs for seven dollars like in the US. So we started looking up homebrewing websites and we calculated we could make a bottle of beer for 30 cents, and it was good beer! Yeah, de nitely saving money, pretty typical grad student experience.

GROWLER: What was it about homebrewing that appealed to you? Why’d you stick with it?

BUTCHART: For me it was like for most people, “Oh this is cheap!” Yeah, 30 cents a bottle, 20 litres for 20 bucks or whatever. So I kinda started out like that. en once I got through a few batches, it really shifted for me. I started with all-grain right away, so you had control over what was happening, you could see how you were altering small things and that would change things down the road. It’s

like cooking; you can make exactly what you’re looking for, with enough knowledge. And now, it’s just sort of what I do. Every week it’s like, OK, I’m going to make a beer, or a cider, or a hot sauce. Fermentation suddenly became a big part of my life.

GROWLER: So, Novia, I imagine as a poor grad student you probably live in a tiny apartment. How do you manage to brew in such a small space?

CHEN: Yeah, we started picking up brewing equipment here at Dan’s and we were doing ve-gallon batches, but it was just too much to bottle. So we started doing three-gallon batches and that was much easier. Space-wise, we just make sure everything ts and is a wise decision to bring into the house. If I can give any advice to future homebrewers living in an apartment, be aware that you’ll need more space eventually, because you’re going to get greedy. We didn’t have a kegging system until recently, and I’m trying to limit us and not get a 20-pound CO2 tank, because we don’t have any space.

BUTCHART: You’ll get one, though. It’s inevitable.

GROWLER: Do you have one?

BUTCHART: I have two!

GROWLER: So Scott, you’ve been brewing since 2008 or so, a lot has happened in the craft beer scene in Vancouver since then. How has that impacted the homebrewing scene?

BUTCHART: We noticed that there was a marked increase in interest in about 2009, 2010. ere wasn’t a homebrew club in Vancouver before, so once people learned they could go somewhere

So the rst homebrewers I’d ever met got me into homebrewing, and they just turned out to be mindblowingly good at it.

- Scott Butchart

NOVIA

BUTC HART: ey [B.C. Beer Awards organizers] ran it by me, and I was like, no, no, no, do NOT read that out!

CHEN: What about you?

BUTC HART: No, mine are like, Scott’s Brown Ale, Scott’s IPA, that kind of thing. Actually, we have a competition coming up and there’s like 350 entries, and I absolutely hate judging IPAs, so I decided to brew one so I don’t have to judge them. I’m calling it Six Dollars of Happiness. It cost me six bucks to brew it, but I’m out, so it’s perfect.

GROWLER: Do you guys harbour any ambitions to go pro?

BUTC HART: Short answer, no. I think I like it being my hobby. I like having control over it and I’m not making anything for anybody else. I can make a foreign export stout that’s pretty bitter if I want to. I love it, but it would never sell. Also, I have a day job that I’m compensated well for.

CHEN: You spend a lot of time judging and organizing events, don’t you? Does that eat up a lot of your time?

and hang out and learn as a group and get critical feedback on their beers, a lot more people started coming out. And the increase of breweries has been crazy. We have, I think, 18 members and former members who are professional brewers now. Probably more than that, actually. It’s a pretty big list.

CHEN: Do they still come back to participate?

BUTC HART: Yeah, some of them do. e ones that have been brewing professionally for a while are obviously pretty busy, but then there’s people like Tak [Guenette, brewmaster at Gladstone Brewing in Courtenay] who brew all week at their job and brew at home four days a week, too. But yeah, the a ect has been pretty huge, it’s increased the knowledge base for our brewers, there’s way more beer styles available and interesting things coming out all the time, so people go, “ at’s awesome, I want to make that!”

GROWLER: Do you spend a lot of time coming up with names for your beers?

CHEN: At the B.C. Beer Awards, our mild ale, Sho named it “Pubic Secrets,” and they never announced the name. ey made the right choice.

BUTC HART: It does! I probably put in, like, 20 hours a month into the club. It used to be a LOT more, but now I have people I can hand stu o to. I guess it’s a bit more than a hobby. Judging our competitions is a big part of that. Actually, I think anybody that’s a homebrewer should really look at getting certi ed as a beer judge. It just increases your knowledge so much. at’s how my beer got better, just by doing the [Beer Judge Certi cation Program]. People come to our homebrew meetings and there’s maybe 40 people there, and 12 of them are beer judges. So people walk around the room and are like, “Hey, what’s wrong with my beer?” and they go “Oh, I’ll tell you!”

CHEN: For me, it’s important to nish my PhD. But there’s always that possibility to switch gears from amateur to professional for a lot of homebrewers.

GROWLER: So if someone is looking to get into homebrewing, where should they start?

CHEN: Reading helps. at will teach you some of the basics. Places like Barley’s Homebrewing [in New Westminster], Beyond e Grape [in Port Moody], Dan’s Homebrewing, they all provide great help. Yeah, it can be a bit intimidating at rst, but they really want to help you. So don’t be afraid to ask questions and just start brewing! j

If I can give any advice to future homebrewers living in an apartment, be aware that you’ll need more space eventually, because you’re going to get greedy. - Novia Chen

TRA D ING POS T B REWING

107 - 20120 64th Ave. | TradingPostBrewing.com

SUN-WED 12-9PM ^ THU-SAT 12-11PM

EST. 2015

Trading Post’s popularity is proof the Valley has a thirst for craft beer. at’s not even factoring in their even more popular taphouse in Fort Langley.

RASPBERRY WHEAT

ALE

FRUI T WHEAT B EER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 7.5%12

e high carbonation and careful balance of tart and sweet make this beer almost e ortless to drink.

WHITE IPA

WHI TE IND I A P ALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 6.6%27

is IPA/witbier crossover results in a super-fruity creation with gentle spice and a complex malt base.

D EA D FROG BREWER Y

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way | DeadFrog.ca

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

EST. 2005

Dead Frog has been ahead of the curve for so long that it’s become an old timer in the Valley beer scene, but they still know how to innovate.

BLUEBERRY BLAST KETTLE SO UR

Availability: Seasonal

Dry and crisp with a citrus tartness and blueberry sweetness. Destined to be a summer smash.

OT SFORD

IPA

Availability: Year-round

A full- avoured, classic West Coast IPA with aromas and avours of pine and tropical and citrus fruits.

F IE LD H OUSE B REWING CO .

2281 West Railway St. | FieldHouseBrewing.com

TUE-THU 12-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM ^ SUN 12-10PM

EST. 2016

A new kitchen serving pizza, tacos and other snacks alongside Field House’s dynamic and eclectic beer list makes this a perfect summer hangout.

BARREL AGED WILD

SAISON

SAISON

Availability: One-o

Aged for 10 months in wild cider barrels that once aged American whisky. Funky!

LIGHT SOUR

Availability: One-o

is tart and crisp beer is soured with lactobacillus and brewed with kiwi and local rhubarb.

O LD ABBEY AL ES

1A - 30321 Fraser Hwy. | OldAbbeyAles.com

DAILY 11AM-8PM

EST. 2015

Old Abbey has been taking a West Coast approach to its beer styles under brewer Steve Black. With 20 beers on tap, there’s always something new.

DANK TANK IPA2

DO UB LE IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: One-o

A BV IBU 9.0%70

Fruit and pine aromas and double-hopped for double the dankess.

ALTERNATIVE ZEN

IND I A PALE LAG ER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.0%32

A medium gold, cloudy, un ltered lager with bigtime citrus aroma and avour.

Angus burgers, gluten free hot dogs made from premium meat and spices, & award-winning sausages, all handcrafted by our butcher team. Much like craft beer, we believe that our locally raised, gourmet meats are

33955 Clayburn Rd. Abbotsford, BC

RAV ENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd. | Ravens.beer

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

SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2015

e Fraser Valley is in every glass of Ravens’ beer, thanks to Abbotsford-grown hops and fruit. Going local never tasted so good!

RASPBERRY HEFEWEIZEN

HEF EWE I ZEN

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 5.0%15

is tart and refreshing wheat ale gets is bright pink colour from 400 pounds of Abbotsford raspberries.

M ISSION

MISSION SP RINGS BREWING COM PAN Y

7160 Oliver St. | MissionSprings.ca

SUMAS MOUNTAIN LAGER

LAG ER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.8%16

Sterling hops and Canadian malt make this avourful lawnmower lager mellow, crisp and clean.

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

EST. 1996

A funky brewpub with a ton of charm and it’s got beers to match. If you can’t make it to Mission, be on the lookout for its cans and bottles.

BLUE COLLAR PALE

ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.3%30

is full-bodied pale ale gets straight down to business, brewed with Noble hops imported from England.

LEMON GINGER RADLER

R ADLER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 3.0%0

Blended with organic California lemons and a ginger root infusion.

C H I L L I C K W A

Chilliwack Hop Farms—Bringing world-class hops back to British Columbia!

For over a hundred years, Chilliwack produced some of the best hops in the entire British Commonwealth. We are proud to play our part in rebuilding that legacy right back here where it belongs—in Chilliwack, BC.

We are now over 300 acres and growing! We carry over 120 varieties of hops that we ship out daily to over 15 countries.

We love growing hops. You love brewing with great hops. Contact us—we’re here to help.

CHILLIWACK HOP FARMS

6575 Unsworth Rd., Chilliwack, B.C. 604-614-1764 • sales@chilliwackhopfarms.com www.chilliwackhopfarms.com

C HAOS & SOL ACE C RAF T

B REWING C O.

1 - 9360 Mill St. | ChaosAndSolace.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2016

Calvin Quaite’s welcoming brewery in downtown Chilliwack has up to a dozen beers pouring at any given time, spanning a wide range of styles.

FIVE CORNERS IPA

Availability: Year-round

A citrus hop-forward West Coast IPA that maintains a pleasant, chewy malt character.

Availability: Year-round

5.6%45

A classic bitter, featuring a full-bodied malt prole, given a West Coast boost with Cascade hops.

O LD YAL E BREWING CO .

404 - 44550 South Sumas Rd. | OldYaleBrewing.com

TUE-SUN 11AM-7PM

EST. 1999

Award-winning Old Yale Brewing is kicking o summer with four unique Canadian themed beers and a stable of seasonal classics.

VANISHING MONK

WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

5.0%15

is witbier is all fruit and spice and everything nice with coriander and two di erent types of orange peel.

Any night is a marvelous night for this un ltered American wheat beer made with mango puree.

A-FRAME BREWING CO.

38927 Queens Way | AFrameBrewing.com

WED-THU 2-8PM ^ FRI 2-9PM ^ SAT 12-9PM

SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2016

A-Frame’s cabin-chic lounge is a cosy, well designed space—featuring well designed beer—that’s set up nicely for après ski, après bike and après work.

