The Growler B.C. • Volume 4 Issue 1 • Spring 2018

B.C. CRAFT BEER guide

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Copyright © e Growler

Vancouver 2018

Published by

Glacier Community Media

303 West 5th Avenue

Vancouver, B.C., V5Y 1J6

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thegrowler.ca | @thegrowlerbc

e DiTOr

Rob Mangelsdorf editor@thegrowler.ca

puBliSher

Gail Nugent gnugent@thegrowler.ca

cOnTriBuTinG WriTerS

Ryan Ingram

Rob Mangelsdorf

Brittany Tiplady

Joe Wiebe

Rebecca Whyman

Jan Zeschky

prODucTiOn & DeSiGn ManaGer

Tara Ra q

phOTOGraphy

Rob Mangelsdorf

Dan Toulgoet

cOVer illuSTraTiOn

Cai Sepulis

SOcial MeDia

Danielle Boileau

DiSTriBuTiOn

Craig Sweetman (Newsstand)

Debbie Tang (Direct) orders@thegrowler.ca

Contents

pOliTical pinTS

BreWer VS BreWer: BriTiSh iSleS eDiTiOn

eleMenTal SerieS: hOpS

The BeerS OF BallarD

Beer BlOGGerS OF inSTaGraM

eaSTern prOMiSeS

5 yearS, 100 neW BreWerieS

B.c. craFT Beer eVenT liSTinGS

TaSTinG rOOM DOS anD DOn’TS

a BreWery By any OTher naMe...

BreWery naMe GeneraTOr

recipe: Beer BraiSeD WilD BOar ShOulDer TacOS

Beer TO The GrOunD

Breweries by Region

38 63 51 68 72 84 89 97 105

VANCOUVER

LOWER MAINLAND

FRASER VALLEY

SEA TO SKY / SUNSHINE COAST

VICTORIA / GULF ISLANDS

VANCOUVER ISLAND

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

KOOTENAYS

NORTHERN B.C.

Welcome to our rst issue of 2018; as you might have noticed, there’s been some exciting changes in Growler-land.

is issue marks the beginning of our fourth year as B.C.’s favourite craft beer guide, so we decided to kick things up a notch. We’ve redesigned our brewery listings to make room for more maps and more of the great stories and articles you’ve come to expect from e Growler each quarter. We’ve even added an events calendar so you can keep track of all the awesome beer festivals coming up. In addition to the changes to our print edition, we’ve redesigned our website, too. Want to nd out where the nearest brewery is? Or the latest B.C. craft beer news, as it happens? en check out eGrowler.ca! We’ve also launched an online store with t-shirts and merchandise from breweries across the entire province—your one-stop source for sweet B.C. craft beer swag.

e biggest news, though, is e Growler’s B.C. Brewer Collaboration Series. We’re bringing together breweries from di erent parts of the province that have never worked together before, and having them collaborate on a seasonal beer. e rst edition is an Experimental Belgian Ale made by our good friends at Faculty Brewing Co. and Category 12 Brewing. Look for it at better private liquor stores and on select taps this spring.

Phew! It’s been a busy few months. I sure could use a beer…

—Rob Mangelsdorf, editor

GROWLER-APPROVED BADGE

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

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

B.C. breweries are mixing alcohol and politics, sometimes with unintended consequences

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Despite the old adage about never discussing politics in polite company, drinking establishments have long been fertile ground for political revolution. Boston’s Green Dragon Tavern became known as the “headquarters of the American Revolution,” while Le Procope in Paris was used as a meeting place by the leaders of the French Revolution. en, of course, there was Hitler’s failed Beer Hall Putsch.

As it turns out, many B.C. craft breweries are mixing politics and alcohol themselves, raising their voices and supporting various political causes, often with unintended consequences.

Last October, Kelowna’s Boundary Brewing Co. made headlines after being targeted online by right-wing hate groups after posting a video of an anti-fascist ag being hung in the brewery’s tasting room.

Owner Oliver Gläser and his sta decided to hang the ag to let people know that hate wasn’t welcome in his brewery.

“Our brewer is from the States, and with the rise of the alt-right and white supremacy, he said he felt powerless,” says Gläser. “After we saw what happened in Charlottesville, we wanted to do something.”

More than 100 people have been killed or injured by members of the alt-right movement since 2014, according to U.S. hate crime watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center. As someone of German descent brewing German beers, Gläser

says it was important for him to take a stand against Nazism.

“I thought we’d have some conversations with our customers, and that would be it,” Gläser says. “I never thought it would go viral.”

One month after the video was posted, it was discovered by members of a far-right anti-Islam militia called the ree Percenters who began to bombard the page with negative reviews. Within an hour, the video received more than 7,000 views and the brewery’s Facebook page had 15,000+ hits, many of them from white supremacists in the U.S., ooding the page with nasty comments.

“I’m a rugby player and a boxer, so I’m not afraid of a ght,” Gläser says. “But these people were threatening me, saying, ‘you’d better have good re insurance,’ things like that. I’ve got my two daughters with me a lot of the time, so if you’re threatening me, you’re threatening my whole family.”

However, as media coverage of the online attack increased, so too did the messages of support. Instead of hurting his sales, the troll campaign had the opposite e ect.

“Our sales went up by about 30 per cent in our slowest time of the year,” Gläser says. “We were getting people coming in to buy beer from Kamloops, Vancouver, Calgary, who said they heard about us on the news and wanted to support us.”

As for the threats?

“We never had anyone come in here and try and start trouble,” says Gläser. “Someone put an Infowars sticker on the door, that was about it.”

After we saw what happened in Charlottesville, we wanted to do something.

>>

Despite the stress and chaos caused by the incident, Gläser says he doesn’t regret posting the video.

“ ey gave me thousands of dollars of free advertising, but more importantly, they gave me a platform,” he said.

Fighting The Good Fight

For some breweries, political activism is a part of what they are, by design.

Before starting Crannóg Ales in Sorrento, owners Rebecca Kneen and Brain MacIsaac were both anti-poverty activists in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in the 1990s. ey decided to open the brewery, Kneen says, because they wanted to get involved in organic agriculture and brew beer in a sustainable and ethical manner.

“You can’t do that without talking about what you’re doing and why. By necessity, that’s political,” she says. “To divorce that from running a business is unethical.”

When Crannóg opposed the development of a nearby golf course, the brewery lost an account in Salmon Arm as a result.

“Does that bother me? No,” says Kneen.

Crannóg has proudly own an antifa ag for more than a decade, and when Kneen and MacIsaac learned about the online campaign against Boundary Brewing, they reached out to help any way they

could. Brewers being brewers, the two breweries got together and collaborated on the Not For Nazis Nutbrown Ale.

By being honest about who they are, and standing up for what they think is right, Kneen says Crannóg has actually bene ted from being political.

“I feel the bene ts for us far outweigh any negative backlash,” she says. “Our consumers are much more passionate about what we do, and that encourages loyalty.”

Business As Usual

Of course, businesses get involved in politics all the time. During the last provincial election cycle, corporations donated millions of dollars to political parties, with $7.8 million in corporate donations going to the B.C. Liberals and about $700,000 going to the NDP (who traditionally get most of their donations from labour unions).

After Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Red Collar Brewing Co. in Kamloops thought it would make its displeasure known by releasing two beers ridiculing the U.S. president: Alternative Facts IPA and Impeachment peach witbier.

“When Trump was elected we were all watching the live stream at the brewery, and [owner/brewer] David [Beardsell] was watching in absolute disbelief,” recalls Lara Beardsell, Red Collar’s head of sales and marketing. “He swore, he yelled, I thought he might cry, and I almost had to make

LEFT: Brian MacIsaac and Rebecca Kneen of Crannóg Ales (on left) teamed up with Oliver Gläser and Simon Astle of Boundary Brewing Co. (on right) to brew Not For Nazis Nut Brown Ale. RIGHT: Red Collar's Impeachment peach witbier. Contributed photos.

him leave, but I think he was vocalizing the shock that we were all in that night, and the totally incredulity about what our southern neighbours had just done.”

Instead of dwelling on the negative, Lara says they decided to contribute something positive—in the form of beer—at Trump’s expense. She says the beers were well received and Red Collar plans to re-release them this year. However, Lara says the brewery is less interested in wading into Canadian politics.

“I think that would be a little more decisive within our own community,” she says. “I will say that, in general, we try to maintain that Red Collar is a business, not a person, and therefore doesn't have opinions, take sides, provide commentary, etc. But we didn't think we were being all that radical by having a laugh courtesy of Trump and his administration.”

The Wrath of the Internet

Vancouver's Faculty Brewing Co. incurred the wrath of the Internet after taking part in a Pints Not Pipelines event last April to raise funds for First Nations lawsuits against the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. Now that the pipeline is back in the news, with Alberta recently banning the importation of B.C. wine in retaliation for our provincial government’s insistence on studying the e ects of diluted bitumen spills, online commenters are back accusing the brewery of being hypocrites.

“[ e cause] resonated with us because it goes with our values—environmental sustainability is a big deal for us,” says Faculty owner Mauricio Lozano of his decision to support Pints Not Pipelines. “Every decision we make is through a green lens: we use car share instead of a company car, we run on 100 per cent renewable natural gas, which is very expensive, but makes sense for us. Yes, we

use fossil fuels, but we use as little as possible and we support policies that would get us away [from using them entirely.]”

Lozano says that despite some of the negative reactions he’s faced, he feels that it’s important for businesses to stand up for what they believe in.

“As a business, you can be a megaphone for a cause. But some people won’t like that,” he says. “You have to assume that if you take a stand, there’s going to be some pushback. But for us, it was important. We’re also citizens, we have opinions and we vote.”

Lozano and Gläser both hope their tasting rooms can be a place for frank and lively discussion, and just because someone doesn’t believe in the same things as they do politically, doesn’t mean they aren’t welcome.

“Beer halls have always been a place to discuss politics and everyone is welcome here,” says Gläser. “But I draw the line at hate. If some people want to boycott me because of that, that’s ne by me, these are exactly the kind of people I don’t want coming in here.” j

Pints not Pipelines resonated with us because it goes with our values—environmental sustainability is a big deal for us.

- Mauricio Lozano, owner, Faculty Brewing Co.

BritisheditionIsles Brewer vs. brewer

by Rob Mangelsdorf

When it comes to the great beer styles of the world, it seems like the real ales of the British Isles just can’t get any respect. Adoration for Belgian, German and North American styles is near universal. e Belgians are masters of avourful yeast-forward beers. e Germans gave us crisp, clean lagers you can drink forever. Meanwhile, the American craft brewers (and to a lesser extent, our Canadian breweries) introduced the world to big, bold hop-forward beers and a penchant for experimentation.

But the British? Often their beers are the subject of ridicule and scorn: ey’re boring! ey’re at! ey’re weak! ey’re warm!

Well, if that’s an opinion you happen share, you’re just plain wrong.

Boring? Try subtle and delicate. Flat? Real ales are cask-conditioned, meaning they aren’t arti cially pumped full of carbon dioxide, and won’t leave you bloated as a result. Weak? British beers are designed to be “moreish,” so you can spend hours upon hours down at the pub draining pints. Warm? Cellar temperature is not warm, and these ales lose all their complexity at the icy cold temperatures reserved for tasteless lagers.

In fact, the staples of many North American craft breweries can trace their lineage to Mother England, particularly pale ales, IPAs, stouts and porters. e Canadian beer drinking public may be slow to embrace more traditional examples of these styles, but brewers Adam Chatburn of Real Cask Ales and Claire Wilson of Dogwood Brewing think we are all missing out (and I happen to agree).

Few other brewers in B.C. are as quali ed as these two to discuss the beauty of the British ale. Originally from Blackburn, England, Chatburn rst learned how to brew at Blackburn Brewing Company before emigrating to Canada. His frustration with the lack of real ales available in B.C. led him to start his own brewery, Real Cask Ales, part of the Callister Brewing collective.

Wilson was born and raised in Galway, Ireland, and she, too, learned to brew in England. While Dogwood’s beers have a de nite B.C.-focus in ingredients and avours, she’s never forgotten her roots.

I gathered the pair of expats at East Vancouver’s WISE Hall (as in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England) to get the lowdown on the misunderstood ales of Britain.

The Growler: Tell me a bit about what di erentiates British brewing from, say, Belgian or German brewing? What makes it stand out and what makes it unique?

Adam Chatburn: Well, there was a chunk of German brewing that was stolen from the British brewing and there’s been a lot of cross-pollination over the years, even going back even a hundred years. Beers like the alts and the darker German beers were mostly porters and stouts originally, that were taken over there. But at the same time, British beers never had hops, that was a German thing. So we took the hops and planted our own varieties. Without the Germans we wouldn’t have hops, and without us they wouldn’t have their darker beers.

Claire Wilson: e strongest commonality between them is the respect for traditions. And each country has its own traditions. And that’s the main di erence between Britain and these other schools of brewing thought, is the respect for British traditions, for the real ales, the bottle- and cask-carbonated beers. at is quintessentially the English style of beer. And it’s taken very seriously.

Chatburn: It’s true. e English style of drinker, if it’s a cloudy pint, if it’s got too much head, or if there’s anything wrong with it, they’ll complain, quite audibly. It’s a combination of educated consumers and being moaning British bastards.

Wilson: It’s the respect for tradition and the respect for holding on to these things. But it can limit you as a brewer. When you come from a very traditional British school of training, there are

some things you just don’t do. When I rst came here, I was like, what’s with all these beers? Why are people putting these weird ingredients in their beer? You can’t do that!

