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e DitOr
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cONtribUtiNG WriterS
Rob Mangelsdorf
Brittany Tiplady
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Juliana Sauvé
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Jon Healy
James MacKenzie
Rob Mangelsdorf
Dan Toulgoet
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Danielle Boileau
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pUbLiSHeD
06 10 12 16 18 20
GONe OrGANic
LAbeL OF LOVe
DON’t FeAr tHe NeAr beer
GONe tO tHe DOGS
DecODiNG YOUr bOttLe OF crAFt beer
tHere’S A FLY iN mY beer
HOW FreSH cAN YOU Get?
b.c. crAFt beer eVeNt LiStiNGS
WHAt’S OLD iS NeW
trAVeL: DrUNK & DrOOKit iN ScOtLAND
FiZZ biZ
HOppeD Up FOODS FOr beer LOVerS
recipe: ALmOND cAKe WitH ALe-pOAcHeD peArS
b.c. breWerY LiStiNGS
beer tO tHe GrOUND
LOWER MAINLAND
FRASER VALLEY
SEA TO SKY / SUNSHINE COAST
VICTORIA / GULF ISLANDS
VANCOUVER ISLAND
THOMPSON OKANAGAN
KOOTENAYS
NORTHERN B.C.
is is a special time of year for craft beer. As the days get shorter and the nights cooler, we say goodbye to the refreshing light-bodied beers of summer and welcome the more avourful and full-bodied beers of fall and winter. e hot summer sun may be leaving us for another year, but at least we have delicious pint after pint to keep us company until it returns.
It’s also harvest time, and that means the return of fresh-hopped beers (pg. 24). is ephemeral style is a delight that only happens once a year, so if you blink, you’ll miss out.
If you’ve noticed more and more beers advertising themselves as organic, you’re not alone, so we took a look at the truth behind the ingredients (pg. 6). Speaking of advertising, beer labels are an art form in and of itself, so we explored what makes them work and what makes them suck (pg. 10)—with a handy (sort of) guide to all the jargon and nonsense that you can nd on them (pg. 18).
For those looking for a beer with a bit less bite, we did a taste test of non-alcoholic beers (pg. 12) and explored the growing trend of craft breweries getting into the soda business (pg. 34).
If that doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, we also have a wonderful almond cake recipe (pg. 40) featuring—you guessed it—beer!
Enjoy the sun while it lasts. Much like that delicious pint in your hand, it’ll be gone before you know it.
—Rob Mangelsdorf, editorKeep 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
GROWLER-APPROVED BADGE 42 71 57 76 80 92 98 105 113
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
Earlier this year, scientists at the University of California Berkeley published a research paper that documented their discovery and success in the creation of lab-constructed yeast that could mimic the avours of natural hops in beer. Why? Well, hop plants are thirsty buggers, soaking up an average of 50 pints of water, for just one pint of beer.
You might think such advancements are drivel, but in terms of water usage, the creation of genetically engineered brewer’s yeast is meant to aid the growing beer industry, o ering a more sustainable approach to brewing. And for the giants of the beer brewing industry that already use genetically modi ed organisms (GMOs) in their brews— Budweiser, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Corona, and Guinness to name a few—it’s quite possible that a GMO yeast, said to mock the scent and avour of natural hops, might come in handy one day. However, craft breweries here in B.C. aren’t entirely sold on this innovation. Brewers and beer
drinkers alike are kindred in their ethics toward food and beverage consumption: as it turns out, buying local isn’t just a trend reserved for West Coast yuppies. B.C. is a province rich with natural resources and organic farms, and the drive to source ingredients locally is a way of life that has fuelled our province’s sustainable farming industry through craft beer and otherwise.
Even East Coast brew houses are making the switch: Mill Street Brewing announced in July that all six of their year-round core beers will be certi ed organic. According to head brewer Joel Manning, this step pushes Mill Street’s total output to roughly 90 per cent in organic products.
Back to the University of California Berkeley hop experiment: while the study, published in Nature Communications, cites that the yeast, created by “incorporating recombinant DNA derived from yeast, mint, and basil,” accurately replaced the scent and avour of a natural hop, UBC food scientist Vivien Measday,
associate professor at the
B.C. brewers are turning their backs on GMO ingredients in favour of natural alternatives
Wine Research Centre, doesn’t think it’ll end up in your pint just yet.
“I think the main reason that this experiment won’t take over the beer industry any time soon is that this yeast strain can give o an interesting aroma but it can’t provide [the same kind] of bitterness and it can’t generate microbials,” she says. “And if they don’t have the naturally-grown hops in there, they may need to nd another way to stop spoilage organisms from growing. Because beer is generally only ve per cent alcohol on average—which is not that high—other organisms can grow in there, like lactic acid or [acetic acid bacteria]. And this yeast strain is not going to be able to deal with that problem.”
Measday adds the GMO ingredient most likely to land in your beer isn’t as worthy of a ashy science experiment—it’s corn.
“GM corn is approved in Canada and the U.S., and it is de nitely possible that the corn syrup in beer is derived from GM corn plants, but in Canada there is no requirement that companies have to label their corn products as GMO,” says Measday.
Adjuncts like genetically modi ed corn and corn syrup (along with GMO rice, sh bladder for clarifying and GMO sugars) are indeed likely to land in the beers made by the larger, more corporate brew houses, but local craft breweries in B.C. are doing their best to keep their ingredients kosher, and for some, entirely organic.
Nelson Brewing, located in the heart of the West Kootenays, was founded in 1991 and has been operating as a certi ed organic brewery since 2006. Its award-winning lineup of beers can be found across Western Canada.
When Nelson Brewing made the choice to switch
to all organic, it was largely due to the market in the Kootenays, says head brewer Simon Barna.
“It’s a pretty organic and sustainable farming-driven community in Nelson, so it was certainly in uenced by the ingredients that the people of Nelson want in their products,” he explains. “ ey don’t want GMO and they really appreciate nonGMO products.
Barna, having visited a few hop farms, says it's quite interesting to see the research that's going into organic farming.
“Hops are the number one sprayed crop because they’re so susceptible to aphids; so these mass organic hop farms that are starting in the Fraser Valley are giving breweries more options,” he says. “We really try to stress the importance of supporting organic farming processes and the research that goes into it, and we hope that part of it becomes more mainstream.” >>
I’ve visited quite a few of our hop farms, and it’s really cool to see the research that’s going into organic farming.
- Simon Barna, Nelson Brewing
Vancouver’s Dogwood Brewing, an organic, vegan brewery, opened its doors in March 2013. Just like Nelson Brewing, Dogwood’s philosophy is deeply rooted in the desire to help sustain local organic farming practices. e general concern isn’t so much in the dilemma of water usage when it comes to hop farming, and brewing in general, but more so in their mission to make an impact in the beer market by supporting local producers.
Dogwood’s hops are certi ed organic and Salmon Safe, grown by the Harvesters of Organic Hops (HOOH) in Lillooet, and to keep their beer vegan, the Dogwood team uses vegan ning agents when clarifying their beers so that no animal products are necessary.
“I think the most important craft beer movement in B.C. is not about chasing these crazy varieties of hops but supporting our local farmers,” says co-owner Claire Wilson. “It not only cuts down on the impacts environmentally, but it means that we’re building something for our future and for our province.”
Beer is steeped in tradition, she says, and when brewers are looking to create something wonderful and innovative, most try to nd something rare or obscure to create unique avours.
“Although innovation is exciting, I don’t see some-
thing like genetically engineered hops becoming a big trend for craft beer anytime soon—hopefully.”
Crannog Ales, a small organic brewery in Sorrento echoes Wilson’s sentiment. For nearly 20 years, Crannog’s farm and brewery concept (helmed by Brian MacIsaac and Rebecca Kneen) has been operating in tandem, generating an entirely sustainable system on its own property at Left Fields farm. Crannog grows its own hops, greywater is used for irrigation, spent grains feed the livestock or are composted, and so on.
“My perspective on GMOs in general is that it’s a solution in search of a problem,” says Kneen. “ e bottom line for me, is not so much on the e ect on human health, or on the quality and avour of the beer.”
She says the issue around the concept of genetic engineering is the purposes behind it and the e ect on the environment.
“It increases the degree of toxicity on the planet, and that alone has a direct e ect on human health, regardless of what product you’re consuming.”
For these brewers, a commitment to buying and supporting local isn’t performative, and it isn’t about following a trend. eir e orts are about supporting community, minimizing the toxic footprint of craft brewing, and in turn, making great beer GMO-free.
“We wanted to look back in 20 years and be really proud of the decisions that we made,” says Wilson. “Every brewery that buys local B.C. hops, and every brewery that supports the local industry, builds something fantastic for our province and in turn, this e ort protects our rivers, our soil, and our wildlife.” j
Crannog Ales in Sorrento, B.C., grows its own hops, uses wastewater for irrigation and feeds spent grains to the livestock it raises on its organic farm. Jon Healy photoI think the most important craft beer movement in B.C. is not about chasing these crazy varieties of hops but supporting our local farmers.
- Claire Wilson, Dogwood Brewing
You can’t help it, I can’t help it—we all judge beers by their labels, maybe as much as we judge the beer itself. Beer labels have been around for ages: 83 years on cans, and much longer than that on bottles. It appears we’ve been loving beer labels for that whole time—just check out all the vintage labels you can buy on eBay! Doesn’t it seem, though, that we’re loving beer labels extra hard right now?
Maybe it’s that size matters. Beer cans, especially those tall boys, o er lots of real estate for labelling. Large-format bottles provide a sizeable canvas as well.
Maybe it’s as simple as habituation. Humans aren’t that di erent from crows; we’re attracted to bright, shiny objects. And with social media continuously bombarding us with bright shiny objects, it’s not surprising we’re attracted by the pretty things.
ey do say you drink rst with your eyes…
Maybe it’s the amped up level of competition.
e number of breweries ghting for limited shelf space grows almost by the day, making it ever more challenging to entice people to choose this beer over that one. Allowing breweries to sell their own packaged beer in their tasting rooms (thanks B.C. government!) has assisted in getting beer into local people’s hands. To woo those not-so-local folks into choosing beers at liquor stores, what are you going to do but come up with stand-out
beer labels? For the initiated, a good story, a great product and word of mouth will sell beer. But for those not in the know, it’s going to be the label that grabs their interest.
Maybe it’s pricing. Digitally printed labels and sleeves make small label runs economically possible. Anyone can make fabulous labels for even their limited release and small batch beers.
Maybe it’s industry acknowledgment. Locally, the B.C. Beer Awards added the Creative Industry Awards last year for best can design, best bottle label design, best packaging for boxes and carriers, and best tap handle. Also acknowledging how much social media matters, they added awards for best website and best social media presence as well. Beer festivals, such as the Okanagan Fest of Ale, o er people’s choice awards for best beer label and runner-up, as well as for the favourite beer. Further a eld, HomebrewLabelAwards.com hands out prizes for great homebrew labels. And if all of that wasn’t enough to convince you that beer labels are in uencers, USA Today has a reader’s choice award for beer labels. Now you know beer labels have arrived!
Maybe it’s about the artwork. Some breweries commission artists to create their labels. Ontario’s Collective Arts Brewing (whose beers are available on B.C. private liquor store shelves) hold open calls for art to feature on their bottles and cans.
In which Rebecca Whyman expresses her deep a ection for the most accessible of art forms: the humble beer label.
Every three months, artists can submit their works and a panel chooses the art to be featured. Vancouver artist Patrick Wong has had ve of his works featured on CA bottles and cans. It’s a great way to promote artists as well as the beer, and as a bonus, o ers a great conversation starter to those who may need a little help in that department.
Maybe it’s what the labels aren’t saying. I rst noticed the new wave of beer labels when Super ux came out with their pastel ombre tall cans—everyone was talking about them. en Powell Street caught my attention with their colourful patterned cans. It took me a bit of time, but eventually I looked past the pretty pastels and colourful patterns and realized what wasn’t there. e quiet roar of nothing o ensive. No sexist images, no racist names, Hallelujah! While I’m very much looking forward to Dave Bowkett nding a minute to make t-shirts using those label designs, I’m looking forward even more to the day when no one thinks o ensive names and images are the way to market their beer. Also
Beer labels have become works of art in and of themselves.
LEFT: Super ux's cans have been turning heads with their colourful abstract designs, like the one for Super uousness IPA. Contributed photo
ABOVE: Electric Bicycle Brewing Company's branding is anything but boring. Dan Toulgoet photo
on my wish list is requiring labels to include, in print large enough for old codgers like me to read, where the beer was manufactured and by whom. I hate that the big guys can hide behind their shadow brands and subsidiaries. If you don’t want to proudly put your name on it, you shouldn’t be selling it, goshdarnit.
Maybe it’s that beer is not wine and doesn’t have to be prim and proper. Brewers can take their labelling very seriously, while still leaving room to be brash, or playful, and push the envelope on beer label designs. Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Whatever combination of elements it is that has led us to this moment in time, it is satisfying to see all the creativity going in to labelling the drink we all love. j
Pro tip: If you buy cans that use plastic sleeves for labelling—you can tell it’s a sleeve if there is a seam—and you want to do the recycler a solid, you should remove the plastic sleeve and recycle that in soft plastics instead of leaving it on the aluminum can.
by Rob Mangelsdorf
We drank all of these beers so you don't have to. While non-alcoholic beer might not be the tastiest thing to ll your pint with, being able to drive home and get up early for work the next day is a major perk. Dan Toulgoet photo
Ithink we can all agree that beer is awesome, otherwise why would you be reading this right now. However, there are times when you might want something to drink without any alcohol in it. Maybe you’re the designated driver; maybe you have health issues; or maybe, if you’re like Dogwood Brewing owner/brewer Claire Wilson, you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Whatever the reason, just because you can’t have alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t have beer, right? Non-alcoholic beer is a thing, after all!
Except that “near beer” doesn’t exactly have the greatest reputation. For years, there were only one or two options available at the grocery store, and they all tasted like watery garbage.
at’s changing, however. In recent years craft alternatives have been popping up, domestic macro brands have been reformulating their recipes and
European import brands have entered the market. ere are more alcohol-free beer options available than ever, and with so many choices, where do you even begin?
