The Growler B.C. • Volume 5 Issue 1 • Spring 2019

pUBLiSHeR

BRITISH COLUMBIA

VANCOUVER ISLAND

Gail Nugent gnugent@thegrowler.ca

e DiTOR

Rob Mangelsdorf editor@thegrowler.ca

778-840-5005

cONTRiBUTiNG WRiTeRS

Ben Coli

Reaon Ford

Kristina Mameli

Rob Mangelsdorf

Brittany Tiplady

Rebecca Whyman

Joe Wiebe

pRODUcTiON & DeSiGN MANAGeR

Tara Ra q tara@thegrowler.ca

cONTRiBUTiNG DeSiGNeR

Juliana Sauvé

pHOTOGRApHY

Mario Bartel

Rob Mangelsdorf

Dan Toulgoet

Lara Zukowsky

cOVeR iLLUSTRATiON

Marcus Hynes

SOciAL MeDiA

Danielle Boileau

DiSTRiBUTiON

Craig Sweetman (Newsstand)

Rob Mangelsdorf (Direct) ordersbc@thegrowler.ca

SUBScRipTiONS

bc.thegrowler.ca/subscribe

Copyright © e Growler 2019

Contents

LOWER MAINLAND / NORTH SHORE

VANCOUVER

VICTORIA / GULF ISLANDS

BReWeR VS BReWeR: THe SUBURBAN eDiTiON

MARiJUANA AND cRAFT BeeR

VicTiMS OF THeiR OWN SUcceSS

ARe We HOSeRS GeTTiNG HOSeD?

TRAVeL: peNTicTON

DON’T BeLieVe THe HYpe

SAiSON: FULL ciRcLe

HOW VeGAN iS YOUR cRAFT BeeR?

cRAFT BeeR eVeNTS cALeNDAR

THe NeW FAce OF cRAFT BeeR iS HeRe

Recipe: BeRBeRe SpiceD ALBAcORe TUNA SALAD

BReWiNG FOR A cAUSe

made to avoid errors and omissions. If you notice an error, please accept our apologies and notify us.

pUBLiSHeD BY

Glacier Media Group thegrowler.ca |

LOcAL, NOT LUcKY

B.c. BReWeRY LiSTiNGS

BeeR TO THe GROUND

Breweries by Region

34 68 50 71 76 86 92 99 104

VANCOUVER

LOWER MAINLAND / NORTH SHORE

FRASER VALLEY

SEA TO SKY / SUNSHINE COAST

VICTORIA / GULF ISLANDS

VANCOUVER ISLAND

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

KOOTENAYS

NORTHERN B.C.

ankfully, spring has returned, and with it, beer fest season. I guess promoters assume we would rather be spending time with our families, or locking ourselves inside, huddling together for warmth during the winter months. Nothing could be further from the truth.

ings kick o in a big way with Victoria Beer Week, March 1-9, before the 24th annual Okanagan Fest of Ale returns April 12 and 13 (pg. 16). You can check out the full slate of events for the next three months on pg. 24

Spring also means new seasonal releases, and ‘tis the season for saison. e irsty Writer, Joe Wiebe, breaks down the history and mystery of the Belgian farmhouse style, with some great local recommendations (pg. 20).

One of the most amazing things about craft beer is its ability to bring people together and to build community. is issue we look at how a new breed of brewery is taking that concept a step further: non-pro t brewing ventures created solely to raise funds for charitable causes (pg. 30). We also explore the transformative power craft breweries have had on neighbourhoods, and how they could be forced out of the very communities they helped to create (pg. 12). Speaking of community, recent data suggests women are the fastest growing customer demographic in tastings rooms, which is great news for Rebecca Whyman (pg. 26). And everyone else, quite frankly.

Cheers,

—Rob Mangelsdorf, editor

GROWLER-APPROVED BADGE

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

Brewery Details

GROWLER FILLS

BOTTLES / CANS KEGS

TASTING ROOM

ON-SITE KITCHEN OR FOOD TRUCK

TOURS

KID FRIENDLY

GLUTEN-FREE BOOZE OPTIONS

Suggested Glassware

STANGE Kolsch

Marzen Bock

PILSNER Lager

Pilsner

Witbier

NONIC PINT

Stout

Pale ale

Most ales, actually

WEIZEN Hefeweizen

Weizenbock

Fruit beer

TULIP Saison

IPA

Strong ales

GOBLET

Berliner weisse

Quad Tripel

SNIFTER Barleywine Sours

Anything weird

BREWER BREWER vs.

THE SUBURBAN EDI T ION

by Rob Mangelsdorf

The times they are a-changin’. It wasn’t so long ago that the vast suburbs surrounding Vancouver were a craft beer wasteland. While the city proper was undergoing a dramatic craft awakening, out in the ‘burbs? Nothing. Well, almost nothing. While Port Moody was quick out of the gates with the Murray Street crew, there was barely a pulse in many of the neighbouring municipalities. As it turned out, some civic governments were initially less than welcoming of craft breweries and their tasting rooms. But the ‘burbs are coming around. North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale is set to rival Port Moody with two craft breweries already open and another three on the way. Maple Ridge has three breweries all within walking distance. Langley could see four new breweries this year. And in Port Coquitlam, a city that had exactly zero craft breweries less than a year ago, two breweries are open for business today: Northpaw Brewing and Taylight Brewing. And there could be as many as ve before the year is out.

e Growler sat down with brewers Goldwin Chan and Dennis Smit of Taylight and Northpaw, respectively, to nd out what’s di erent about brewing in the ‘burbs.

THE GROWLER: Why has it taken so long for craft beer to make it to the suburbs?

DENNIS SMI T: Part of the challenge here was there are some pretty vocal pub owners, not naming names, that didn’t like the idea of a craft brewery coming in and opening a tasting room.