Chatburn: is idea about looking back, and tradition, and making sure to hold on to that and not lose it, it’s important because a lot of styles have already been lost. But it can also be, in a way, a bit of a prison, it can sti e creativity. And this is true in Belgium and Germany, too. ese places with strong traditions, people are very stuck to those and tied to those rules. Coming to Canada—we both got here about the same time, 10 years ago—you can see those rules are out of the window.

Growler: What is it that characterizes British beer, what sets it apart from other styles?

Chatburn: In one word: sessionability. at’s the key thing with the British palate. It’s that

Adam Chatburn of Real Cask Ales (left) and Claire Wilson of Dogwood Brewing are big proponents of British beers. Dan Toulgoet photos.

idea that you can sit there at the pub for seven or eight hours, read the paper, have some dinner, and you will have six, or seven, or eight, or nine pints over the course of that period. And your palate will not be blown out by it. You’ll be buzzed, but you won’t necessarily be falling down as if you’d had seven or eight Fat Tugs.

Wilson: And you drink the same beer the whole time. It’s delicious, so you have another one, and another one. And you never get the feeling like you need something else.

Chatburn: Very often the nishing gravity tends to be a bit higher, so there’s a that ever-so-slightly sweet nish—but not sickly sweet— that makes you want to have another.

Wilson: And that’s not something a lot of Vancouver craft beer drinkers are looking for. ey want their palates blown out. ey want to taste something they’ve never tasted before. British beer is beer that’s made to drink, as opposed to beer that’s meant to just be tasted.

Growler: So how do you adapt that brewing philosophy to the B.C. market?

Chatburn: I do some beers that are per cent Adam, and some beers that aren’t Adam at all! I will always have a mild or a bitter on the tap, but I’ll also just nished a West Coast double IPA.

Growler: Why don’t we see a lot of proper cask ales here in North America? Especially here in B.C., there are not a lot of people doing them.

Wilson: One of the biggest di erences is that bars in Britain have cellars, and lines, and engines. ey have the infrastructure. e sta is trained, they know what they’re talking about, they know how to take care of it, so they’re ready to buy it. Whereas if you try to sell a cask to someone here, you have to supply them with an engine, a fridge to put it in, you have to train their sta …

Chatburn: I’ve had more then a few people who’ve said, ‘We want to have your casks,’ but I have to go to them and be like, what’s your cellar situation? How’s your engine? Do you actually take care of the casks? Are you going to have a cleaning regimen? So there are all these questions and if you answer no to any of these, I have to walk away. It requires so much work to get it right, and if I don’t think you’re going to do that, then it’s going to a ect how my product hits the public. j

is idea about looking back, and tradition, and making sure to hold on to that and not lose it, it’s important because a lot of styles have already been lost.

- Adam Chatburn

ADAM CHAtBURN

Claire wilson

by Jan Zeschky

When it comes to beer ingredients, hops are the revolutionary rock stars.

ese owers of the Humulus lupulus plant are arguably the driving force behind beer’s resurrection in the 1980s and 1990s, bringing eye-opening and mind-expanding new avours to what was then largely a taste-free industry, thanks to new varieties with alluring names like Amarillo, Centennial, Galena and Horizon.

But the revolution began with the grapefruit and oral notes of Cascade, recalls Gary Lohin.

“Cascade was the hop that set it o . But when I started making beer I actually avoided Cascade because everyone was using it and making the same- avoured beers,” says the brewmaster at Central City Brewers + Distillers in Surrey.

Instead, he used Amarillo and Centennial to powerful e ect in his Red Racer IPA, the beer

that kick-started many British Columbians’ love for hops following its release in 2003.

Yet, for all we obsess about hops, in the long history of beer, it’s a relatively new addition to the recipe book. It’s estimated hops were rst used in Europe around the start of the last millennium, though they didn’t become widespread until centuries later. Previously, di erent blends of spices and herbs were used to balance the sweetness of the recipe’s grains.

As well as being an ideal bittering agent, hops also had antibacterial properties that kept beer from spoiling. It was a major reason why British brewers loaded their export ales with hops so they would survive the long journeys by ship to countries like India and Russia (and so creating the India pale ale and imperial stout, respectively).

en there were the avours that brewers could extract from these remarkable climbing plants.

Part 3 of a four-part series exploring the basic building blocks of beer, and how they combine to make something so wonderful.

eir owers—green cones, really—are stu ed with lupulin, a bright yellow powder that packs all the aromatic oils required for brewing up deliciousness.

at deliciousness takes many di erent forms. It could be the herbal, lightly spicy notes of the “noble” hops of central Europe like Saaz or

that’s appropriate to the style of beer, but doesn’t overwhelm malt and/or yeast pro les.

Brewers have long been guring out ways to maximize hop aroma and avour. Most commonly it’s done by dry-hopping, in which hops are steeped in the beer after the boil. Some bigger breweries run hot wort through a “hop back” full of dried cones. Other breweries tend to add most of their hops at the very end of the boil for full aromatic expression with very little bitterness.

Hallertauer; the earthier, oral English varieties like Bramling Cross and East Kent Golding; the Paci c Northwest’s citrus and resin bombs; or the new wave of tropical fruit salads in varieties like Citra, Ekuanot and Motueka.

Somewhat more neglected by consumers are the bittering varieties that give beer its necessary balance. ese generally contain a higher percentage of alpha acids, also found in lupulin, which determines the level of hop bitterness.

To release these avours and bitterness, you need to boil the hops—fresh, dried, or pelletized—in the wort. Of course, there’s a little more to it than just tossing hops into the kettle.

e brewer must determine how much bitterness and how much aroma and avour they want to extract. Timing is everything. Add your hops at the start of the boil and you’ll extract more of the alpha acids for more bitterness; add your hops toward the end of the boil and you’ll keep more of those seductive aromas and avours. Factor in the enormous range of avours, aromas and alpha acid levels in di erent varieties and you’ve got some tough decisions to make.

e considered brewer keeps that all-important watchword in mind: balance. Enough bitterness to balance malt sweetness but not too much, lest you risk harshness or astringency. Aroma and avour

“ e majority of our hopping is on aroma and avour rather than bitterness; 60 to 90 per cent of every hoppy beer we do is in the dry hop,” says Ryan Voigt, head brewer at Twin Sails Brewing in Port Moody. At the extreme end of that scale was the “zero-IBU” Hot Take IPA, a 100-per-cent dryhopped beer.

Innovation abounds. Last year saw the appearance of hop hash, or lupulin powder—the residue created when hops are processed into pellets— which lends an intense blast of avour. is past harvest time, a few breweries tried freezing fresh hops with liquid nitrogen before crushing them, in order to get superior extraction.

en there’s the sheer amount of new varieties being released, with breeding programs across the world creating ever more e cient and disease-resistant crops. Some varieties in development are pushing the bounds of hop aroma and avour into completely new dimensions.

Voigt remains excited about where this segment of the craft beer industry is going.

“ ere’s coconut, cedar, vanilla avours, things you would never expect to come out of a hop,” he says. “You could start dry-hopping a dark beer with a hop that has vanilla avours, or something like that. It’s going to open up a lot of interesting avenues in terms of aromas and avours.” j

ere’s coconut, cedar, vanilla avours, things you would never expect to come out of a hop. - Ryan Voigt, Twin Sails Brewing

ballard e be ers of

There’s a certain undeniable magic to Seattle. After all, this is the town that gave us Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Kenny G. Home of the 2014 Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the 1917 Stanley Cup champion Seattle Metropolitans. Birthplace of Microsoft, Amazon and Tommy Bahama activewear. e co ee’s pretty good, too.

You can also count amazing craft beer among Seattle’s many gifts to the world. And when it comes to craft beer, the once-sleepy suburb of Ballard is at the epicentre of its craft beer revolution.

If you’re like many British Columbians, your rst exposure to Ballard was likely on the 1990s Seattle-produced sketch comedy show Almost Live!, where the suburb and its elderly Scandanavian residents were frequently the butt of jokes.

However, today, Ballard is thriving, with new residential developments popping up on every block to serve the nearby growing tech industry in South Lake Union. And where there’s young urban professionals with disposable income, there’s bound to be top-notch restaurants, über-cool bars and craft breweries a-plenty. At last count, there were 13 breweries and tasting rooms within a 45 minute-walk between Ballard and the neighbouring suburb of Fremont.

“People who live in Ballard generally don’t leave Ballard,” says Wayne Jehlik, owner/brewer of Obec Brewing. And why would they? I must admit, after my recent trip there, I didn’t want to leave either.

Stoup Brewing// Much like Vancouver’s Yeast Van and Portland’s Inner Southeast, Ballard has that magical mix of industrial-zoned land and working-class residential that seems to be the perfect breeding ground for craft breweries.

Stoup Brewing is situated on NW 52nd St., right between a modern two-level home that could be on the cover of Architectural Digest and a business that manufactures and repairs shing nets. e

newly built corrugated metal-clad building Stoup calls home pays homage to the area’s industrial roots, and inside, the brewery’s tasting room is lively and inviting.

On sunny days (of which there are plenty in Seattle; it gets about 40 per cent less rain than Vancouver), Stoup pulls up its huge garage bay doors to let the fresh air in and opens up its spacious beer garden.

>>

Words and photos by Rob Mangelsdorf

“

e beer scene is great here,” says co-owner/ head brewer Brad Benson. “ ere’s so many great breweries nearby making great beer, so it’s become a destination. It started with just the locals, then people from all over Seattle started coming, and now we’re getting tourists from all over the world.”

Benson has been brewing since 1982 and his beers bene t from those years of experience. ere’s no absurd experimentation for experimentation’s sake at Stoup, just thoughtfully conceived beers executed at a consistently impressive level.

If IPAs are your jam, then you’re going to love this place—there were six di erent ones on the board when I was there. However, my personal favourite was the Loral Saison (6.1% ABV, 30 IBU), a delicate, well-balanced beer with lovely oral hop avours and restrained pepper notes from the French saison yeast.

Lucky Envelope Brewing // When Raymond Kwan left behind a career in nance to brew beer with his best bud Barry Chan, the two rst-generation Americans decided to incorporate their shared Chinese heritage not only in the name of the brewery, but in their approach to brewing.

e brewery’s name comes from the ubiquitous hóngbāo—the red envelopes stu ed with money exchanged during holidays and special occasions. “We wanted a name that would di erentiate us from everyone else, but also has a connection to our heritage,” says Kwan. “Growing up, the

memories that stick out are the holidays and being around family, and the lucky envelopes were always there.”

e beers at Lucky Envelope are “culturally inspired,” he says. at means not only incorporating Asian ingredients and avour pro les not typically seen in American craft beer, but also paying tribute to their neighbourhood: for the National Day of Sweden every June 6, Lucky Envelope brews a Gotlandsdricka, a juniper ale similar to Finnish sahti.

Located around the corner from Stoup, Lucky Envelope’s tasting room was decked out in decorations to celebrate the Year of the Dog on my visit. Many of the thirsty locals had brought their dogs with them for the occasion, or so I had thought. As it turns out, Seattle’s breweries are by and large dog-friendly, and most tasting rooms are ankle-deep in puppers, which is just the best thing ever.

e Buddha’s Hand Citron IPA (6.6% ABV, 70 IBU) was brewed especially for Chinese New Year, and prominently features the ngered citron fruit, a staple of the season that looks like a lemon a icted with whatever it was that Rocky Dennis had. e light-bodied beer is full of citrus fruit and lemon zest, backed up by a healthy dose of NW hops, making for a very refreshing and surprisingly crushable IPA.

Peddler Brewing Co. // Located on the Burke Gilman bike trail, Peddler is the perfect pit

LEFT: Stoup Brewing’s tasting room is the perfect place for a pint on a sunny day. RIGHT: Lucky Envelope Brewing co-owner Raymond Kwan is bringing “culturally inspired” beers to Ballard.

stop for cyclists. In addition to the massive bike rack out front, there’s a bike repair station inside with a vending machine full of parts and tools.

ere’s even discounts for members of the local cycling club.

Housed in the former home of Maritime Brewing (which has since moved a few blocks away), Peddler’s tasting room on NW Leary Street is bright and airy. On the Saturday I visited, the brewery was a bustling, eclectic cross-section of the neighbourhood: a group of recent moms and dads with their babies sits at one table; at another, a pair of old-timers in pea coats look like they stepped o a box of High Liner sh sticks; a table of nurses unwind with a game of Cards Against Humanity, presumably after a long shift at the University of Washington medical clinic across the street; and, of course, there’s a steady stream of thirsty cyclists coming through the door.

e real action is in the back, however. Peddler’s massive backyard beer garden plays host to outdoor movie nights, live music, comedy, arts events, even the odd wedding.

“Give it a sunny day in the summer and it’s packed,” says operations and taproom manager Stefan Hock.

Peddler’s beers are a mix of European standards and Northwest classics. e Horchata Cream Ale (5.5% ABV, 7 IBU) was an interesting take on the light-bodied American ale, dominated by cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, with just enough lingering sweetness to complement the bold avours.

Obec Brewing // e new kid on the block, quite literally, Obec opened last year just a few doors down from Stoup on NW 52nd Street, right around the corner from Rueben’s Brews. Pronounced O-betz, the name is the Czech word for “community” and pays tribute to owner/brewer Wayne Jehlik’s Czech heritage. He also happens to be the honourary consul for the Czech Republic in Seattle, making the brewery the city’s de facto Czech consulate.

e tasting room at Obec is sleek and polished, giving o a European vibe, in a very contemporary sense. Unlike most of the breweries in Ballard, Obec’s tasting room is 21+, as it also serves locally produced wine and spirits, in keeping with its “community” mantra.

e beers are a mix of European styles, with a focus on Czech pilsners and malt-forward English ales—in fact, Obec didn’t even have an IPA on tap when it opened, which is almost unheard of in Seattle. While the Czech in uence is obvious, the fondness for English styles began when Jehlik started brewing 20 years ago after he couldn’t nd his favourite porter anymore.