With that in mind, Claire and I sat down at Dogwood one hot, sunny day with seven of the most popular near beers available in B.C. to gure out which one was best (or least worst, anyways).
We rated the beers out on a scale of 0-10, based on the likelihood of someone throwing the beer back in your face if you served it to them without telling them it was a non-alcoholic beer (10 being they wouldn’t notice and 0 being a pint glass to the face).
THE GROWLER: is one is clearly German, which I have high hopes for. Germans, as you know, take their beer pretty seriously.
CLAIRE WILSON: It’s nice and clear, it smells like straw and wort.
GROWLER: Yeah, it smells very sweet, very grainy. It looks like beer, at least. It does not smell like it, though. It smells like beer that hasn’t been fermented yet.
WILSON: Yeah, that does taste quite sweet. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t really taste like beer. It’s a lager style, but there’s no noticeable hop aroma. ere is a tiny bit of hop bitterness to it.
GROWLER: Yeah, it’s so cloyingly sweet that the hop bitterness that is there isn’t enough to dry it out. e sweetness really lingers, it’s like a soda pop.
WILSON: It’s refreshing, but it’s not very reminiscent of a German lager.
Score: 5/10
NO.
MADD VIRGIN CRAFT BREWED LAGER (0.0% ABV)
WILSON: So this is brewed at Niagara College. ey’ve had a brewing school there for ages.
GROWLER: Oh interesting. So this is a lager made by MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, clearly to encourage people not to drink. And I guess they’ve teamed up with Niagara College to brew this. And 10 per cent of net sales go to MADD Canada.
WILSON: is de nitely smells oxidized, the aroma’s not as appealing as the other one. But it’s not as sweet.
GROWLER: I feel like this is an old beer, and
I’m getting a bit of that wet cardboard avour. But beyond that, I really prefer this beer to the previous one. It’s not overly sweet, it’s got a bit of hop bitterness to it, it has a nice, dry nish.
WILSON: It would be interesting to try one that was in perfect condition. But even the o avours are beer o avours.
GROWLER: at’s true. is is absolutely a beer, and not a beer- avoured soda pop.
WILSON: Not a good beer, mind you, but it’s beer.
Score: 6.5/10
BEER NO. 3: PARTAKE IPA (0.3% ABV)
GROWLER: So this is interesting. is is denitely a craft take on non-alcoholic beer, it being an IPA. Brewed in Toronto. I hope there’s some hops in this.
WILSON: Yeah, that smells like an IPA. It’s got those Cascade hops, maybe some Citra.
GROWLER: Grapefruit, citrus, fruity. De nitely the best smelling of the beers we’ve tried so far.
WILSON: is really does taste like beer. It’s enjoyable, the hops are lovely.
GROWLER: I quite like this, I’m shocked. If someone poured me this and didn’t tell me it was non-alcoholic, I’d never know.
WILSON: Without having the alcohol or having more body to balance it, they’ve done a great job with the hops, because the hops are lovely. I’m impressed.
GROWLER: Completely agree. ey are hitting what they are aiming for, and that is a beer drinker’s non-alcoholic beer.
WILSON: If I had known this was on the shelf when I was pregnant, I would have drank it.
Score: 9/10
BEER NO. 4: BUDWEISER PROHIBITION LAGER (0.0%)
GROWLER: It smells a lot like a Budweiser, which is to say, like not much of anything. >>
Faint grainy cereal, a bit ricey. Nice head retention. Actually, that’s not terrible.
WILSON: I haven’t had a Budweiser for a while, but it tastes like a Budweiser. It’s clean, it’s not awed.
GROWLER: It’s not sickly sweet, it has a crisp, dry nish. Of the lagers that we’ve tried so far, this is clearly my favourite. ere isn’t a ton of avour—it’s a Budweiser after all, so that’s to be expected.
WILSON: I think that’s what they were trying to make, and I think they nailed it.
Score: 8.5/10
BEER NO. 5: O’DOUL’S (0.5% ABV)
WILSON: When I think non-alcoholic beer, I think O’Doul’s.
GROWLER: Totally, I think it’s kind of become shorthand for non-alcoholic beer. For years it was the only option available.
WILSON: It’s the classic, for sure.
GROWLER: Again, a very boring, slightly grainy hop-less nose.
WILSON: Almost no character. It’s very easy to drink, though. ere’s a tiny bit of bitterness to it, a tiny bit. But it doesn’t really feel like beer. It’s very balanced and it goes down like nothing, but that malty character isn’t really there.
GROWLER: It is refreshing. It’s light-bodied without being overly thin. I’m enjoying it the more I drink.
WILSON: Yeah, it doesn’t really have any aws.
Score: 7.5/10
BEER NO. 6: MOLSON EXEL (0.5% ABV)
WILSON: Two years ago, a friend of mine was pregnant and she asked me what non-alcoholic beers were any good, and I had no idea because I hadn’t tried any. So it’s good we’re doing this.
GROWLER: is one has been around for a while, as you can tell by its branding.
WILSON: It’s a “classic” look for sure. is one smells a lot like Canadian, actually.
For breastfeeding moms like Dogwood's Claire Wilson, non-alcoholic beers are a great alternative to the boozy stu . Dan Toulgoet photo
GROWLER: Yeah, no hops on the nose. It’s pretty thin, pretty watery. Not as sweet as some of the beers we’ve tried.
WILSON: It’s still de nitely sweet for a beer, but it’s not like a pop, like some of the others.
Score: 7/10
WILSON: ere’s a good head on this, it’s very clear. is is very much in the same vein as the rst one. It’s very sweet and malty.
GROWLER: Considering the can says it’s fully fermented, it sure doesn’t taste like it.
WILSON: But look at the lacing!
GROWLER: at’s what’s most impressive about this beer, the head they’ve managed to get on it.
WILSON: Yeah, the carbonation is good, you’re getting that kind of sharpness on your tongue, but it’s just way too sweet. It’s a malt soda, basically. It’s similar to the Clausthaler, so maybe that’s what Europeans expect in a non-alcoholic beer.
Score: 6/10
GOLD: Partake IPA
SILVER: Budweiser Prohibition
BRONZE: O’Doul’s
In the past few months I’ve done a fair bit of travelling, and I’ve noticed something. When I was down in the U.S. and stopped in at some of my favourite breweries, there were dogs in the tasting rooms. And when I was in Scotland in June, there they were again: dogs in the breweries and the pubs. And it was awesome.
e puppers were all well behaved and I even got a few doggy cuddles in. It totally added to the homey, community-centric atmosphere of the tasting room, and it was a great ice-breaker to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger.
So why is it, then, that you never see dogs in breweries here in B.C.? Are craft brewers a bunch of dog-hating jerks? Even worse, are they cat people? Given how many breweries are named after dogs, I doubt that’s the case.
(Just kidding, I love cats, please don’t send me angry emails, cat people.)
As it turns out, the local health authorities here in B.C. have e ectively banned dogs from pubs and brewery tasting rooms. Under the Food Premises Regulation of the B.C. Public Health
Act, it states, “an operator of food premises must not permit live animals to be on the premises.” Guide dogs and service dogs are cool, so long as they’re not in the food preparation area, and sh in an aquarium also get a pass, but beyond that, only animals that “a health o cer determines will not pose a risk of a health hazard occurring on the premises” are permitted.
And that means no dogs, as countless breweries have found out.
By the way, breweries are considered a food premises because they manufacture and sell a “processed substance intended for human consumption.” So they get lumped in with sushi restaurants and buffets, despite the fact that beer is considered to be “microbiologically safe” as the presence of alcohol, hop bittering compounds and carbon dioxide kill o foodborne pathogens.
Yellow Dog Brewing originally allowed dogs into their tasting room, but a complaint to Fraser Health put a stop to that.
“We let it go and unluckily someone from Fraser Health came in for a beer, so that was the end of
Dogs aren't welcome in many B.C. tasting rooms, but that's not the fault of craft breweries.
that,” says owner Mike Coghill. “ ey hold your health occupancy, so we had no choice. If we got caught again they could have shut us down.”
Yellow Dog was named after Coghill’s golden retriever Chase, which meant Chase couldn’t even set paw in the brewery that was named after him. Coghill says the reasoning he was given for why dogs aren’t allowed in the brewery is that they are considered “allergens.”
Which is pretty strange, considering some of the places you are allowed to bring your dog. Like hospitals and care facilities, for example.
“We love dogs, I think people treat dogs like family, and if tasting rooms are supposed to be family-friendly, they should be allowed,” Coghill says. “Other retail businesses, you’re allowed to bring your dog in. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to.”
As a former dog owner and current father of a 19-month-old child, I can anecdotally attest to the fact that some dogs are cleaner and better behaved than some children. Most children, if I’m being honest. Certainly mine. Yet it’s totally OK to bring my little snot-nosed disease vector to the tasting room, while the dog has to stay outside.
As a result, community members have rallied by the popular brewery, with one patron even starting a petition to get Interior Health to change its rules.
“ is is—or was—one of the best things in Penticton, now gone because of one complaint,” states Mickey Clark, who organized the petition. “ is decision by the health department will continue to degrade and impact the lives of all dog lovers.”
I’m with Mickey. e provincial government needs to remove the ban on dogs in breweries and let brewery owners decide if they want to allow dogs in the tasting room. Dog owners should be allowed to enjoy delicious craft beer without having to abandon their fur baby outside, tied to a pole (which is also illegal in Vancouver and many other municipalities). at’s a hell of a way to treat your best friend.
having to abandon their fur baby outside, tied to a your best friend.
Vancouver Coastal Health—unless you get special permission for an event like Red Truck's Barks +
Some breweries still allow dogs on their patio, but that’s technically not allowed, at least not by Vancouver Coastal Health—unless you get special permission for an event like Red Truck's Barks + Brews shindig back in July.
Recently Cannery Brewing in Penticton had to ban dogs from their tasting room after someone complained to Interior Health.
“We were grateful for the three years we did get to let dogs inside,” Cannery Brewing Company owner Patt Dyck told the Penticton Herald
Recently Cannery Brewing in Penticton had to Penticton Herald.
We love dogs, I think people treat dogs like family, and if tasting rooms are supposed to be family-friendly, they should be allowed.
- Mike Coghill, Yellow Dog Brewing
If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of craft beer, read the label and wondered to yourself what does all this gibberish mean, well, you’re not alone. ankfully, e Growler is here to help you decode the jargon.
by Rob MangelsdorfInternational Bittering Units. is is a measurement of how bitter a beer is. 10 IBUs is roughly equal to sticking with How I Met Your Mother for nine seasons only to be rewarded with that giant dump of a series nale. 40 is what Canucks fans feel anytime Mark goddamn Messier is mentioned. 100+ is nding out your best friend just got together with your ex and now they’re moving across country with your dog I mean what the fuck come on.
Alcohol By Volume. is is the percentage of your beer that is made up of happy juice. Preferred to the International Blackout Unit due to confusion with the acronym.
Short for nitrogen, which is used to make the beer bubbly instead of carbon dioxide. It’s also a key molecular component of nitrous oxide, so if you get giggly after a dozen pints of Guinness, now you know why.
Traditionally, sour beers took years to age and develop in wooden barrels under the watchful eyes of master brewers and blenders. en someone gured out you could toss a bunch of yogurt in there and git r’ dun in a day. Suck it Belgium!
Brett’s the guy in the back who puts the labels on the bottles. He’s a solid dude with most of his ngers that loves him some Def Leppard. ey let him put his name on the bottle if he manages to show up for work on time (which only happens sometimes). Cheers, Brett, you magni cent bastard! Where’s that $15 bucks you owe me?
An unfermentable sugar added to beer to make it sweeter. Basically, yeast is lactose intolerant. ey have no patience for lactose, and they won’t stand for it.
You know how when you put conditioner in your hair, your showers might take a bit longer, but your hair feels so friggin' sweet after? Well, brewers add a bit of yeast and sugar to their beer to naturally carbonate it. Pretty much the same thing.
Some beers just can’t be tamed, man. Some beers are going to live their life like there’s no tomorrow. Some beers are going to have adventures, and while you’re stuck in your boring ass life, at your boring ass job, they’re out there experiencing everything the world has to o er. ank God for daddy’s money. j
When is it OK to send a beer back? How can you do it without making a stink?
by Ben Johnson
Irecently had occasion to visit a nearby outpost of a franchise steak restaurant.
It was one of those rare moments in our lives as parents when my wife and I realized that we were out, childless, hungry at the dinner hour and could actually sit down and enjoy a meal together.
is is, of course, what franchise steak restaurants are for. ey are a known entity: You will have a large and decent piece of meat that you will pay a large and decent price for. You will have the same two appetizers you always order at their other locations. And you will enjoy timely and courteous service. Deep booths, dim lighting, these are all things you are familiar with.
I like an independently-owned, funky, and unique restaurant as much as the next casual food snob, but when you’ve got 90 minutes and no margin for error, give me the comforting sameness and uniform service standards of a reasonably solid franchise every time.
Of course, the one unknown at places like these is always the beer selection.
Sure, things have improved in recent years. Most decent restaurants no longer just pour a monotonous selection of lagers decided based on whether Molson or Labatt was the last company to send in a sales rep with an expense account. Still, the beer at a franchise restaurant, with its barely contained corporate vibes, is always something of a gamble.
at’s why, on my unexpected night out, I was pleased to see a couple of semi-decent local o erings being poured amid the usual macro shit. Larger craft brewers you could likely guess, but respectable and welcome accompaniments to my prime rib (which is coming o the bone tonight at medium rare, as it always does, of course). Un-
Is it really so bad that I need to send it back? Do I really need to be that guy? Why can’t I enjoy things?
fortunately, however, when I ordered and received my beer, something was clearly wrong with it. It was at.