SHUSWAP LAKE IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 6.5%60

A rugged, robust IPA dry-hopped with Centennial for even more oral and pine aromas.

SQU AMIS H

BACKCOUN TR Y B REWING

TROUT LAKE

SINGLE-HOP ESB

E XTRA S P EC I AL B I TTER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.5%40

is English-style bitter gets its tropical- and citrusfruit lilt from the bold El Dorado hop.

#405-1201 Commercial Way | BackcountryBrewing.com

TUE-WED 3-10PM ^ THU 3-11PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM

SUN 12-10PM

EST. 2017

Woodsy outdoor camping vibes—and a cabin!—await inside this unassuming Squamish industrial building. Plan a hike here soon.

TRAILBREAKER PALE

ALE PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 5.0%35

Refreshing and light pro le with a big, citrus hoppy nish of Citra, Simcoe and Chinook.

WIDOW MAKER IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 6.7%50

A cloudy East Coast-style hop explosion, bursting with juicy Citra and Mosiac goodness.

MORE TO EXPERIENCE

TOURS & TASTINGS

4pm Wednesday Through Sunday

1045 Millar Creek Rd. Whistler, BC

LIVE MUSIC

Every Friday 6 to 9 pm

Onsite Store and Growler Fills

SQ UAM IS H

H OWE SOUN D BREW I NG CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave. | HoweSound.com

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 1996

Howe Sound is the respected elder of Squamish’s craft beer scene. If you’re planning a visit, the brewpub has an inn with comfy, a ordable rooms.

KING HEFFY

SKY PILOT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU

7.7%20

C OAS T M OUN TAIN B REWING C O.

Unit 2 1212 Alpha Lake Rd. | CoastMountainBeer.ca

MON-WED 12-10PM ^ THU-SAT 11-12AM ^ SUN 11AM10PM

EST. 2016

SUNNY DAZE

N ORTHEA S T IND I A PALE A LE

ALPENGLOW BLOOD ORANGE SOUR

SO U R ALE

A BV IBU 6.0%50 A BV IBU

4.0%20

Lots of late, juicy hops + oats, wheat and barley = cloudy deliciousness.

70

W HISTLER BREWING CO .

1045 Millar Creek Rd. | WhistlerBeer.com

WED-THU 1-8PM ^ FRI 1-10PM ^ SAT-SUN 1-8PM

EST. 1989

Whistler is proving its recent makeover is much more than skin deep, with an expanded lineup of core beers and exciting seasonal o erings.

DOS ESQUELETOS

M EX I CAN LA G ER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 5.0%21

is crisp Mexican lager is lightly hopped and aged on tequila barrel staves. ¡Muy delicioso!

JUNIPER KÖLSCH

KOL S CH

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 4.6%25

Smooth, clean and well balanced, this lagered ale is gently hopped and avoured with fresh juniper.

Don’t miss an issue! Subscribe and buy merch at the-growler.myshopify.com

THIS BEER IS UNION MADE

by Jan Zeschky

Many unusual things happened in 2016. Trump. Brexit. Grown adults hunting Pokemon in the park. And on Salt Spring Island that July, the eight employees of the local brewery voted to join the Brewery, Distillery and Winery Union Local 300.

It was a rare bit of bright news for organized labour, at a time when the power of unions appears to be at a low ebb.

Breweries and unions have long been a good t: a pairing of the traditional working man’s drink and the working man’s champion. When brewery workers began organizing in the factories of the late 19th century, owners were keen to play up a union a liation, says Mark ompson, professor emeritus in industrial relations at the University of B.C.’s Sauder School of Business.

“As a way of showing sympathy for their customers these companies tended to be unionized but took pride in having good relations with their union,” ompson says.

“It was rare to nd a brewery that was really hostile to labour organizations.”

But these days, the “Union Made” label emblazoned on bottles and cans—once a proud symbol of the might of North America’s labour organizations—has all but faded from sight.

e percentage of workers in Canada that are unionized has fallen from a peak of 36.8 per cent in 1982 to 26.4 per cent in 2014, according to the OECD. In the United States that gure slumped dramatically over that time, from 20.5 per cent to 10.7 per cent.

Many of the provisions unions fought for—like worker’s compensation, employment standards, and statutory holidays—are now included in labour law, bene tting all workers, unionized or not. With the major battles fought and won, many of today’s unions are struggling to remain relevant.

Organized workplaces have also come under threat from union-busting political policies, cheap imports and consolidation leading to merger upon merger. e brewing industry o ers some notable examples, particularly AB-InBev and its Borg-like quest to assimilate breweries and spit out sta .

As for the craft breweries, well, they haven’t shown any interest in organized labour—which is why the case of Salt Spring Island Ales is so curious. ere are several reasons for craft’s resistance.

For the most part it’s due to size and youth. New breweries generally start with just a handful of sta —usually including the owner(s)—who are mostly focused on getting the business established, even if it requires 90-hour work weeks.

It means craft breweries attract a certain type of employee for whom the business and its product is just as important as the wage. When the owners share those values and are on hand to address any issues, it makes for a workplace where unions simply aren’t needed.

“De nitely here, the sta have access to their management. People talk, they communicate, they don’t need an intermediary communicating for them,” says Ben Coli, who employs 15 people at Dageraad Brewing in Burnaby.

“We have an incredibly motivated sta . People work here because of the love of the beer. ey work here because they want to be here. It’s not like they feel like they’re being oppressed in this job.”

It’s when breweries expand that disharmony can arise. Shift hours can get longer, earlier or later, as production and packaging ramp up.

“It may be a cause or a labour of love to some people, but after a while it can get a little thin,” ompson says. “When the owner sees it as a cause and the employees see it as a job, that’s where a union comes in and says we’ve got to marry these two concepts. You can be a cause but you don’t have to work your ass o and you can have a life like everybody else.”

Friction over work shifts was a big reason why 20 employees at Parallel 49 Brewing Company in Vancouver held a vote in 2014 over joining the Brewery, Winery and Distillery Workers’ Union Local 300, according to union president Brad Dahl.

Breweries and unions have long been a good t: a pairing of the traditional working man’s drink and the working man’s champion.

Low wages can compound scheduling problems, adds Dahl, whose union represents workers at Granville Island Brewing, Molson Coors, Okanagan Spring Brewery and Paci c Western Brewing. Ultimately, Parallel 49 sta voted against joining the union.

Health and safety is another important part of the union picture. Any brewery, no matter the size, is a potentially dangerous environment. Sta handle boiling liquids, caustic chemicals, pressurized containers, moving machinery, and can work in con ned spaces.

ere have been some horror stories over the years. An employee at Stone Brewing Co. in California was killed in a forklift rollover in 2014. Two years earlier, a Redhook Brewery employee in Maine was fatally wounded by an exploding plastic keg. In 2013, seven workers died in a con ned space accident at the Corona Brewery in Mexico City. Kettle boilovers have caused terrible burn injuries.

ere have been no recorded fatalities in B.C. breweries in recent history, but there have been many accidents. From 2012 to 2016 inclusive, WorkSafeBC recorded more than 370 injuries in the alcoholic drink manufacturing sector (excluding wineries) that resulted in short-term or long-term disability.

Unions can help with a structured health and safety training program, Dahl says, while sta have a platform on which they feel they can con dently raise any concerns about their working conditions.

Of course, union in uence comes at a cost to a brewery, in, for example, higher wages, possibly shorter shifts and additional safety equipment. e fear is that such costs could cripple a business, particularly a smaller one. But that’s a common misconception, Dahl says.

“You obviously want to give them every opportunity to grow. You’d never want to put a company under,” Dahl says. “Every time we bargain we always balance on how the company’s doing and what they can a ord to pay.”

After Salt Spring Island Ales signed on to Local 300, the owners agreed to raise wages and invest in new equipment. An expansion to the brewery was completed in January. Recent job postings for brewery sta list the wage for a tasting room sales associate as $13.50 per hour plus tips – almost 25 per cent more than the current minimum wage of $10.85.

Sta , management and ownership at Salt Spring Island Ales wouldn’t state on the record what led to the small brewery’s unionization. Several other breweries contacted for this article, including Parallel 49, declined to comment. Clearly, the subject of unions in breweries is a touchy one.

e B.C. Craft Brewers Guild also declined to comment, saying it couldn’t present an umbrella statement on the various human-resources policies of its 90-plus members.

Interestingly, Salt Spring Island Ales may not be a unique case for long. Dahl says his union has been approached by sta from a “few” other B.C. breweries.

However, going by the usual bellwether for Canadian craft beer – our neighbours to the south – the union picture doesn’t look so rosy. Despite having almost 10 times the number of breweries, the only unionized craft brewery in the country appears to be Mendocino Brewing in California. j

De nitely here, the sta have access to their management. People talk, they communicate, they don’t need an intermediary communicating for them.

- Ben Coli, Dageraad Brewing

GIBSONS

GIBSONS TAPWORKS

537 Cruice Lane | GibsonsTapworks.com

SUN - THURS 12-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12PM-12AM

EST. 2016

e second brewery on the Lower Sunshine Coast, Gibsons Tapworks’ tasting room is a community hub where locals meet to connect.

ONE SAILING WAIT

G

Availability: Year-Round Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.9%53

A hoppy, citrus-forward IPA that might just make you want to miss the next ferry.

GIBSONS

ABV IBU 5.0%26

is smooth and malty brown ale showcases chocolate, co ee and caramel notes.

PERSEPHONE BREWING CO.

1053 Stewart Rd. | PersephoneBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2013

Despite the looming threat of eviction over its use of farmland, Persephone continues to raise the bar for quality beer.

KELLER PILSNER

GERMAN PILSNER

MULTIGRAIN SAISON

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%33

You know it’s summer when this sublime, grainy, apple- and herb-accented pilsner hits the shelves.

ABV IBU 6.0%27

Barley, wheat, rye, oats, corn and rice build the body, while saison yeast delivers orchard fruit and spice.

SAISON

T OWNSI T E BREWING

5824 Ash Ave. | TownsiteBrewing.com

SUN-WED 11AM-8PM ^ THU-SAT 11AM-9PM

EST. 2012

is gem of a brewery celebrated its fth birthday with a recently expanded tasting room. It may be hard to get to, but it’s de nitely worth the trip.

7800 SAISON SAISON BLACKBERRY FESTIVALE

Availability: Seasonal

6.5%28

Brewmaster Cédric Dauchot takes us back to his Southern Belgian homeland with this classic saison.

W HEAT A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 5.5%14

A seasonal salute to Powell River’s favourite fruit, the humble and ubiquitous blackberry.