“When craft beer rst started happening here, it was all porters,” he recalls. “ en IPAs became a thing, and all the porters went away, so I had to make my own!”

Not surprisingly, his English Porter (6.2% ABV, 60 IBU) is phenomenal, with avours of biscuit, toast and caramel, and a healthy hop bite to balance out any residual sweetness.

“It’s been serendipity to end up here,” Jehlik says of his Ballard location. “You’ve got some of the best breweries in Greater Seattle within a mile of here, amazing restaurants, lots of young people.

“It’s a great place for great beer.”j

Taproom manager Stefan Hock serves up a pint at Peddler Brewing Co.’s backyard beer garden.

Pronounced O-betz, Obec Brewing is named after the Czech word for “community.” Brian Chu photo.

OREGON up NORTH

Did you know that craft beer was practically born in the state of Oregon? As far back as the 1980s, Portland helped launch the beer boom we’re all still enjoying today. Luckily, many of Oregon’s legendary beers are available here in B.C.

Art Larrance was one of Oregon’s early pioneers when he co-founded Portland Brewing back in ’84. In 2006, he started Cascade Brewing, now world-renowned for creating the Northwest Sour Ale, and producing some of the nest examples of sour, barrel-aged beer that you’ll nd anywhere.

Beer styles may come and go, but IPA still dominates the craft beer market, making up more than 25 per cent of U.S. sales—it might as well be Oregon’s state beverage! Brewer Ben Edmunds and his team at Breakside took home a gold medal for their IPA at the World Beer Cup in 2014, which is no small feat. Often making over 100 beers a year, Breakside runs three locations in Portland, all “must-visits”.

Gigantic Brewing is also a huge lover of the mighty hop, producing two year-round beers, Gigantic IPA and Ginormous Imperial IPA. Despite the big name, owners Ben Love and Van Havig want to stay small, putting out an endless series of new ales and lagers, while collaborating with artists and breweries the world over.

Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers have received numerous accolades in recent years, including New School’s “Oregon Brewery of the Year” in 2017. Brewmaster/co-founder Josh Pfriem and his clan have cemented themselves as rising stars, equally skilled at pilsners as they are at IPAs, or Belgians, or sour ales… or, well, you get it.

Oregon is always worth the trip, but if the drive down the I-5 is too long, you can nd beer from all of these breweries here at home at B.C.’s nest craft beer retailers.

PFRIEM CASCADE GIGANTIC BREAKSIDE

Proudly crafted, humbly o ered, pFriem pushes the avour and balance of their award winning beers.

Unbound by stylistic guidelines, Cascade’s creations are a true expression of the artisanal craft.

Never giving an inch while producing seasonal, exciting, and avourful beers, most of which will be brewed only once.

Always acclaimed, never boring, Breakside produces a vast array of beer with agship brands you can always count on.

THE GROWLER'S GUIDE to the

by Rob Mangelsdorf

When it comes to keeping tabs on what’s new in the world of B.C. craft beer, it always helps to have a few beer bloggers on your Insta feed. So we’ve scoured the Interwebs to nd the best accounts for you to follow. You’re welcome.

MIKE’S CRAFT BEER //

@mikescraftbeer • MikesCraftBeer.com • 2,429 followers

Mike Garson loves his beer, and he manages to post daily photos and tasting notes of what he’s drinking on his Instagram and on his blog at MikesCraftBeer.com, one of the best B.C. craft beer resources online.

WANDERBREWBC //

@wanderbrewbc • WanderBrewBC.com • 1,786 followers is Instagram feed is as much about the beautiful B.C. backdrops as it is the delicious B.C. craft beer, as couple Haley and Jamie document their scantily-clad adventures in their super sweet, tricked out Volkswagen Westphalia.

THE BEERD SHOW //

@thebeerdshow • TheBeerdShow.com • 1,215 followers

Kevin Singh is the host of the popular B.C. craft beer vlog at eBeerdShow.com, and his Instagram feed features plenty of local beer, as well as shots of his truly magni cent beard. Seriously, Kevin, what are you feeding that thing? ( e answer, of course, is B.C. craft beer.)

BREWTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA //

@brewtifulbritishcolumbia • BrewtifulBC.ca • 1,259 followers

Chelsea Dawn is good people and she’s been documenting the B.C. craft beer scene for the past three years from her home base in the Okanagan. She’s taken a bit of a social media break lately while she recovers from a pretty serious illness, but we’re hoping she’s back up on her feet in no time. Get well soon Chelsea! We love you!

BEERTIFUL BC //

@beertifulbc • BeertifulBC.com • 2,030 followers

Not to be confused with Brewtiful British Columbia, Vancouver photographer Corey Bradder’s Instagram account features some seriously creative, high-quality bottle shots. is guy is a pro.

SEA TO SKY BEER GUY //

@seatoskybeerguy • SeaToSkyBeerGuy.com • 870 followers

Squamish-based Malcolm Yates is the ever-funny beer blogger and podcaster behind this growing Instagram account.

CRAFT BEER TOURIST // @crafttourist • CraftBeerTourist.com • 17,700 followers

Tim LaHay loves to hike and he loves B.C. craft beer, and his two loves combine to make for some pretty striking photography.

THE FLYING BEER GIRL // @theflyingbeergirl • 2,277 followers

Alex is former globe-trotting ight attendant, and a current Vancouver-based cicerone with a whole lotta love for B.C. beer. Warning: following her account will make you super envious of her jet-setting life!

BEER ME BC // @beermebc • BeerMeBC.com • 3,168 followers

Dustan Sept’s day job at Central City Brewing and Distilling keeps him pretty busy these days, so he hasn’t been posting as much as I’d personally like him to. But I forgive him.

B.C. CRAFT BREWERIES // BCCraftBreweries • 11,800 followers

Tons of B.C. craft beer news and content, also helped spearhead the #BCCraftCares fundraising e ort this past summer that raised more than $14,000 for charity.

GIRL NAMED JAKE // @girlnamedjake • ForTheLoveOfCraftBeer.com • 19,300 followers

Jake Clark is a craft beer industry consultant and she might have the most followers of any B.C. craft beer Instagrammer by following simple but e ective formula: exciting beers and eye-popping photography.

BREWS BABES BANNY // @brewsbabesbanny • BrewsBabesBanny.com • 8,595 followers

Banny’s feed is "a little sexy and a lot of beer," featuring new B.C. releases and craft beer classics from across the continent.

CRAFT BEER BELLA // @craftbeerbella • 1,048 followers

Kitty cats and B.C. craft beer together at last! If Jordan Strilai isn’t careful, he might just blow up the Internet.

THE GROWLER // @thegrowlerbc • TheGrowler.ca • 6,860 followers

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION ALERT! But seriously, if you’re not following us already, get with it! We’re awesome! j

@crafttourist

@craftbeerbella

@brewsbabesbanny

@beermebc

by Brittany Tiplady

Here in British Columbia we are lucky to have it all. Lush greenery, mountains, swimmable lakes and oceans, a temperate climate with crisp air and clean water. We also have more than 150 craft breweries spanning across the province, pumping out a stunning $1.1 billion in annual revenue.

Craft beer connoisseurs may think that our beloved brews stay local to B.C., however, bottles, cans, and kegs from around the province are taking on quite the global expedition, quenching a growing thirst for craft beer in Asia.

In Vancouver speci cally, the option for brewery expansions is rife with red tape and nancial strain. If a brewery wants to increase its volume, the costs for a larger space, along with new equipment, labour and ingredients, will weigh heavily on a business's pro t and product margins.

Local breweries importing their beer to Asia is not a clandestine operation—the growing market for craft beer has allowed breweries to expand their brand and reach an entirely new customer-base.

e question is, why is B.C. craft beer in such high demand overseas, and why Asia? After speaking with multiple expats, and Vancouver-based breweries and distributors, the answer was unanimous: As the cultural borders between Asia and North America continue to blur, with pop music, fashion and beauty at the helm, B.C. craft beer, and the culture it brews, has now gained signi cant popularity in Asian countries.

However, craft beer in Asia is also evolving on its own accord.

“In late 2014 [when I moved to Guangzhou], convenience stores and supermarkets essentially sold only domestic, big-brand beer,” says Matthew Bossons, the digital editor at at's PRD Magazine in Guangzhou, China. “ e only imports you would see were Bud and tall-cans of German beer.”

Now craft beer is available everywhere—local craft breweries and taprooms, small bars and bottle shops that serve craft beer on draft and in bottles, major pubs, clubs and sports bars that have one or more craft beer options on tap.

B.C. breweries look to take on the growing Asian craft beer market

“ is issue is, craft beer creation and brewing in China is limited to what’s available,” says Bossons. “ e quality is often less than what you would expect in Canada or the U.S. Beer in China is brewed with locally sourced water, which is not always the best, and there are known issues with [false advertising].”

Connecting the dots is Dan Wainwright, the president of Vancouver-based company Paci c Rim Distribution Co. In the midst of the burgeoning demand for craft beer overseas, Pac Rim helps breweries nd foreign markets for their beer, while building and promoting their brand in these fresh landscapes.

Since its inception nearly a year and a half ago, Pac Rim has partnered with Phillips, Postmark, Parallel 49, O e Rail and Central City, to name a few, and is now the leading global-export rm for Paci c Northwest craft beer and spirits. Collaborations between B.C. and Asia-based breweries have been successful in establishing a place in the foreign market as well. Central City Brewing recently released Lucky Dog, a kumquat wheat ale, in collaboration with Redpoint Brewing Co. from Taiwan.

“We took on this project to build on our export relationships in Asia, but also to support a strong Chinese culture here in Canada, and more speci cally Vancouver,” says Dustan Sept, head of marketing at Central City.

Parallel 49 has also had a successful time working in collaboration with TAPS Brew Pub from Shenzhen, China. In October, the two were connected while participating in the 8x8 Brewing Project—a collaborative brewing festival in Shenzhen.

“Eight breweries from North America are put in partnership with eight breweries in China,” explains Marissa Mills, Parallel 49’s marketing manager. “ ere’s an email relationship that’s formed to put together a recipe. And then you

- Marisa Mills, marketing manager, Parallel 49

come together in China, for the beer festival. ere’s eight collaboration beers showcased that are all unique.

“Together we created the Sweet n’ Sour: Nitro Milkshake Sour inspired by sweet and sour pork.”

Mills adds that from a marketing standpoint, gaining exposure to Asia’s enormous population will allow for more potential customers to see and try the brand.

“As Parallel 49 is such a visual, eye-catching [label], even with the language barrier, we have a competitive advantage in a foreign market,” she says.

Richmond-based craft brewery Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks opened in the spring of 2016, and has already exported its beer overseas to Japan, Taiwan, and with strong focus in Korea, for more than a year and a half.

“Craft beer in general is becoming more and more in demand on a global scale,” says Fuggles

As Parallel 49 is such a visual, eye-catching [label], even with the language barrier, we have a competitive advantage in a foreign market.

Parellel 49 created the Sweet 'n' Sour Nitro Milshake Sour for the 8x8 Brewing Project in Shenzhen, China. Contributed photo

& Warlock president Tom Orange. “And there’s de nitely some in uence from the West. I’ve spent some time in Asia, and learned that the younger generation is very much into trends in the Western world, and they’re learning that there’s better tasting, better [quality] beer out there.”

Each country is di erent, Orange notes, but there are opportunities all over Asia as long as a brewery is willing to invest in building a brand with the right partner.

“I think too many breweries look at foreign markets as just an opportunity to dump a bit of volume, but really, we are not in it for that,” he says. “We frequently travel to these markets, and work closely with our import partners to build the brand.”

For breweries looking to export their beer to Asia, what can be somewhat arresting is the variation of market styles, laws and customs paperwork pertaining to each country. In China, the customs process is arduous and lengthy—a challenge for the short shelf-life of craft beer. In Singapore, the market is fairly easy to access, but it’s saturated. In Vietnam, the local craft beer scene is ourishing on its own, with a growing interest in craft brews and brewery culture taking ight. e palate pleasers, however tend to be the same across the board: sweet, hoppy beers are popular in Asia—according to Pac Rim, their number one export to ailand is Phillips’ Electric Unicorn.

“South East Asia is interesting; the craft beer market is only about one per cent of the market, and it’s taken on this renegade thing,” says Wainwright. “If you’re drinking craft beer you’re di erent, and you’re kind of badass.”

In ailand, macrobreweries have conspired to make craft beer and home brewing illegal. In order to have a brewery, you have to meet massive production quotas, making it impossible for craft breweries to enter the market.

“A lot of homebrewers have taken to the streets and are selling their home beer back-door style,” says Wainwright. “We’ve actually met a couple people who have gone to jail over this and they’re still out there doing it. If you really want to see a true craft beer a cionado, well, go to jail for craft beer. "j

“If you’re drinking craft beer you’re di erent, and you’re kind of badass.”

- Dan Wainwright, president, Paci c

Rim

Distribution Co.

TOP: TAPS Brew Pub in Shenzhen, China, specializes in North American craft beer. Contributed photo.

BOTTOM: P49 brewer Hiroshi Tsokada brews the Nitro Milkshake Sour for the 8x8 Brewing Project. Rick Green photo.