GOLDWIN CHAN: e pub owners de nitely wanted to keep us out. Some of them.

GROWLER: Was it that they felt entitled to a monopoly on liquor sales?

SMI T: Yeah, it’s exactly that. It seems like they want to monopolize the whole beer scene, but at the same time, a lot of them aren’t willing to embrace craft beer. e John B Pub [in Coquitlam] is a great example of a pub that has embraced it, they’re open arms to craft beer, they have, what? Fifty taps?

GROWLER: Eighty, I believe. [Editor: It’s 86, actually!]

SMI T: Wow. So, yeah, no problem, you want Molson or a Budweiser, you can have it. But you can also have whatever craft beer you want, too, and they are doing just ne. Probably doing better now than they were 10 years ago.

CHAN: e pubs that seem to have a problem with craft breweries are the ones that are full of, you know, only old guys. And that’s ne, there’s a market for everything. But it’s di erent environment with a totally di erent clientele.

GROWLER: Yeah, I doubt you guys would be pulling people away from places like that.

SMI T: What we’re doing is catering to everybody here, just look around [gestures at a nearby table of moms and young children]. You’re not going to see that at a pub.

CHAN: A lot of people don’t feel comfortable in bars and pubs.

GROWLER: It seems like a lot of municipalities didn’t understand what craft beer is all about, as well.

SMI T: I think that’s a lot of it. I think there was a misunderstanding, but that’s changed a lot, very recently. Especially in PoCo. PoCo has been great to Northpaw, they’ve really helped us out and fasttracked our process. But prior to that you saw the council in Port Moody have a lot of success with craft breweries. Not only scal success, but community success, too. It was very well received by

DENNIS SMIT

everyone. It wasn’t just alcoholics and tradesmen, it was everybody, it was families.

GROWLER: Craft beer turned the asshole of Port Moody into the funnest place in town.

SMI T: Absolutely, so neighbouring communities like PoCo saw that and said, hey, we want craft breweries, too!

GROWLER: But the rst few proposed craft breweries in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, they met a lot of resistance from the municipalities, ve, six years ago. ere was even talk of putting in provisions so they wouldn’t be too close to schools.

CHAN: Because the people who go to craft breweries are all rapists and pedophiles!

GROWLER: I'm sure they wouldn’t have an issue if a winery wanted to open up.

CHAN: It’s the craziest thing. Beer is still treated di erently.

GROWLER: Do you think there’s a di erence in the suburban palate? Are there beers that might be popular in Vancouver but wouldn’t y out here?

SMI T: I don’t know that it is a lot di erent. ere’s a lot of knowledgeable beer people in Vancouver, but one of the things that we bene t from is that people are moving from Vancouver. Housing is a lot cheaper out here. So those people are coming and they’re nding breweries. We’ve started doing kettle sours because people are coming in and asking for sours. at’s not a beer you make if you’re just selling cream ales.

CHAN: And we do have regulars who come in just for our lagers, sure. ey like their Budweiser, and they want to drink something that’s local.

Mario Bartel photos

GROWLER: So these aren’t “craft beer people,” necessarily, but they like beer and they want to support a local business.

SMI T: Local is a very big word. And people who aren’t really in to craft beer will come in because they want to support local, and that’s what something like a cream ale is for. And they’ll enjoy it, and then they want to try something else.

GROWLER: So gateway beers are still important. You’re educating the market, to a certain extent. At least part of it.

SMI T: Absolutely. We get those people everyday. Maybe they’re biking by or walking their dog and they come in and want a beer, but all they know is Budweiser.

GROWLER: at’s something craft breweries in places like Victoria and Vancouver dealt with years ago. Not so much anymore.

SMI T: Which is why you see more specialization in Vancouver, for sure. at’s going to happen when you have so many breweries. Out here, you can’t have a menu of only huge IPAs or 12% imperial stouts.

approachable, nothing too crazy. We’re not like Electric Bicycle out here, we’re not throwing ramen into the kettle. But we get to experiment with our pilot system. Hazys and IPAs are still really popular, though.

GROWLER: e hazy style of beer, honestly, is revolutionary for craft beer. A lot of people who thought that they hated hops because they had some 100 IBU monstrosity like 10 years ago are coming back to craft beer because of hazy IPAs. It o ers all of the fruity aromas and avours of hops without the bitterness, so it’s totally approachable.

CHAN: We still get that, people coming in and saying, they don’t like hoppy beer. But they love our hazy pale ale! But that’s true hoppiness—the aroma and the avour—not the bitterness.

GROWLER: What’s the craft beer market going to be like ve, 10 years from now out here? Can PoCo support dozens of breweries?

GROWLER: ose beers can be intimidating to someone who’s unfamiliar with craft beer. At the very least they likely haven’t had the same exposure to craft beer that someone from Vancouver or Victoria has.

SMI T: Exactly. In places like East Van now, you’re almost being forced to nd a niche market, whereas here we don’t have that. You have to have something for everybody.

CHAN: You know, people just want something that tastes good, so try to give them that. Very

CHAN: I think we opened the oodgates. ese guys opened up and we opened up soon after, and there’s going to be at least two or three more that we know about. Port Coquitlam isn’t a huge city, but we’re going to have a good spread. I don’t know that we’ll see many more than that, though.

SMI T: I think the reality is, you’re going to see our products and Taylight’s in local stores, maybe spread out a bit more in the province somewhat, and that’s what it’s going to be.

CHAN: I see the breweries evolving, and becoming more di erent from each other.

SMI T: And you see that in Brewers Row in Port Moody. Every one of those breweries is di erent. j

We do have regulars who come in just for our lagers, sure. ey like their Budweiser, and they want to drink something that’s local.

—Goldwin Chan, Taylight Brewing

Marijuana

&

craft beer: Destined to be star-crossed lovers?