A BV IBU

CANOE BREWPUB

450 Swift St. | CanoeBrewpub.com

DAILY 11:30AM-LATE

EST. 2002

Most of the talk about Canoe centres on the amazing patio, which must exasperate the brewers and chefs who clearly put great care into their work.

CANOE WHITE IPA

WHITE INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.8%40

Crisp and slightly tart, with a palette of avours from coriander, orange peel and Galaxy hops.

HELLES LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.8%15

OK, we’ll mention the patio, but only because this subtle, delicious lager demands to be drank on it.

CANOE HELLES

DRIFTWOOD BREWERY

450 Hillside Ave. | DriftwoodBeer.com EST. 2008

MON-SAT 11AM-6PM

For nearly 10 years, Driftwood has been one of the leaders of B.C.’s craft beer revolution. As they look to their second decade, they continue to innovate.

CRY ME A RIVER GOSE

ENTANGLED HOPFENWEISSE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 5.0%5

is salted wheat ale is dry, tart, citrusy and deliciously refreshing.

ABV I BU 7.0%45

Clove and banana ester aromas from hefeweizen yeast are complemented by tropical Mosaic hops.

HOYNE BREWING CO.

101-2740 Bridge St. | HoyneBrewing.ca

MON-FRI 12-6PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM EST. 2011

Sean Hoyne has a strong following thanks to nearly 30 years in the beer biz. e brewery gives back plenty, supporting many local events and charities.

VIENNA AMBER

LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.3%N/A

Previously named O the Grid, this is the same, great recipe. Smooth, creamy and delicious.

CARTE BLANCHE

WHITE I NDI A PAL E A LE

Availability: One-o

ABV I BU 6.0%N/A

is fruity, spicy beer is the rst “Young Lions” release from Sean Hoyne’s brewing team.

MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY

350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca

EST. 2012

e Moon is packed with folks who like to eat, drink and have fun. Brewer Clay Potter keeps the taps owing with top-notch beer whatever the style.

THIS IS HEFEWEIZEN

HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 5.5%18

Brewed exactly as in Germany with Bavarian yeast (hefe) and 70% wheat malts (weizen).

LIGHTSIDE OF THE

MOON

L AGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 4.2%14

e perfect summertime sipper, this beer is made with rice malts and zesty orange peel.

PHILL IPS B REWING & M ALTING C O.

2010 Government St. | PhillipsBeer.com

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

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

EST. 2001

Phillips has come along way since it rst opened 16 years ago in nearby Esquimalt. New for this year: a 42-seat tasting room opening soon!

DINOSOUR BLACKBERRY SOUR ALE

SO UR

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 4.2%6

is beast is packed with a delightfully tart bite. Lacto-soured to balance the blackberry sweetness.

HOPERATION TRIPEL CROSS

BELG IA N IP A

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 7.3%60

is IPA slams hop rst into a classic Belgian yeast to create a superfortress of avour.

SPINNA K ERS B REW P UB

308 Catharine St. | Spinnakers.com

DAILY 8AM-11PM

EST. 1984

Even better since the post- re renovation, Canada’s original brewpub should be at the top of any beer lover’s bucket list.

RED FIFE

HEFEWEIZEN

H EFEWEIZEN

RASPBERRY LAGER

FRU IT L AGER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 4.5%20

Light and refreshing, this cloudy wheat beer is made with Canadian red fe wheat.

ABV I BU 4.5%8

Brewed with locally grown raspberries and packaged in four-packs of tall cans for the summer.

SWANS B REW P UB

506 Pandora Ave. | SwansHotel.com

MON-FRI 11AM-LATE ^ SAT-SUN 10AM-LATE EST. 1989

It may be a grand old dame of B.C. craft beer, but Swans is starting to show a youthful playfulness with ever more daring styles.

PITCH BLACK CHAMOMILE PILSNER

B LACK PIL SNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.6%28

More proof, if needed, that dark beer can be light and refreshing and great for summer.

VANCOUVER IS L AND BREW ERY

SWEET BROWN WHEAT BROWN P ORTER

Availability: One-o

ABV I BU 5.6%N/A

A browner hue of porter containing a good proportion of wheat, making for a grainy, roasty brew.

2330 Government St. | VanIslandBrewery.com

TUES-THU 11AM-6PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-7PM EST. 1984

One of B.C.’s original microbreweries, VI has undergone a total overhaul of its brewery, brand and beer lineup. Perfect time to give it another try.

JUAN DE FUCA

M EXIC A N LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 4.8%19

Toasted corn akes, Vienna malts and German malts help create a crushable Mexican-style lager.

SOMBRIO

CITRUS

SESSION ALE

S ESSION A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 4.0%36

is crisp and refreshing beer, loaded with citrus-focused hops, is ideal camping/beach beer.

L IGHTHOUSE BREWING CO.

2 - 836 Devonshire Rd. | LighthouseBrewing.com

MON-TUE 9AM-4:30PM ^ WED-FRI 9AM-6PM

SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 1998

It’s smooth sailing for Victoria’s quiet giant, which continues to roll out interesting seasonals to bolster its already impressive year-round selection.

CANADA 150

HERITAG E A LE

CITRUS SHORE

S ESSION AL E

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 6.3%15

A malt-forward birthday beer for the nation featuring maple syrup and hints of beechwood smoke.

ABV I BU 4.6%20

is patio pleaser quenches the thirst with a citrus avour pro le accentuated by Valencia orange peel.

4 MI LE BREWING CO .

199 Island Highway | 4MileBrewingCo.com

DAILY 11AM-11:30PM

EST. 2014

Housed in a former brothel dating back to 1858, 4 Mile’s history may be sordid, but its beer is steadily earning it an upstanding reputation.

SUMMER WHEAT ALE

AMERIC A N WH EA T A LE

PALE ALE

WEST CO A ST P ALE AL E

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 4.5%24

is easy-drinking un ltered wheat ale bene ts from balanced hops for a smooth nish.

ABV I BU 5.1%38

British malts and West Coast hops combine to make this a citrusy, dry-hopped delight.

VIEW R OY AL

VICTORIA CALEDONIAN AND TWA DOGS BREWERY

761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com

DAILY 10AM-10PM

EST. 2016

With brewer Dean McLeod crafting recipes inspired by a certain Scottish poet, every day here is like Robbie Burns Day.

MISTRESS OF MY SOUL SAISON

SAISON

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.0%32

Spicy and fruity with a dry nish. Late-hopped to bring out citrus and stone notes.

THE KEEKIN’ GLASS PILSNER

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%25

A pils with more character than you might expect, with Paci ca and Motueka hops.

This is one Mistress everyone should have Guaranteed to make every relationship better

Mistress is special. is steamy European Lady is spicy, fruity and dry only a er you’re nished.

BC and German grown malts are fermented with a unique blend of yeasts; e Mistress is then late hopped with New Zealand Motueka to ensure She is never bitter and never upset. e stone fruit and citrus of the hops weave together with her bubbly carbonation to bring out her sultry natural energy.

Twa Dogs

Available in 6 packs in Liquor Stores and Growlers at our Tasting Room

B.C. craft breweries get into the distilling scene

SpiRited Business SpiRited Business

by Rob Mangelsdorf

B.C.’s craft beer revolution has produced many happy side e ects. Obviously, there’s the incredible selection of craft beer that now exists in most liquor stores, that’s pretty rad.

Craft beer has also made us all a little friendlier, I think. e local tasting room has become a social hub for many communities and neighbouhoods, and it’s a far less depressing place to enjoy a beer than many gloomy threadbare pubs and bars. Craft beer brings people together, and that’s a good thing!

Producing a distilled spirit requires much of the same equipment and raw materials as brewing beer, it turns out, so perhaps it’s not surprising so many breweries are getting in on the craft spirit boom. In the case of whisky, which is essentially distilled beer, malted barley is steeped in hot water (without boiling or adding hops) and then fermented to create a beer similar to a pale ale, called a “wash”, clocking in at about 8.0% ABV. e wash is then run through a still, usually two or three times, and then aged for at least three years in oak casks.

dollars.

en there are the economic bene ts: the province’s 130-plus craft breweries and brewpubs employ thousands of people, produce millions in sales and generate a metric shit-ton of tax dollars. All good things, I think we can agree.

e craft beer revolution is also helping spur on the craft spirit scene, it turns out. Craft beer fans that have ventured down the gin, vodka, or whisky aisles at their local liquor store might have noticed some familiar brands. Central City, Phillips, Yaletown Brewing and Deep Cove Brewing have all gotten into the distilling business in recent years. Trench Brewing and Distilling in Prince George is set open this year, o ering both craft beer and distilled spirits. Meanwhile, Victoria Caledonian, makers of Twa Dogs, opened for business last year with the goal of selling beer to British Columbians and single malt whisky to the world.

“ e two products are very complimentary,” says Graeme Macaloney, founder of Victoria Caledonian. “So it made bang-on sense from a production perspective and from a marketing perspective.”

City rently has more than 1,000 barrels of whisky

earlier this year.

Central City began distilling in 2013 and currently has more than 1,000 barrels of whisky maturing away in oak casks. It launched its rst single malt whisky, Lohin McKinnon, earlier this year.

Brewmaster and co-owner Gary Lohin says he rst got the idea to get into distilling and

Brewmaster and co-owner Gary Lohin says he rst got the idea to get into distilling after travelling to Oregon and California and seeing breweries like Rogue and Ballast Point getting into spirits.

“We already have the set-up to make washes, so it made economic sense for us,” he says.

But as much as it was about adding a second revenue stream, Lohin says he just really, really wanted to make some whisky.

second revenue stream, Lohin says he just really,

“I’ve been passionate about whisky for years, since the ’80s at least,” he says. “So when I saw other breweries doing this, it was a no-brainer for me. I mean, if you can’t have some fun, what’s the point?”

e market for craft-distilled spirits is largely the same as craft beer: the mature, nancially comfortable craft beverage enthusiast (because that’s what we call people who like to drink now)

who has the disposable income to a ord a unique premium product and appreciates the fact that it’s made here in B.C.

“ ere’s a lot of overlap,” notes Macaloney.

For a edgling distillery intending to make whisky, there’s at least a three-year gap between the distillation of the rst batch and when it’s bottled,

says Lohin. “We just keep making it and keep putting it away, because we can.”

at said, Central City has both a vodka and a gin in their lineup. Victoria Caledonian, however, is opting to go “pure whisky.” In addition to their Twa Dogs craft beer line, they are also bottling “vatted” guest whiskies imported from Scotland (at least until their own whisky hits shelves in about two to three years).

sold, and the money starts coming in. Obviously, that’s a long time to go without revenue, which is why many start-up distilleries focus on gin, vodka and other un-aged spirits early on; they can be produced and sold right away, and that money will keep the lights on.