Five years,

by Joe Wiebe

Back in 2013, when the rst edition of my book, Craft Beer Revolution: e Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries, came out, there were 50 craft breweries in the province. But at my book launch early that June, I joked that someone in the room had already made the book out of date. It was Brent Mills of Four Winds Brewing, which had opened in Delta a couple of days earlier.

Since then, my book and the ensuing second edition, which came out in 2015, have been put out of date over and over again as 100 new breweries opened during the intervening ve years. Mixing in a few closures and some ownership changes, at the end of 2017 the provincial total stood at 148 craft breweries, and by the time you read this, it will be over 150.

What fuelled this spectacular expansion? Will the boom continue? What does the future hold? To try to answer these questions I checked in with three breweries that opened over that span.

Brewery #51 (2013): Four Winds Brewing, Delta

Founded by brewer Brent Mills along with his father and two brothers, Four Winds started o small, but rapidly gained a big following. Within two years it was named Canadian Brewery of the Year, and then in 2016, its trendsetting Nec tarous Dry Hopped Sour won Canadian Beer of the Year honours.

Five years later, the brewery now employs around 40 people. According to Brent Mills, “We still run it like a family business. Everyone who works here is part of the Four Winds family.”

to happen in B.C., but I had no expectation that it would happen like it did.” He is particularly pleased with how so many restaurants and private liquor stores have embraced craft beer in recent years.

One of the factors often identi ed as a catalyst for the growth in new breweries is the provincial government’s 2013 announcement to allow breweries to open on-site tasting lounges. But Mills highlighted something else.

Brewery #94 (2015): in Sai Brewing, Port Moody

Looking back to when the brewery opened, Mills said, “I knew that there was a huge market waiting When brothers Cody and Clay Allmin opened Twin Sails next to Yellow Dog Brewing, their strategy was to focus on German-style beers to set themselves apart from the crowd. However, things didn’t really go according to plan.

“ e local market was already pretty hyped on the other guys,” Cody explained. “I don’t think there was a lot of excitement around our German styles approach.”

ey stuck to that scheme for nine months.

“ at’s when we made the pivot to progressive American ales,” Allmin said. Hazy, juicy beers packaged in tall cans with eye-catching labels

“I think the biggest factor is the consumer’s curiousity to explore and try new beers,” he says. and creative names like Day Blink and Dat Juice seized the public’s attention. Overnight, Twin Sails became a destination brewery and liquor stores began begging them to send whatever the brewery could spare.

Looking at the crowded marketplace now, however, Allmin cautioned, “It’s tough for new breweries to get their name out now because there are so many other ones. I think people are realizing that you can’t just open up a brewery—you have to have a really good marketing plan and make really good beer.”

Ultimately, Allmin thinks growth will continue here, but only to a point. “I can’t imagine B.C. is going to get to more than 200-220 breweries.”

Brewery #131 (2017): Backcountry Brewing, Squamish

Named Rookie Brewery of the Year at the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards, Backcountry’s tasting room features a long, communal table that is nearly always lled with locals enjoying the delicious beer and pizza made on-site. With so many new breweries opening, what excites brewer John Folinsbee the most is the fact that more and more of his colleagues get to show o their abilities.

“ ere are a lot of [assistant] brewers that have just as much knowledge and creativity, but don’t have the freedom to explore things at the brewery they work at,” he says.

It’s still early days for Backcountry, which will celebrate its rst birthday any day now, but Folinsbee has high hopes for the future. As capacity expands with new tanks, the brewery will be able to distribute its beers farther and wider. He also wants to add a barrel stable and begin souring and blending beers.

“I think we’ll see a lot more breweries jumping on the hazy bandwagon,” he predicted. “I would like to see more breweries get into the mixed fermentation game and produce blended barrel-aged beers.” j

MARCH 1

The Growler Tap Takeover

We’re bringing some of our favourite beers to the Railway Stage and Beer Café in Vancouver to celebrate the launch of our Spring 2018 issue (which you are reading right now!) and the rst edition of e Growler’s B.C. Brewer Collaboration Series— an Experimental Belgian Ale from Category 12 Brewing and Faculty Brewing Co. Doors at 5p.m., free entry before 8p.m.

MARCH 2-10

Victoria Beer Week

is nine-day beerstravaganza celebrates the best of B.C. craft beer, starting with the Lift O ! event March 2, featuring more than 25 brand new, unreleased beers from across the province. Other highlights include the Ultimate Craft Beer Quiz (March 5) and Friday Night Casks at the Victoria Public Market (March 9). Tickets and info at VictoriaBeerWeek.com.

MARCH 9-10

Coquitlam Craft Beer Festival

More than 40 craft breweries and 10 local restaurants and caterers are taking part in this beer and food festival, held on top of the mountain at Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club. New this year will be the Cask Corner, with more than a half dozen cask ales on o er. Tickets and info at CoquitlamBeerFestival.com.

MARCH 10

B.C. Beer Wars: The Purge

An afternoon of craft beer and boxing, as participants training for the B.C. Beer Wars charity boxing event take part in sparring matches at Eastside Boxing Club in Vancouver to determine the nal ght card. Come have a pint and watch a ght! Tickets $5 at the door, 2-9p.m. BCBeerWars.com.

MARCH 16-17

Beer Goggles Craft Brew Fest

e best beer in B.C. is coming to Red Mountain in Rossland for the fth anniversary of Beer Goggles. Tickets at RedResort.com/beergoggles.

A PRIL 7

B.C. Beer Wars Main Event

Come watch the B.C. craft beer industry beat the crap out of each other for a good cause at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. More than 20 craft breweries will be pouring at the event, with proceeds going to Eastside Boxing Club’s afterschool youth programs. Ticket and info at BCBeerWars.com.

A PRIL 13

Nanaimo Kinsmen Beer Festival

It’s no secret that the Mid-Island is home to some of the best breweries in the province, many of which will be on hand at the Beban Park Social Centre in Nanaimo for biggest beer fest in the region. All proceeds from the event go to support the Kinsmen’s local community projects. Tickets and info at Eventbrite.ca.

A PRIL 13-14

Okanagan Fest of Ale

For 22 years, Penticton’s Fest of Ale has been one of Canada’s premier beer festivals—and it’s easy to see why: 65 breweries, more than 175 di erent craft beers and cider to sample, and 5,000 thirsty beer nerds make this event a must-visit. Tickets and info at FestOfAle.ca.

MAY 10-12

Great Okanagan Beer Fest

Kelowna’s gob-smackingly gorgeous Waterfront Park is the setting for this idyllic festival, featuring 60-plus breweries, food trucks and live music. ere are events around town all weekend, but the main event takes place May 12. Tickets and info at GibbonsWhistler.com.

MAY 25-JUNE 3

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

e big one! A week long of awesome beer and food events culminates in a two-day craft beerapalooza at the PNE Fairgrounds with more than 100 breweries and cideries, food trucks a-plenty, live music and DJs, a games area and tons of good times. Don’t forget the sunblock! Early bird tickets on sale now at VancouverCraftBeerWeek.com. j

Everything you need to know about everywhere you need to be!

THE GROWLER B.C. BREWERS COLLABORATION SERIES

EXPERIMENTAL BELGIAN ALE

5.0 ABV / 22 IBU

For the first edition of The Growler’s B.C. Brewer Collaboration Series, we brought together the mad scientists at Category 12 Brewing and Faculty Brewing Co. to experiment with obscure hop varieties and a newly-developed yeast strain. The result is a slightly hazy, fruit-forward Belgian ale featuring aromas of apples, pear, stonefruit and berries—thanks to Saphir and Calypso hops—while the Golden Pear Belgian yeast adds a tart, dry finish.

Science never tasted so good!

Ask for it at your liquorindependentfavourite store in B.C.

DOs and don'ts DOs and don'ts DOs and don'ts DOs and don'ts

All over this ne province, the craft brewery tasting room has quickly become a community hub. It’s a place where people of all ages can come together over a common love for the ner things in life. While the vast majority of tasting room patrons are incredibly well-behaved, there are some who need a lesson in etiquette. Naturally, e Growler is happy to oblige.

by Rob Mangelsdorf

✓ DO…

Return your empties! You’re going to the bar anyways, so take your empties with you. Full hands in, full hands out, right? After all, if you make more work for the sta , that just means it’ll take longer for them to get to your drinks.

✗ DON’T…

Jump the queue! ere’s clearly a lineup here, so don’t try to ag down the bartender over the heads of everyone seated at the bar. It’s a sure re way to get served last.

✓ DO…

Ask lots of questions! Want to know what kind of hops were used in your favourite IPA, or how a kettle sour is made? Ask away! Beerfolk love talking about the beer they make and are happy to share their passion with you.

✓ DO…

Tip your bartender/server! You might think that everybody’s getting rich o of craft beer, but you are very, very wrong.

✗ DON’T…

Ask lots of questions… if the place is packed! If the lineup is stretching out the front door and down the block, then don’t waste everyone’s time by trying to strike up a conversation with the bartender. Order your beers, pay, and sit down. Save the small talk for when it’s slow.

✓ DO…

Bring the kids! Most craft beer tasting rooms are kid-friendly and have toys and other fun stu to keep the little ones occupied. e more the merrier!

✗

DON’T…

Abandon the kids! If the little ones are having a meltdown, then it’s time to go. e tasting room is not a daycare, nor is it an open range for feral children.

✓ DO…

Ask for a sample! It’s OK to be hesitant about ordering a beer style you’ve never tried before, or a beer with triple-digit IBUs. e bar sta are happy to give you a taste so you can order a beer that you know you’re going to like.

✗

DON’T…

Get wasted! e tasting room is a place to imbibe responsibly over good conversation with good company. If you want to get shitfaced, do it at the club.

✗

DON’T…

Be a jerk! I could have sworn we learned this in kindergarten, but apparently not. Treat the sta kindly, and if you don’t like a beer, don’t be an ass about it.

✓ DO…

Wash out that growler! Seriously. It’s been sitting in your closet for the last month, slowly growing what appears to be an alien life form. Wash, rinse, repeat. And don’t get pissy if the brewery refuses to ll your nasty growler. at just means they care more about you then you do.

✗ DON’T…

Drive! Automobiles and alcohol don’t mix. Duh.

✓

DO…

Have a good time! It’s hard not to when you’re surrounded by good folks and good beer! j

A BREWERY

BY ANY OTHER NAME...

by Rebecca Whyman

Anyone who’s done it will tell you that opening a brewery isn’t easy. Choosing the name? Even harder. Despite all the time and e ort involved, and having so much riding on choosing the right one, some of B.C.’s breweries have still managed to saddle themselves with confusingly similar names.

Maybe this is only a big deal to beer geeks like me, who try to keep track of all the breweries and maniacally check o every beer on Untappd. I nd I can’t keep track of who’s who any more because many of the names sound alike. My own discomfort aside, I worry that confusing consumers will turn them o craft beer.

Regardless of how good a brewery’s beer is, or in how many venues it’s available, it is still down to the customer to choose to drink it. With 150ish breweries all brewing multiple year-round beers, plus seasonals, there’s a dizzying amount to keep track of. Confusing potential customers won’t help them to choose your beer over all the others. Best case scenario: they drink the other brewery’s beer thinking it’s yours. Scary case scenario: they throw up their hands and make the easy choice—the macro-brewed beer they already know.

For the breweries already in existence whose names are confusing, I don’t have any solutions for ya. at’s above my pay-grade. I just point ngers at the imperfections in beer world and carry on my merry craft beer-loving way. It’s good to be me.

Like having two teams in the CFL named the Roughriders, it matters less how it came about and more that it is unnecessarily confusing (not that “Ottawa Redblacks” is much of an improvement). ere are millions of words in the English language, plus all the ones you can borrow from other languages or just invent. If that makes it too overwhelming to choose,

there are professionals who can help come up with something other than the same name as the brewery down the road.

When a large portion of business names adhere to the Adjective Noun Brewing naming model, there’s an increased chance of name overlap. Following the model is easy: choose a favourite number, colour, or attribute and team it with a noun. I’m sure we can all name dozens of B.C. breweries in this category. A third of 2017’s new breweries are there too, resulting in some name overlaps.

Incidentally, red seems to be the most popular colour choice. ere’s Red Truck, Red Arrow, Red Collar and now Red Bird. Dogs are also a popular theme, with Yellow Dog, Twa Dogs, 3 Dogs and Bad Dog.

Older breweries are not immune, either: Bridge, Ridge, Big Ridge—I see a Venn diagram there. Some confusion is unavoidable—I’m not sure how you could protect yourself against non-similar sounding names evoking similar responses in people. When Morningstar and Night Owl both joined Callister last year I had trouble recalling which was which. And if I had a dollar from everyone who’d told me how great Strange Fellows’ whiskey is when they mean Odd Society’s, I still wouldn’t be able to retire, but I’d be able to buy a really nice breakfast.

So if you have the starry-eyed dream of taking over the province, I’d suggest that a good rst step is to read down the list of existing B.C. brewery names and make sure the name you’re leaning toward doesn’t sound like anyone else’s. Don’t settle for simply avoiding a trademark infringement.

Better yet, try out e Growler’s handy Brewery Name Generator! j

— THE GROWLER PRESENTS —

FIRST LETTER O F FIRST NAME

A // BIG

B // TERRI B LE

C // PRECIOUS

D // GREEN

E // DUSTY

F // S OGGY

G // THREE-HEA DED

H // AMBID EX T ROUS

I // HI DDEN

L // L AZY

J // PROUD

K // C RAZY

L // A GGRESSIVE

M // M IGH TY

N // BU BB LY

O // WHITE

P // S LEE PY

Q // ROTT ING

FIRST LETTER O F L AST NAME

A // POOD LE

B // S CHOOL B US

C // G UM B OOT

D // KANGAROO

E // BICYCLE

F // DOG

G // SPACESHI P

H // HOPS

I // PINT

MO NT H O F BIRT H

J ANUARY // BREW ING C O.