So, now I was faced with a dilemma. And I was caught o guard outside of my natural habitat—a craft beer bar or the safety of my own garage. Do I simply drink the mediocre-at-best beer and eat my prime rib? (Did I mention it was medium rare tonight, sir?) Or do I attempt to ag down my server, who is currently being hit on by thicknecked, polo-shirt-wearing salesmen happily sucking down Shock Top at the bar?
Is it really so bad that I need to send it back? Do I really need to be that guy? Why can’t I just enjoy things? e voice in my head was obstinate. Why are you like this?
Or was that my wife’s voice?
But really, when is it OK to send back beer?
Lauren Fitzgerald is a Certi ed Cicerone who works in the restaurant industry in Stratford, Ontario. I spoke with her recently about my dilemma. Was I just being high maintenance, or was I within my rights to send back my subpar beer?
“It is hard to nd a beer so bad that it is undrinkable,” she told me. “People have been drinking Bud Light for decades after all and they seem to be ne with that.”
“ at being said, there are de nitely certain instances where sending back a beer is acceptable,” she says.
Fitzgerald cites infected beer as a de nite cause for sending back a pint.
“Unlike if there is an infection or bacteria in food, infected beer is unlikely to physically harm you,” she explains. “However, it can be very unpleasant to drink. Some common o avours that are easy to detect are vegetal avours, staleness, cardboard avours, buttery popcorn, or sourness in a beer that is not supposed to be sour. Some of these o avours can be very unpleasant and any sort of quality control should weed these beers out before they are served to the public, but, unfortunately, it is common for these things to slip through the cracks.” >>
While sending back a beer because it is infected is a no brainer, I’d probably be unlikely to get into too much detail about what I thought was wrong. ere is a clear and present risk of sounding like a dick if you start throwing words like acetaldehyde or chlorophenol at a busy server. Just describe to your server what you’re tasting and tell them it’s o . ey’ll probably just replace your beer.
Another reason Fitzgerald says you might send back a beer is if it is simply “bad,” but then of course, this is pretty subjective.
“I have seen people send back Bellwoods Brewery beers or Burdock beers— two of the best breweries in Ontario, in my opinion—and I’ve seen people take a sip of a beautifully and painstakingly crafted wild cider from Revel Ciders and call it awful,” she says. “Each time my heart breaks a little because these are places going out on a limb to create beautiful, individual products but they just weren’t to the tastes of the person who ordered them or he or she wasn’t expecting what was poured.”
A bad beer is something that is clearly unbalanced. Fitzgerald says a bad beer might include “an IPA that is so bitter and resiny that it coats the tongue and leaves an aggressive aftertaste, an amber style beer that nishes cloyingly sweet or a stout that contains so much dark malt that it becomes burnt and acrid tasting.”
Personally, I would probably send back a beer because I didn’t like it, but I’m also unlikely to order an entire pint of something I think might not be to my tastes. If it’s a style that is new to you, a brewery with a questionable track record, or something you’re just not familiar with, ask questions or request a sample before you dive in.
Of course, the rst and simplest reason to send back beer is if it is improperly served. is can be anything from warm beer, beer served in a dirty glass, or under-carbonated beer like the one I was served. All of these things mean the establishment is doing something wrong and it is actually pretty unlikely at a franchise steak restaurant that usually has high standards. Fitzgerald concurs, and says:
“All of these things are relatively simple xes that establishments should be made aware of and should take ownership for.”
And so when I did nally get the attention of my server, I politely explained that my beer was at and asked for something else. She gave me a crinkled-nose look that con rmed she thought I was wrong but apologized profusely and retreated to get me my second choice instead.
My second beer arrived with much ceremony alongside my prime rib, which was a perfect medium rare, by the way. I took a sip. My server anxiously awaited my reaction and I nodded my approval so she could get back to the thirsty salesmen.
is beer was at, too. I drank a third of it and switched to wine. j
Of course, the rst and simplest reason to send back beer is if it’s improperly served.
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!
Chilliwack, B.C.
604-845-7974 • sales@northwesthopfarms.com
www.northwesthopfarms.com
With the arrival of fall comes a surge of fresh hop beers from B.C.’s breweries. ese special beers are available for a short window of time because they are brewed with freshly picked “wet hops” immediately after harvest. Normally, hops are dried and processed into pellets so that they can be shipped and stored for several months without spoiling. Instead, fresh hop beers must be brewed right after the hops are picked, usually the very same day, before the hops begin to spoil.
Wet-hopped beers showcase bright, grassy avours and a distinctly fresh quality that is not present in dried hops. ey should be consumed immediately because the volatile hop oils and avour compounds break down quickly. Don’t plan on cellaring any.
e rst fresh hop beer produced commercially in B.C. was Driftwood Brewery’s Sartori Harvest IPA, which dates back to 2009, making this year’s edition the 10th annual version. In fact, Driftwood brewed its rst batch of Sartori before it ever brewed Fat Tug IPA. Co-founder Jason Meyer says it was on Driftwood’s to-do list right from the start.
“Unfortunately, we opened our doors a month too
late so we couldn’t brew a fresh-hop in the rst year, but I was trying to nd a source for them right away,” he says.
e source he found was the Sartori Hop Ranch in Chilliwack. Rather than experimenting with di erent hops on an annual basis, Driftwood always returns to Sartori’s farm for the fresh crop of Centennial hops.
“Part of our commitment to the Sartori project is that we are exploring a single hop variety from a single plot of land,” explains Meyer. “We really want to celebrate the year-to-year changes that might occur.”
Driftwood sends a truck from its Victoria plant across the strait to pick up a load of hops immediately after harvest.
e elusive charm of fresh hop beers“Part of our commitment to the Sartori project is that we are exploring a single hop variety from a single plot of land. We really want to celebrate the year-to-year changes that might occur.” - Jason Meyer, Driftwood Brewing
“
ere’s something ritualistic about going out there every summer,” Meyer says. “It’s a chance to re ect on life and the business and all that’s changed. I nd it’s a time for re ection.”
e brew takes place rst thing the next morning. Meyer loves seeing the reactions of his sta as they check out the hops. “Everyone walks out of the fridge with the same look on their face. It just lls the brewery with an amazing smell.”
Using fresh hops o ers some brewing challenges. Because the wet hops have so much more moisture in them, a brewer has to use up to 10 times as many hops by weight to get the same amount of the avour compounds, so there’s a lot more plant material in the brew kettle. Driftwood had to devise a screen to keep the hops from clogging up the plumbing. Afterwards, Meyer says the brewer has to climb inside the kettle with a bucket to scoop out the still steaming hops.
“Usually it involves stripping down to your knickers because it’s still so hot in there." Because of this, “the new guy gets that job,” Meyer chuckles. “But actually they’re pleased as piss to brew the Sartori.”
B.C. Hop Fest, Sept. 29 in Abbotsford BCHop.ca/events/hop-fest
Fresh to Death, Oct. 6 in Victoria VictoriaBeerWeek.com
40KM ISA using ingredients sourced within 40 km of the brewery, including fresh hops from three di erent hopyards in Nanoose, Cedar and Yellow Point.
Other breweries go to extreme lengths. After attending the Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria the weekend after Labour Day, Wheelhouse Brewing’s team stops in Chilliwack to load its truck with fresh hops. From there it is a 1,400km drive home to Prince Rupert where they brew their 1000 Mile IPA. Not quite 1000 miles but close enough!
“Nowadays there are a couple hop farms closer to us, but we'll stick with the one a thousand miles away because we're gluttons for punishment,” co-owner Craig Outhet explains. “ at and we'd have to change the name of the beer, and all the fresh hop puns are taken.”
Some brewers choose to use locally grown “wild” hops, sourcing them from backyards, homebrewers’ gardens, or wherever they can nd them. Townsite Brewing works in this way to gather hops for its Timewarp wet-hopped pale ale.
uses in its Wild IPA, “which has a really
Over at Category 12 Brewing in Saanichton, owner Michael Kuzyk is planning his second wet-hopped beer following last year’s Fresh Hop Saison, which he made with Cashmere and Opal hops from the Chilliwack Hop Farm. is time around he’s going to make a fresh hop pale ale with Sacch Trois yeast, the same strain the brewery uses in its Wild IPA, “which has a really nice, fruit-forward mango element to it.
" e hops will be Centennial and Chinook varieties from the B.C. Hop Farm in Abbotsford. He also hopes to adopt a “cryo-hop” method to use some of the wet hops in the dry-hopping stage: “I’m going to use my science background and freeze it with liquid nitrogen.”
Dozens of other fresh hop beers will be released in B.C. this fall. Many breweries work with local hop farms. In Nanaimo, Longwood brews its
Look for fresh hop beers to start showing up on store shelves and tap lists around the end of September. j
Sartori Harvest IPA // Driftwood Brewery
Timewarp Wet-Hopped Pale Ale // Townsite Brewing
Alpha Dog Fresh Hop Pale Ale // Yellow Dog Brewing
Fresh Hopped Wild Pale Ale // Category 12 Brewing
Wet Hopped Blonde // Dageraad Brewing
SEPTEMBER 7-8
Great Canadian Beer Festival is year marks the 26th edition for Canada’s longest running craft beer festival. More than 60 breweries and cideries will be on hand, pouring 250-plus tasty adult beverages, along with live music and food trucks. New for this year is the B.C. Ale Trail-er—featuring beer from 10 breweries across the province on the B.C. Ale Trail—as well as the Alberta Brewers Tent, showcasing the beers of our neighbour to the east. More than 9,000 people are expected to attend over the weekend, and if you’d like to be one of them, visit GCBF. com for info on tickets, or to learn about how you can volunteer for the event.
SEPTEMBER 11-16
Whistler Village Beer Festival
Craft beer in paradise? Uh, yes please! Whistler’s Olympic Plaza once again plays host to the main event on Sept. 15 and 16, with special events happening around town all week long. Whistler knows how to party, so consider yourself warned. GibbonsWhistler.com
SEPTEMBER 29
B.C. Hop Fest
Harvest time means fresh hop beer time, and there’s no better place to sample B.C.’s delicious hop bounty than at B.C. Hop Fest. e event is held at an actual hop farm in Abbotsford (don’t worry Vancouverites, there’s a shuttle bus), with fresh-hopped beers from 40 of the province’s best breweries on o er. Idyllic and delicious? Sign us up! BCHop.ca/events/hop-fest/
OCT O BER 4-14
Harvest Haus
Oktoberfest is the original beer fest, and Harvest Haus in Vancouver is the best one going in
B.C. ere’s oom-pah bands, German DJs, live entertainment, delicious roasted meats of every description and, of course, a lot of German beer. HarvestHaus.com
OCT O BER 6
Fresh to Death
Victoria Craft Beer Week presents the Island’s ode to fresh-hopped beers at e Roundhouse at Bayview Place with more than 20 di erent fresh hop beers from across the province available. VictoriaBeerWeek.com
OCTO BER 13
Cloverfest is craft beer and wine festival, taking place at the Shannon Hall at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, is back for its second year with more than 20 breweries and wineries from the Fraser Valley and beyond. Cloverfest.ca
OCT O BER 19-26
North Shore Craft Beer Week
e North Shore has quietly become a craft beer mecca, thanks to a number of recent brewery openings, and plenty more on the way. is weeklong festival kicks o Oct. 19 with a launch party at e Pipe Shop Building in the swanky new Shipyards neighbourhood. More event details to come at VancouversNorthShore.com/craftbeerweek
OCT O BER 20
All the best beers and the brewers that made them, together in one place. e B.C. Beer Awards celebrate the best of the B.C. craft beer industry at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. is year’s brewers’ challenge is fresh-hopped beer, so make sure to check out all the unique takes on the style. BCBeerAwards.com j
The brainchild of Barkerville Brewing Co. and Vancouver Island Brewing, this full-tilt IPA sets high scores with lemon peel, fresh B.C. blueberries and a multi-ball blast of Mandarina Bavaria, El Dorado and Citra hops. The pale malt base is matched with wheat and oats, all ramped up by the unconventional Sacch Trois yeast.
Get another roll of quarters. This is going to be a long-play session!
Ask for it at your liquorindependentfavourite store in B.C.
by Rob Mangelsdorf
Standing out in the increasingly crowded craft beer market often means craft breweries need to produce beers that are unique. Set a trend, develop a style, and there’s a good chance you’ll get the attention of us thirsty beer dorks.
ere’s ample evidence of this in the past few years—just look at all the new styles that have popped up, from dry-hopped kettle sours to milkshake IPAs. Hell, people are even putting glitter in their beer for some bizarre reason. Glitter. In their beer.
However, many B.C. brewers are looking to the past for inspiration, and are creating some pretty interesting and unique beers as result. In addition to embracing extinct or oft overlooked styles like gose or gruit, some brewers are looking at historical brewing methods as well.
Before there was stainless steel, or even a rudimentary understanding of microbiology, beer was brewed in a much more rustic way, often open to elements using methods that would seem crude today.
Take “steinbier,” for example. German for “stone beer,” making a steinbier requires you to boil your
unfermented beer (known as wort) by pouring it over large rocks that have been heated to 400 C. is results in a lot of zzing, splashing, steam and—most importantly—the caramelization of the sugars in the wort.
Steel & Oak Brewing in New Westminster teamed up with German brewery Freigeist Bierkultur two years ago to give this archaic brewing method a shot and the result was Steinbier Lager.
“Steinbier isn’t so much a style as a brewing method,” says Steel & Oak head brewer Eric Moutal. “We love lagers, so we decided to do a very crisp and clean lager to showcase that caramelization, and threw some rye in there for balance.
“We’re really happy with it.”
But historical brewing methods aren’t being revived just due to some penchant for anachronism, though. Sometimes the old ways produce unique avours that can’t be replicated any other way.
“We’re not doing it for the sake of doing it,” says Moutal. “ at doesn’t make sense. We want to create a beer with a speci c, unique avour. It’s all about that caramelization, and the minerality the rocks add to the beer. It’s a very complex avour pro le.
“Also, playing with re and rocks is really cool.” is means of boiling wort developed because most breweries used to brew their beer in huge wooden
LEFT:
vats that couldn’t be heated directly, in the days before stainless steel and electricity. But as it turns out, one B.C. brewer is resurrecting the use of wooden brew kettles, too.