As legalization of edibles looms, restrictions could keep craft brewers out of the game

by Kristina Mameli

With marijuana now legal in Canada and the legalization of edibles on the way, will we see cannabis-infused craft?

In a word: no. At least not in the way you would expect.

With the sweet recreational leaf nally legal in Canada, I set out to answer the burning question (see what I did there?): when will we see the worlds of craft beer and Mary Jane collide?

First, there are two main components of marijuana that are important to understand for our purposes; let Professor Mameli explain: THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychedelic part that gets you high. And today’s grass is a lot stronger than that

of our parents’ era. According to Health Canada, the potency “has increased from an average of three per cent in the 1980s to around 15 per cent today. Some strains can have an average as high as 30 per cent THC.” CBD, or cannabidiol, on the other hand, does not produce any kind of high and is being studied for its possible therapeutic uses, ranging from reducing in ammation to helping with mental health issues like anxiety. Hopefully, legalization will be a boon for such research.

Edibles will become legal in Canada by Oct. 17, 2019, and yes, dear reader, than includes THC and CBD infused beverages… but, as Health Canada made abundantly clear in an email to e Growler, the edible industry will come with a litany of

caveats, especially when talking about the combo of cannabis and alcohol.

In short: Health Canada emphatically says that it’s just not going to happen. Speci cally this: “it would be prohibited to use terms related to alcoholic beverages, such as ‘beer’ or ‘wine,’ on cannabis products. It would similarly be prohibited for the name or logo of a company that manufactures alcoholic beverages to be used on a cannabis product. In addition to reducing inducements to use cannabis, this prohibition is felt to be necessary given the known health risks associated with the concurrent use of alcohol and cannabis.”

Sorry to disappoint.

Interpreting all the legalese, the federal government's Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement also thoroughly discusses food safety and covers a lot more ground regarding packaging and marketing underscoring the goal of protecting youth; essentially, weed + alcohol = no go. Especially for kids.

Regardless, it would seem that we’re on the precipice of an entirely new category of craft beverage. Ontario’s Cool Beer Brewing Co. is looking at the changing perception surrounding cannabis as an opportunity and is making moves to enter the infused beverage industry. Cool has applied to Health Canada for a processing licence to extract oils from dried cannabis using a method called CO2 extraction, which places plants under extreme compression to draw out the oils. e buds would be supplied by licensed producers and the oils would then be used to infuse alcohol-free beverages.

Kevin Meens is the Corporate Development

O cer at Cool and he o ers some much needed insight into this burgeoning and so far somewhat di cult to navigate trade.

“It’s all about what we call share of stomach in our industry,” he says. “And who has the largest share of stomach currently would be the beer industry. So now with the legalization of cannabis, you have a direct competitor.”

In August of last year, Molson Coors Canada announced that it has partnered with Quebec based HEXO, a cannabis producer, to form a joint venture called TRUSS that will “pursue opportunities to develop non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused

beverages for the Canadian market following legalization,” according to a press release. So, it would appear that macros see potential, too, and are willing to invest and diversify.

at said, the Canadian industry will inevitably look to our neighbours to the south for guidance, where, companies like Lagunitas Brewing Co. (owned by Heineken) in California have released a non-alcoholic THC-infused beverage called Hi-Fi Hops and Oregon’s Coalition Brewing Co. has had success with their CBD-infused Two Flowers IPA.

Will Canadian consumers be interested in infused beverages, though? As legalization looms and long-held stigma dissipates, Meens certainly thinks so; particularly where CBD is concerned.

“If you’re consuming Tylenol, Advil or whatnot, it’s hard on your stomach—CBD will give you the same e ect, but it’s not hard on your insides.”

It’s not all as easy as it sounds, however. As previously mentioned, Health Canada has a number of requirements for the production of infused beverages, namely pertaining to food safety and mitigating the risk of cross-contamination.

“You would not be able to put an extractor inside of an existing processing facility that deals with food,” Meens explains. “ erefore, I couldn’t put my CO2 extractor in the middle of my brewery.” at means that, hypothetically, if an existing craft brewery wanted to manufacture an infused and dealcoholized malted-beverage, they would have to build a completely separate facility in order to do so. at could prove prohibitively expensive.

So, will we ever be able to sip the magic dragon? It appears that no one has any de nitive answers. For now, anyway, it seems like the idea of cannabis-infused beer is up in smoke (I’m sorry). e idea of dealcoholized cannabis-infused beer, however, is very real and likely on the horizon. But will Canadian craft brewers give it a go?

“Do I take my existing craft brewery and continue in the malt beer industry? Or do I totally get out of making beer, retool my facility and go into infused beverages?” muses Meens of the decision facing craft brewers. “I think that’s the question.” j

anks to rising real estate and property taxes, some craft breweries are being forced from the communities they helped create

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Do you remember what Vancouver’s muchloved Yeast Van brewery district was like, before all the breweries moved in?

In a word, it was stabby.

Twenty years ago, the run-down industrial area was replete with vacant buildings and empty storefronts. anks to an animal waste processing plant and a chicken slaughterhouse, it didn’t smell too nice, either.

It was not a particularly pleasant place to be.

“Needles and condoms everywhere,” is how James Walton remembers it. e owner and brewer at East Van’s iconic Storm Brewing moved into his Commercial Drive location in 1994, well before the current crop of craft breweries took root. “I used to get broken into every six months, pretty regularly.”

But that changed, and breweries looking for light industrial-zoned space in which to set up shop were a big part of that change. Breweries brought foot tra c back to the neighbourhood. Instead of merely serving as a conduit for commuters travelling in and out of downtown, Powell Street became a destination for locals and tourists alike. e streets were no longer creepily vacant after 6 p.m., and so they became safer, and the neighbourhood became desirable.

Today, the area is home to 12 craft breweries, two distilleries, co ee roasters, ice cream shops, music studios, trendy restaurants and grocery stores. And, of course, condos that advertise themselves as being in the heart of the city’s brewery district.