Breweries don’t have to worry about that, of course, as they have beer to sell in the mean time.

“We have a thousand barrels just waiting to go,”

Lohin believes craft brewers are helping to give the very traditional world of whisky and spirits a much-needed kick in the junk (my words, not his). Craft brewers are known for their penchant for experimentation, and Lohin, true to form, has a number of experimental whiskies on the go, incorporating non-traditional grain bills and maltings including one whisky made with 40 per cent chocolate malt (that’s the roasted barley brewing malt, not the frozen dessert).

“I think brewers are going to shake up the world of whisky,” he says. “We can experiment and we have the luxury of being able to wait.” j

Victoria Caledonian Brewery and Distillery is hoping to take on the world with their whiskies. Contributed photo

“I think brewers are going to shake up the world of whisky. We can experiment and we have the luxury of being able to wait. - Gary Lohin

CATEGORY 12 BREWING

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

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

EST. 2014

C12’s beer list mixes Belgian-inspired ales and West Coast styles. Add some sours and a barrel-aging program and it’s easy to see why it’s so popular.

ELEMENTAL SERIES

DRY-HOPPED SOUR

SAISON

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 5.0%N/A

Soured with lacto and sacch trois, then dry-hopped with German hops bursting with summer fruits.

AX E AND B ARRE L B REWING CO .

2323 Millstream Ave. | AxeAndBarrel.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2015

ABV I BU 5.0%15

is Scandinavian-style farmhouse ale with cucumber and lemon is a super refreshing summer sipper.

Former Swans brewer Andrew Tessier keeps the taps owing at this West Shore craft beer oasis. Try the amazing ribs in the restaurant next door.

HOPPY MOTHER

PUCKER

D RY HOPPED SOU R A LE

KING KÖLSCH

KOL SC H

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 3.5%15

Tart and hoppy, this beer is perfect for a summer session on the patio.

ABV I BU 5.0%20

is blonde, easy-drinking German ale is light and well balanced between malt and hops.

LAVICTORIA NG FORD

S OO KE O CEANSIDE

BREWERY

1-5529 Sooke Rd. | SookeOceansideBrewing.com

WED-SAT 11:30AM-8PM ^ SUN 11:30AM-5PM

EST. 2016

e plan here is to start small and expand into a brewpub on the water in the future. An expansion this spring is the rst step in that direction.

SALISH SEA SAISON

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 6.4%23

is classic saison is fermented at warmer temperatures to encourage fruity, spicy avours and aromas.

STUCK IN THE MUD

C OFFEE P ORTER

Availability: Small batch

ABV I BU 6.2%32

Brewed with locally roasted Stick in the Mud co ee, this has a fresh co ee berry aroma.

SALT SP RING I SL AND AL ES

270 Furness Rd. | SaltSpringIslandAles.com

DAILY 12-5PM

EST. 1998

A brewery that fully embraces its Gulf Island aesthetic, from its rustic farmhouse tasting room, to its locally sourced hops, honey and heather.

RYE BOCK

B OCK

GOLDEN ALE

GO L DEN AL E

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 7.4%23

eir debut lager is fruity, malty with mild hops. Watch out for that sneaky-high ABV.

ABV I BU 5.0%12

Bright and sessionable with a crisp, hop nish. A three-time Canadian Brewing Award winner.

SALTVICTORIA S PRIN G

MAYNE ISLAND BREWING CO.

490 Fernhill Rd. | MayneIslandBrewingCo.com

FRI-SAT 1-4PM

EST. 2016

Mayne Island is beautiful, and its brewery makes delicious beer. is tiny brewery is only open Fridays and Saturdays so check before catching the ferry.

J-POD KOLSCH KOLSCH

GIRL

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.6%8

It doesn’t get much better than sipping this tasty beer on a Mayne Island beach!

ABV IBU 6.0%40

is Dutch-style blonde ale balances between malts and hops.

RED ARROW BREWING CO.

5255 Chaster Rd. | RedArrowBeer.ca

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

EST. 2015

is gorgeous brewery is housed in a restored former motorcycle shop, and bene ts from Duncan’s award-winning water.

HERITAGE RIVER HEFEWEIZEN HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 4.8%25

Brewed with a traditional Weihenstephan yeast strain, this beer is full of satsuma orange and citrus.

PIGGY PALE ALE

NORTHWEST PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%37

Light body, mild earthy hop aroma and a dry refreshing nish.

DUTCH

BLONDE ALE

DUNCAN

R IOT B REWING C O.

101A - 3055 Oak St. | RiotBrewing.com

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

EST. 2016

Riot is kid friendly, dog friendly and food friendly (you can bring your own or order in) with board games available and a patio with re pit.

SORRY WE TOOK SO

LONG SAISON

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 4.2%19

Yes, Riot took a LONG time to open, but hey, this is one tasty Belgian saison.

NANA IMO

LIPSLIDE LAGER

HELLES LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 4.8%18

is delicious, stylistically true lager proves that hard work and taking your time wins out.

L ONGWOOD BREWERY

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | LongwoodBeer.com

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

EST. 2013

Longwood uses local malts and hops in many of its beers. at local love extends to music, with the third annual Longwoodstock set for Aug. 11-12.

ISLAND TIME LAGER

PIL SNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%18

100% Vancouver Island-grown ingredients make this already tasty beer even more delicious.

BERRIED ALIVE

RASP B ERRY A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%15

is tart and tasty beer is brewed with B.C.grown raspberries.

W HITE SAI LS B REWING

125 Comox Rd. | WhiteSailsBrewing.com

MON-THU 3-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12PM-12AM ^ SUN 10AM5PM

EST. 2015

An anchor in their community, giving locals a great place to hang out and drink fresh brews. Looks for their “Local Eats” menu launching soon, too.

BRICKYARD BEACH

RED CREAM ALE

R ED C RE A M A LE

MOUNT BENSON

INDIA PALE ALE

I NDI A PAL E A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%20

Medium-bodied with a light caramel grain. Finishes dry and clean with restrained hop bitterness.

WO L F BREWING CO

ABV I BU 7.0%60

Hop aromas of grapefruit, pine and citrus, with a pro le that’s nicely balanced.

.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | WolfBrewingCompany.com

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

EST. 2010

is Wolf hunts down local producers for its beer as much as it can, as well as local artists for its vibrant labels.

GOLDEN HONEY ALE HONEY A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%19

A crisp, satisfying ale with a depth of avour thanks to local honey and B.C. malt.

INDIA PALE ALE

I NDI A PAL E A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 6.0%60

A marvelous melding of hop avours, including citrus and tropical fruit, oral notes and pine.

MOUNT ARROWSMITH BREWING CO .

109-425 East Stanford Ave. | ArrowsmithBrewing.com

DAILY 11:30AM-7:30PM

EST. 2016

Parksville is now on the B.C. beer map thanks to this recently opened, locally owned brewery named after the nearby peak that dominates the view west.

JAGGED FACE IPA

I NDI A PAL E A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 7.2%70

A robust malt pro le supports tropical fruit character from Amarillo, Centennial and Citra hops.

L OVESHAC K L IBATIONS

SALISH SEA PALE

ALE

PAL E A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%35

A complex grain bill makes this Mosaic- and Chinook-laced pale ale something to chew over.

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

WED 5-9PM ^SAT 12-4PM

EST. 2016

Small, yet welcoming, it’s like you’re sitting in owner Dave Paul’s garage as he pours you his nely crafted, bottle-conditioned beer.

CRAFTY CREAM ALE

C

Availability: Small batch

ABV I BU 5.5%18

Pleasantly grainy and bready, with a hint of corn and a lick of spicy hops.

DPA

DA

Availability: Small-batch

ABV I BU 6.2%55

“Dave Paul Ale” has a chewy, to eeish malt character balanced by a pine and citrus hop pro le.

CUMBER L AND BREWING CO.

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | CumberlandBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

ere’s something about Cumberland Brewing that makes you never want to leave. If only every small town could be blessed with beer this good.

TROPICAL

HOP

I NDI A S ESSION A LE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 4.0%45

is sessionable IPA packs loads of tropical and citrus hop avours despite its low ABV.

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 5.5%55

Welcome to the jungle, baby! Juicy, tropical avours abound in this New England-style wheat ale.

FORBIDDEN BREWING CO .

1590 Cli e Ave. | ForbiddenBrewing.com

WED-SUN 12-10PM

EST. 2015

is tasting room is only forbidden to those who don’t like fresh brews and having fun. Located in the Westerly Hotel, there’s live music and free pool.

INDIA PALE ALE

I NDI A PAL E A LE ORGANIC

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 7.0%70

Tropical and citrus hoppy goodness, that’s equal parts bitter and refreshing.

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%30

Clean and crisp brewed with organic pilsner malt and Saaz hops.

JUNGLE FOG

GL ADSTONE BREWING CO .

244 4th St. | GladstoneBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 2015

Under the able hand of brewmaster Tak Guenette, Gladstone has become a powerhouse in the burgeoning Mid-Island beer scene.

EVIL SPIRIT

BELG IA N GO L DEN S TRON G

GLADSTONE KOLSCH

KOL SC H

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 8.5%35

is fruity, peppery golden ale goes down way easier than its ABV suggests. You’ve been warned!

ABV I BU 4.9%24

is bright beauty o ers mild fruit and spice avours before nishing pleasantly sweet.

B EACH F IRE BREWING

594 - 11th Ave. | BeachFireBrewing.ca

TUE-SUN 11:30AM-8PM

EST. 2016

Beach Fire has quickly earned a loyal following with its solid lineup of beers and some of the best brewery food anywhere.

PILSNER

PIL SNER

HIGH TIDE PALE ALE

W EST COA ST PAL E A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.2%40

Clean and crisp with a balanced hop bitterness and dry-hopped using a blend of German hops.

ABV I BU 5.5%40

An easy-drinking West Coast pale ale with big hop aroma and avours of citrus and tropical fruit.

T WIN C ITY B REWING C O.

4503 Margaret St. | TwinCityBrewing.ca

TUE-THU 11:30AM-9PM ^ FRI - SAT 11:30AM-10PM SUN 11:30AM-9PM

EST. 2017

Aaron Colyn’s three-year mission to open Twin City is complete and it was worth the wait. e lively tasting room o ers great food and even better beer.

WHITE KNUCKLE

GERM A N W EIZEN

TICKITY BOO

BRITIS H PAL E A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.4%13

Named for the terrifying ride of opening a brewery. An ester-laden, fruity weizen.