F EBRUARY // BEER C O.

M ARCH // BOOZEW OR KS

A PRIL // F ERMEN TORIUM

L // SASQUATCH

J // M ON K EY

K // PU PP Y

L // R OA D

M // PA DDLE

N // R OC KET

O // E LE P HAN T

P // PICK-U P TRUC K

Q // STEREO

R // S MASHE D

S // SUP ER

T // BASHFUL

U // N ARCOLEPTIC

V // TRASHE D

W // RED

Y // TRUSTY

Z // I NCON T INEN T

M AY // BRE W ING INC. (A DIVISION OF A B I NBEV)

J UNE // A LE H OUSE

R // SQUIRREL

S // DRAGON

T // BEAR

U // R EFRIGERATOR

V // DINOSAUR

W // BALLERINA

Y // SUB MARINE

Z // SALMON

J ULY // BREW ING AN D DIS T ILLING

AUGUST // BRE W ERY AN D CID ERY AN D WINERY AN D DIS T ILLERY

S EPTEMBER // BEER AN D PIZZA JOIN T

O CTOBER // F INE L AGERS AN D A LES

N OVEMBER // BOOZATORIUM

D ECEMBER // TAP HOUSE

(your brewery name)

BY CHEF STEFAN HARTMANN, TACOFINO RESTAURANTS

Beer-Braised wild boar shoulder TACOS

with To no Brewing Kelp Stout

When it comes to cooking with beer, Taco no regional executive chef Stefan Hartmann looks for dark, rich beers that can stand up to the bold avours he cooks with. True to Taco no’s roots as a Tono-based taco truck, Hartmann is a big fan of Tofino Brewing Co.’s Kelp Stout.

“I’ve found that the Kelp Stout goes well with anything grilled, especially sausages, chicken and sh,” he says. “Countries like Ireland and Belgium use dark beers like porters and stouts for even the most traditional dishes.”

ere’s nothing traditional about Hartmann’s recipe for beer-braised wild boar shoulder tacos, however.

“ is is de nitely not your everyday taco, but this recipe is a great way to introduce yourself to a cut of meat that you may not be familiar with,” he says. “If wild boar isn’t your thing, it’s very simple to substitute with beef or venison.

“It’s also worth mentioning that telling your friends that you cooked wild boar will certainly impress them—trust me, they’ve never had a taco quite like this.” —Rob

Mangelsdorf

INgredients

• 1 kg wild boar shoulder (boneless)

• 20g salt

• 10g Mexican chili mix

• 10g brown sugar

• 10g black pepper

• 1 onion

• 1 stalk of celery

• 1 carrot

• 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

• 1 sprig of thyme

• 1 sprig of rosemary

• 300mL beef or vegetable stock

• 1 650mL bottle of Tofino Brewing Co. Kelp Stout

• 4 bay leaves

• 8 wheat tortillas

• 100g Brussels sprouts (cleaned and quartered)

• 50g queso fresca or feta cheese

• Red onion

• Serrano pepper

• Juice from ½ lime

• Mayo

• Cilantro

directions

1. Preheat oven to 320F.

2. Season the meat with salt, black pepper, chili mix and sugar, then sear in a large cast iron skillet with canola oil.

3. Once seared, remove the meat from the skillet and set aside. While the pan is still hot, sear diced onion, celery, and carrot with garlic, thyme and rosemary until lightly browned.

4. Place the meat back into the skillet then add stock, beer and bay leaves. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil then place in the oven for three hours.

5. Once cooked, allow the meat to cool before pulling it apart into small pieces.

6. Strain the juice in a small pot and reduce the liquid by half. Use this to season your meat.

7. Deep-fry the Brussels sprouts until crispy or season with olive oil and oven roast on high heat before seasoning with salt, pepper and lime juice.

8. Combine mayo with lime juice.

9. Slice the red onion and serrano pepper very thin.

10. Grill the tortillas then build your taco with a drizzle of lime mayo. Add pulled meat, then cooked Brussels sprouts. Finish with cheese, sliced serrano pepper, red onion and cilantro. j

Photos by Dan Toulgoet

GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWIN G

1441 Cartwright St. | GIB.com

DAILY 10AM-8PM

EST. 1984

GIB’s beers are available across Canada, and look for them on Cypress Mountain this spring at the inaugural Granville Island Brewing Aprés Games. ere will be three events in March and April: the Rail Jam, a Keg Race and the Slush Cup.

Availability: Small batch

Launching April 16, this award-winner is fresh, tart, e ervescent, and of course, peachy!

Availability: Small batch

An easy-going, hop-forward pale ale with tangerine and pineapple on the nish.

Availability: Small batch

e English porter gets a Northwest makeover in this small-batch release.

Availability: Small batch

Launching April 30, this heavy-hitter hides the alcohol, so go easy—So-Cal easy.

That’s the way she gose...

Granville Island’s Gose with Peach won gold at last year’s B.C. Beer Awards. Gose is a resurrected style of sessionable sour wheat beers from Goslar, Germany, brewed with at least 50 per cent malted wheat. Because of their use of coriander and salt, goses needed a regional specialty exemption from the Reinheitsgebot.

A taste of the Pacific Northwest

Big, strong, bold—like the place it came from. Our Pacific Northwest Porter gets its pleasant pine aroma and taste from whole leaf hops atop roasted malt notes, for a distinctly West Coast take on a traditional British brew, available year-round.

NEXT RELEASE: APRIL 2018

ST RAN GE F ELL O WS

BREWIN G

1345 Clark Dr. | StrangeFellowsBrewing.com

MON-THU 2-11PM ^ FRI-SAT 2-11PM

EST. 2014

Swing by the brewery to check out Strange Fellows’ list of vintage barrel-aged beers, available by the glass or by the bottle.

GUARDIAN WHITE IPA

WH I TE IND I A PALE A LE

POPINJAY

D RY-HOPP ED SO U R ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 6.5%60

Spicy yeast character and gobs of citrusy hops join forces in this Belgian take on the classic IPA.

A BV IBU 4.5%N/A

Juicy and hoppy with bright acidity, this beer proves that sour notes can make for a beautiful song.

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

15 W. 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.ca

ANDINA BREWING CO.

1507 Powell St. | AndinaBrewing.ca

It’s not just beer at 33 Acres—they also make cider, stack their food menu with organic and local choices, and serve a wicked weekend brunch.

Just about everything in Andina’s bright yellow East Van casa is inspired by South America, including their ongoing co ee-infused series that features Colombian beans.

BIG ROCK URBAN BREWERY & EATERY

310 W. 4th Ave. | BigRockBeer.com

BOMBER BREWING CO.

1488

St. |

Big Rock nds new ways to represent the West Coast. Look for a new beer soon brewed with a proprietary hybrid yeast developed in Vancouver.

Among the rst wave of Yeast Van breweries, Bomber brews award-winning beers, and is best known for its outstanding summer seasonal, Park Life.

PARK LIFE PASS I ONFRUI T BLONDE A LE

33 ACRES OF EUPHORIA

BRASSNECK BREWERY

2148 Main St. | Brassneck.ca

CALLISTER BREWING CO.

1338 Franklin St. | CallisterBrewing.com

Brassneck’s deliciously boozy Inertia is a bit of a contrarian as it continues to change. Look for the fourth edition soon, aged in rum barrels.

Callister is the rst collaborative craft beer incubator of its kind in Canada, and with four breweries under one roof, there’s always something interesting on tap.

BLACKBURN BITTER (REAL CASK ALES)

ENGLISH BITTER

Availability: Small batch

COAL HARBOUR BREWING CO.

Availability: Small batch

Availability: Small batch

DOAN’S CRAFT BREWING CO.

BIG FEELINGS IPA (NIGHT OWL)

HAZY INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Small batch

1967 Triumph St. | CoalHarbourBrewing.com

1830 Powell St. | DoansCraftBrewing.com

An application to approve CHBC’s Yeast Van tasting room is o cially in the hands of the city. Fingers crossed that the rubber stamp comes soon...

SUNRISE

e Doan brothers are some of the friendliest folks around—and other breweries agree. ey’re promising some interesting collaborations starting this spring. Stay tuned.

KETTLE

DOCKSIDE BREWING CO.

1253 Johnston St. | DocksideVancouver.com

DOGWOOD BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | DogwoodBrew.com

Big changes are coming for this brewpub with a new line-up of beers on the horizon. e kitchen is solid as always and the location is superb—you won’t nd a better patio.

RAILSPUR IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-Round

EAST VAN BREWING

1675 Venables St. | EastVanBrewing.com

Vancouver’s only certi ed organic brewery, led by B.C.’s only all-female brewing team. Flatbread pizza, darts and week-round promos make Dogwood a worthwhile destination.

BELGIUM DEVIL BELGIAN STRONG

Availability: Seasonal

THE BITTER END IPA

AMERICAN INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

FACULTY BREWING CO.

1830 Ontario St. | FacultyBrewing.com

e new kid on the block in Yeast Van is making a name for itself thanks to brewer James Labbe’s innovative beers.

Pop in on ursdays for a new experimental beer. is small brewery loves to interact with the beer-drinking public so let them know what you think.

323

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

250 LONDON FOG ALE

TEA-INFUSED

AMERICAN

Availability: Small batch

HASTINGS MILL BREWING COMPANY

403 East Hastings St. | PatsPub.ca

LUPPOLO BREWING CO.

1123 Venables St. | LuppoloBrewing.ca

Craft beer is no stranger to the taps at Pat’s Pub. is includes the six beers from their in-house operation, Hastings Mill Brewing Company.

How does a brewery set itself apart in beersoaked Vancouver? Why, with an Italian theme, a gorgeous tasting room, and a focus on experimentation and creativity. WEST

Craft beer is our passion and our specialty. Proudly offering the most sought after domestic & international selections.

MAIN STREET BREWING CO.

261 E. 7th Ave. | MainStreetBeer.ca

OFF THE RAIL BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | O eRailBrewing.com

In addition to their lineup of West Coast classics, Main Street is one of the few craft breweries in Vancouver that o ers hand-pulled cask ales.

MAIN STREET

NAKED FOX IPA

PARALLEL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | Parallel49Brewing.com

After parting ways with e Railway Club, ex-owner Steve Forsyth started an organic hop farm before going “o the rail,” opening this East Van brewery.

COMET

Forty taps and an indoor food truck? ere’s a very good reason why P49 is a Yeast Van favourite.

TRASH PANDA

SOOTHSAYER

POSTMARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | PostmarkBrewing.com

e Belgard Kitchen doubles as its tasting room, o ering delicious food, wine ights and a great place to sit back and enjoy Postmark’s tasty brews.

SEVENS IPA

POWELL BREWERY

1357 Powell St. | PowellBeer.com

Powell continues to push the craft beer envelope with an exciting barrel-aging program, awesome collabs and constant new releases.

WITBIER WITH

Availability: Year-round

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 E. 1st Ave. | RedTruckBeer.com

In last year’s B.C. Beer Awards, R&B’s Vancouver Special IPA placed rst in a stacked North American IPA category, standing out against 81 other brews.

VANCOUVER SPECIAL IPA

Red Truck’s 24-meter tall water tower is a beacon for thirsty folks around lower Main Street. Look to the sky for the beer signal!

MIDNIGHT RUN

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

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

S

BREWIN

With some of the best views in Vancouver, not to mention great beer, Steamworks’ original Gastown location is a favourite with tourists and locals alike.

this East Van original where

James

STRATHCONA BEER CO.

Small batch

Year-round

YALETOWN

Seasonal

ISA IND I A S ESS I ON A LE Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal SUMMER ALE WI T BI ER IBU A BV 40 4.4% IBU A BV 20 4.8% 50 VANCOU V ER VANCOU V ER VANCOU V ER V ANCOU V ER

Availability:

Availability:

DA G ERAAD BREWIN G

114 - 3191 underbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com

SAT-TUE 12-8PM^WED-FRIRI 12-9PM

EST. 2014

After opening its gorgeous new tasting room, Dageraad’s next trick is to package some of its carefully prepared Belgian beer in cans. If that’s not enough, the brewery is also collaborating with Coalesce Brewing, the side project of Twin Sails’ head brewer, Ryan Voigt.

Availability: Year-round

Dageraad’s most approachable beer is a tasty Belgian table beer with a slightly spicy character.

Availability: Seasonal

is dark, malty abbey ale is brewed with Sri Lankan treacle and spiced with tamarind.

Availability: One-o collaboration

Brewed with unmalted grains and a mix of Dageraad’s and Coalesce’s house yeast cultures.

Availability: Seasonal

is dry-hopped, bottle-conditioned saison is peppery, hoppy and e ervescent.

WHat’s in a name?

Dageraad Brewing is named for the Dageraadplaats, an unassuming city square in Antwerp. Over several trips, Ben Coli spent many sunny afternoons exploring the world of Belgian beer sitting with friends at café patios there. And it’s largely why he decided to open a brewery of his own.

FOU R WINDS BREWIN G

4 - 7355 72nd St. | FourWindsBrewing.ca

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2013

Always at or near the top of best brewery lists, Four Winds just keeps on impressing with their seasonals, sours and mainstay beers.

PILSNER

C ZECH-STYLE P I LSNER

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.8%32

Dry-hopped with New Zealand Motueka hops for a New World take on the Czech pilsner.