Oliver Gläser is the owner and head brewer of Boundary Brewing in Kelowna, which specializes in traditional German-style beers. Last year, when he needed to upgrade his brewhouse, he decided to replace his stainless steel system with one fashioned out of massive oak vats, originally used for wine.
“I’m sure it’s the only [wooden brewhouse] in Canada,” says Gläser. “Dog sh Head [in Delaware] has one that they only use for special beers, and there are a couple breweries in Europe that have them, but that’s about it as far as I know.”
Gläser says he’s been always been fascinated by wooden brewhouses, and when he came into possession of two 600L oak puncheons he decided to make his own.
He, too, had to make things up as he went. Since the brew kettle is wooden, Gläser had to install electric coil immersion heaters into the base of the vat. If the system sits unused for more than a few days, the wood will dry out and the staves will separate, requiring the kettle to be steamed to rehydrate and seal the staves. And since there are some avours that get transferred from one brew to the next, Gläser has to manage what he brews, and when.
“It’s seasoned, like a cast iron pan,” he says. “But I wouldn’t be able to do a Baltic porter then a pilsner the next day.”
Despite its idiosyncrasies, Gläser couldn’t be happier with his wooden brewhouse. He says the wood helps impart richness and a subtle oakiness to his beers, giving them a more complex avour pro le.
“It sets us apart,” says Gläser. “We get people coming in here just to look at the brew kettle. My only complaint is that I wish it was bigger.”
Many of the technological advancements in brewing have come about to make the process more e cient and more consistent—that is to say, more pro table. However, just because something is cheaper, doesn’t necessarily make it better—and what is “better” is often di erent depending on who you ask.
Back in the days before refrigeration, after the wort was boiled, it was cooled in large shallow pans called coolships, exposing it to a large surface area to get it down to fermentation temperatures quickly. Now, that’s a bad thing if you are trying to prevent your beer from being infected, but it’s a really good thing if you’re trying to infect it on purpose.
Abbotsford’s Field House Brewing has been experimenting with coolships since 2016, the latest being a collaboration with Bellingham’s Wander Brewing this past May. e barrel-aged farmhouse ale was made with local malt and aged hops, and was spontaneously fermented in the coolship, similar to how beer would have been brewed in Belgium hundreds of years ago.
“What coolships allow you to do is to cool hot wort over a period of about 12 to 24 hours,” says brewer Matt Friesen, “allowing the local wild yeast and bacteria present in the air to take hold and contribute their own unique avours as local wild yeasts and bacteria struggle to dominate the fermentation.”
e point is to create a beer that’s unique and delicious, with a avour that can’t be found anywhere else.
“Our hope is this beer captures some of the local Fraser Valley terroir,” says Friesen. “One of our main brewing focuses has always been farmhouse-style beers and [using these methods] allows us to get closer to the roots of this tradition.” j
TOP: Boundary Brewing in Kelowna brews its beers in a wooden brewhouse, the only one of its kind in Canada. Contributed photo
Scotland has always been a place steeped in myth and magic, and nowhere is that more evident than in the Highlands. While Edinburgh—with its breathtaking Royal Mile—and Glasgow—with its cutting edge arts and music scene—inevitably compete for the attention of most tourists, the North is where the true heart of Scotland lies. At least, that’s what the souvenir tea towels tell me.
e rugged wilds of the Highlands are home to elusive lake monsters, neolithic ruins of long-vanished ancient civilizations, fairies, castles and some of the nest whiskies on Earth (which might explain the vivid imaginations of the locals).
Not surprisingly, there’s also a growing craft beer movement, led by world-beaters Brew Punk from Aberdeen. Traditional malty cask ales have seen a resurgence alongside hopped up iterations of North American craft standards, with many breweries combining the two styles to great e ect. Indeed, the crystal clear waters of the Highlands are not only well suited for distilling, but brewing as well, making the region a must-visit for fans of the fermentable arts.
e ancient city of Inverness sits at the geographic centre of the Highlands, and has served as its administrative, commercial and cultural capital for millennia.
I wanted to get my bearings so I made my way through the narrow alleys of the Victorian Markets to the Malt Room, arguably the best whisky bar in Northern Scotland and certainly one of the hardest to nd. is tiny modern shrine to whisky (both scotch and Japanese, interestingly) is the perfect starting point for any serious exploration of the indigenous beverage culture.
Bar manager Jack Lowrie is an a able Invernesian with an obvious passion for whisky, and on this particular night, his 25-seat bar is playing host to a tasting session for legendary Speyside distillery, e Balvenie. e crowd is boisterous, jovial and refreshingly unpretentious—such is the character of the Highlanders.
As Lowrie excitedly pours me dram after dram, he explains that categorizing whisky by region is di cult, given how varied the o erings are. e one thing Highland whiskies do have in common, however, is respect for the craft. ere’s no cutting corners, just patience, attention to detail and the constant pursuit of perfection. It’s all very kaizen, which is perhaps partly why Japan is so smitten with scotch—it's the second largest market worldwide.
Heady from the Highland hospitality, I venture around the corner to Black Isle Brewing Co.’s agship gastropub on Church Street. Here you can sample 26 di erent organic beers from the local craft brewery, like the Red Kite Amber Ale (4.1% ABV). Exceptionally well balanced with
jammy biscuit and subtle roast notes, it pairs nicely with one of Black Isle Bar’s wood red pizzas. Much of the ingredients used at the pub are grown and raised at Black Isle’s own organic farm and brewery, just eight miles from Inverness, so I had to see it for myself.
Let it be known that the Black Isle is neither black, nor an island—a more appropriate name would be the Green Peninsula, but I guess that doesn’t sound as cool.
Located down a single-track gravel road in the bucolic burg of Munlochy, Black Isle Brewing Co.’s brewery sits on a 140-acre certi ed organic farm where the Gladwin family has been making beer for 20 years. For owner Michael Gladwin, the decision to go organic was one of environmental responsibility.
“ e Highlands are a beautiful place, but man is doing a good job of making a mess of it,” he tells me as we walk through the massive modern barn that holds the brewery. “ is is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so we have to protect it.”
At the northern tip of the Black Isle is the tiny village of Cromarty, home of the Cromarty Brewing Company. Located on a farm above the village, the brewery itself doesn’t have a tasting lounge, but it does have a bottle shop and runs tours on Saturdays. ankfully Cromarty’s craft-inspired cask ales and bottled beers are available at pubs all over the Highlands. e Happy Chappy New Wave Pale Ale (4.1% ABV, 30 IBU) is a delightfully fruity, slightly nutty, easy drinking session ale packed with juicy New World aroma hops. Maybe it was jovial atmosphere at the Arisaig Hotel where I rst sampled it, or the drams of Ardbeg the locals were buying the Canadian oddity at the bar, but pints of this handpulled cask ale were the stu of nirvana, the very de nition of “moreish.”
In addition to the oil industry, the whisky industry
is also prevalent in this neck of the Highlands, with massive, mold-covered warehouses dotting the shoreline.
e Dalmore Distillery in nearby Alness was founded in 1839, and operates 24/7 to produce more than 4.3 million litres of spirit annually— most of which goes to nearby blender and parent company Whyte & Mackay in Invergordon. e seaside distillery’s vast warehouses contain more than 65,000 casks of whisky, some dating back nearly 50 years.
Like nearly all distilleries, Dalmore o ers guided tours and ours nishes with some samples in its swanky tasting room. You can’t help but imagine Chinese billionaires, Saudi princes or Russian oligarchs choppering in here for their own private tasting and tour. Which apparently happens from time to time.
e Dalmore King Alexander III was a standout, with notes of to ee, vanilla, citrus, spice and chocolate after having been variously aged in >>
TOP: Check out the Malt Room in Inverness to try everything the Highlands has to o er in one place. Rob Mangelsdorf photo BOTTOM: Black Isle Brewing Co. has been making beer the organic way since 1998. Rob Mangelsdorf photois is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so we have to protect it.
– Michael Gladwin, Black Isle Brewing Co.
casks of bourbon, marsala, madeira, cabernet sauvignon and sherry.
Up the road in the village of Tain is the equally historic Glenmorangie Distillery, also owned by Whyte & Mackay. Glenmorangie has been around since 1843 and is the scotch Scots drink most— it’s been the best-selling single malt in Scotland for the past 35 years.
e tour takes us through the distillery where the extraordinarily tall copper stills resemble a massive pipe organ, giving the airy oceanfront building the feeling of a cathedral. Certainly it’s a place of reverence and worship, and thirsty angels have long been suspected of hanging about.
I went home with a bottle of the Lasanta, a single malt aged for 10 years in bourbon barrels and nished for another two years in Spanish sherry casks. Smooth, rich and sweet, with avours of honey, dark fruit, citrus and spice dominating—it’s little wonder it was named Best Highlands Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2017.
Heading south from Inverness along the A9 motorway, it’s not long before all traces of civilization are left behind. is is the Cairngorms, Scotland’s massive national park, which o ers that all-toorare commodity in Europe: proper wilderness. Often in the U.K., what nature does exist is rigid and manicured, with man’s ngerprints all over it. Even the heathered glens of the Highlands only exist because all the trees that used to grow there were chopped down and never replanted.
But the Cairngorms is di erent. Here there are endless peaks, surging rivers and thick forests of Scotch pine that will likely look very familiar to most British Columbians—and in the middle of it all: a distillery, of all things.
At rst glance, the Tomatin Distillery, 30 minutes south of Inverness at the edge of the national park, appears to be precisely in the middle of nowhere. But as Kirstie Eunson, Tomatin’s visitor centre supervisor explains, the distillery was purposely built in its somewhat remote locale because it has access to a quality water source and is on a major train line (and now, the A9).
“We think the softer water helps with the softer avour pro le,” says Eunson, who also has a master’s degree in distilling.
Tomatin is the new kid on the block of Highland scotch, having only been founded a mere 121 years ago, but in that very, very short time they’ve proven they can hang with the big lads. e visitor centre is bustling on the day I visit, and I’m barely able to snag a stool at the bar. I try a wee dram of Tomatin 18 and I’m enraptured by honey, oak, citrus, chocolate, happiness, the sound of a child’s laughter, a rst kiss—it’s all in there.
Further along the A9 and into the national park is the Cairngorm Brewery in the alpine resort town of Aviemore. If there is a brewing award given out in the U.K., it’s a safe bet Cairngorm has won it, multiple times. While the branding might be a bit dated, the beer is beyond reproach. Trade Winds (4.3% ABV) is a delicious, complex, well-balanced cask wheat ale with elder ower. Smooth and slightly nutty, there’s notes of citrus, jam, biscuit, lemongrass and spice, all in perfect harmony.
Despite being somewhat isolated in a town of little more than 2,000 people, Cairngorm’s tasting room is bumping when I visit. It’s just further proof that in the Highlands, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere, you’re never far from good drink. j
Cromarty Brewing Company blends New World avours with traditional U.K. cask ale styles. Contributed photo
For many B.C. brewers, their love of delicious beverages thankfully extends past beer. Some breweries have tried making ciders, others are doing whiskies and spirits. And some are going in a totally di erent, alcohol-free direction: soda pop.
And in the family-friendly tasting room, it’s proving to be a big hit.
Victoria’s Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. was the rst B.C. craft brewery to try its hand at naturally brewed sodas, and six years later they can be found in grocery stores and restaurants all over the province.
However, the decision to get into the zz biz came by accident, says founder Matt Phillips.
“We were looking at soda for inspiration for our beers,” he says. “We were playing with ginger and root beer spices and it dawned on us that no one was making sodas from real ingredients.
“So we decided to.”
e result was Phillips Soda Works’ Capt. Electro’s Intergalactic Root Beer and Sparkmouth
Ginger Ale, both launched in 2012. Phillips has since added a cola and an orange cream soda to the lineup, as well as the Phillips Fermentorium line of tonics.
Unlike what was on the market at the time, Phillips’ o erings were distinctly “craft.”
“Our sodas follow the same ethos as our beer,” he says. “ ey’re made from scratch, from fresh ingredients and served fresh.”
Newly opened Loudmouth Brewing Company in Abbotsford has built soda into its business model since day one. Founder Nicolas Mielty says he wants to have craft options for everyone that walks through his doors, including those who don’t drink alcohol.
In addition to craft beer, Loudmouth’s tasting room is also home to tall cans, 355mL bottles, 650mL bombers, growler lls and tasting ights of its handmade all-natural sodas.
Mielty has been experimenting with soda pop for years and says he rst fell in love with soda during a sur ng trip to the U.S.
“You’d nd these little pizza shops with amazing sodas in glass bottles,” he says. “But we just don’t have that selection here. I’d like to change that.”
Much of the Canadian craft soda market is dominated by foreign brands: retro craft sodas like Lemmy’s, Dad’s, Moxie and Mr. Cola are all manufactured in Washington State, while Fentiman’s is imported from England. Even Jones Soda, which began in Vancouver, is now American owned and made.
Mielty says he’d like to see homegrown products take their place, and breweries are uniquely positioned to do just that.
“We have the mixing vessels, the CO2 tanks, the bottling lines, the pasteurization,” he says.
Loudmouth’s soda selection is diverse, with nitro cold brew co ee alongside craft cola and root beer. Mielty also plans to do a line of sodas inspired by craft beer, including sour fruit sodas, modeled after kettle soured ales, as well as dry-hopped pop.
“It’s actually pretty popular in Europe, but we haven’t seen it here,” he says.
ere’s one thing you won’t nd in his sodas, however: high fructose corn syrup.
“It’s astounding how much sugar is in some sodas,” he says. “You don’t need that much to sweeten it so [craft soda] is much better for you.”
Callister Brewing’s Diana McKenzie says it was a similar interest in making beer that led her to make pop.
“Soda can be so much more than coke and root beer, much like the beer world has nally realized that beer isn't just American lagers,” she says. “I want people to appreciate the possibilities and the range outside of big label commercial soda.”