ABV I BU 5.5%40

Bob’s yer uncle! A solidly crafted strong bitter, with to ee malts balanced by earthy, spicy English hops.

TOFINO BREWING CO

.

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

DAILY 11AM-9PM

EST. 2011

To no is an amazing place to visit, but if you can’t make it out there in person, pick up one of their bottles or cans and go there in your mind.

TUFF SESSION ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0%40

is copper-coloured ale is To no’s agship beer: balanced, sessionable and delicious.

TOFINO BLONDE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.5%22

e colour of this tawny ale is inspired by the wild cougars of Vancouver Island.

Tacoma

Gritty South Puget Sound town is brewing up a storm

by Michael Kissinger

Beer makes people do strange and unexpected things. ings like spend a few soggy days and nights in Tacoma, Wash.

e enjoyably gritty port town on the South Puget Sound doesn’t attract the same volume of IBU-addicted tourists as Portland or Seattle, but the former stomping grounds of Neko Case, Gary Larson

AND Bing Crosby holds its own as a craft beer destination. In fact, there are so many breweries, brew pubs, tap houses and mead halls—I may have made that last one up—the city’s barley ambassadors have devised a “South Sound Craft Crawl” to guide adventurous imbibers on their vision quests. And that is exactly what this ruggedly handsome dude and his special lady friend did on a recent fact- nding mission.

Lay of the land

First things rst. Where to stay? e peeps at Tourism Tacoma put us up at Hotel Murano, which is a pretty spi y boutique hotel in the middle of downtown but with rates considerably lower than you’d nd in Seattle or Portland. ere other places to stay, of course, but this one seems the most happening. Plus it’s decorated with heaps of glass art… if you’re into that kind of thing. Because you should know: besides beer, Tacoma loves its blown glass. is is likely because the town is also the birthplace of internationally renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, whose work can be found in the permanent collections of Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass, the University of

Washington Tacoma campus, the courthouse and numerous public art displays – I wouldn’t even be surprised if there was a Taco Bell in Tacoma with an original Chihuly. He’s that beloved.

It should also be said that Tacoma is a hilly city, but it’s de nitely walkable. Taxis and Uber are also options. But the handiest form of transportation for craft beer tourists and local lushes to get around is the Tacoma Link Light Rail transit line, which connects the city’s eater District and Tacoma Dome Station, with six stops and breweries-aplenty in between. And it’s free, which leaves you more money to spend on delicious beer. So it’s a win-win.

Fuel for thought

As I’ve learned after many years of dedication and self-sacri ce, a day of beer-related research needs a solid foundation, so we headed over to Bluebeard Co ee in the beard-friendly enclave of Sixth Avenue to fuel up on ca eine and carbs. Nearby record stores, comic book shops, a doughnut maker, artisanal ice cream parlour, a bar that serves gourmet hotdogs and a greasy diner that proudly proclaims its support for LGBTQ rights indicates this one American neighbourhood that probably didn’t vote for Trump.

Cruising for a brewing

We begin our Tacoma craft beer journey at the beginning—Harmon Brewing Company. Taking its name from the old furniture factory

building it inhabits, Tacoma’s agship brewer launched in 1997 and now operates a number of facilities around town, including the Tap Room, the Harmon Restaurant and the family-friendly, bike-themed eatery Hub.

Owner Pat Nagle acknowledges his hometown sometimes has a bit of a self-con dence problem, but it’s turning around.

“For years, we were thought of as a joke,” he told us. “You know, ‘the aroma of Tacoma’ and all that. But it’s gotten a lot better.”

And he’s right. Beer does make things better. And helping the Harmon cause is head brewer Je Carlson, an a able guy who likes scooters and, inexplicably, Quebec’s Unibroue, makers of La Fin Du Monde and Maudite. He also makes some damn ne beers, including the crisp and light-bodied Mt. Takhoma blonde, which nicely balances German pilsner malt with a touch of white wheat and Liberty hops. en there’s his mind- and taste bud-boggling 11th St. IPA, a once-a-year brew that celebrates Tacoma’s 104-year-old-and-counting 11th Street Bridge with 15 varieties of hops and 115 IBUs of bitchin’ bitterness.

Around the corner and up the hill from Harmon Restaurant, you’ll nd 7 Seas Brewing. Puget Sound natives Travis Guterson and Mike Runion rst set up shop in nearby Gig Harbor in 2009 and this summer took the wraps o 7 Seas’ downtown Tacoma outpost inside an 80,000-sq.ft. building that originally housed the legendary Heidelberg Brewery. e gleaming taproom—featuring custom wood tables and bars, a view of the

brewing operations and two areas for independent vendors selling food and co ee—sports 48 taps pouring such delights as the unfortunately named Ballz Deep Double IPA, Red Rye Lager and pucker-worthy and personal fave Water Chopper Gose. e room really is a sight to behold with a playful selection of beers to match.

Back down the hill and a block from the Tacoma Dome station – the last stop of the Link Light Rail line – Wingman Brewers is an outlier in every sense of the word. Its modest digs resemble a quirky uncle’s workshop garage, similar to Vancouver’s Storm Brewing, with a regular clientele who hunker down at the bar for a post-work pint or three. Although the customers might appear to be no-nonsense, Wingman’s lineup of beers isn’t afraid to veer o the beaten path, whether it’s the Miss-B-Haven Tripel, Peanut Butter Cup P-51 Porter or Kewl Hand Cuke cucumber saison.

After Wingman, we hopped back on the free transit line and hightailed it to Odd Otter Brewing, based on name alone. e taproom has a neighbourhood pub feel, and operates like one, hosting everything from live music and karaoke to trivia and yoga. When we paid a visit, a veterans’ group was having a meetup to discuss post-service employment. Beer-wise, the o erings were just as wide-ranging: Glitter Bitter Grapefruit IPA, Poppa Otter’s Bacon Porter, Ottermelon Hefeweizen. Karaoke and otter-themed puns not your bag? Within staggering distance you’ll also nd Paci c Brewing and Malting Co., Tacoma Brewing Company, Dystopian State Brewing Co. and Dunagan Brewing Company.

Not surprisingly, food is a second thought for most of the breweries. So we ended our day of

craft beer cruising at the newly opened Rhein Haus. e massive Bavarian-themed beer hall and indoor bocce courts (which also has a location in Seattle) isn’t a craft brewery, but it does boast an extensive beer menu, featuring ample local content including the 7 Seas Gose, which we gladly reacquainted ourselves with. Most importantly, it serves a feast of booze-absorbing, hangover-preventing grub such as currywurst, schnitzel, bratwurst, frankfurters, pretzels, ammkuchen (German pizza) and about a dozen other things that sent my paleo diet back to the stone ages. Don’t judge me.

For those about to roca

Of course there’s more to Tacoma than brewery hopping. In addition to the aforementioned Museum of Glass and Tacoma Art Museum, LeMay – America’s Car Museum is worth a visit. As a former Toyota Corolla station wagon owner, I was a little reticent about perusing more than 300 vehicles of all shapes, sizes, ages and cultural signi cance, but damned if I didn’t enjoy the two hours of car ogling. at could also have been because I was jacked to the gills on sugar from the nearby Almond Roca factory, and adjoining kiosk, which sells factory seconds at a considerable discount. Who knew Almond Roca was made in Tacoma? Not me. en again, I didn’t know there was a thriving craft beer scene, either. j

Note: e writer was a guest of Travel Tacoma. For more information, go to TravelTacoma.com.

For years, we were thought of as a joke. You know, ‘the aroma of Tacoma’ and all that. But it’s gotten a lot better.

- Pat Nagle, Harman Brewing Company

RED COLLAR BREWING CO .

355 Lansdowne St. | RedCollar.ca

TUE-SAT 1-10PM ^ SUN 1-7PM

EST. 2014

Look for the beers featured here in cans this summer. But to get the real, not fake, unimpeachable Red Collar experience you’ve gotta go there in person.

ALTERNATIVE FACTS

HAZY IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.6%0

Hops were added post-boil, resulting in zero IBUs but big citrus/pineapple avours. Not fake news.

SORRENTO

CRANN ó G ALES

706 Elson Rd. | CrannogAles.com

DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM

EST. 2000

IMPEACHMENT TART & PEACHY

WIT

SOURED W H EAT A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.0%10

Give peach a chance. is lightly soured witbier fermented with peaches is oh-so crushable.

Crannóg is B.C.’s original farmhouse brewery and thankfully it’s been given a pass by the province to keep on making its fantastic organic beers.

INSURRECTION

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Appropriately named given the brewery’s current situation, this is brewed with hops grown on the farm.

POOKA CHERRY ALE

CH ERRY ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.0%N/A

is beer is only available at the brewery in early August after the cherry harvest.

M ARTEN BREWING CO .

2933A 30th Ave | MartenBrewpub.com

MON-THU 3PM-LATE ^ FRI 3PM-1AM ^ SAT 12AM-1AM

SUN 12AM-LATE

EST. 2014

is brewpub in the heart of Vernon has a solid beer lineup, excellent food and a beautiful space. ey just started canning their beers, too.

BC BUD IPA IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 6.1%70

A delicious IPA brewed with BC-grown hops and poured on nitro. Talk about smoooooooth.

BNA BREWING

CO

1250 Ellis St. | BNABrewing.com

.

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 4.5%13

An authentic weissbier brewed with German yeast. Cloudy and delicious with subtle banana avours.

SUN-WED 12AM-7PM ^ THU-SAT 11AM-9PM

EST. 2015

One of those breweries that just gets it right. Located in a historic building with a range of beer from approachable to experimental, and killer food!

76 WOLVERINE

L AGER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 4.8%15

Named after a Big White party house, BNA’s rst cans will likely attend many parties this summer.

CORDOVA

BELG I AN G OLDEN A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 6.0%10

BNA’s second anniversary beer is avoured with rose hips and lavender and aged in wine barrels.

JEFE HEFE HEFE WEI ZEN

B OUNDAR Y B REWING

2 - 455 Neave Crt. | BoundaryBrewing.beer

DAILY 12PM-LATE

EST. 2016

Owner/brewmaster Oliver Glaser’s interpretations of classic German styles have already proved popular for this edgling brewery.

LIL’ TART ORCHARD WEISSE

BERL I NER WE ISS E

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 4.0%0

is tart, cider-like wheat ale is a perfect refresher for the hot Okanagan sun.

K ELO W NA

K ETTLE R IV ER B REWING C O.

731 Baillie Ave. | KettleRiverBrewing.ca

WED-FRI 3-7PM ^ SAT-SUN 12AM-7PM

EST. 2016

JEWEL CREEK PILSNER

BO H EM I AN P ILS NER

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.4%34

is pilsner is lagered for two months, delicately balanced with noble hops for a clean nish.

e dudes at Kettle River might have the coolest brewery in the Okanagan, and a planned expansion may help their beers make it outside of Kelowna.