But thanks to the two-headed hydra of rising taxes and runaway real estate speculation, the very

Storm Brewing's James Walton says the future of the iconic craft brewery is uncertain after its lease expires next year. Dan Toulgoet photo

breweries that helped create Yeast Van may be forced out of it.

Walton is looking at the very real possibility that his lease won’t be renewed when it expires next year. As a result, he’s on the lookout for a new home for Storm, but he’s not nding much.

“It’s pretty depressing,” he says. “We’re looking at paying at least double for a similar space.”

But in order to justify that expense, he’ll have to expand his brewery, start packaging his product and put in a tasting room. at means more equipment, more space and a more expensive location.

When all is said and done, he estimates that he could be spending upwards of four times as much as he is now—assuming he can even raise the investment necessary to build such an expansion.

If he can’t, it may be the end for one of the most important, pioneering breweries in B.C.’s craft beer scene.

Making matters worse, has been a corresponding increase in property taxes. And since many small businesses, including most breweries in Vancouver, are on “triple-net” leases, they are responsible for paying not only the monthly rent, but the property taxes and maintenance, too.

Property taxes are determined by assessing a property’s “highest and best use,” so when areas of the city are rezoned to allow for di erent uses— such as mixed use residential as is the case in much of Vancouver’s industrial-zoned land—suddenly that theoretical highest and best use is a lot more valuable and property taxes skyrocket.

According to B.C. Assessment, property values for light industrial land in Vancouver increased 36.5 per cent in 2018. As a result, property taxes on the building Storm leases have jumped by nearly 30 per cent in the past year alone.

“Taxes have gone up massively in the past ve years,” says Walton. “And the city has been no help.”

While the reasoning for taxing properties at their highest and best use is to encourage property own-

ers to redevelop their land, under triple-net leases, owners aren’t paying the taxes, the businesses are. Yet the services the businesses receive from the city haven’t changed.

Just a short walk away, Callister Brewing is facing a similar conundrum.

Owner Chris Lay recently renegotiated a ve-year extension on his lease that included a 60 per cent increase. But it could have been worse.

“If we were to leave this space, we’d be looking at a 100 per cent increase,” he says.

As a result of the neighbourhood becoming desirable, there are fewer commercial properties available, which drive up prices. at shortage is further exacerbated by rampant speculation, as some landlords are opting to leave their properties vacant, according to Lay.

“It used to be a selling feature to have a tenant in your commercial building, but now, thanks to speculation, it’s a liability if they want to redevelop,” he says. “Properties are literally worth more as a hole in the ground than as a standing building.”

Because of the increase in property values and taxes, Lay has had to completely rewrite his business plan.

“In the past ve years, all the gains we’ve made growing our business have now all been wiped out,” he says. “I don’t what we’ll do in ve years when our lease is up. at’s a lot to take for any small business.”

Lay says he’d like to see the City of Vancouver step up and help small businesses who are nding themselves being priced out of the neighbourhoods they helped create, perhaps with a grant program to o set the increase in property taxes. If the city doesn’t take action, the result could be a mass exodus of small businesses, craft breweries included.

“All of us are in the same position,” he says. j

—Chris Lay, Callister Brewing

It used to be a selling feature to have a tenant in your commercial building, but now, thanks to speculation, it’s a liability if they want to redevelop.

Are we getting Hosers Hosed?

Our neighbours to the south o er a glimpse at how good we could have it, if only B.C.’s archaic liquor laws would let us

by Reaon Ford

They say it’s a great time to be a craft beer lover in B.C., but you don’t have to drive far to discover we hosers are in fact getting hosed by a surprising lack of options for buying and consuming that sweet, sweet nectar. I recently took a road trip through Washington state, Oregon, California and Nevada and found that almost every town between Bellingham and Bakers eld had a bevy of options that doesn’t exist here—from breweries and bottle shops, to growler lls at bars, gas stations and even pharmacies.

For those who aren’t familiar, bottle shops are like our own cold beer and wine stores—but on steroids. You can mix and match your own sixpack, ll a glass or a growler from a wide selection of breweries, even grab a cold one from the cooler and crack it open in-store. e shops also act as gathering places where suds-sippers can meet and mingle.

At rst, I was only curious. But as the highway wound its way farther south, I became jealous. Even a rustic tavern in Crescent, Oregon—an

unincorporated community of 581 people—welcomes travellers with a wooden statue of a sasquatch clutching a giant mug and a sign reading: "Now lling growlers." How could a world-class city like Vancouver be upstaged by a bump in the road 50 miles south of Bend?

Beer advocate Christopher Pierce, the man behind the popular @Portland_Beer Twitter account agrees: our corner of Cascadia has some catching up to do.

“It seems like everybody [in Oregon] is doing the growler- ll thing,” he says. “Whether it’s your local grocery store, or there's even some places that are like gas station/growler- ll places, just little mom-and-pop shops.”

And don’t get him started on the selection at those stores.

" e place where I buy my meat and my bread and my pizzas, they've got between 900 and a thousand craft beers,” Pierce says. “ ey hired somebody who was a beer expert to run the place,

and it's a tiny grocery store, and everything's refrigerated. It has a larger selection than any bottle shop that I think I’ve ever seen in Vancouver."

I didn’t make it as far as Arizona on my trip, but the Park Plaza Liquor & Deli in Prescott is a perfect example of the kind of mecca we’re missing.

e 15,000-sq.-ft. property includes a liquor store, restaurant, bar and cigar lounge, with more than 1,000 beers. Fill growlers? Duh. Build your own six-pack? Yep. Purchase kegs? Why not! How about drink and smoke a cigar while you shop? WHAMMY.

So why don’t we have anything like that here?