LA MAISON WILD SAISON

SAI SON

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.5%15

Brewed with oats and rye, this light-bodied saison features notes of pepper and tropical fruit.

STEAMWORKS BREWING CO.

3845 William St. | Steamworks.com

MARINER BREWING

1100 Lansdowne Dr. | MarinerBrewing.ca

Expect nothing less than superbly crafted beer from Steamworks head brewer Julia Hanlon, who has assembled an excellent lineup of year-round beer and increasingly impressive barrel releases.

FLAGSHIP IPA NORTHEAST INDIA PALE ALE

Come for the beer, stay for the gourmet hot dogs, and come back again for Mariner’s barrelaging program, launching in a few months.

GOLDEN IPA INDIA PALE ALE

LANGLEY LANGLEY

KPU BREWING LAB

20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew

TRADING POST BREWING

107 - 20120 64th Ave. | TradingPostBrewing.com

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is the rst Canadian brewing institution recognized by the Masters Brewers Association. Stop by the lab on a Friday to taste their latest experiments.

KPU WIT

BELGIAN WHEAT BEER Availability: Small batch Availability: Small batch

“Tap into the Local” at the Fort Langley Beer & Food Festival on May 19, where Trading Post hosts local breweries, pairing beer with history.

BELGIAN BLONDE ALE

BELGIAN STYLE BLONDE

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | MapleMeadowsBrewingCo.com

RIDGE BREWING CO.

22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | RidgeBrewing.com

When former Coquitlam homebrewer Carlo Baroccio chose to set up shop in Maple Ridge, he started a trend—Maple Ridge now boasts three breweries!

Ridge’s tasting room is tucked right next to the brewing area so you can see the brewers in action while you sip their tasty creations.

PURE GOLD (W/ TWO WOLVES) IMPERIAL

SILVER VALLEY BREWING

#101 - 11952 224 St. | SilverValleyBrewing.com

STEEL & OAK BREWING CO.

1319 3rd Ave. | SteelAndOak.ca

Maple Ridge’s newest brewery is serving their community through purchasing local food where possible, and organizing charitable events to bene t locals in need.

DEVIL’S ENGINE

INDIA

New West’s only brewery managed to crank out 36 di erent beers last year, and 2018 promises to be just as fruitful.

SIMPLE THINGS PILSNER

WITH

BEERE BREWING COMPANY

312 E. Esplanade | BeereBrewing.com

BLACK KETTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | BlackKettleBrewing.com

A licensed patio will be arriving just in time for the warmer weather, upping the already good game of this aptly named new brewery.

Small in size, big on community. North Van’s most secretive brewery nevertheless draws crowds on the weekend, mostly from nearby residences and businesses.

BRIDGE BREWING CO.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | BridgeBrewing.com

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | DeepCoveCraft.com

e North Shore’s rst modern craft brewery has developed a strong fanbase thanks to a solid core lineup, interesting seasonals and splendid in-house tacos.

ROTATING

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Crt. | GreenLeafBrew.com

Celebrate Deep Cove’s 5th anniversary with their unique collaboration beer with YK3 sake brewery in Richmond—it’s a black rice lager fermented with sake yeast.

DRY

Green Leaf boasts one of the best views of any brewery in Metro Vancouver, and if beer isn’t your thing, there’s house-made kombucha and ginger ale, too.

BRONZE AGE

HEARTHSTONE BREWERY

1015 Marine Dr. | HearthstoneBrewery.ca

Hearthstone’s Tap & Forno restaurant features a gorgeous tiled forno oven that makes amazing pizzas to go, along with the brewery’s innovative and creative beer line-up.

CHOCOLATE

FOAMERS’ FOLLY BREWING CO.

19221 122A Ave. | FoamersFolly.ca

MOODY ALES

2601 Murray St. |

With up to 20 taps and two brewhouses on site, there’s a solid chance there’s something brandnew at Foamers’.

Moody Ales was the rst brewery in Canada to o er the crowler, and regularly features guest beers brewed by local homebrewers.

THE PARKSIDE BREWERY

2731 Murray St. | eParksideBrewery.com

TWIN SAILS BREWING

2821 Murray St. | TwinSailsBrewing.com

To catch a glimpse of the elusive purple martin bird, try either Rocky Point Park or—even better—this nearby brewery (it’s in their logo).

e “Twin Sails” refers to owners and twin brothers, Cody and Clay Allmin, who are blowing people away with their innovative hop-forward beers. DAT JUICE PALE A LE

YELLOW DOG BREWING CO.

1 - 2817 Murray St. | YellowDogBrew.com

BRITANNIA BREWING CO.

110-12500 Horseshoe Way | BBCO.ca

e canine-themed brewery started o the year teaming up with the esteemed, award-winning Melvin Brewing from Wyoming. T’was a collaboration with a top-notch pedigree.

eir Steveston taproom pairs tasting ights of Britannia’s beers with a full menu that is seafood in uenced and focused on local, sustainable, naturally sourced produce.

FUGGLES & WARLOCK CRAFTWORKS

103-11220 Horseshoe Way | FugglesWarlock.com

MONKEY 9 BREWING CO.

14200 Entertainment Blvd. | Monkey9.ca

Fuggles is Dan Colyer, the brain behind a lot of the creative brews and nerdy labels. Warlock references the sorcerer that haunts the brewery, maybe. GIN

Richmond’s newest brewpub o ers wood stone oven pizzas, karaoke Wednesdays, and bowling at the Lucky 9 Lanes next door. Happy Year of the Monkey!

BIG RIDGE BREWING CO.

5580

CENTRAL CITY BREWERS + DISTILLERS

11411

|

Surrey’s original brewpub has been serving up award-winning craft beers for almost 20 years.

At 15, they’re one of the oldest kids on the craft beer block. eir appeal just keeps growing with the addition of distilling and cider-making.

Handmade high quality wooden crates

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

RUSSELL BREWING CO.

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | RussellBeer.com

WHITE ROCK BREWING

13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | WhiteRockBrewing.ca

It’s nally happening! Work is starting on Russell’s long-awaited tasting room and to celebrate it’ll be releasing a whole bunch of hazy IPAs.

DELICIOUS JUICY VIBES

EAST COAST INDIA

PALE ALE

MANGO MILKSHAKE IPA

MILKSHAKE INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

3 DOGS BREWING

With two seasonal taps always going, cobrewers Al Clement and Raman Singh are creating new small batch creations every 500 litres at this friendly brewery.

OCEAN LAGER LAGER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

15214 North Blu Rd. | 3DogsBrewing.com

Availability: Year-round

WHITE ROCK BEACH BEER CO.

15181 Russell Ave. | WhiteRockBeachBeer.com

3 Dogs has brought Vancouver brewery lounge culture to White Rock, with 11 rotating taps and a cozy, pub-style room for the community to gather in.

BAYSIDE BLONDE

BLONDE ALE

IPA

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Look for more beers and longer hours at White Rock’s original craft brewery as the weather improves.

WEST BEACH

AMERICAN PALE ALE

PORTER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

WHITE ROCK

WHITE ROCK

O N S P RIN G S

BREWIN G COMPANY

7160 Oliver St. | MissionSprings.ca

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

EST. 1996

e Missions Springs pub has been a community mainstay for more than 30 years, o ering locals and Fraser Valley visitors a comfy escape with homey food—and, since 1996, a range of well-crafted beer from the adjoining brewery.

WHITE OWL PALE

ALE

WH I TE P ALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Wheat and oats lend a lightly creamy body to this generously hopped ale.

MCLENNAN’S SCOTCH ALE

S COTCH A LE

Availability: Year-round

A robust, malt-forward ale with notes of caramel, to ee, dark fruit and even a hint of whisky.

MIGHTY FRASER IPA

NEW ENG LAND IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A schwack of oats makes for a creamy mouthfeel, while the hop pro le tends toward citrus.

TRAILBLAZER PILSNER

PI LSNER

Availability: Year-round

A satisfying pale lager with a light bitter bite that’ll quench the most unslakable thirst.

R eligious R oots

Mission is so called, the old joke goes, because it’s a mission to get there. In fact, the name has its roots in the St. Mary’s Mission that was founded here in 1862. en, in 1954, the Benedictine monastery of Westminster Abbey was established in the city. Some say the local beer is pretty heavenly, too…

FIELD HOUSE BREWING CO.

2281 West Railway St. | FieldHouseBrewing.com

RAVENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd. | Ravens.beer

Big fans of collaborating with other breweries, East Abby’s Field House o ers a wide range of year-round beers, seasonals and those beloved collaborations.

In 2017, Ravens brewed some very interesting, unique beers—strawberry-rhubarb sour, co ee IPA, lingonberry-lime gose, etc. Here’s to more experimentation in 2018!

DEAD FROG BREWERY

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way | DeadFrog.ca

1 - 9360 Mill St. | ChaosAndSolace.com

Dead Frog continues to push the envelope with creative hybrids and unusual avour combinations—peanut butter stout? Its regular beer lineup is rock solid, too.

Downtown Chilliwack’s favourite craft brewery just got a lounge licence, so now you can stay and enjoy the beer for even longer.

CHAOS & SOLACE CRAFT

THE 101 BREWHOUSE + DISTILLERY

1009 Gibsons Way | e101.ca

GIBSONS TAPWORKS

537 Cruice Lane | GibsonsTapworks.com

Gibsons’ third craft brewery also features a restaurant and a craft distillery that makes vodka and gin used in its own craft cocktails.

UNCLE BILL’S

PERSEPHONE BREWING CO.

1053 Stewart Rd. | PersephoneBrewing.com

One year in, this brewery is going strong with great beer, live music and trivia nights. Next, it hopes to add a rooftop patio.

| TownsiteBrewing.com

is farm-based brewery was facing closure until a recent government announcement that hypocritical ALR regulations would be changed. Now the focus returns to the beer!

Powell River is pretty much heaven on Earth and, naturally, there’s fabulous beer in heaven. at makes the friendly, talented crew at Townsite angels in our books.

A-FRAME BREWING CO.

38927 Queens Way | AFrameBrewing.com

BACKCOUNTRY BREWING

#405-1201 Commercial Way | BackcountryBrewing.com

A-Frame’s tasting room is as cosy as a cabin in the woods, with board games, trivia nights, and brewer Andrew Sawyer’s delicious creations.

SHUSWAP

Winner of the coveted Rookie of the Year honour at the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards, Backcountry is on the right path as it enters its sophomore year.

JOHNSON LAKE BLACK LAGER

HOWE SOUND BREWING CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave. | HoweSound.com

BREWHOUSE HIGH MOUNTAIN BREWING

4355 Blackcomb Way | MJG.ca/BrewHouse

Located just o the famed Sea-to-Sky Highway, Howe Sound is a favourite pit stop for good food, good beer and when necessary, a good night’s rest.

DEVIL’S ELBOW IND I A PALE ALE Availability:

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this brewpub isn’t a beer-focused place—brewer Derrick Franche has been making excellent beers here for a long time.

BATCH 1500

It’s worth the drive to visit this boutique brewery and enjoy its strong line-up of beers. Skip the slopes—just hang out in Function Junction!

In what used to be an old bus station, and boasting a new patio, the brewery o ers a getaway from all that famous Whistler sportsing.

VANCOUVER IS L AN D

BREW ERY

2330 Government St. | VanIslandBrewery.com

TUES-THU 11AM-6PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-7PM

EST. 1984

Last year’s rebrand saw a bold new look for one of the province’s oldest breweries, including a renovated tasting room. Parallel 49’s Danny Seeton also joined the team as production manager and research and design brewer, working alongside longtime brewer Ralf Pittroff.

Availability: Year-round

Hazy with big juicy citrus and tropical fruit hop notes in the aroma and avour.

Availability: One-o

Raspberry brightens up this rich, chocolatey brew. Works well with dessert or as a dessert.

MEX

Availability: One-o

Strong, dark with chocolate and moderate co ee avours thanks to cold brew co ee and cocoa.

Availability: Year-round

An easy-drinking cerveza with a crisp nish. A taste of Mexico brewed on the island.

Where next?

See those numbers on almost every bottle and can of VI’s new line-up? ey’re geographic coordinates that correspond to locations all over Vancouver Island. e coordinates on Royston’s Rye IPA will take you the Royston Seaside Trails, overlooking the Royston Shipwrecks. Break out the Google Maps! Gerry omasen photo

CAT EGOR Y 12 BREWING

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

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

EST. 2016

Part art, part science, brewing is the ideal eld for science nerds with ights of fancy—like biochemistry doctorate Michael Kuzyk, who recently got even more cellar space to ll with his creative concoctions.

ELEMENTAL SERIES

Availability: Seasonal

Easy drinking, with enough body and avour to be paired with food or simply enjoyed on its own.

Availability: Small batch

A deliciously approachable sour with just the right level of pucker and blackberry notes close behind.

WILD SAISON

SAI SON W ITH LOGAN B ERR IES AND B RETT

Availability: Year-round

Well-balanced and malt-forward with mild hop bitterness making this a moreish delight.

Availability: Small batch

Delicate, complex and delicious, this farmhouse ale bene ts from loganberries and wild brett yeast.

T he science of beer

C12 owner/brewmaster Michael Kuzyk has been brewing beer for more than 20 years and has his doctorate in microbiology and biochemistry from UVic. After leading the creation of several worldclass research labs, he decided it was time to make his own—dedicated to the pursuit of exceptional beer.

TWA DOGS BREWERY AT VICTORIA CALEDONIAN

761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com

MON-WED 12-7PM ^ THU-SAT 11AM-8PM ^ SUN 12-7PM

EST. 2016

Victoria Caledonian has a licenced area inside the brewery where you can enjoy a pint or a dram of whisky and watch the brewers at work.