Callister Soda o ers avours like Traditional Tonic, Raspberry Earl Grey, Ginger Mint and Spruce & Hop in 355mL bottles from the tasting
room and other East Van retailers. e sodas are designed to be enjoyed on their own or used as a cocktail mixer.
“ e Traditional Tonic is so di erent from what people think of as a tonic, so I have some very dedicated tonic followers,” says McKenzie. “ e Raspberry Earl Grey gets people so excited, they usually swear at me because it's so good.”
ere weren’t many resources available for learning how to make sodas, compared to homebrewing, McKenzie says, which meant a lot of experimentation was necessary to nally craft her unique recipes and scale them up for bottling. Since only a handful of companies are doing anything similar locally, there’s less industry support and collaboration than what she’s experienced in the brewing industry.
“I've had to gure it out on my own nearly every step of the way,” she says.
But being small and adaptable has its advantages: McKenzie can use fresh local ingredients, make small batches and sell the soda as fresh as possible.
“I'm sure most breweries could do it if they wanted to commit the resources to it,” she says, “but at a larger size and scale, it may require more of an investment.”
Unlike beer, however, soda can be enjoyed by everyone.
“You can sell it to anyone and anytime,” says McKenzie. “It's actually really liberating not to be as restricted.” j
LEFT: Phillips Brewing was the rst B.C. craft brewery to try its hand at soda making in 2012. James MacKenzie photo
Presented by BC Hop Company
1 Hi! My name is Henrietta and I’m a happy hop plant. My friends and I are what make your beer so delicious. You’re welcome!
2 My life starts out in a greenhouse back when I was a baby rhizome. It's kind of like a kindergarten for hop plants, but it’s strictly girls only—no male hop plants allowed!
3 Once I'm big and strong enough, I'm planted in the ground so I can get lots of sunlight—at least six hours a day of glorious Fraser Valley sun. It’s a hard life!
4 I need to be trained onto my hop strings and taken care of regularly. e farmer and his helpers always make sure I'm looking good!
5 I like to climb, so I grow on long strings made from coconut husks, and supported by a giant trellis. I can grow close to 20 feet long in just a few months time. Impressive, huh?
6 It will take two to three growing seasons before my sisters and I mature enough to produce at our best. You can’t rush perfection!
7 When harvest time comes in the late summer/ early autumn, the farmer and his helpers pick my ower cones using large machines.
8 Once picked, I’m carefully dried then conditioned and packed into a bale. I am then pelletized so I’ll last an extra long time. How do you like me now?
9 It’s brew day, my time to shine! Brewers love me because I contain alpha acids and avour compounds that not only preserve their beer, but make it delicious, too!
10 e nished product! My work here is done!
Brewmasters are passionate about the quality of hops they use to make your favourite beer and we are equally passionate about delivering what they need. works with partner farmers to harvest locally grown hops and uses modern innovations to process the highest quality product in Canada.
BC Hop Company
One of our core values is to make our farms accessible, educational, and ultimately approachable for both brewers and their clients.
Join us for Celebration favourite brewmaster, and join us in celebrating the hop harvest.
BC Hop Fest: A Fresh Beer
, an annual event on the farm, featuring amazing BC breweries. Eat and drink among hops still on the bine, kick up your heels to live music, talk to your
FRESH BEER CELEBRATION
Saturday, September 29, 1-6pm 1905 Cole Road, Abbotsford
For tickets and more information,
visit bchop.ca
e ower of the mighty hop plant, aka Humulus lupulus, is responsible for much of the characteristic avour and aroma in beer—in fact, it’s pretty hard to imagine beer without it. e range of avours derived from hops is truly remarkable. ey can variously be earthy, herbal, oral, citrus, spicy, bitter, fruity, tropical, or any combination thereof.
But despite how delicious hops makes our beer, it doesn’t really show up in food too often. ankfully, that’s changing as chefs and beer nerds alike are increasingly looking to the humble hop to give their dish a unique twist.
Here’s some of our favourite hop- avoured foods to look out for.
So hop tea is a thing, which makes sense, since it’s green and leafy and typically boiled. ere’s a lot of health claims associated with it, which, quite frankly, are unscienti c and super sketchy. Like the fact that it apparently prevents cancer. Right.
Some of the claims make sense, though. Hop tea is supposed to be a stress reducer, which totally explains why I feel so relaxed after crushing six pints of Fat Tug. It’s also a diuretic, so that explains all the piss, too.
Because of hop’s antiseptic qualities, you can use a cloth soaked in hop tea to treat burns and cuts naturally. Or you could just stick to the Polysporin like a non-crazy person.
Questionable health bene ts aside, if you like drinking herbal tea and you’re looking for a new cuppa, then give it a spin. HopsTea.net
Even if you’re not drinking beer, you can still have your hops. Bitters are an essential ingredient in a well-balanced cocktail, and hops work perfectly in the classic herbal tincture. Vancouver’s Bittered Sling won a silver medal at the Beverage Tasting Institute International Review of Spirits Awards for its Grapefruit & Hops bitters. e B.C.-grown
hops provide a oral, herbaceous character, as well as the requisite bitterness. BitteredSling.com
At the legendary Hamiltons Tavern in San Diego, hops aren’t only on tap, they’re in the craft beer bar’s world famous, house-made hop sausage, too.
e bar’s owner apparently changes up the recipe every couple of weeks to pair with the featured cask ale of the moment—but there’s always hops in the mix, as it adds a bright, herbal kick.
HamiltonsTavern.com
ere are plenty of beers with chocolatey character, so this one just makes sense. Hops pair well with the natural bitterness of the cocoa bean, and can add a piney, citrus character to the chocolate.
Abbotsford chocolatier, ChocolateTas, combined Lumberjack hops from the Fraser Valley with lime, and chocolate in its delicious hop caramels. If you’ve ever been to B.C. Hop Fest (back again Sept. 29, people!), then you’ve probably tried these, and you de nitely love them. ChocolaTas.com
Chicago-based Hop Pop Soda Co. (DrinkHopPop.com) features citrusy hops in its line of alcohol-free, ca eine free beverages, with avours like Citra Hops and Ginger, and Citra and Galaxy Hop Blend. Closer to home, Callister Sodas (CallisterSoda.com) in East Van does a Spruce & Hops pop made with local ingredients. And if the thought drinking a hoppy beverage without alcohol in it gives you the shakes, well, Spruce & Hops makes a great mixer, too. Also, get help.
Herbs like thyme and rosemary are perfect chicken pairings, and hops can be, too! Try substituting a couple of teaspoons of hop powder in your shake-and-bake recipe and put a new twist on herb-crusted roast chicken. What’s hop powder, you ask? Just take dry hop pellets and grind them up in a co ee grinder or food processor. Remember, a little goes a long way. j
As a child growing up in Poland, pastry chef Agnieszka Furmanek learned to cook at her mother’s knee. After earning her master's in food science and nutrition and moving to Victoria two years ago, she found a place to share her love of rustic homecooking at Spinnakers Brewpub.
is recipe for an almond cake with ale-poached pears is a twist on one of Furmanek’s favourites as a child. It’s a simple, delicious way to celebrate whatever fruit is in season, and best of all, you can dress it up as a fantastic dessert or keep it simple for an equally fantastic breakfast or co ee treat.
Spinnakers’ You Otter Have Another Nut Brown Ale is a hugely food friendly beer, thanks to the use of roasted chocolate barley and Maris Otter malt.
“It gives it a biscuity, sweet avour that really plays o the nuts, fruit and berries in this cake,” says Furmanek.
If there’s one rule when it comes to beer and dessert, she says, it's to avoid using hoppy beers.
“Sweet things don’t like bitter things, typically. ink orange juice and toothpaste, yuck!”
—Rob Mangelsdorf
For the poached pears
4 pears
200mL Spinnakers You Otter Have Another Nut Brown Ale
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the almond cake
1 cup white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter
Zest from 1 lemon
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 ½ cups all purpose our
½ cup ne ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
3 cups blueberries (or whatever berry is in season)
Crumble topping
¾ cup all purpose our
3 tbsp ne ground almonds
3 tbsp white sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
directions
Poaching the pears
1. Peel the pears then cut in half and remove the core. Cut each half into half again.
2. Whisk together beer, sugar and nutmeg. Place pears in a pot that is large enough so that they aren’t too crowded. Pour beer mix over top. e beer should fully submerge the fruit; if it doesn’t, add water.
3. Simmer on low for approximately 15 minutes, but do not overcook! You want the pears a little rm since you will be baking them as well. Retain the leftover poaching liquid. Pears can be poached a day ahead.
1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. Mix butter, sugar and lemon zest either by hand or in a mixer.
For dessert, with co ee, or even for breakfast, pastry chef Agnieszka Furmanek's almond cake with ale-poached pears is perfect any time. James MacKenzie photo
2. After fully combined, add one egg at a time while mixing, ensuring that each egg is incorporated before you add the next one. Add the vanilla extract during this time.
3. Once the eggs are fully combined, mix in the sour cream or yogurt. Set this batter aside.
4. Mix together all the dry ingredients except the blueberries. Whisk your dry ingredients and batter together until just combined.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan and pour half of the batter into the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle half the blueberries over top.
6. Cover with the rest of the batter then top with the poached pear slices and the other half of the blueberries.
7. For the crumble topping, melt the butter and combine with the our, ground almonds, sugar and vanilla. Gentle spread the crumble on top of the berries and pears.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. While the cake is baking, place your pear poaching liquid in a small pot and reduce by half over high heat. is beer reduction can be used as a drizzle on the plate when you serve the cake.
10. Let the cake cool slightly before slicing and enjoy with vanilla ice cream and your pear/beer reduction. j
1345 Clark Dr. | StrangeFellowsBrewing.com
DAILY 12-11PM
EST. 2014
e advantage of building your brewery around barrel-aged beer is being able to o er a growing list of vintages by the glass in your tasting room. Between the constant seasonals and the latest Fellowship release, there’s always something new to be found.
Availability: Year-round
Soft, round and chocolatey in character, this stout is sessionable and smooth.
Availability: Rotating
is single hop IPA series changes up every brew, highlighting the personality of each hop variety.
Availability: Seasonal
Bright and complex, with avours reminiscent of ripe pineapple and white grape.
Availability: Year-round
Co-owner and head brewer Iain Hill may brew lambic-style beers, but he insists they are not true lambics. at title is reserved only for the wild fermented, barrel-aged sour beers made in the Pajottenland region of Belgium, such as kriek or gueuze.
295 E. 1st Ave. | RedTruckBeer.com
SUN-WED 11AM-10PM ^ THURS 11AM-11PM ^
FRI-SAT 11AM-12AM
EST. 2005
e original red truck is a 1964 Dodge pickup and still lives at the brewery. If you’ve ever had lunch on Red Truck’s patio, you’ve probably considered living there too.
EL SPACE CAMINO
D RY-HOPPED P ALE ALE
Availability: Seasonal
A BV IB U 5.0%25
D RY-HOPPED B LO N DE ALE
Availability: Seasonal
A BV IB U 5.1%30
Malty, yet fruity, with passion fruit, citrus, light wa- Pine and citrus aromas lead into a balanced and
15 W. 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.com
25 W. 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.com
Your neighbourhood one-stop shop for awardwinning beer, brunch, co ee, lunch, beer, dinner, cider and beer. And soon there’ll be more acres of plenty at the sister brewery next door.
33 Acres’ new brewery is right next door to its current tasting room, o ering a totally di erent line-up of beers focusing on experimentation and exploring the science of fermentation.
33B.EXP.003.
1507 Powell St. | AndinaBrewing.ca
Drinking beer can be its own tness regime, or you can swing by the next Zumbeer event and dance your way to a cold one, Zumba-style.
310 W. 4th Ave. | BigRockBeer.com
1488 Adanac St. | BomberBrewing.com
Big Rock is celebrating a new look, new food menu, expanded beer selection and new brewmaster, Rick Dellow, an award-winning veteran of the Vancouver scene.
When hockey friends got together and conceived a brewery baby, delicious beer ensued. Bomber is now growing up to be a pretty awesome East Van kid. SUPER
2148 Main St. | Brassneck.ca
e “little neighbourhood brewery” anchors what is now one of the best craft hoods in and around East Van’s Main Street.
Tap & Barrel have taken over the former Steel Toad space to o er sociable seating, a gastropub menu and rotating brews by Kerry Dyson (exBridge) and collaborators.
1338 Franklin St. | CallisterBrewing.com
1967 Triumph St. | CoalHarbourBrewing.com
Now brewing at the Callister collaborative co-operative are Sundown Beer (with unique and exceptional brews) and Good Buddy Beer (with wacky and drinkable brews).
RASPBERRY FIELDS (SUNDOWN) RASPBERRY SOUR ALE
While we wait (im)patiently for their tasting room to nally open (spring 2019?) why not sample a dino-sour candy-infused beer or a French toast stout?
DINO SOUR
DINOSAUR CANDYINFUSED SOUR ALE
1575 Vernon Dr. | CraftCollective.beer
COSMIC FUSION
1830 Powell St. | DoansCraftBrewing.com
e home of Haus Lager, Phantom Beer and Spectrum Beer, Craft Collective recently welcomed Doan’s Craft Brewing Co. into the fold.
Doan’s days on Powell Street will soon be done, but the beer will keep owing as a contract brew out of Craft Collective. Fear not, a new East Vancouver location is in the works.
KOLSCH KOLSCH-STYLE
One-o
1253 Johnston St. | DocksideVancouver.com
8284 Sherbrooke St. | DogwoodBrew.com
Dockside’s biggest draw has long been its unparalleled patio, but new head brewer Craig Ludtke’s revamped tap list makes this restaurant a beer destination, too.
e only organic brewery in Vancouver, Dogwood is also the only one to be located in South Vancouver—a double boon for the locals.
EAST VAN BREWING CO.
ELECTRIC BICYCLE BREWING CO.
A rarity among the oft overcrowded Vancouver tasting rooms, East Van has a 65 person capacity and welcomes large groups— extroverts rejoice!