Farees Kara, the new assistant manager of Fire y Fine Wines and Ales in Vancouver, points to licensing, legislation, and a lack of political will in B.C.

"No one's running on a platform of ‘I’m going to free beer’ and I don't think anybody ever will,” he says. “Personally, I think what needs to be done is look at it as [an absence of] consumer advocacy. CAMRA was fantastic in B.C. in trying, but even they've gotten away from advocacy. ere doesn't seem to be any organization that's willing to ght for the rights of consumers and to ght for what we want. It's all about taxation and regulation."

Kara says some local beer-based businesses have done a good job of expanding their o erings, like Jak’s Beer Wine Spirits. And he says the owners of Fire y are also taking a page from America’s playbook with plans for a major expansion of their Cambie Street location.

“We're gonna make it a craft beer destination... a good third of the store will be craft beer,” he says. “It will be probably be one of the biggest spaces allocated to craft beer in Western Canada. Maybe all of Canada.”

He’s gunning for up to 5,000 sq. ft. of selling space. But of course, size isn’t everything.

"We plan to have taps,” says Kara. “We plan to have a private tasting room. So if a brewery wanted to come and do an event with some snacks and some beer, we'd be able to accommodate them, just like many places do for wine and spirits. We basically want to elevate beer to where wine is. ere's no reason why someone shouldn't be able to come in and say, OK, you've got four taps, can I get a sample of each one before I buy some bottles?"

To nd out what we’re missing, you don’t need to spend two weeks criss-crossing the West Coast like I did. Just head to Bellingham, which is home to 13 breweries, a slew of dive bars and live music venues pouring local brews, as well as the famous Elizabeth Station bottle shop. But consider yourself warned: once you’ve had a taste of the craft beer experience in other parts of the Paci c Northwest, it will surely leave you thirsting for more. j

e place where I buy my meat and my bread and my pizzas, they've got between 900 and a thousand craft beers. —Christopher Pierce

Craft beer options abound south of the border, where even pharmacies and gas stations put tightly-regulated B.C. liquor stores to shame. Reaon Ford photos

#Pencitybeer

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Upon visiting Penticton for the rst time (or any time, really), it’s not uncommon to turn to whoever is sitting next to you and say, “I could live here.” Which makes sense, since the name Penticton, itself, is derived from the Interior Salish word for “a place to stay forever.”

So consider yourself warned: between the beer, the beaches and the sunshine—you may never want to leave!

The beer!

Penticton has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to craft beer. Twenty-four years ago when hardly anyone knew or cared about craft beer, the city was throwing a party to celebrate it. Okanagan Fest of Ale (running April 12 and 13, this year) has since become one of the biggest, best-attended and longest-running craft beer festivals in the Paci c Northwest. It’s de nitely the most fun.

Today, the lakeside community is home to ve craft breweries, with another two on the way (there’s also, like, a million wineries, cideries and distilleries, if that’s your thing). Each one o ers a unique experience for the beer-obsessed traveler.

Tin Whistle Brewing is Penticton’s original craft brewery, opening its doors all the way back in 1995.

Today it calls the historic Cannery Trade Centre home, where you can sample the beers or pick up some bottles from the retail store.

If you want a front row seat to the art of craft brewing, then pull in for a pint at Highway 97 Brewing. ere, the brewhouse is the centre of attention, with the brewery’s tasting lounge overlooking where the magic happens. If you were any closer to the action, they’d have to cut you a paycheque.

If you’re looking for a classic pub atmosphere, then the Barley Mill Brew Pub & Bistro has what you need. We’re talking dark wood, Tudor revival architecture, traditional pub fare and craft beer brewed in the cutest little brewhouse you’ve ever seen.

Maybe you’re thinking about having some food— always a good idea when you’re sampling the local beverages. Well, the folks over at Bad Tattoo Brewing have the best pizza in town, as well as some pretty delicious craft beer to go along with it. Bonus: it’s just two blocks from the beach.

Meanwhile, Cannery Brewing on Ellis Street is always bumping, thanks to 12 taps of craft beer awesomeness, constant small batch releases and live music. On sunny days (which are just about every day in Penticton), they throw open the tasting room’s bay doors and let that Okanagan sunshine

in, because nothing pairs better with craft beer than copious amounts of Vitamin D.

Soon, there will be even more craft beer options, with two new breweries on the way: Hatchery Brewing and Neighbourhood Brewing, both setting up shop right downtown. Both will de nitely be on the must-visit list.

As you are travelling from brewery to brewery, grab a Penticton Ale Trail passport and get it stamped for your chance to win some cool prizes. Last year, Penticton was named Canada’s No. 2 craft beer city, but this year, they seem to be gunning for No. 1. ey have our vote!

The fun!

ere’s no shortage of non-beer related activities to keep you busy in Penticton. Since the city is situated between two lakes—one of only two cities in the world that is between two lakes —naturally, Penticton has a ton of public beaches. Okanagan Lake Park and Rotary Park o er more than a mile of sun-drenched beach, while Skaha Lake Park features red sand, warm waters and every amenity imaginable.

Speaking of water, how does whiling away an afternoon tubing down the Penticton River Channel sound? e channel oat might be the laziest river of them all. You can rent a tube and get a bus ride back to town through Coyote Cruises (CoyoteCruises.ca).

Make sure to stop by the massive Penticton Farmers’ Market, which takes over most of Main Street every Saturday morning from April through October. Enjoy fresh fruit and veg from local farmers and handmade goods from artisans all over the South Okanagan. You’ll even nd some breweries and wineries there o ering tastings, too.

If you’re looking for something a little more active than drinking beer, eating gourmet food and getting sunburnt (to each their own!), Penticton has plenty to keep you occupied. After all, this is the home of the Penticton Beer Run (June 8), mountain biking and hiking on the KVR, adventure parks, rock climbing at the Skaha Blu s, you name it. You can get the whole rundown over at VisitPenticton.com.