FOGGY IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Small batch

A BV IB U 5.9%50

is thick and juicy IPA is a hazy shade of summertime. Notes of orange peel and citrus avour.

CAMARO CRASH HELMET

BLONDE A LE

Availability: Small batch

A BV IB U 5.0%20

Styled after a popular ‘80s Okanagan haircut, this beer is business in the front and party in the back.

TREE BREWING BEER INSTITUTE

1346 Water St. | TreeBrewingBeerInstitute.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2014

Stumbling distance from the beach, the institute is a comfortable, hip spot to cool down while “researching” brewer Dave Gokiert’s latest experiments.

HOP HEAD INDIA PALE ALE

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.6%64

Trailblazing West Coast IPA that’s still loaded with ve types of hops.

KELOWNA

TREE BREWING CO.

1083 Richter St. | TreeBeer.com

DAILY 11AM-6PM

EST. 1996

GRAPEFRUIT RADLER RADLER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 2.5%N/A

A juicy pink grapefruit aroma with a touch of tartness. Refreshing and nishes dry.

e seeds of Kelowna’s craft beer scene started with Tree. Now in its 21st year, the brewery still nds ways to branch out with di erent styles.

AMIGO MEXICAN AMBER LAGER

VIENNA STYLE LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.0%22

A Vienna-style lager that vacationed in Cabo. is sessionable one-o is now available year-round.

OKANAGAN RAIL TRAIL COMMON ALE CALIFORNIA COMMON

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.0%27

Malty and and full-bodied with a distinctive hop nish, a thirst quencher made for hiking.

DETONATE BREWING

#104 - 9503 Cedar Ave. | DetonateBrewing.com

THU-MON 11AM-6PM

EST. 2017

is tiny brewery crafts its beer using converted dairy equipment, just like many of B.C.’s original craft beer pioneers.

CALL THE HOPS IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.6%74

is West Coast IPA is hop forward but balanced with signi cant malt character.

PENTICTON

SUNDAY FUNDAY BREAKFAST STOUT

OATMEAL STOUT

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.8%12

is smooth oatmeal stout is easy like a Sunday morning, with hints of caramel and co ee.

BAD TATTOO BREWING CO.

169 Estabrook Ave. | BadTattooBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2014

e tattoos may be bad, but the beer and pizza at this popular Penticton hangout are very tasteful.

BEER SPRITZER

Availability: One-o

ABV IBU 3.5%5

is unique creation is light and extremely refreshing with champagne-like avour and e ervescence.

TRUE LOVE KOLSCH

KOLSCH

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 4.5%25

is kolsch stays true to the style, delivering clean, refreshing avour for hot days on the patio.

CANNER Y BREWING

198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com

MON-THU 12AM-7PM ^ FRI 12AM-9PM ^SAT 11AM-9PM

SUN 11AM-8PM

EST. 2000

Cannery’s spacious taproom is open every day for great beer, great local food and weekly special events and live music.

LAKEBOAT LAGER

LAGER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.0%18

Proceeds from the sale of Lakeboat Lager help fund restoration e orts of the historic S.S. Sicamous.

DRUPACEOUS APRICOT WHEAT ALE

F RU I T WH EAT ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.0%25

Refreshing notes of citrus and stone fruit, thanks to the addition of Okanagan apricots.

HIGHWAY 97 BREWERY

954 Eckhardt Ave. | Hwy97Brewery.com

WED-THU 1-7PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-7PM ^ SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2016

Penticton’s newest brewery is hard to miss, and features locally-grown hops from the Naramata Bench in its o erings.

PREMIUM CRAFT

PILSNER

PILS NER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.0%18

Easy going, crisp, but with light malt tones and a hint of noble hop avor.

RED IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 6.2%60

Red Canadian prairie malt gives this balanced IPA its crimson hue.

PENTIC TON

When most folks think of hops, they think bitterness. What comes to mind are the bitter hops used in classic northwest IPAs; hops like Columbia and Centennial that emphasize the bitter pro les and can include oral, piney, herbal, and spicy notes. Not everyone enjoys the bold, bitter avour, and that’s legit. But hops are in every beer, so to say you don’t like hops but you like beer is fundamentally inaccurate. It would be more apt to say that you don’t like bitter hops.

Over the last year or so, many breweries have pivoted from heavily featuring bitter hops in their IPAs to using juicy, citrusy hops. Citra, Azacca, Galaxy, El Dorado, and Amarillo are examples of hops with juicy notes that can include mango, nectarine, melon, and pineapple pro les. Basically this new guard of hops taste tropical AF.

Brewers get hip to new hops

by

Lito Howse

Alpha and Beta Acids

So to understand hops better, let’s start with alpha and beta acids. ese acids are responsible for the bitterness of the beer and also much of the aroma. Hop suppliers test for alpha and beta acids to determine what percentage of the hops’ weight each acid makes up. Brewers apply that data to get a better sense of what a certain hop will do in their brew.

ere are ve types of alpha acids but the ones to note are called humulone and cohumulone. Humulone acids bring out gentler bitterness like that in Citra hops. Citra hops can measure high in alpha acids but don’t have that classic bitter avour because the humulone percentage is relatively high. Cohumulone is responsible for harsher bitterness and is about twice as potent as humulone acids.

Ultimately when beers are measured for International Bittering Units (IBUs), these acids are what are being tested. erefore a juicy IPA with a melony pro le could end up with similar readings to a classically bitter IPA with a pine and herbal pro le—if all else is constant. Juicy IPA recipes are crafted to balance the perceived bitterness with the perceived sweetness in order to highlight the less bitter avours of the beer. Everything from the yeast, malt, and hops factor in to these perceived tastes. e timing of when the hops are added to the beer is signi cant as well. Hops used during the boil will release alpha acids and highlight bitter notes while hops used to dry hop (added during a later fermentation stage) will add to the aroma of the beer.

Beta acids break down over time and will change the avour pro le of a beer. is is why it’s best to drink IPAs as fresh as possible since the full, desired taste is evident within the rst few weeks. You may not notice these changes in avour proles of lagers and pilsners, by comparison, because lagering slows down the process of beta acids breaking down.

Essential Oils

Hops also contain essential oils that greatly a ect the non-bitter aspects of a taste and aroma pro le. Essential oil avours and aromas include woody, piney, oral and spicy. Brewers can use di erent methods to draw the oils out. For example, a hop stand is when the temperature in the kettle is dropped from a boil and then hops are added causing the oils to emulsify into the rest of the

liquid. is generally results in a more cloudy beer because the oils are dispersed throughout, and also ampli es the oil avours and aroma.

What’s Hop-pening?

In the last couple of years, a trend of single-hopped beers has emerged that really showcases what each hop tastes like. Big Rock has Citradelic Single Hop Citra IPA, Brassneck has an IPA with Mosaic hops called One Trick Pony and Strange Fellows has a single hop IPA series called Cyclhops that features a new hop every time it’s brewed.

Hop farmers are getting more playful with their delivery methods as well. Generally hops are sold as either whole hops which are dried or hop pellets, which have been ground down from whole hops. Sometimes fresh hops are used, which means the hops were picked, shipped, and tossed into the brew all on the same day. Hop hash is another new product hop growers like Chilliwack Hop Farms are making and breweries are experimenting with. If you haven’t gured it out from the name (or are new to B.C.), hop hash is a condensed version of a hop just like marijuana bud can be condensed into marijuana hash. Faculty Brewing Co. made a white IPA with Amarillo and Mosaic hop hash from Chilliwack Hop Farms, while Big Rock celebrated 4/20 this year with a hemp infused hop hash that Chilliwack custom made for the brew.

So the next time you walk into a brewery don’t discount the IPA because you assume it will be too bitter. Be sure to ask sta about the beer’s avour pro le to ensure you are not missing out of a tasty brew. j

T HE T IN W HISTLE B REWING C O.

112-1475 Fairview Rd. |

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

EST. 1995

eTinWhistleBrewery.rocks

Tin Whistle’s new home in the historic Cannery Building puts it right next door to some great restaurants that will deliver right to the brewery.

COCONUT HOPWIESEN

HEFE WEI ZEN

Availability: One-o

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.5%15 A

is wheat ale is partnered with toasted coconut and bright tropical avours courtesy of Citra hops.

FIREHALL BREWER Y

6077 Main St. | FirehallBrewery.com

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

EST. 2012

IB U 5.0%12

A true taste of Penticton, this crisp, clean- nishing blonde ale is complemented by a hint of peach.

Oliver may be Canada’s Wine Capital, but it’s also home to this popular brewery. Visit the tasting room downstairs and stay for a concert out back.

TABLE BEER NO. 2

BARREL- A GED S P AR KLI NG A LE

Availability: One-o

Barrel-soured for ve months, this is light and tart with an array of fruit avours.

FALSE ALARM BITTER

PALE ALE

Availability: One-o

Originally brewed by mistake, this happy accident is a tasty British-style pale ale.

PEACH CREAM ALE

ROSSLAND BEER CO.

1990 Columbia Ave. | RosslandBeer.com

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

EST. 2012

If tiny Rossland can support a craft brewery, then there’s hope for every town in B.C. Of course, it helps that the beer is fantastic.

MILK STOUT

MILK STOUT

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.9%20

is brewery staple has a dedicated fan base, winning gold at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards.

TRAIL

ABV IBU 5.2%37

is hop-forward, sessionable pale ale could easily fall into the IPA category.

TRAIL BEER REFINERY

1299 Bay Ave. | TrailBeerRe nery.ca

MON-SAT 11AM-9PM ^ SUN 12-5PM

EST. 2017

Trail is an industrial town and home to a silver and lead re nery; now they have their own beer re nery, too!

PALE LAGER

AMBER ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%10

is blue-collar beer is light in body, low in bitterness, and perfect for an after-work pint.

ABV IBU 5.5%30

is malty un ltered ale balances caramel sweetness with hop bitterness.

SEVEN SUMMITS

PAYDIRT PALE ALE

SILVER CITY LAGER

TRAIL ALE

BACKROADS BREWING CO.

460 Baker St. | BackroadsBrewing.com

TUE-THU 2PM-10PM ^ FRI -SAT 12PM-11PM

EST. 2016

Nelson’s craft beer scene is hopping and, only a few months in, the locals seem to be following veteran brewer Mike Kelly to the Backroads.

VÝCEPNÍ CZECH LAGER

PALE CZECH LAGER

BACKROADS SAISON

SAISON

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.1%25

Like pronouncing its name, it’s complex. It’s also light, spicy with a herbal hop character.