UNHOLY ONE
One-o
VANCOUVER VANCOUVER
FACULTY BREWING CO.
Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal
GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING
Class is in session every day at Faculty. Expand your beer knowledge with a frequently changing lineup from in-house brewers and collaborators, including new experimental brews ursdays.
GIB has come a long way since 1984. e original small-batch brewery lets brewmaster Kevin Emms stretch his mashing muscles with an ever-expanding repertoire.
FARMHOUSE SAISON SAISON Availability: Small batch
Availability:
403 East Hastings St. | PatsPub.ca
1123 Venables St. | LuppoloBrewing.ca
Brewing exclusively for Pat’s Pub, Hastings Mill has six taps of their house-brewed beer available in tasters, pints and for growler lls.
VIENNA STYLE LAGER
Availability: Year-round
BRICKTOP PALE ALE
AMERICAN PALE ALE
Availability: Year-round
Two years and over 50 barrels calls for a party! Don’t miss the Nov. 3 shindig celebrating one of East Van’s most unique craft brewhouses.
ALBICOCCHINA
BARREL AGED APRICOT SOUR
Availability: Seasonal
MIDWEST IPA INDIA PALE ALE
Availability: Small batch
VANCOU V ER V ANCOU V ER
261 E. 7th Ave. | MainStreetBeer.ca
1351 Adanac St. | O eRailBrewing.com
As well as nding that magic combination of innovation and consistency, Main Street also boasts a beautiful, atmospheric tasting room, great food and cask options.
SKITTLEBRAU
ose delicious brews you’ve been grabbing in bottles are now available in four- and sixpacks thanks to a new canning machine.
CZECHMATE
VANCOU V ER VANCOU V ER
1950 Triumph St. | Parallel49Brewing.com
Always hopping, P49 has something on their 40 taps for every palate (including cider)—and you have got to try the daily donut.
55
Availability: One-o
e line-up of brews at this East Van spot is never-ending with a variety of ways to sip; small cans, bombers or 750mL pours, all designed for a session setting.
COULD
Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round
GIMME RAYBUCK IRISH ALE IR I SH ALE IB U A BV 15 5.5% IB U A BV 22 5.2% IB U A BV 30 5.5% IB U A BV 40 5.4% 54
1357
Since Old Jalopy rst won Canadian Beer of the Year in 2012, it’s continued to pick up awards, including a gold at the 2018 World Beer Cup.
375 Water St. | Steamworks.com/Brew-Pub
310 Commercial Dr. | StormBrewing.com
Using steam power to brew their beers began from necessity at the historic Gastown location, and continues on proudly in the Burnaby brewery and taproom.
Even though the sour beer craze only took o here a few years ago, Storm has been making sour beers for more than 20 years.
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Year-round Availability: Small batch Availability: Year-round
895 E. Hastings St. | StrathconaBeer.com
1111 Mainland St. | MJG.ca/Yaletown
Interests in art, music, skateboarding and design in uenced all aspects of the brand of this community gathering place.
Join in the fun on Pizza Sundays with special pricing on beers and pizzas. And don’t miss their happy hour, 3-6pm Sundays through ursdays.
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
114 - 3191 underbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com
MON-WED 12-9PM ^ THU 12-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-10PM
SUN 11AM-9PM
EST. 2014
e reigning Canadian brewery of the year continues to impress with each new Belgian-inspired beer it releases. Visit the gorgeous tasting room for the full experience—better yet, take the SkyTrain there and take full advantage of the brewery’s lounge licence.
6º ABBEY DU BB EL W I TH SOUR C HERR IES
Availability: Year-round
Have you ever seen the rain coming down on sunny days? ‘Cuz it tastes like this hoppy blonde ale with grapefruit peel.
Availability: Seasonal
is Belgian delight features rich, velvety malts, giving way to a tart, cherry nish.
Availability: Seasonal
is rustic farmhouse-style ale won for Best Saison at the the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards.
Availability: Year-round
Dageraad’s rst session beer, this spicy little number can go the distance.
Good news everyone! Dageraad recently expanded its brewing capacity, meaning it can now produce between 11 and 13 teaspoons of beer per year, per B.C. resident. Don’t drink your share all at once!
14200 Entertainment Blvd. | Monkey9.ca EST.
is brewpub opened in 1997 as Big River Brewing and then later was renamed Be Right Back Brewing. Now called Monkey 9, its brewer Travis Lang brings creative ingenuity from his homebrewing days, which the chef supports with delicious dishes.
SAVE
Availability: Seasonal
Refreshing, light, and hoppy, this might just turn around a challenging day.
Availability: Year-round
No monkeying around, this tasty pale ale has a good balance of malt and hops.
Availability: Year-round
is brown ale just might make you jump up and sing “I feel good!”
Availability: Year-round
A solid stout with a big roasted malt character that is especially good on nitro.
Monkeys are considered lucky and clever in Chinese culture, and the name Monkey 9 pairs perfectly with Lucky 9 Lanes, the attached bowling alley. e stylish logo was created by graphic designer Travis Lang whose tasty homebrews also landed him the job as brewer. Lucky man!
DAILY 11AM-7PM
EST. 2013
With more than 160 barrels and eight foeders (big oak vessels), Four Winds’ barrel program is producing complex, envelope-pushing beers.
Availability: Year-round
When you want to convert someone to sour beers, give them this one rst.
Availability: Year-round
6.5%50
Bursting with tropical fruit avours and aromas balanced by some funky wild yeast character.
3845 William St. | Steamworks.com
1100 Lansdowne Dr. | MarinerBrewing.ca
e Steam train has left most of the B.C. competition behind as the brewery solidi es its reputation for consistent staples, awesome aged ales and trend-setting releases.
PREMIUM CRAFT LAGER LAGER
Availability: Year-round
NORTH BY NORTHWEST IPA
INDIA PALE ALE
Availability: Year-round
Coquitlam’s rst craft brewery is also home to its rst dog-friendly beer garden, open from 4:30pm to sunset on weekdays and all day on weekends.
BLUEBERRY SOUR SOUR ALE
Availability: Seasonal
LANGLEY
105 - 8860 201st St. | DeadFrog.ca
e Frog is ourishing in its new pad just o Highway 1. A 65-seat tasting room with 26 taps, food and frequent live music makes for a hopping experience.
MOSCOW MULE LIME & GINGER WHITE ALE WHITE ALE
Seasonal
HORIZON
Availability: Seasonal
20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew
GREEN MAGIC IPA
INDIA
Kwantlen Polytechnic’s 4,500 sq. ft. pilot brewery is home to the KPU Brewing Diploma program where you can try award-winning beers made by the brewmasters of tomorrow.
RASPBERRY BLONDE ALE
PALE ALE
Availability: Small batch
Availability: Small batch
107 - 20120 64th Ave. | TradingPostBrewing.com
22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | MapleMeadowsBrewing.com
Keep an eye out as this Langley favourite expands into Abbotsford later this year with a second eatery.
Behind the unassuming storefront lies a small tasting room with a friendly welcome and unfussy beer options, with the occasional cask on o er, too.
THREE BEARS
Availability:
22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | RidgeBrewing.com
PUMPKIN SPICE
Availability:
VALLEY BREWING
#101 - 11952 224 St. | SilverValleyBrewing.com
Ever inventive and just the right amount of silly, Ridge has been bestowing varying degrees of gravity and levity on the Valley beer scene for three years now.
HONEY BROWN BROWN ALE NEIGHBOUR-
If you’re into un ltered (and delicious) craft beer paired with locally sourced (and fabulous) food, then Silver Valley is right up your alley.
Availability:
Availability:
From the start this New West gem has been a family-oriented operation so bring the kids— there’s lemonade on tap just for them.
312 E. Esplanade | BeereBrewing.com
is plucky little North Shore brewery is celebrating it’s rst anniversary, and we’re going to guess that involves some more killer IPAs.
106 -720 Copping St. | BlackKettleBrewing.com
1448 Charlotte Rd. | BridgeBrewing.com
Did you know the North Vancouver Spirit Trail now connects you directly to the taps at Black Kettle? Hop on your steed and get down here.
GRUMPY UNICORN IPA INDIA PALE ALE
170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | DeepCoveCraft.com
Delicious and sustainable! In an industry that may not be the most environmentally sound, Bridge now claims to be 99 per cent waste free.
SOURWEISSE BERLINER-STYLE WEISSE
SIDE CUT NORTHEAST INDIA PALE ALE
eir weekly Sunday Session Series is a beautiful pairing of live music and brunch, with mimosas of course. Brunch served noon until 3pm, music from 1–4pm.
Availability: Seasonal
123 Carrie Cates Crt. | GreenLeafBrew.com
Availability:
Come for the great views of downtown Vancouver from the extended patio, stay for the beer and live music. Bonus: Lonsdale Quay’s excellent food options.
SENTINEL IPA INDIA PALE ALE LOLO
Availability: Year-round Availability:
1015 Marine Dr. | HearthstoneBrewery.ca
19221 122A Ave. | FoamersFolly.ca
Vegan friendly with Round 2 of happy hour kicking o at 9pm means a trip to North Van should be in your near future.
HEARTHSTONE
Pitt Meadows’ de facto pub, with a variety of beer, regular live music and trivia nights and an awesome patio. A barrel-aging program is well underway.
BONG
2150-570 Sherling Pl. | NorthpawBrewCo.com
TAYLIGHT BREWING
402-1485 Coast Meridian Rd. | TaylightBrewing.com
Port Coquitlam’s rst craft brewery is here ( nally!), bringing West Coast classics to the burbs.
UNPAID BILLS
PoCo’s second brewery missed out on being the rst by days. With a dozen taps pouring brewer Darren Hollett’s beers, you’re bound to nd a favourite.
ROLLING
2601 Murray St. | MoodyAles.com
2731 Murray St. | eParksideBrewery.com
With arguably the most varied lineup on Brewers’ Row, Murray Street’s western terminus always has something new, interesting and delicious to savour.
2821 Murray St. | TwinSailsBrewing.com
A brand new mural of bright, bold proportions on the outside matches the big avour on the inside of this Murray Street staple.
ese self-proclaimed “guys who love beer that decided to make it for others” are so good they’re taking over taps all the way down south in Portland.
It’s been four years since the dogs set up shop in Port Moody creating Brewers Row. Keep an eye out for a tasty watermelon anniversary brew.
110-12500 Horseshoe Way | BBCO.ca
103-11220 Horseshoe Way | FugglesWarlock.com
Get your growler lled direct from the brewery or enjoy a full meal with pint at Britannia’s gastropub in nearby Steveston.
Going travelling? Don’t worry, you can nd Fuggles & Warlock beer in South Korea, Brazil and Taiwan.
5580 152 St. | MJG.ca/Big-Ridge
11411 Bridgeview Dr. | CentralCityBrewing.com
ere’s something for everyone at this fun, family-friendly venue, which boasts a broad, Asian-accented food menu and a worthy beer list.
One of the biggest craft breweries in B.C., Central City was responsible for many a craft convert with their legendary Red Racer India Pale Ale.
202 - 13018 80th Ave. | RussellBeer.com
13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | WhiteRockBrewing.ca
Back when there was just a dozen craft breweries in the whole of B.C., Russell Brewing was crafting beers that would in uence the impending boom.
MIAMI RICE
Availability:
Experience the art of small batch, preservative and chemical free beer. ere are always four beers on tap—a lager, an ale and two rotating seasonals.
Availability: Year-round
15214 North Blu Rd. | 3DogsBrewing.com
15181 Russell Ave. | WhiteRockBeachBeer.com
While its current home will soon be getting torn down to make away for more condos (of course), 3 Dogs already has a new home lined up just down the street.
HAPPY LITTLE BRUT BRUT IPA BAYSIDE BLONDE BLONDE ALE
Hit the Beach and wet your whistle. A recent brewhouse expansion means more seasonals, and a new patio means more of you can enjoy them for longer.
BORDER
7160 Oliver St. | MissionSprings.ca
MON-SAT 11AM-10PM ^ SUN 10AM-10PM
EST. 1996
e Springs is still something of a hidden secret in craft beer circles, even though Missionites have been fuelling up here since 1996. And with a mighty food menu to go with a range of beer styles, ll up you will.
Availability: Seasonal
Lactose lends creaminess and espresso provides the kick in this rich porter.
Availability: Year-round
A clean and crisp tribute to mountain bike trail-builders across
WHITE OWL PALE
ALE
W HEAT PALE A LE
Availability: Year-round
Light of body with refreshing notes of citrus and pine.
WEE HEA VY
Availability: Year-round
A big, boozy ale that features bold notes of caramel, burnt sugar, smoke and leather.
Mission Springs didn’t just name its beer after trailblazers, it helps support them, too. Of every litre of Trailblazer Pilsner sold, 10 cents goes toward the Fraser Valley Mountain Bikers Association, a volunteer-run organization that builds and maintains a network of MTB trails in the area.
2281 West Railway St. | FieldHouseBrewing.com
103 – 2582 Mt. Lehman Rd. | LoudmouthBrewingCompany.ca
e brewery’s foeders are now over a year old, so swing by to try their new farmhouse style ales, perhaps with a taco on the front lawn?
is craft brewery is looking to make some noise in West Abby with a lineup of creative sours, IPAs and craft sodas.
30321 Fraser Hwy. | OldAbbeyAles.com
2485 Townline Rd. | Ravens.beer
Old Abbey is back in business with new owners, a renovated tap room and a new lineup of beers. ere’s a pool table and jukebox, too!
COASTAL IPA
e wee Abby brewery that took on the world and won—with a World Beer Cup gold medal for its stellar Corvus gose.
Saturday afternoons are for jamming at this downtown Chilliwack tasting room with an open mic from 3:30–6:30pm.
Whether you like to spend your weekend adventuring or just relaxing, this is a great spot to visit—especially with its newly expanded tasting room.
1009 Gibsons Way | e101.ca
537 Cruice Lane | GibsonsTapworks.com
Alongside an impressive beer lineup (including a nice line of lagers), Gibsons’ brewpub o ers a carefully devised food menu that’s a world away from the sports barn chains.