Truly, a place to stay forever. j

• For more info, visit PentictonAleTrail.ca

In this crowded beer market, brewers are under pressure to grab your attention. But the year-round staples are often their best work.

by Ben Coli

There used to be nothing more exciting to me than a beer release. Something new, something exciting, something I’d never tasted before was coming from a local brewer. I couldn’t wait to try it! All my hopes and dreams were wound up in that moment. Could this be the magical beer that would nally complete me?

“Meh. It’s okay. e marjoram is super prominent, but I can barely taste the kopi luwak. As for the

jelly doughnuts they put in the mash, I guess I can taste the raspberry lling, but I’m not sure it adds anything.”

Chalk that one up to experience and move on to the next beer.

And yet I’d do it again, and again. I’d be at my local beer store and I’d see a beer I’d never had before sitting next to a beer I knew I loved, and nine times out of 10,

I’d grab that unfamiliar beer because what if that was the one that would nally complete me?

I do a lot less of that these days. I’ve accepted that I’ll never be complete, that I’ll spend the rest of my life wandering the earth with a beershaped hole in my soul that will never be lled.

Instead, I spend a lot more time drinking beers that I actually like. Mostly I drink beer from breweries that I know I like, and mostly I drink beers that they make all the time.

ere’s a reason why that marjoram-kopi-luwak-jelly-doughnut kolsch was a super limited release: because it sucked. It was a shitty idea for a beer. If it was an awesome beer that people wanted to drink every day, the brewery would still be making it. But it wasn’t an awesome beer, and nobody drank it twice.

Even when they taste good, most of these hypedup, one-o beers lack staying power. ey might be interesting to have one glass of, but they’re usually not the kind of thing you’d sit down and drink three pints of in a row. ey’re often overpowering and cloying after about half a glass.

ere’s a reason for that, too.

e brewer didn’t design that beer to have staying power. He or she might have been yearning to brew an incredible new traditional kolsch, but in this crowded beer market it’s hard to grab attention with anything subtle. e brewery’s social media manager would have had a hell of a time building hype with, “ oor-malted bohemian pilsner malt perfectly balanced with subtly oral hops and the soft esters of a cool ale fermentation.” So instead, they dumped in a bunch of crazy ingredients and got the Internet buzzing with, “we stu ed the mash tun with handmade jelly doughnuts and lled the fermenter with co ee beans that have been eaten and shit out by a fucking civet cat! While we’re at it, here’s a picture of a civet cat taking a shit!”

ere almost certainly wasn’t time to brew a test batch, and the brewers had probably never used marjoram, kopi luwak or jelly doughnuts before, so they had no idea how much to use. Anything they learned about the beer in brewing that one batch is basically lost, because they’ll never make it again.

On the other hand, that same brewery’s pale ale might be a work of art. You can barely nd mention of it on Instagram, but that pale ale is designed to be a daily go-to beer. It never gets cloying and it never fatigues your palate. It’s the kind of beer that you can drink three of in a row and still be thirsty for more. e brewery has been brewing that beer since the day they opened and after many recipe tweaks and process adjustments, they have it totally dialed in. e brewers have every feature of that beer etched into their palates, and when anything in the ingredients changes or when anything goes wrong with the fermentation, everyone in the brewery knows immediately. Because at the end of a long day of work, those thirsty brewers aren’t reaching for a glass of marjoram-kopi-luwak-jelly-doughnut kolsch, they’re reaching for their brewery’s trusty pale ale. Or its pilsner. Or its craft lager. (Or, ahem, its Belgian-style table beer brewed with oats and coriander, which, despite its avourful complexity, is actually quite a refreshing and crushable beer.)

I’m not saying you should stop buying breweries’ seasonals and one-o s. (Please don’t stop buying my brewery’s seasonals and one-o s! ink of my kids!) Novelty and exploration are a huge part of what makes craft beer fun. I don’t ever want to stop growing and experimenting as a brewer, and I don’t ever want to stop trying new things as a drinker.

But please understand that those one-o s aren’t the best beers. e best beers are the ones that the brewers are working on constantly, the ones that are designed with balance and drinkability in mind. ose hyped-up one-o beers can be super fun, but if you miss out on one, don’t stress.

It almost de nitely wasn’t the beer that would nally complete you. j

Ben Coli is the owner and head brewer of Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing, the Canadian Brewing Awards’ 2018 Brewery of the Year.

Saison Saison FULL circle

by Joe Wiebe

When the British beer writer Michael Jackson rst began writing about Belgian beer culture in the 1970s, he found very few examples of saisons in existence. By the early 1990s, he even described the style as “endangered.” But he loved the beer, perhaps even more than typical Belgians did, and worked hard to bring attention to it. Because of his enthusiasm, an American distributor reached out to the Belgian brewer Dupont to import its saison, described by Jackson as “a down-to-earth classic of the style.” Dupont was surprised by the request since their blonde ale, Moinette, was a much bigger seller in Belgium.

“At the time, the beer represented just two per cent of Brasserie Dupont’s sales and was being considered for discontinuation,” Bryan Roth wrote in All About Beer in 2016, going on to claim that

the saison now accounts for 40 per cent of Dupont’s production because of the export market. Cédric Dauchot, brewer and co-owner of Townsite Brewing in Powell River, grew up about 35 km from the Dupont brewery, but despite its proximity, Dauchot says, “I never drank Saison Dupont at the pub. We always drank Moinette. Saisons were not a big part of beer culture in Belgium.”

On my own trip to Belgium in 2014, I sought out saisons at every pub, but the truth was I only encountered them here and there.