NELSON

ABV IBU 5.5%19

A Belgian-style farmhouse ale for any time of year. Peppery, fruity and smooth.

NELSON BREWING CO.

512 Latimer St. | NelsonBrewing.com

TASTING ROOM OPENS IN JUNE

EST. 1991

All-organic since 2006 and in business since 1991, NBC has long been an industry leader. Look for the new tasting room to open in time for summer.

HAPPY CAMPER SUMMER ALE

AMERICAN PALE ALE

PADDYWHACK INDIA

PALE ALE

ENGLISH INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.2%26

A light, hoppy, session ale showcasing aromas of peach, apricot and tropical fruit.

ABV IBU 6.0%46

is IPA has a long history in B.C., and it still tastes as good as ever.

B.C. Cider Primer

Craft cider is booming right now and it’s easy to see why. It’s delicious, locally-grown, locally-made, gluten-free, and it’s just so dang refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Of course there’s plenty of di erent cider styles out there, so here’s a handy primer to help you get the right cider inside ya!

by Rob Mangelsdorf

NEW WORLD CIDER

Characteristics: Made from table apples resulting in lower tannins and higher acidity than other cider styles. Clear and refreshing, perfect for pairing with food. Examples: e Hostler by e BX Press, Nomad’s e Original.

ENGLISH CIDER

Characteristics: Made with bittersweet apple varieties speci cally bred for cidermaking. Dry and full-bodied, with a complex avor pro le. Example: Merridale Traditional Craft Cider.

DRY CIDER

Characteristics: As the name implies, dry cider has very little residual sugar and sweetness. in in body with high acidity and tannins. Example: Dominion Traditional Dry.

DRY-HOPPED CIDER

Characteristic: Dry-hopped cider is infused with hops after it’s been fermented. is imparts oral, citrus, spicy or fruity aromas and avours, depending on the type of hops used. Example: Central City's Hopping Mad Mosaic Hop Craft Cider.

Source: BJCP Cider Style Guidelines

T ORCHLIGHT BREWING CO.

125 Hall St. | TorchlightBrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2014

With its new and bigger facility fully operational, expect to nd Torchlight’s beers distributed throughout B.C. at long last.

GALAXY BURST

WIPA

W HI TE IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 6.5%56

Brewed with a “hop bursting” technique, the Galaxy hops in this beer go citrus supernova!

BLONDES IN STEREO

BLONDE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.0%19

Brewed with New Zealand hops, this crisp, easy-drinking blonde goes great with sunshine.

Small-batch cra cider made from our own heirloom apples in Summerland, BC

Open weekends 11am-5pm and available at fine locations

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

TASTING ROOM REOPENS IN JULY EST. 2003

Bad news: Fernie Brewing has closed its doors. Good news: It’s only for a couple months while they make room for more good times in their tasting room and storefront! In the meantime, check out their impressive line-up of beers at liquor stores across B.C.

Availability: Small batch

Fernie’s take on the latest haze craze: cloudy, low bitterness and juicy, citrusy hops.

Availability: Seasonal

Hop-heavy, using Mosiac and Ekuanot for a strong tropical fruit taste and aroma.

PROJECT 9 PILS

Availability: Year-round

A fruity wheat ale with local sweet Rocky Mountain huckleberries for a nice sweetness.

Availability: Year-round

the Trail to ale challenge

Fernie Brewing’s Trail to Ale Challenge consists of bagging three peaks within a 24-hour period. Open to bikers, runners or hikers, you have to get to the top of Hyper Ventilation, Project 9 and Swine Flu within the time limit. Share your photo evidence with brewery sta , and you’ll be rewarded with a cold beer and a Trail to Ale medal.

A Bavarian pilsner with a hop pro le featuring noble hops, including Saaz.

the climb is always worth the reward.

OVER TIME B EER W ORKS

136A Wallinger Ave. | OverTimeBeer.ca

DAILY 10AM-7PM

EST. 2016

Kimberley might be a ski town, but this summer it’s sure to be packed with craft beer tourists visiting Over Time.

COPPER TOP

Availability: Seasonal

is copper-coloured wheat beer is citrusy and spicy thanks to added coriander and cloves.

A RROWHEAD BREWING CO .

MOUNTAIN STANDARD

G OLDEN ALE

Availability: Year-round

is lager-like ale is the kind of beer that goes down easy, one after another.

481 Arrow Rd. | ArrowheadBrewingCompany.ca

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

EST. 2012

is little brewery by the lake has come a long way in the past ve years, o ering dozens of brews at their retro taproom for locals and visitors alike.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER

BLONDE BOMBSHELL

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

U 4.8%N/A

Speaking of weather, this lemon hefeweizen is perfect for a blazing hot summer day.

is un ltered light-coloured ale has an almost kolsch-like nish from the German hops,.

WHITETOOTH BREWING

623 8th Ave. North | WhitetoothBrewing.com

WED-MON 2-10PM

EST. 2016

Since they opened at the end of last year, brewer Evan Cronshaw has already established an impressive core line of beers and one-o s.

THREAD

THE NEEDLE

Availability: Year-round

A

IB U 5.5%14

An untraditional Belgian-style witbier. Bright tartness complimented with lemon and pepper notes.

7

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 8.8%100

A smooth but burly hop-monster, featuring seven tropical avoured hops and seven additions.

MT. B EGBIE BREWING CO .

2155 Oak Dr. | Mt-Begbie.com

DAILY 9AM-5PM

EST. 1996

Revelstoke’s resident craft brewery has a big, new facility just o the Trans-Canada Highway, and it’s celebrating with some retro releases.

CONFEDERATION 150 MAP

Availability: One-o

Celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial in the most Canadian way: with maple syrup!

WHITE KNUCKLE BELG

Availability: Seasonal

5.6%42

Brewed with Belgian yeast, American hops, chamomile, coriander, lemon and orange peel.

JACKSON’S SOCIAL CLUB

&

BREWHOUSE

175 Cariboo Hwy 97 | JacksonsSocialClub.com

MON-THU 10:30AM-7PM ^ FRI-SAT 10:30AM-9PM SUN 10:30AM-6PM

EST. 2017

Out of the ashes of Broke ‘N Rode Brewing comes Jackson’s Social Club and Brewhouse, housed in a former gas station with a roadhouse feel.

RETRO DOG BLONDE

BLONDE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.3%16

is blonde ale looks to be Jackson’s agship pint and sure to be a local favourite.

THREE RANGES BREWING

CO.

1160 5th Ave. | reeRanges.com

WRANGLER IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.5%60

A West Coast-style IPA with robust hop bitterness.

MON, WED-THU 3-8PM ^ FRI-SAT 1-8PM ^ SUN 1-7PM

EST. 2013

If you build it, they will come—even in a town of just 1,000 people. It certainly helps that ree Ranges is crafting a line of dependable brews.

ROLL IN THE HAY

HEFE

NORTHWEST HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.5%26

Features generous doses of Citra hops at the end of the boil and fermentation.

SACRIFICE RED ALE

NORTHWEST-STYLE RED ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.0%32

Dedicated to veterans and their families, a portion of proceeds also goes to veteran charities.

QUESNEL

BARKERVILLE BREWING CO.

185 Davie St. | BarkervilleBeer.com

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

EST. 2014

Follow the Gold Rush trail north and strike it rich. Well, rich in avour, if you aim for Barkerville’s lounge and its range of award-winning beer.

HIGH STAKES

IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 8.0%80

You don’t have to dig deep to nd rich hop seams of Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo, Citra and Centennial.

WHITE GOLD WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 4.9%12

Light and crisp, with citrus notes and some stone fruit in the nish.

CROSSROADS BREWING

508 George St. | CrossroadsCraft.com

SUN-THU 11:30AM-9PM ^ FRI-SAT 11:30AM-11PM

EST. 2016

e craft beer revolution has reached Prince George and the results are impressive. Crossroads’ swanky taproom might be the coolest spot in town.

PIDHERNY PALE ALE

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.0%38

is classic Northwest pale ale balances a crisp, clean malt pro le with classic citrus hops.

TERRA CE

HAIL MARY IPA

IND I A PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 6.0%60

Hops, hops and more hops go into this light-bodied IPA, with citrus and tropical avours dominating.

S HERWOOD M OUNTAIN BREWHOUSE

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

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

EST. 2014

Amid the towering mountains, endless lakes and raging rivers of B.C.’s wild north lies a small brewery with big avour.

BENCHMARK BROWN

BRO W N ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 4.1%18

Sherwood Mountain’s latest staple is a rich brown ale featuring British malt, hops and yeast.

SKEENA SUNSHINE SAISON

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 6.0%20

Un ltered and bottle conditioned to bring out all the fruit and spice complexities of saison yeast.

W HEEL H OUSE B REWING

CO .

217 1st Ave. East | WheelhouseBrewing.com

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

EST. 2013

If you haven’t made it to this little brewery “at the end of the road,” it’s expanding and will soon be shipping brews below the 54th parallel.

SEA LEVEL SAISON

BELG I AN SA ISON

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.8%27

A lowland-style saison that’s fruity, spicy and dry. Pairs with classic farmhouse meals.

SCURVY DOG

SPRUCE ALE

SUMMER A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IB U 5.3%34

Fresh Sitka spruce tree tips give a nice sweetness to this bright summer ale.

1-866-549-1323

sales@thinkuniversal.com www.thinkuniversal.com

Gai Yang

ai grilled chicken with Steel & Oak Royal City Ale

BY CHEF ANGUS AN

In addition to his trio of Vancouver restaurants—Kitsilano’s Maenam, Chinatown’s Fat Mao Noodles, and the newly-opened Sen Pad ai on Granville Island—Chef Angus An is helping to lead a gastronomic reawakening in New Westminster with Longtail Kitchen and Freebird Chicken Shack, both located at New Westminster Quay’s River Market.

Gai Yang is a popular street food in ailand, usually served with papaya salad and sticky rice, and the addition of Royal City Ale by fellow New Westminsterites Steel & Oak Brewing helps elevate this dish to the sublime.

INgredients

• 1 or 2 whole chickens, the best quality you can get your hands on

Marinade

• 1 cup palm sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 cups fish sauce

• 2 cups garlic cloves

• 1 cup coconut cream

• 1 can cold Steel & Oak Royal City Ale

• Pinch of white pepper

Nahm jim jiaw dipping sauce

• ¼ cup toasted ground rice

• ¼ cup fried shallots

• ¼ cup finely sliced pak chi farang (long leaf coriander)

• ½ cup tamarind water

• ¼ cup lime juice

• ¼ cup fish sauce

• ¼ cup finely sliced shallots

• Large pinch of blue tongue powder

• Sugar to taste

Step 1

Butter y the chicken by cutting through the backbone and leaving the breastbone attached. Flatten the chicken by slightly breaking the breastbone so the chicken sits at on your cutting board.