BOB’S
TALL
ere’s nowhere better to enjoy the changing seasons than a year-round rooftop patio. As the days grow cooler and shorter, cosy up to their gas replace.
1053 Stewart Rd. | PersephoneBrewing.com
1936 Stonecutter Pl. | PembertonBrewing.ca
B.C.’s most blissfully bucolic brewery, where the hops sway in the breeze, the chickens cluck, the pizza is crisp and the beer is sublime. (Also: great cider in cans.)
8324 Pemberton Meadows Rd. | eBeerFarmers.com
5824 Ash Ave. | TownsiteBrewing.com
is farm brewery grows its own organic barley and hops for special release farm-to-table beers made completely from Pemberton-grown ingredients. SUN GOD SAISON
38927 Queens Way | AFrameBrewing.com
Belgian inspired beers from an honest-to-God Belgian brewer make Townsite a must-visit on the newly minted Brewers Coast.
#405-1201 Commercial Way | BackcountryBrewing.com
Tuesday is Trivia Night in the lakeside-meetsthe-mountains tasting room, and fresh pretzels are delivered daily from Tall Tree Bakery.
In its short life, Backcountry has become the most happening spot in Squamish. e beer is skewed to hazy, the pizzas are thincrustylicious and sociable seating is ample.
37801 Cleveland Ave. | HoweSound.com
4355 Blackcomb Way | MJG.ca/BrewHouse
Integral to building B.C.’s beer scene, HSB was drawing people to Squamish long before the municipality became a New York Timeslauded adventure destination.
is brewpub is always a great place to visit— even more so on Sept. 14 for its fth annual Cask Que C’est event.
WHISTLER BREWING CO.
Rd. |
1045 Millar Creek Rd. | WhistlerBeer.com
Whistler beer for Whistler people (and tourists.) Coast Mountain beer rarely makes it out of the resort, so get on the Sea-to-Sky for stellar brews.
Formerly the home of a bus washing station, these craft veterans have quenched the thirst of brew hounds the world over.
2330 Government St. | VanIslandBrewery.com
TUES-THU 11AM-6PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-7PM
EST. 1984
VIB has rebranded twice in the last two years hoping to reignite consumer interest. Seems like it has nally landed on the right choice: goodbye hexagons, hello orcas! All that matters is that the beer tastes good—and it sure does.
Availability: Seasonal
Fresh and citrusy with a juicy, hoppy zing, this beer is extremely crushable.
Availability: One-o
A rustic saison brewed with quince, cranberry and spelt: spicy, complex and tasty.
Availability: Year-round
is malty, roasty dunkel is just as good as when it was known as Hermann’s.
Availability: Year-round
A hearty malt base balances out the substantial dose of Paci c Northwest hops.
One of B.C.’s original trio of microbreweries to open in 1984, VIB has employed just three brewmasters in its history, and all of them have been German. e original brewmaster was Hermann Hoerterer who was in charge until the mid-1990s. Next came Wolfgang Hoess, and then Ralf Pittro took over in 2005.
C - 2200 Keating Cross Rd. | Category12Beer.com
SUN-WED 12-6PM ^ THU-SAT 12-8PM
EST. 2016
If there was any justice in this world, Michael Kuzyk would win a Nobel Prize for applying his doctorate-level achievements in microbiology and biochemistry toward opening his own brewery. Beer awards may not be quite as presitigious, but the outcome has been way more delicious.
Availability: Small batch
Local blackcurrants are fermented to a tart dryness thanks to multiple yeast strains.
Availability: Small batch
Maxed out on aromatics from this year’s hop harvest for full avour and reduced bitterness.
Availability: Seasonal
Pro tip: is rich and roasty brew is a champion-level chaser or mixer for espresso-infused vodka.
Availability: Small batch
Crunch the numbers before deciding whether to crush this mighty-sounding DIPA.
Category 12’s varied lineup, which covers a wide range of European and North American styles, makes it a great place for food pairing. e tasting lounge has showcased local cheesemakers and chocolatiers, and recently became host to a mobile pizza oven ursdays-Sundays from Victoria’s Prima Strada, so punters can team their tipples with Neapolitan pie.
761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com
SUN-WED 12-7PM ^ THU-SAT 12-9PM
EST. 2016
Sit and sip surrounded by vats and copper pot stills because this is Victoria’s only brewery with a fully licensed production oor with regular tours.
REBELS RUN ESB
EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER
Availability: Small batch
ABV IBU 5.4%34
U.K. malts, hops and yeast with rich to ee and caramel avours balanced with an earthy, rm bitterness.
Availability: Seasonal
ABV IBU 7.0%22
A medium-bodied velvet texture of subtle caramel, toasted oak, whisky, malt and vanilla.
BOURBON BARREL-AGED ALE450 Swift St. | CanoeBrewpub.com
450 Hillside Ave. | DriftwoodBeer.com
An amazing patio right on the water below the new bridge, gorgeous rooms inside, and a solid lineup of food and beer—Canoe has it all.
AMBER ALE AMBER ALE
Availability:
WEST COAST PALE ALE
Availability: Year-round
Long known for its hoppy creations, this Victoria landmark is now canning some of their classics—yes, including Fat Tug.
RAISED BY WOLVES IPA INDIA PALE ALE
Availability:
GOLDYNWELL SWEDISH FOLKÖL TABLE BEER
Availability:
101-2740 Bridge St. | HoyneBrewing.ca
2960 Bridge St. | IleSauvage.com
Trained by craft beer guru Frank Appleton, brewmaster Sean Hoyne honed his brewing technique at Swans and Canoe before establishing Hoyne Brewing in 2011.
AMERICAN BROWN ALE
e City of Victoria’s rst new brewery in many years will be focusing on wild ferments and barrel-aged beer, as well as some simpler but equally delicious crowd-pleasers.
AMBER LAGER
Availability:
GOSE
BRUMEUX HAZY INDIA PALE ALE
Availability:
350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca
Winning the gold medal at the CBAs for their barrel-aged sour proves Moon has successfully married European brewing traditions with Canadian passion and creativity.
Availability: VIC TORIA VIC TORIA
2010 Government St. | PhillipsBeer.com
Matt Phillips began the brewery in 2001, funded by credit card debt. e gamble paid o —now there’s a soda company, distillery and malting facility, too.
TABLE
Availability: VIC TORIA VIC TORIA
308 Catharine St. | Spinnakers.com
e brewery that started it all for craft beer in Canada is still an innovator, as its barrel-aged sour series aptly proves.
SOOKE
COPPER IBU A BV 30 5.0% IBU A BV 25 4.0% IBU A BV 40 5.0% IBU A BV 21 6.0%
SOUR IBU A BV 75 6.5% 88
506 Pandora Ave. | SwansHotel.com
2 - 836 Devonshire Rd. | LighthouseBrewing.com
2323 Millstream Ave. | AxeAndBarrel.com
In the constantly evolving community of Esquimalt stands a lighthouse keeping with the times, with a brand new taproom on the way.
While the tasting room and patio area outside are great places to enjoy the beer here, cans and bottles are now available for take-away, too.
Availability: Seasonal
490 Fernhill Rd. | MayneIslandBrewingCo.com
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
It might be one of B.C.’s smallest breweries, but that didn’t stop Mayne Island from winning a silver medal at the 2018 Canadian Brewing Awards.
THE MARZENS ARE COMING MARZEN
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Year-round
1780 Mills Rd.
270 Furness Rd. | SaltSpringIslandAles.com
Greater Victoria’s newest nano is on a farm right next to the airport and uses local ingredients, even growing its own barley and hops nearby.
LAND’S END IPA I
Availability: Small batch
Availability: Small batch
Made with fresh spring water, organic malt and hops grown by a collaborative of neighbouring farms—if there’s terroir in beer, Salt Spring Island’s ales have it.
Availability: Year-round
2057 Otter Point Rd. | SookeBrewing.com
7861 Tugwell Rd. | BadDogBrewing.ca
Sooke is fast becoming an Island hotspot for craft brews, but if you can’t make the drive you can still sip on some Bad Dog at Victoria’s Ri andia Music Festival this year.
While sampling beer in the tasting room or on the patio, you can also order a delicious snack from the Black Market Butcher next door.
Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round
1-5529
199
is brewery might be tiny, but it’s brewing some mighty big beers, even winning a bronze at the 2018 Canadian Brewing Awards.
is British-style beer house dropped down in the middle of the West Coast woods has a yearround patio with 18 brews always on tap.
109-425 East Stanford Ave. | ArrowsmithBrewing.com
SUN-THU 11:30AM-7:30PM ^ FRI-SAT 11:30AM-9:30PM
EST. 2016
e Hill family has made its mission to provide the Mid Island with quality, locally-crafted beer and brewer David Woodward is doing just that.
BRENNA A SEA-RUN SAISON S AISON
Availability: Seasonal
A BV IBU 7.5%20
It’s strong, delicious and proceeds of all sales go to the ALS Society of B.C.
COMFORTABLY CHUM
HEFEW EIZEN
Availability: Year-round
A BV IBU 5.5%20
is traditional German-style hef features notes of banana and clove.
C AMPB ELL RI V ER C HEMAINUS
594-11th Ave. | BeachFireBrewing.ca
101A - 3055 Oak St. | RiotBrewing.com
Yoga and a pint, anyone? Or perhaps stretching your ear muscles is more your speed with live tunes. Either way, Beach Fire is a great excuse to check out scenic Campbell River.
HIGH TIDE PALE
ALE
WEST COAST PALE A LE
Availability: Year-round
e eye-popping labels that adorn Riot’s core brands were created by Jimbo Phillips, a Santa Cruz artist who is famous in the skateboarding scene.
Availability: Year-round
1590 Cli e Ave. | ForbiddenBrewing.com
Forbidden o ers free pool and live music on the weekends. Get over to the Comox Valley to try their delicious organic beers—road trip!
Availability: Year-round
IER ORGANIC C OURTENAY C OURTENAY
VORTEX PORTER FESTBIER IBU A BV 40 5.5% IBU A BV 14 3.8% IBU A BV 32 5.2% IBU A BV 25 4.6%
GLADSTONE BREWING CO.
244 4th St. | GladstoneBrewing.ca
Availability: Seasonal Availability:
FEST IBU A BV 25 5.1% IBU A BV 29 6.0% IBU A BV 22 6.0% IBU A BV 35 5.0% 94
Keep an eye on the lineup as a new seasonal can—a red ale—hits the rotation out of this Courtenay brewery.
2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | CumberlandBrewing.com
25 Craig St. | CraigStreet.ca
Renovations are wrapping up allowing this once tiny taproom to now t you AND your pals.
BITTER
ENGLISH BITTER
Availability: Year-round
FOREST FOG
AMERICAN WHEAT ALE
Availability: Year-round
5255 Chaster Rd. | RedArrowBeer.ca
Get o the highway and discover Duncan’s historic downtown, where you’ll nd this adorable brewpub.
MT. PREVOST PORTER PORTER
Availability: Year-round
ARBUTUS PALE ALE
ENGLISH PALE ALE
Availability: Year-round
SMALL BLOCK BREWING CO.
203-5301 Chaster Rd. | SmallBlockBrewery.com
Red Arrow has it all: a beautiful brick brewery, a spacious outdoor patio and a solid, ever-growing roster of beer.
INVASION OF THE BLACKBERRY LAGER
THREESOME HONEY, HEMP AND HIBISCUS ALE
Just six months in, this Island brewery sticks close to home with local ingredients to avour true B.C. brews in a British style.
RYE CYCLED
RYE IPA
Availability:
MALARDHAT BEST BITTER
BRITISH BEST BITTER
Availability:
101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | LongwoodBeer.com
5775 Turner Rd. | LongwoodBrewpub.com
Longwood is hosting the fourth annual Longwoodstock, its backyard music festival, on Sept. 22. e party features ve event-only beers collaboratively brewed with local businesses.
125 Comox Rd. | WhiteSailsBrewing.com
e beer is tasty, the menu extensive, the res welcoming and the atmosphere warm at Nanaimo’s nest pub.
940 Old Victoria Rd. | WolfBrewingCompany.com
It’s time for a return visit as the newly expanded menu brings bratwurst dog plates, charcuterie, nachos and pastry rolls to the party.
One of the rst breweries in the Mid Island, Wolf began life as Fat Cat Brewing in 2000. After an ownership change and rebrand in 2011, Wolf has been howling ever since.
20 Kettleview Rd. | SessionsTapHouseAndGrill.com
980 Camosun Crs. | IronRoadBrewing.ca
anks to a new canning line, you can now nd Elevation 57’s beer throughout the Okanagan, not just at the bottom of the ski hill.
HUCK
IT
is is what happens when two geologists team up with an award-winning brewer to give Kamloops its newest craft beer stop.
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Seasonal
355 Lansdowne St. | RedCollar.ca
650 Victoria St. | eNoblePig.ca
Dogs are welcome! Leashed and calm ones that is. With a large patio and replace room, you’ll want to bring the whole crew.
Comfort foods like poutine and mac & cheese (three ways!) anchor the scratch kitchen half of the brewpub’s marriage of beautiful food with unique beer.
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
1250 Ellis St. | BNABrewing.com
2-455 Neave Crt. | BoundaryBrewing.beer
BNA has expanded three times since opening in 2015. Apparently, Kelowna is thirsty! ey also added a bowling alley upstairs. Seriously, they really did.
PAMELA SAISON
SPOTTIEOTTIEHOPALISCIOUS
FRESH HOPPED EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER
124 McCurdy Rd. | McCurdyBowl.com
Boundary exhorts you to "Drink like a German!" from their oak-kettle brewed German style beers, which use local ingredients whenever possible. Prost!
BOURBON BARREL BALTIC PORTER BALTIC
OKTOBERFEST LAGER
HELLES LAGER
731 Baillie Ave. | KettleRiverBrewing.ca
It’s not a perfect game unless there’s a pint. Freddy’s o ers ample opportunity for both bowling and beer, with 30 lanes connected to the brewpub.
e boys at Kettle River nally upgraded to a ve-barrel system, so expect more variety and maybe even some packaged product to hit store shelves.