According to legend, saisons were originally brewed by farmers in the winter months and then stored away for the summer when they were consumed in great quantities as sustenance by the saisoniers, or seasonal workers, hired to help with the harvest. It’s a great story, one I’ve told many

Brewmaster Cédric Dauchot has a taste in the barrel room at Townsite Brewing. Contributed photo

times at beer tastings and seminars, and people always love it when they hear it. As with many beer origin stories, it’s probably too good to be true. Check Dutch beer writer Roel Mulder’s site, Lostbeer.com, for a few articles devoted to debunking the myth if you’re interested.

When I asked Dauchot about the origin story, he said it might have been true “maybe 100 years ago,” but with a twist: “ ere was a communal brewery in every village. Every farmer would have a couple of wood barrels and ll them and then tap them for the workers in the summer.” He remembers that his father worked on a farm in the 1960s that still used horses “and there were some beer barrels there, but that was one of the last farms in the area to do that.”

the traditional Belgian saison yeast, which he believes is a clone of Dupont’s, and several di erent grains, including spelt, oats, rye, and raw, unmalted wheat along with barley.

“I really like spelt; it gives it an extra avour,” Dauchot said. “ e beer is a bit more bready. ere’s a nice smell that comes from the spelt.”

Townsite brews several batches of it in February and March so that it is ready in the spring and summer —“exactly like the tradition.”

“ e fermentation is usually at 30-32 C—the fermenter feels like there’s blood inside. You get lots of esters, bubblegum notes.” e result is a complex beer, to be sure, but when all those avours are balanced, the result is very special.

“I like all the avour that comes from the grains. And the yeast must be present: a lot of peppery esters. And a dry nish. It’s a thirst-quenching beer for sure.”

On a recent visit home, Dauchot found saisons to be more prominent in Belgium than in the past, along with IPAs and other North American craft beer styles. He thinks it’s a reaction to the way beer has changed there since AB-InBev bought many of the prominent breweries like Le e, BelleVue and Hoegaarden.

“A lot of people in Belgium are complaining the beers are too sweet now,” he explained. “ ere are a lot of fruit beers on the market, a lot of radlers. I think smaller breweries are trying to follow the American way to make something drier.”

fruitiness; and a long, almost tangibly dry, nish.” at “ rm, refreshing bang on even if it isn’t the usual way

Saisons can vary considerably from brewery to brewery, but many people, including myself, regard the Saison Dupont as the benchmark. And I love Jackson’s description of it: “A big, rocky, creamy head; a sharp, rm, refreshing attack; a restrained fruitiness; and a long, almost tangibly dry, nish.” at “ rm, refreshing attack” makes me smile because it’s bang on even if it isn’t the usual way to describe a beer.

Townsite Brewing’s 7800 Saison, which is named for the distance between Dauchot’s hometown and Powell River, is a classic of the style that is reminiscent of the Dupont standard. He uses

Saison Dupont is considered the benchmark for saisons, with its "big, rocky, creamy head; sharp, rm, refreshing attack; restrained fruitiness; and long, almost tangibly dry, nish," according to the late, great beer writer, Michael Jackson.

What’s the French translation for “full circle?” j

Required drinking

Brassneck Brewery // Joe’s Barn, Sticks & Stones

Rye Saison, Stockholm Syndrome

Dageraad Brewing // Randonneur Saison

Driftwood Brewery // Farmhand Ale

Four Winds Brewing // Saison, La Maison Wild Saison, Operis Brett Saison

Persephone Brewing // Multigrain Saison

Strange Fellows Brewing // Bayard Farmhouse

Saison, Mistral Riesling Saison

Townsite Brewing // 7800 Saison

I really like spelt; it gives it an extra avour. e beer is a bit more bready. ere’s a nice smell that comes from the spelt. —Cedric Dauchot

How craft beer? is your

While many young British Columbians have adopted a plant-based diet, they may be unaware their favourite craft beer might not be vegan-friendly

by Brittany Tiplady

In March 2018, Dalhousie University released the ndings of a national data survey announcing that nearly 40 per cent of British Columbians under the age of 35 are either vegan or vegetarian. e highest percent in the country, in fact.

Now, do you think all those plant-based folks know their beer might not be vegan-friendly? Possibly not. So, what separates a vegan and non-vegan beer? e answer is a little shy.

Isinglass is a substance derived from sh (mainly sturgeon) bladders, and used as a ning agent to clarify beer in certain brewing styles. During the ltration process, ning agents like isinglass are added to help remove excess yeast and particles. Gelatin, made from animal collagen, is also routinely used as a ning agent.

Another substance not suitable for a vegan diet that shows up in craft beer is lactose sugar, which is made from cow’s milk. Brews like milk stouts or milkshake IPAs use lactose sugar to add residual sweetness to the beer.

However, some B.C. craft breweries are looking at alternative ingredients and brewing methods to bring consumers "cruelty-free" beer.

Vancouver Island Brewing is one of them.

“For a number of reasons, one of the moves we wanted to make was to get a centrifuge for doing clarity,” explains VIB marketing manager Chris Bjerrisgaard. “Basically instead of ltering our beer, we are spinning it clear to remove any hard particulates, yeast or leftover hops, and what it does is it allows us to clarify our beer without using ning agents, and that’s what actually makes the beer vegan.

“It’s obviously micro-levels, but it’s something that would restrict someone who is strict in their veganism from being able to drink all beer on the market.”

In a similar vein, Vancouver Island Brewing is also in the process of going kosher.

“You can’t certify yourself as vegan and there’s no real certi cations of quality in brewing in a lot of ways,” Bjerrisgaard says. “We felt that this was an opportunity for us to both reach out to a market in the Jewish community but also to give that stamp of approval that our products are high-quality and they meet a set of standards.”

Since its inception in 2015, Doan’s Craft Brewing Company has been producing 100 per cent vegan beers. But their plant-based e orts had remained rather low-key until this past fall when Doan’s released their

Winterlicious Vegan Milk Stout

in collaboration with Monashee Spirits Craft Distillery.