BREWER’S SPECIAL DOUBLE IPA SMASH DOUBLE IPA

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 8.0%70

Strap in, because brewer Dean McLeod is going to kick your butt with this hop bomb.

SHUN THE LIGHT SCOTCH ALE

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 6.0%25

is wee heavy is all about the malt, with avours of caramel, to ee and scotch.

450 Swift St. |

D

450 Hillside Ave. | DriftwoodBeer.com

After several expansions over the years, Driftwood has gotten bigger and more widely available, but they’ve never lost their local avour and unmistakeably West Coast appeal. WEST

Canoe recently rebranded its beer lineup. On your next visit expect four mainstay beers including a rotating seasonal plus single-batch creations from the Windward Series.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

HOYNE BREWING CO.

101-2740 Bridge St. | HoyneBrewing.ca

e legendary Frank Appleton engineered and built B.C.’s rst craft brewery and trained the rst generation of B.C. craft brewers, including Sean Hoyne.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY

350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca

PHILLIPS BREWING & MALTING CO.

Address

e Moon has o cially entered a new phase: their on-site distillery has risen. But we’re not counting on this recent development eclipsing Clay Potter’s brews.

Phillips has never lost sight of its dedication to sustainability, deliciousness and good causes. e latter two combine in its annual bene t brew, which this year honours the B.C. SPCA.

SPCA WILD

SPINNAKERS BREWPUB

308 Catharine St. | Spinnakers.com

SWANS BREWPUB

506 Pandora Ave. | SwansHotel.com

Canada’s original brewpub continues to be one of B.C.’s best places to drink a beer complemented by top-notch food featuring locally sourced ingredients.

Swans and brewer Chris Lukie are hosting two promising events during Victoria Beer

Week: Beer School and a Brewmasters Brunch.

LIGHTHOUSE BREWING CO.

2-836 Devonshire Rd. | LighthouseBrewing.com

AXE AND BARREL BREWING CO.

2323 Millstream Ave. | AxeAndBarrel.com

A Victoria stalwart and long a beacon for great beer, Lighthouse is brimming with brewing ideas in its 20th anniversary year.

NUMBSKULL MOTUEKA

IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE Availability: Small batch

Great news for all fans of the Langford Lager—you can now get cans of it in six-packs as Axe & Barrel have begun packaging!

LANGFORD LAGER AMERICAN PILSNER

MAYNE ISLAND BREWING CO.

490 Fernhill Rd. | MayneIslandBrewingCo.com

SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES

270 Furness Rd. | SaltSpringIslandAles.com

Only open on weekends, this tiny operation is a destination for beer lovers. Owners Michael and Annette pour their heart and soul into every beer.

MAYNE ISLAND

FORAGER

FARMHOUSE ALE WITH FORAGED INGREDIENTS

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

It’s that time of year for Salt Spring’s annual gruit—their hop-less ancient ale that features wild herbs, allegedly brewed on a full moon.

SPRING FEVER GRUIT

Availability: Seasonal

BELGIAN QUADRUPEL

Availability: One-o

BAD DOG BREWING COMPANY

7861 Tugwell Rd. | BadDogBrewing.ca

SOOKE BREWING CO.

2057 Otter Point Rd. | SookeBrewing.com

Sooke’s third brewery (and B.C.’s fth with a dog-themed name) is based on a rural property with an on-site store and picnic area for sampling.

642 SESSION

SBC’s founders came from all walks of life— there’s a doctor, a forester, a pilot, a mechanic and a brewer—but were all united by a passion for craft beer.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

SOOKE OCEANSIDE BREWERY

1-5529 Sooke Rd. | SookeOceansideBrewing.com

SOB’s four core beers should now be available across Vancouver Island. At the tasting room, Garritt Lalonde is brewing up experimental brews for weekly cask nights. MULLARD’S

4 Mile’s inventive beer gets admirable distribution, but for the full experience, head to the historic, atmospheric Four Mile House to try them at the source.

We are Northwest Hop Farms—a full-service hop farm and hop distribution company based in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

From our family farm in Chilliwack, we harvest, package, and ship hops to 17 countries worldwide. In addition to our own hops, we partner up with the best farmers in B.C., U.S.A., and around the world, to offer over 180 varieties of quality hops to the brewing industry.

Our mission is to raise the profile of our many partner farmers in the area, as well as to promote the resurgence of hop farming in British Columbia. We are incredibly passionate about hops and the craft brewing industry and we are excited to share our passion with you!

NORTHWEST HOP FARMS

Chilliwack, B.C.

604-845-7974 • sales@northwesthopfarms.com

www.northwesthopfarms.com

MOUN T ARROWSMI TH

BREWING CO .

109-425 East Stanford Ave. | ArrowsmithBrewing.com

SUN-THU 11:30AM-7:30PM ^ FRI-SAT 11:30AM-9:30PM

EST. 2016

Winner of B.C.’s Best Brewery at the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards, this Parksville brewery has a stylish tasting room and a strong beer lineup.

SPRING TIDE SESSION IPA

BELG I AN SESS I ON IND I A P ALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 5.0%45

Big IPA avour with a fraction of the ABV. Have your hops and drink them, too!

ARROWSMITH BLONDE ALE

BLONDE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 4.8%15

is B.C. Beer Award gold medal-winner starts with notes of grapefruit and nishes light and dry.

BEACH FIRE BREWING

594-11th Ave. | BeachFireBrewing.ca

RIOT BREWING CO.

101A - 3055 Oak St. | RiotBrewing.com

e northernmost brewery on Vancouver Island is an ideal destination on a beer-themed road trip. Sample the beer and eat in the on-site “nosh house.” HIGH TIDE PALE

FORBIDDEN BREWING CO.

1590 Cli e Ave. | ForbiddenBrewing.com

Life ain’t so heinous in Chemainus and now it’s a little less quiet thanks to Riot, which is a must-stop location on any Island Highway trip.

SORRY WE TOOK SO LONG SAISON

GLADSTONE BREWING CO.

244 4th St. | GladstoneBrewing.ca

is nanobrewery uses B.C.-grown organic hops and barley in its pilsner and pale ale, which won a gold medal at the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards.

With a friendly vibe, fabulous beer and ne Guerrilla pizza, Courtenay’s downtown brewery is the kind of place you could hole up in all day.

MARZEN LAGER

CUMBERLAND BREWING CO.

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | CumberlandBrewing.com

CRAIG STREET BREW PUB

25 Craig St. | CraigStreet.ca

CBC has been an instant xture for Comox Valley residents since day one and we’re looking forward to what’s on tap for year three.

FOREST

A traditional pub for all seasons, with a replace to cosy up beside and a secluded rooftop deck. ere’s a huge menu to graze on and a good range of pairing options, too. MT.

RED ARROW BREWING CO.

5255 Chaster Rd. | RedArrowBeer.ca

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | LongwoodBeer.com

Housed in a beautiful, red-brick former motorcycle repair shop, Red Arrow is an excellent choice for a refreshing beer-based tuneup.

PIGGY PALE

Advocates of using local ingredients, Longwood forages for some, and sources others from the Nanaimo Farmship Growers Co-op, Quinceotic Farm and Pickstone Acres.

LONGWOOD BREWPUB

5775 Turner Rd. | LongwoodBrewpub.com

WHITE SAILS BREWING

125

Rd. | WhiteSailsBrewing.com

Longwood’s brewpub is a must-visit for the Mid-Island, where its sustainable, local ethos extends to the food as well as the beer.

White Sails was recently granted a family endorsement allowing children to accompany their parents in the tap room until 7pm. Perhaps a post-school-pick-up pint?

WOLF BREWING CO.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | WolfBrewingCompany.com

TWIN CITY BREWING

4503 Margaret St. | TwinCityBrewing.ca

Wolf’s beer labels feature original artwork from local artists. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your art on a beer label, they’re accepting submissions!

Named for the former municipalities of Alberni and Port Alberni, this microbrewery in the heart of Vancouver Island is adding a covered patio this spring.

LOVESHACK LIBATIONS

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

Dave Paul’s nano-operation is as friendly as it sounds. is Qualicum Beach spot is only open two days a week unless you make an appointment.

Don’t get lost during your next visit: To no moved into their snazzy new tasting room and production facility last November.

Availability: Small batch

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Small batch Availability:

ELEVATION 57 BREWING COMPANY

20 Kettleview Rd. | SessionsTapHouseAndGrill.com

IRON ROAD BREWING

980 Camosun Crs. | IronRoadBrewing.ca

If you were wondering where Canada’s highest brewery is, look way up here. is new brewery on Big White is an ideal après ski spot.

PATROLLER

RED COLLAR BREWING CO.

355 Lansdowne St. | RedCollar.ca

Located near ompson Rivers University outside downtown, Iron Road has a big, welcoming tasting room with a diverse beer lineup and a Mexican-themed food menu.

LOOP LINE IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

NORDIC SESSION ALE INDIA SESSION ALE

Availability: One-o

THE NOBLE PIG BREWHOUSE

650 Victoria St. | eNoblePig.ca

e good folks at Red Collar are working like dogs on a new line of canned beers coming soon to a liquor store near you.

ROCKET DOG

DARK SESSION INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Seasonal

Kamloops’ rst (and only) brewpub focuses on using local ingredients—not only in the food, but in the beer as well.

DIRECTOR’S

CUT HAZELNUT

HAZELNUT BROWN ALE

Availability: One-o

SAPPY SIPPER MAPLE PALE ALE

Availability: One-o

BNA BREWING CO.

1250 Ellis St. | BNABrewing.com

BOUNDARY BREWING

2-455 Neave Crt. | BoundaryBrewing.beer

How do you improve a brewery housed in a beautiful historic building that serves great beer and food? Add a bowling alley and vintage arcade games, of course.

In addition to being staunchly anti-fascist, Boundary also has one of the only wooden brewhouses in Canada.

Availability: Small batch

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Small batch

Availability: Small batch

MAY 10-12, 2018

Get your tickets! gobf.ca

FREDDY’S BREWPUB

124 McCurdy Rd. | McCurdyBowl.com

KETTLE RIVER BREWING CO.

731 Baillie Ave. | KettleRiverBrewing.ca

e Dude abides this brewery located in the McCurdy Bowling Centre, which happens to be Kelowna’s rst brewpub.

SANDBAGGER BROWN BROWN ALE

Kettle River supports local artists in collaboration with the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Arts acting as an o -site extension to promote and showcase their art.

COUGAR’S HAND RED RED INDIA PALE ALE

SKWISGAAR JUNIPER BROWN BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

RED BIRD BREWING

1086 Richter St. | RedBirdBrewing.com

Availability: Seasonal

TREE BREWING BEER INSTITUTE

1346 Water St. | TreeBrewingBeerInstitute.com

is small nano-brewery is a place for people to come together, share stories and connect. Live music and crib tournaments add to the fun.

TOMB STOUT STOUT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

is waterfront tasting room features tank-totap, small-batch beers that are always changing along with spent-grain pizzas and other snacks, plus a busy calendar of events.

HOPHEAD IPA INDIA PALE ALE

PILSNER PILSNER

Availability: Small batch Availability: Small batch

KELOWNA KELOWNA

KELOWNA KELOWNA

KELOWNA OLIVER

TREE BREWING CO.

1083 Richter St. | TreeBeer.com

FIREHALL BREWERY

6077 Main St. | FirehallBrewery.com

With roots in Okanagan’s craft beer scene since 1996, chances are you can now nd brewer Dave Gokiert’s beers all over the province.

is must-visit brewery on Highway 97 just nished a face-lift to its beer store and added a new tasting lounge downstairs.

BAD TATTOO BREWING CO.

169 Estabrook Ave. | BadTattooBrewing.com

BARLEY MILL

PUB

2460 Skaha Lake Rd. | BarleyMillPub.com

Head brewer Robert eroux’s resolution for 2018 is to make a new beer every month. Make it your resolution to check each one out.

Penticton’s original brewpub is festooned with sports memorabilia and is still a favourite of the locals.

Availability: Small batch

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

CANNERY BREWING

198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com

954 Eckhardt Ave. | Hwy97Brewery.com

Cannery’s taproom is bustling with events, from live comedy, music and by-donation movie screenings (free popcorn included!). Stop by for their latest weekly ex-beer-iment, too.

DRUPACEOUS

Penticton’s youngest brewery set up in Tin Whistle’s old space right on the eponymous highway, and now former Tin Whistle brewer Je Todd is back brewing there.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

THE TIN WHISTLE BREWING CO.

112-1475 Fairview Rd. | eTinWhistleBrewery.rocks

Tin Whistle was named after the locomotive that used to run on the Kettle Valley Railway, and many of its beers are named after local ora and fauna.

Tasty brews await at this stop along the Trans-Canada Highway in Salmon Arm. Did you know they rst introduced growlers here back in 2008?

SORRENTO SUMMERLAND

CRANNÓG ALES

706 Elson Rd. | CrannogAles.com

DETONATE BREWING

#104-9503 Cedar Ave. | DetonateBrewing.com

Irish-style ales, activism and sustainability all come together at Crannog, where the on-farm brewery is certi ed organic and zero-emissions.

INSURRECTION

Summerland’s Detonate might have the smallest tasting room in B.C., but its beers are big on avour. FLARE

VERNON WESTBANK

MARTEN BREWING CO.

2933A 30th Ave. | MartenBrewpub.com

KIND BREWING

Pearl and Stefan Marten brought craft beer back to Vernon with their renovated brewpub. Next up for the couple: kombucha and nitroinfused cold brew.