DIE CHAI-ING PORTER
CHAI PORTER
1086 Richter St. | RedBirdBrewing.com
1346 Water St. | TreeBrewingBeerInstitute.com
Red Bird will be hosting an Oktoberfest party in their parking lot, featuring an extended patio and guest German-style beers from Boundary Brewing.
Year-round classics and seasonal o erings are complemented by their Tank to Tap rotating lineup of experimental un ltered beers—pair them with spent grain pizzas!
Availability: Year-round
e latest addition to Kelowna’s burgeoning brewery scene features a bright, good-vibes tasting room, a local, seasonal food menu and a snappy list of New World-style beers.
Wild Ambition expects to open in September with a stable of regular beers now, and barrel aged sours and saisons in the future.
Availability: Year-round
6077 Main St. | FirehallBrewery.com
169 Estabrook Ave. | BadTattooBrewing.com
While experimenting with new beer styles and participating in local events, the Firehall continues to be a popular live music venue for local bands.
STOP HOP & ROLL
OATMEAL INDIA
PALE ALE
TABLE BEER SERIES NO. 3
BARREL AGED
BARLEY WINE
Availability:
Every Nov. 1, Bad Tattoo releases two special Dia de los Muertos beers, including one aged in brandy barrels for a year.
PUMPKIN MILKSHAKE
ENGLISH IPA
Availability: One-o
2460 Skaha Lake Rd. | BarleyMillPub.com
PB&C PORTER PORTER
Availability: One-o
198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com
A classic neighbourhood pub with a plethora of events, plenty of screens for sportsing, a food menu with something for everyone and fresh beer from the in-house brewery.
NITE MARE
BROWN ALE ENGLISH
Dogs? Sure. Just on the patio, not in the taproom. Or ditch the pooch, throw on the lederhosen and catch some Cannery goodness at Penticton Oktoberfest, Oct. 20.
STALLION
Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round
954 Eckhardt Ave. | Hwy97Brewery.com
112-1475 Fairview Rd. |
eTinWhistleBrewery.rocks
Located on its namesake highway, this Penticton brewery is the perfect place to have a pit stop and sample some of brewer Je Todd's beers.
Availability: Year-round
20 Shuswap St. N. | BarleyStation.com
is brewery is named after a locomotive that operated on the historic Kettle Valley Railway, which is now a popular Okanagan hiking/ biking trail. BUSHWACKER
Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round
Barley Station uses collected rain water to help their garden stay hydrated. Lucky you—you get to drink their delicious, award-winning beer to keep your uids up!
706 Elson Rd. | CrannogAles.com
#104-9503 Cedar Ave. | DetonateBrewing.com
e potatoes for Crannog’s Gael's Blood Potato Ale come right from their farm—they grow Russian Blues speci cally for the potato ale. Talk about hyper-local!
SOCKEYE ALE AMERICAN
Crafting a solid brew doesn’t have to be expensive as evidenced by the way this Summerland operation works with repurposed milk tanks in a Frankenbrew-style system.
2933A 30th Ave. | MartenBrewpub.com
2405 Main St. | Facebook.com/KindBrewer
Every seat in the pub gives you a view of the brewery where the beer you’re drinking was recently brewed. And they o er daily Happy Hours!
Beer jelly made using Kind’s beers is now available for sale at the tasting room, and as part of the charcuterie and cheese boards.
26 Manitou Rd. | FernieBrewing.com
MON-THU 11AM-7PM ^ FRI -SAT 11AM-8PM SUN 11AM-6PM
EST. 2003
Fernie is in the midst of a makeover, including brand-new packaging. It will be the same great beer, just with a fresh new look. e tasting room is open seven days a week—so there’s never a bad day to visit.
WEST COAST PALE ALE
Availability: Year-round
is is a hop-forward pale ale, bursting with refreshing, tropical fruit avours.
THE ELDORADO SINGLE HOP INDIA PALE ALE
Availability: Seasonal
is El Dorado-hopped India pale ale kicks it up a notch with citrusy notes of lemongrass.
HUCKLEBERRY WHEAT ALE
Availability: Year-round
A smooth and creamy wheat ale, with just the right amount of huckleberryness.
JAVA THE HUT COFFEE MILK STOUT
Availability: Seasonal
As delightful as Jabba (no relation) was o ensive, Java is one truly satisfying brew.
Founded in 1898 and incorporated in 1904, Fernie has a population of 5,000, which swells during the winter months. Named for prospector William Fernie, who established the coal industry—which is still the main industry today. Bragging rights: Fernie is the only Canadian city fully encircled by the Rocky Mountains.
2155 Oak Dr. | Mt-Begbie.com
MON-SAT 9AM-8PM
EST. 1996
Founded in 1996, Mt. Begbie moved into its new, custom-built facility just in time to be named 2017 Canadian Brewery of the Year. Its core lineup is available throughout B.C., but small-batch brews are only tapped in the tasting room.
Availability: Small batch
is mighty hop bomb is brewed with a huge malt bill and 100 per cent Centennial hops.
Availability: Small batch
A silky smooth stout with rich bitter chocolate and roasted co ee avours.
Availability: Small batch
Light and hazy, this ESB brewed with Amarillo hops will help extend summer into the fall.
Availability: One-o
A classic hefeweizen: hazy, and un ltered with subtle banana and clove notes.
e idea to open a brewery in Revelstoke began as a honeymoon conversation between newlyweds Tracey and Bart Larson. Tracey remembers arriving in town on Dec. 31 to a huge snowfall, but when neighbours invited them over for a New Year’s Eve hot tub party, she knew they’d made the right choice.
821 Baker St. | eHeidOut.ca
623 8th Ave. N. | WhitetoothBrewing.com
Fisher Peak brews six mainstay beers for the completely remodeled Heid Out restaurant, plus limited editions from time to time—all using fresh Kootenay water.
SOGGY
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
If every little town had a brewery as awesome as Golden’s Whitetooth, the world would be a much happier—and hoppier—place.
Availability: Small batch
Availability: Seasonal
481 Arrow Rd. | ArrowheadBrewingCompany.ca
343 Front St. | AngryHenBrewing.com
With live music and cribbage in the tasting room and a swarm of beers out back for the Original 83 Honey Ale, something’s always poppin’ at Arrowhead.
Kaslo might be in the middle of nowhere, but it’s worth a trip if only for this ne lakeside brewery helmed by the legendary Shirley Warne.
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
136A Wallinger Ave. | OverTimeBeer.ca
460 Baker St. | BackroadsBrewing.com
Kimberley isn’t really on the way to anywhere, but it’s de nitely worth a side trip to visit this friendly brewery located in Canada’s highest city.
MOUNTAIN STANDARD GOLDEN ALE
Availability:
NELSON
GOOD EVENING BROWN ALE
Check out the growlers and pint glasses featuring art from Revelstoke-based artist Jess Leahey. Forward-thinking Backroads has also begun a barrel program.
MARZEN MARZEN
512 Latimer St. | NelsonBrewing.com
Not many other companies in Canada can lay claim to operating in a 126-year-old brewery as one of the nation’s rst all-organic beer makers.
ORGANIC FRESH HOP IPA FRESH HOP INDIA PALE ALE
Availability:
198 Baker St. | SavoyHotel.com
125 Hall St. | TorchlightBrewing.com
is nanobrewery is located inside the Falls Music Lounge in the historic and recently renovated Savoy Hotel.
Torchlight is now four years old, but their bar is much older—it was made more than 100 years ago for a hotel in nearby St. Leon.
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Seasonal
1990 Columbia Ave. | RosslandBeer.com
1299 Bay Ave. | TrailBeerRe nery.ca
Small in size, but big in avor, Rossland invites locals, visitors, beer evangelists, the recently converted and the curious to kick back and enjoy their beers
is spot is very popular among local residents, and for good reason. Don’t worry, though— they’re a welcoming bunch as long as you’re ready to chat.
Availability: Small batch Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
10128 95th Ave. | MightyPeaceBrewing.ca
MON-WED 3-9PM ^ THU 3-10PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-11PM SUN 12-5PM
EST. 2018
B.C.’s northernmost brewery is converting the masses with their wide selection of lagers and craft classics.
PEACE GOLD GOLDEN ALE
Availability: Year-round
ABV IBU 4.4%16
A avourful session ale, perfect for those long northern nights.
THE MIGHTY PILSNER
Availability: Year-round
ABV IBU 4.7%N/A
Crisp, clean and clear, just like an autumn day in the Peace.
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& BREWHOUSE
175 Hwy. 97 | JacksonsSocialClub.com
BEARD’S BREWING CO.
10408 Alaska Rd. N. | BeardsBrewing.ca
is popular community hub is well worth visiting on your next northern road trip. ey recently upped their food menu with a new chef, too.
PHILSNER
PILSNER
Availability: Seasonal
HAWK SMASH SESSION ALE
Availability: Seasonal
Fort St. John's rst craft brewery has a family friendly tasting room that’s open seven days a week.
HONEY BROWN BEARD
Availability: Year-round
ALASKA
Availability: Year-round
508 George St. | CrossroadsCraft.com
399 2nd Ave. | TrenchBrew.ca
Crossroads boasts Prince George’s most popular patio and the best pizzas in town—but it’s the beer that keeps people coming back.
CINDERS RED
217 1st Ave. E. | WheelhouseBrewing.com
Named for the Rocky Mountain Trench that runs from Montana to the Yukon, Prince George’s newest brewery has a love of craft beer that’s just as deep as its namesake.
185 Davie St. | BarkervilleBeer.com
Wheelhouse’s taproom renos are complete, which means double the taps, double the capacity, double the washrooms and double the fun!
You’ll think you’ve struck gold when you discover this brewery. Make sure to pop in for Test Batch Tuesday when brewer Erin Dale reveals her latest experiments.
3860 1st Ave. | BulkleyValleyBrewery.ca
3832 3rd Ave. | SmithersBrewing.com
Built in an old ski shop with views of the local ski hill out the front windows, this brewery is popular with the après crowd.
Northern B.C.’s only purpose-built craft brewery is home to some of the region’s most creative and delicious beers, too.
BOYD’S
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round
Availability: Small batch
101 - 4816 Hwy. 16 West | SherwoodMountain.beer
1160 5th Ave. | reeRanges.com
Cynics might think anyone could open a brewery in thirsty Terrace and be succesful. In reality, Sherwood has boomed due to quality and community.
U.S. army vet Michael Lewis decided to pursue brewing full time in the sleepy mountain town of Valemount, using the fresh mountain water to craft his popular beers.
PARKER'S IPA INDIA PALE ALE
LITTLE
Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round
e craft beer trains keeps right on rolling. We have 11 new breweries listed in this issue, and word on the street is there's a whole bunch more on the way. Here’s the latest intel from our network of beer spies…
A NOT H ER BEER CO.
New Westminster (late 2018) ABC has been in the works for a while now and has already been collaborating with fellow New West brewery Steel & Oak and others. AnotherBeerCo.com
CAT & F IDD LE BREW PUB
Port Coquitlam (late 2018) Port Coquitlam’s favourite pub will soon be brewing its own beer after getting approval from the city to add a 3,200 sq. ft. microbrewery on site. CatAndFiddlePub.ca
FRASER MI LLS FERMENTAT I ON CO.
Coquitlam (2019) If it can be fermented, this brewery/cidery/winery/distillery will make booze out of it. is spacious fermentorium will be at the center of a new 85-acre development in South Coquitlam. FraserMillsFermentation.com
HAT CH ERY BREW I NG
Penticton (summer 2019) is exciting new project is coming to downtown Penticton courtesy of Whistler Brewing’s Liam Peyton and Powell Brewery’s Chris Vandenberg. Expect some creative brews and a top-notch tasting room to drink them in. HatcheryBrewing.com
HO U SE O F F U NK BREW I NG
North Vancouver (early 2019) House of Funk is bringing a bit of funk to the North Shore in the form of wood-aged, Brettanomyces-fermented wild ales. Conveniently located right next door to Beere Brewing. HouseOfFunkBrewing.com
LAN D & SEA B REWERY
Comox (summer 2019) Located at the former site of the legendary Loft Cabaret on Guthrie Road, this new brewery will have seating for 100, taps aplenty and a full kitchen.
LandAndSeaBrewing.ca
N EW T RADI TI ON BREW I NG COM PANY
Comox (summer 2019) New Tradition is racing Land & Sea to become Comox's rst proper craft brewery. It'll also be the rst in B.C. to be inside a shopping mall. NewTraditionBrewing.com
RU M PU S BEER COM PANY
Revelstoke (summer 2019) is brewery has its eye on downtown Revelstoke where it plans to open a 30-seat lounge by next year. RumpusBeerCo.com
S TANLEY PARK B REW I NG
Vancouver (2019) Renovations are underway to the historic former Fish House, as AB InBev-owned Stanley Park Brewing will nally get a brewery in its namesake park. StanleyParkBrewing.com
S TREET C AR BREW I NG
North Vancouver (fall 2018) e tanks are in and the test batches are being brewed, the next stop for this Lower Lonsdale brewery is opening day! StreetcarBrewing.ca
SUPER FLU X BEER COM PANY
North Vancouver (2019) One of B.C.’s coolest beer brands is hoping it can nally have a home of its own on the North Shore. Maybe Superux’s killer IPAs won’t be so hard to nd now. Instagram.com/Super uxBeer
UCLU ELET BREW I NG CO.
Ucluelet (early 2019) Housed in a former church, this craft brewery promises divine beers and heavenly food.
WI LD EYE BREW I NG
North Vancouver (early 2019) Construction is well underway at Wild Eye’s Main Street location, not far from Bridge and Deep Cove. Meanwhile, the beer is already being contract brewed and canned.WildeyeBrewing.ca
THE WI LD WOO D P UB
Powell River (2019) is future brewpub is home to one of the oldest liquor licenses in the province. Expect delicious handmade pizzas and delicious handmade lagers. eWildwoodPub.com
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