Step 2

Blend all marinade ingredients together except the beer. Once well-combined, add half of the can of beer to the marinade and mix well. Drink the rest of the beer while you prep.

Step 3

Place the chicken in a large baking pan and pour over the marinade, making sure to cover the entire chicken. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Step 4

Start a re in your charcoal grill. Let the charcoal go for 45 minutes then spread it into one even layer. Once the ame dies down, add the chicken to the grill and cook until golden (about 7 minutes each side). If cooking on a gas grill, cook at medium-low heat.

Step 5

Prepare nahm jim jiaw dipping sauce. Combine all ingredients and season. Should taste equally sour, salty, sweet and spicy.

Step 6

Serve grilled chicken with side of nahm jim jiaw in a dipping bowl and enjoy. Goes great with another can of Steel & Oak’s Royal City Ale! j

Photos by Jennifer Gauthier

Brewpubs are institutions in this province, offering a vastly di erent craft beer experience than the brewery tasting room. e focus of the brewpub may not necessarily be on the beer itself, but instead, the food, the décor, the live music or even the hockey game. ey are often social hubs for their respective communities, functioning as the neighbourhood’s communal living room.

In many cases, the beer is secondary. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t exceptional—in fact some of B.C.’s best beers are brewed in these establishments.

Since few brewpubs bottle and keg their own beer—some don’t even o er growler lls—if you want to try what they are brewing, you’re going to have to go to the source. Seek them out, you won’t be disappointed. j

VANCOUVER

HASTINGS MILL BREWING COMPANY

403 East Hastings St. | PatsPub.ca

VANCOUVER DOCKSIDE BREWING CO.

1253 Johnston St. | DocksideVancouver.com

Expanded and rebranded, the former Pat’s Pub is producing more beer than ever, with ve styles available in house alongside 15 craft taps.

HIGHLAND 1615

SCOTTISH ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.3%16

A full-bodied, caramel-sweet ale rich with malted Maris Otter barley.

e beer lineup here hasn’t changed much over the years, but the patio remains one of the best in the city.

RAILSPUR IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.7%55

is classic, hop-forward IPA is a little lighter-bodied than most.

VANCOUVER

STEAMWORKS BREW PUB

375 Water St. |

One of the largest brewpubs in the country, the 750seat brewery and restaurant spans two oors and outdoor patios, with ocean and mountain views.

LIONSGATE LAGER

GERMAN LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0%18

Made with nest quality German malt, this lightly-hopped refreshing lager is a local favourite.

VANCOU V ER

STEEL TOAD BREWERY

97 East 2nd Ave. | SteelToad.ca

VANCOU V ER

YALETOWN BREWING CO.

1111 Mainland St. | MJG.ca/Yaletown

Who needs a brewery tour when you can watch the magic happen behind glass from the comfort of your seat?

FARMHOUSE DOUBLE

INDIA PALE ALE

BELG I AN IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 10.0%80

Belgian blonde fermented with Ardennes yeast, loaded with Mosaic hops.

WHISTLER

BREWHOUSE HIGH MOUNTAIN BREWING

4355 Blackcomb Way | MJG.ca/BrewHouse

Always busy, but never too busy. Four rotating beers join four year-round staples and a great food menu.

MAINLAND LAGER

L AGER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.0%12

A thirst-quenching lager featuring crackery malt sweetness balanced by a rm bitterness.

SURREY

BIG RIDGE BREWING CO.

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

Brewer Derrick Franche produces an excellent beer lineup at this handsome and consistently underrated brewpub next to Whistler’s Olympic Plaza.

150 LAGER

IND I A PALE L AGER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 6.5%55

Celebrate Canada’s 150th with this hoppy lager brewed for Canada Day.

Head brewer Ashley Brooks has moved on, but stay tuned to see what Surrey’s original brewpub does next.

CLOVER IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 6.5%65

A two-time B.C. Beer Award winner that’s available in cans.

D UNCAN

CRAIG STREET BREW PUB

25 Craig St. | CraigStreet.ca

LONGWOOD BREWPUB

5775 Turner Rd. | LongwoodBrewpub.com

Housed in a 1940s brick heritage building with a 100-year-old antique bar, Craig Street Brewpub is a relaxing place to enjoy a pint by the replace.

ARBUTUS PALE

E NGLISH PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

is comfortable brewpub in the north end of Nanaimo has a great kitchen and a solid range of beers.

CZECH PILSNER

CZECH PI LS NER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 5.0%N/A A BV IB U 5.0%18

A British style ale with a West Coast twist with a light body with balanced hop character.

KAMLOOPS

THE NOBLE PIG BREWHOUSE

650 Victoria St. | eNoblePig.ca

A delicious Czech pivo that is very true to the style.

SALMON ARM

BARLEY STATION BREW PUB

20 Shuswap St. North | BarleyStation.com

Heaven is sipping a tasty beer under the hop trellis on the Pig’s patio on a warm summer evening.

WITTY BLONDE

BELG I AN-STYLE W H EAT A LE

Availability: Limited

e perfect stop on a summer road trip, this brewpub is located right on the Trans-Canada Highway. Great beer and food!

BUSHWACKER

BROWN ALE

SOUT H ERN E NGLISH BRO W N A LE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IB U 4.7%13 A BV IB U 4.7%24

A traditional Belgian wheat ale brewed with coriander and orange peel.

Winner of a gold medal at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards.

FREDDY’S BREWPUB

124 McCurdy Rd. | McCurdyBowl.com

BARLEY MILL BREW PUB

2460 Skaha Lake Rd. | BarleyMillPub.com

Good to see Freddy’s upping its game, with growler lls and cask nights joining an ever more interesting beer list.

RAGING RYENO IPA

RYE INDIA PALE ALE

is Penticton mainstay keeps the locals happy with their selection of approachable, easy-drinking craft beers.

CLASSIC DRAFT LAGER

LAGER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.1%45

Rye in the grain bill gives this IPA a hit of earthy spice.

ABV IBU 5.0%N/A

An all-grain, adjunct-free North American lager brewed with pilsner malt and German hops.

NELSON CRANBROOK

THE SAVOY BREWERY

198 Baker St. | SavoyHotel.com

THE HEID OUT

821 Baker St. | eHeidOut.ca

e multi-function Savoy Hotel includes a brewhouse that supplies the in-house nightclub, music lounge and café with fresh craft beer.

SPRING WIT

WITBIER

Previously a popular restaurant called Heidi’s, this renovated and revitalized brewpub has a great kitchen and a solid beer lineup.

BLONDE ALE

BLONDE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.6%13

Watercress and cilantro replace coriander and orange peel in this refreshing wit.

ABV IBU 4.4%16

is well-balanced summer sipper is simple and refreshing.

the

BEER GROUND To

Our beer spies have been gathering intel on up-and-coming breweries from all over the province. As always, take the estimated opening dates with a generous grain of salt.

ANGRY HEN BREWING

Kaslo (summer 2017) Former Steamworks and Big Ridge Brewpub brewer Shirley Warne is hoping to have her brewery up and running before the end of the summer. AngryHenBrewing.com

ANOTHER BEER CO.

New Westminster (late 2017) It’s been more than 10 years since any beer was brewed in the Brewery District, but ABC hopes to change that. AnotherBeerCo.com

BEERE BREWING

North Vancouver (summer 2017) Details are scant at this point, but Beere Brewing Company has space secured at 312 Esplanade East in North Van, not far from Lonsdale Quay. BeereBrewing.com

EAST VAN BREWING

Vancouver (summer 2017) With a sexy space lined up on Venables Street, just o Commercial Drive, this brewery is hoping to open its doors any month now. EastVanBrewing.com

ILE SAUVAGE BREWING CO.

Victoria (fall 2017) Brewer Stephane Turcotte’s (4 Mile Brewing, Galmegi Brewing Co.) proposed brewery in Rock Bay looks to be focusing on wild and sour ales. Ile Sauvage (which means “Wild Island” in French) will be the sixth brewery in the industrial area north of downtown.

KIND BREWING

Westbank (summer 2017) e sign is up, the tanks are in, and the good folks at Kind Brewing in downtown Westbank are just waiting on their nal inspections and permits and they’re good to go!

MARINER BREWING

Coquitlam (late 2017) A 50-person tasting room with growler lls, a food menu, and a 23hL steam- red brewhouse is planned for this space at 1100 Lansdowne Drive on the Barnet Highway. MarinerBrewing.ca

NORTHPAW BREWING

Port Coquitlam (fall 2017) Northpaw was origi-

nally planning to set up shop in neighbouring Coquitlam, they’ve now set their sights on becoming PoCo’s rst craft brewery with a location just north of the Pitt River Bridge. NorthpawBrewCo.com

RED BIRD BREWING INC.

Kelowna (summer 2017) Right around the corner from Kettle River and Tree Brewing, Red Bird is helping turn Kelowna’s industrial North End into a craft beer destination. Owner Adam Semeniuk is hoping for a soft open in the next few months.

SILVER VALLEY BREWING

Maple Ridge (late 2017) Construction is underway and beer is already owing, thanks to a collaboration with nearby Ridge Brewing Company. SilverValleyBrewing.com

SOOKE BREWING COMPANY

Sooke (summer 2017) Everything is on schedule for this Island brewery and tasting lounge to be up and running by the end of summer. SookeBrewing.com

THE 101 BREWERY AND DISTILLERY

Gibsons (summer 2017) Named for the highway it sits upon, e 101 will be the third brewery to open in tiny Gibsons, but the rst to distill its own spirits. e101.ca

TRENCH BREWING AND DISTILLING

Prince George (summer 2017) Trench has a building and they are brewing pilot batches, so opening day can’t be too far away. Owners/brewers Jesse Hoefels and Craig Schwenning were both trained in the Czech Republic, so look for a distinct European in uence. TrenchBrew.ca

UNNAMED BREWPUB

Powell River (2018) So this is cool: proli c homebrewer and Canadian punk rock legend John Wright of the experimental/prog/punk/jazz band NoMeansNo has recently purchased the old Red Lion Pub on the north end of town and is in the process of turning it into a brewpub. We’re not sure what the theme will be but we’re hoping it involves animatronic robots. j

stage & beer café THE RAILWAY

JOKES

WED

THE LIVING SOCIETY PRESENTS

THU BOOGIE NIGHTS

THE RAILWAY STAGE PRESENTS

SAT LUST FOR LIFE

Live bands

SOUP / SALADS

happy hour mon-fri