SMREKA

Small batch

Small batch

West Kelowna’s rst brewery quietly opened in December and features a spacious room of wood, brick and tile, along with a rapidly expanding range of beer by co-owner Joe Slykerman.

BELGIAN WIT

F ERNIE BREWING C O.

26 Manitou Rd. | FernieBrewing.com

MON-THU 11AM-7PM ^ FRI -SAT 11AM-8PM SUN 11AM-6PM

EST. 2003

Many people come to Fernie for its legendary powder, then never leave. at’s testament to the year-round attractions this Rocky Mountain town o ers, which include its long-established brewery that boasts one of the most varied and delicious beer lineups east of Vancouver.

SLINGSHOT SESSION

Availability: Year-round

Brewed with seven hop varieties and dry-hopped with another four, Slingshot won’t disappoint the IPA a cionado.

THREE KINGS

Availability: Seasonal

A powerful, slightly sweet Belgian ale balanced by fruity hop and yeast aromatics.

Availability: Seasonal

Stu ed with eight di erent malts and Crowsnest co ee, this is a rich, decadent stout to savour.

Availability: Small batch

Hop-derived citrus avours blend elegantly with the spicy notes of FBC’s saison yeast.

C heers to charity!

FBC isn’t just part of the Fernie community, it gives back to it as well. e brewery’s Cheers to Charity program diverts pro ts from taproom ights toward a select local group or organization. In a little more than four years, the program has raised almost $70,000, including $7,000 for a local cancer support group last summer.

nEw sEaSoN.

nEw bEeRs.

MT. B EGBIE BREWING C O.

2155 Oak Dr. | Mt-Begbie.com

MON-SAT 9AM-8PM

EST. 1996

After opening its new brewery last year, Mt. Begbie promptly won Brewery of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards. Now, it has nally opened its comfortable on-site tasting room, which features some experimental, single-batch beers alongside tapas-style appetizers.

Availability: Seasonal

Start summer early with this malty amber ale enhanced by rich clover honey.

Availability: Seasonal

Made entirely with ingredients grown in B.C., this light lager is refreshingly crisp.

Availability: Year-round

Nice to know you don’t have to go to Germany to enjoy the world’s best KÖlsch.

Availability: Year-round

Rich and malty with caramel notes, this is a full-bodied English-style brown ale.

Top of the world

Apparently, it takes a nuclear scientist to brew the world’s best kölsch: Bart Larson, PhD Nuclear Physics, who co-founded Mt. Begbie Brewing along with his wife Tracey back in 1996. High Country Kölsch has won many awards over the years, but none more impressive than its recent victory at the World Beer Awards.

FISHER PEAK BREWING CO.

821 Baker St. | eHeidOut.ca

WHITETOOTH BREWING

623 8th Ave. N. | WhitetoothBrewing.com

ere’s gold in them thar Kootenays... and amber, copper, brown and black. Find them all at the Heid Out restaurant, home of Fisher Peak Brewing Co..

Whitetooth embraces the Golden lifestyle in the most delicious way, sponsoring local and touring events and o ering an alluring range of aprés beers.

INVERMERE

ARROWHEAD BREWING CO.

481 Arrow Rd. | ArrowheadBrewingCompany.ca

ANGRY HEN BREWING

343 Front St. | AngryHenBrewing.com

One of the province’s most distinctive tasting rooms mixes a vintage garage vibe with comfy seating, a welcoming atmosphere and a range of inventive beer.

FANCY

Kaslo’s brand new craft brewery has a welcoming tasting room with a spectacular view of Kootenay Lake. Sample the beers there or ll a growler or crowler.

OVER TIME BEER WORKS

136A Wallinger Ave. | OverTimeBeer.ca

BACKROADS BREWING CO.

460 Baker St. | BackroadsBrewing.com

You’ll have to head to Kimberley if you want to try Over Time’s small-batch beers brewed in Canada’s highest town—I’m pretty sure they mean elevation...

Nelson’s fourth and newest brewery stands out with a rustic-but-cosy beer hall vibe. Also: they’re the only brewery around with a beer called “Squi nator.”

SQUIFFINATOR DOPPELBOCK

NELSON BREWING CO.

512 Latimer St. | NelsonBrewing.com

e organic brewery that started it all in Nelson is still turning out award-winning beers, year after year.

70 FATHOMS ORGANIC BLACK INDIA PALE ALE

batch

THE SAVOY BREWERY

198 Baker St. | SavoyHotel.com

TORCHLIGHT BREWING CO.

125 Hall St. | TorchlightBrewing.com

is small brewery is located inside the Falls Music Lounge in the Savoy Hotel with seven rotating beers on draft, including two nitro taps.

THE

In addition to its diverse range of beers, Torchlight also produces its own craft sodas, syrups and bitters for cocktails and mixing with soda water.

HOPTIMUS

ROSSLAND BEER CO.

1990 Columbia Ave. | RosslandBeer.com

TRAIL BEER REFINERY

1299 Bay Ave. | TrailBeerRe nery.ca

Rossland brags about being one of the best places in the world to bike and enjoy winter sports—now they can brag about their brewery too.

STRAIGHT OUTTA ROSSLAND PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

is working-class brewery is the o cial beer supplier to the legendary Trail Smoke Eaters hockey team.

SLAG STOUT STOUT

Availability: Seasonal

ROSSLAND TRAIL

JACKSON’S SOCIAL CLUB & BREWHOUSE

Address

BEARD’S BREWING CO.

10408 Alaska Rd. N. | BeardsBrewing.ca

Sounds like a place where everybody knows your name. Jackson’s rocks a community vibe as well as a warm welcome for Cariboo Highway travellers.

WILDFIRE HONEY BLONDE BLONDE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

PRINCE GEORGE

SUMMER BLIZZARD WITBIER

Availability: Year-round

Craft beer has landed in Fort St. John thanks to local re ghter Stephen Beard, who opened B.C.’s most northerly brewery with head brewer Ryan Nosek.

ALASKA HIGHWAY IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

PRINCE RUPERT

CROSSROADS BREWING

508 George St. | CrossroadsCraft.com

Located in a 70-plus-year-old historic building, Crossroads’s home was originally built as a garage and dealership.

FAST LANE IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

WHITE BEARD

1.0

WHEAT PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

WHEELHOUSE BREWING CO.

217 1st Ave. E. | WheelhouseBrewing.com

PIDHERNY PALE ALE

NORTHWEST PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Having kept an even keel in its four-year history, Wheelhouse’s horizons are now widening with a taproom renovation astern of a brewhouse expansion.

BENTHIC INDIA BLACK ALE

CASCADIAN DARK ALE Availability:

BARKERVILLE BREWING CO.

185 Davie St. | BarkervilleBeer.com

SHERWOOD

eir logo may be a mustache, but this brewery is very woman-forward—80 per cent of their full-time sta , including managers and the head brewer, are female.

WHITE GOLD WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal

THREE RANGES BREWING CO.

WANDERING CAMEL INDIA

Availability: Year-round

e cold months in Terrace got a lot more bearable when Sherwood showed up. Look out for can releases in the spring.

LAVA BED RED ALE RED ALE

Availability: Year-round

MUNICH

Availability:

1160 5th Ave. | reeRanges.com

ree Ranges' beers are only available in Northern and Eastern B.C., and Alberta— Lower Mainlanders will have to go on a road trip to try them out!

ALPENGLOW AMBER ALE AMBER ALE

Availability: Seasonal

SIDEHILL

the

BEER GROUND To

Our spies are working overtime to keep up with all the new breweries opening every month in B.C. e craft beer revolution shows no signs of slowing down.

ANOTHER B EER CO.

New Westminster (summer 2018) Sapperton used to be the brewing capital of the province, and ABC hopes to tap into some of that beer history with their new brewery and tasting room. AnotherBeerCo.com

BAC K 40 B REWIN G

Pemberton (2018) is one has been in the works for a while, and is nally getting close. Not to be confused with Alabama’s award-winning Back Forty Beer Company or Back Forty Brewery in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Back40Brewing.com

B ULKLEY VALLEY B REWIN G

Smithers (summer 2018) Craft beer is coming back to Smithers in a big way, ve years after the closure of Plan B Brewery. Rumour has it the Bulkley Valley folks even tracked down the old Plan B beer fridge in Prince Rupert and brought it back to its rightful home. BulkleyValleyBrewery.ca

CAT & F I DDLE B REW P UB

Port Coquitlam (summer 2018) is popular PoCo pub is hoping to open its own microbrewery on site. e race is on with Northpaw to be Port Coquitlam’s rst craft brewery! CatAndFiddlePub.ca

CUTBA N K B REWERY

Prince George (2019) No location yet for this brewery, but the plan is for a 15-barrel brewhouse somewhere in Prince George. CutbankBrewery.com

E LE C TRIC BIC YC LE B REWIN G

Vancouver (early 2018) Named after its building’s former tenant, an electric bicycle manufacturer, this brewery has a 10-barrel

brewing system feeding eight draft lines and six dedicated growler lines in its 50-seat tasting room. Also, grilled cheese sandwiches! Yum! ElectricBicycleBrewing.com

FRASER

MI LLS FERME N TAT ION CO.

Coquitlam (2019) If it grows, Fraser Mills

Fermentation will make booze out of it—whether that means beer, cider, wine, or spirits. is fermentorium will be at the centre of a new 85acre development on the site of a former lumber mill. FraserMillsFermentation.com

H OUSE O F FU N K B REWIN G

North Vancouver (summer 2018) is brewery is going to be focusing on the funkier side of craft beer and will be located at 350 East Esplanade—right next door to Beere Brewing Company.

I LE SAU VAGE BREW ING C OM PANY

Victoria (spring 2018) Stephane Turcotte’s wild fermentation and barrel-aged sour focused project has been delayed by zoning issues (sound familiar?), but it looks like there is nally light at the end of the tunnel. IleSauvage.com

L OUDMOUTH B REWIN G CO.

Abbotsford (summer 2018) ese brewers are hoping to make some noise in West Abbotsford and are already brewing at Chaos & Solace in Chilliwack. LoudmouthBrewingCompany.ca

MI GHTY PEA C E B REWIN G CO.

Fort St. John (summer 2018) Fort St. John is quickly becoming a craft beer hot spot. Mighty Peace hopes to be the second brewery in town, and has a 15-barrel system ready and waiting to start brewing. MightyPeaceBrewing.ca.

NORTHPAW BREW CO

Port Coquitlam (spring 2018) Construction is underway and beer is already being brewed at nearby Foamer’s Folly and Ridge Brewing Co. We’re hoping it opens its doors any day now. NorthpawBrewCo.com

PEMBERTON VALLEY BEER WORKS

Pemberton (2018) is farm-based family-run brewery promises terroir in their beer, thanks to locally-sourced ingredients. eBeerFarmers.com

RUMPUS BEER COMPANY

Revelstoke (late 2018) We’re ‘stoked that construction has already begun on this microbrewery in Revelstoke.

SMALL BLOCK BREWING CO.

Duncan (spring 2018) e Cowichan Valley’s newest brewery is going to be focusing on hand-crafted British ales and will be located south of downtown on the same block as Red Arrow Brewing Company. SmallBlockBrewery.com

SMITHERS BREWING CO.

Smithers (fall 2018) is 3,000 sq.-ft. brewery—just two blocks away from Bulkley Valley Brewing—is beginning to take shape and should hopefully be up and running before the end of the year. SmithersBrewing.com

STANLEY PARK BREWING

Vancouver (2019) AB InBev-owned Stanley Park Brewing is planning to open a brewpub in their namesake park in the former Fish House restaurant location. at is, if the local NIMBYs will let them. StanleyParkBrewing.com

STREETCAR BREWING

North Vancouver (spring 2018) Lower Lonsdale is quickly becoming a great place to drink craft beer. Streetcar will be the fourth brewery to open within walking distance of the SeaBus terminal. StreetcarBrewing.ca

TRENCH BREWING AND DISTILLING

Prince George (spring 2018) Trench has already started brewing, so there’s a good chance that by the time you read this, it will be open for business. TrenchBrew.ca

UCLUELET BREWING CO.

Ucluelet (summer 2018) is brewery is turning a disused church into a craft beer shrine. e residents of Ucluelet are about to become very devout.

VICE AND VIRTUE BREWING COMPANY

Kelowna (summer 2018) V&V will be the fourth brewery to open at the corner of Richter and Baillie, joining Kettle River, Tree and Red Bird. ViceAndVirtueBrewing.ca

WILDEYE BREWING

North Vancouver (late 2018) e Lynn Creek neighbourhood is getting another craft brewery, just down the street from Bridge Brewing, Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers and Sons of Vancouver Distillery. WildeyeBrewing.ca

THE WILDWOOD PUB

Powell River (summer 2018) Formerly the Red Lion Pub, this brewpub promises innovative lagers and punk rock, which sounds like the best thing ever. j

TENT frame & canopy + bag $999

Double sided walls $225

14ft high FEATHER FLAGS $275

Double sided fabric with any amount of colours. Inc: bag, poles, indoor stand + outdoor stand

PULL-UPS $225 ea

CUSTOM BANNERS 4’ x 8’ $225 10’ x 3’ $225

Custom TABLE COVERS 6’ $225 8’ $275

IN FE-BREW-ARY YOU HELPED US DONATE $7042 TO THE GREATER VANCOUVER FOOD BANK. THANK YOU!

Aletown Beer Society presents

DRIF TWOOD BREWING

TUESDAY MARCH 6TH at 6PM

feature Driftwood pricing

limited release draught tap launch

The Growler

1144 Homer St | donnellygroup.ca