“We went the vegan route from day one,” says Doan’s co-founder and co-owner Evan Doan. “Michael, my brother, and one of the other co-founders has been vegan for a number of years now and I, myself, have been vegetarian my entire life. We’ve tried to experiment and do beers that would normally not be vegan, like using lactose sugar, which is a dairy product, and try to do those styles with vegan options.”

Doan created Winterlicious by taking Monashee Spirits’ non-dairy creme base, which contains vanilla bean, co ee bean, white whisky and brown rice sugar, and put that into a rice stout.

“ is is a beer that vegans typically wouldn’t be able to drink and now they can enjoy,” he says.

Winterlicious was one of the most successful responses the East Vancouver brewery has had for a single beer. Even the skeptics were pleasantly surprised.

“Most people who normally wouldn’t be into that style of beer would taste just a sample, and still buy a six-pack. ey loved it,” says Doan. “So it was really fun to see people’s reactions, whether they are vegan or not.”

Doan’s is currently in the middle of a rebrand, but once that design refresh is complete you can expect to see their vegan e orts proudly displayed.

“All of our products will have a little vegan symbol, showing no animal by-products,” Doan says. “So we are taking the next step and making our vegan stance more prominent in our brand.”

Meanwhile, brewer Jacquie Loehndorf’s beer at Vancouver’s Faculty Brewing, save for the Sourweisse, is entirely vegan-friendly.

“A big value that we have as a company is [our commitment to] inclusivity,” says Faculty owner Mauricio Lozano. “We wanted to make sure that everyone is welcome to the brewery. Starting with the layout of the space, all the way to making our beers vegan.”

Faculty usess a puri ed colloidal solution of silicic acid in water to clarify its beer.

“It works almost as well as animal-based products like gelatin nings or isinglass and we are achieving a really nice clear beer that is vegan and un ltered and fresh as it should be,” he says.

TOP: Vancouver Island Brewing marketing manager Chris Bjerrisgaard (on left) and production manager Danny Seeton. All the beer brewed at VIB is vegan and kosher, something Bjerrisgaard believes makes it inclusive and high quality. Lara Zukowsky photo

BOTTOM: Faculty Brewing owner Mauricio Lozano and brewer Jacquie Loehndorf use a vegan-friendly product to clarify their beers. Dan Toulgoet photo

Doan’s Craft Brewing uses the same product as Faculty—called Bio ne—and centrifuges its beers instead of using isinglass or gelatin.

In the end, what Vancouver Island Brewing, Doan’s and Faculty all have in common—in addition to producing great craft brews—is their commitment to quality beer that everyone can enjoy, vegan or not.

“We’ve had a great response and we get a lot of thank-yous,” says Lozano. “People always thank us for thinking of them, and for making our space a place for everyone. When you accommodate for a minority, everbody wins.” j

MARCH 1-9

Victoria Craft Beer Week is nine-day celebration of all things beer returns to venues all over Victoria for the rst weekend in March. ings get started with Lift O ! at the Victoria Public Market as more than a dozen breweries from across B.C. launch brand new, never-before-released beers to public. Be sure to check out e Growler’s Long Table Brewery Tour on March 2, as well as the Ultimate Craft Beer Quiz at Northern Quarter on March 4, where you’ll be able to test your craft beer knowledge against e Growler’s Rob Mangelsdorf and Joe Wiebe.

VictoriaBeerWeek.com

MARCH 9

Coquitlam Craft Beer Festival

Close to 50 craft breweries and cideries will be on hand at the Westwood Plateau Golf Club for this locally beloved festival. Be sure to check out the Quirky Beers theme room and the expanded food vendor market. Choose either the matinee session from 12:30-3 p.m. or the evening session, from 7-9:30 p.m. CoquitlamBeerFestival.com

APRIL 5

Nanaimo Kinsmen Beer Fest

e Mid-Island’s biggest beer festival returns to the Beban Park Social Centre from 6-9 p.m. with all proceeds going to bene t the Nanaimo Kinsmen’s community charity projects.

NanaimoKinsmenBeerFest.com

APRIL 6

Beer League BASH (Vancouver)

Five hockey teams representing breweries from all over the province compete in a one-day hockey tournament at the Britannia Ice Rink with all proceeds going to the Britannia After School Hockey Program (BASH). BeerLeagueBash.com

APRIL 12-13

Okanagan Fest of Ale (Penticton)

Penticton is one of the best craft beer towns in B.C., so it’s hardly surprising that Fest of Ale is one of the best craft beer festivals, too. is year marks the 24th annual edition of Fest of Ale, with 65 craft brewers serving up close to 200 di erent beers to more than 5,000 craft brew enthusiasts, making it one of the largest and longest running beer festivals in the Paci c Northwest. FestOfAle.ca

MAY 9-11

Great Okanagan Beer Festival (Kelowna)

Craft beers by the lake, what could be better? e main event features more than 60 breweries pouring 120-plus beers at Kelowna’s Waterfront Park on Saturday, May 11, but there are great events all over town, all weekend long. GibbonsWhistler.com

MAY 18

Fort Langley Beer and Food Festival (Langley)

Local craft beer and local food come together to celebrate local history at the Fort Langley National Historic Site. More than 25 breweries and 15 food vendors will be taking part, along with live music and costumed historical guides showcasing where B.C. began. FortLangley.beer

MAY 31-JUNE 8

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

VCBW is turning 10 this year, so you know this one’s going to be special. B.C.’s biggest and best craft beer festival kicks o on Friday, May 31, with events all over Vancouver, all week long. e party peaks at the PNE fairgrounds June 8 and 9 for the main event, where over 100 craft breweries and cideries will be pouring more than 300 beers and ciders. Good times guaranteed!

VancouverCraftBeerWeek.com j

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

he new face of

by Rebecca Whyman

You know that phenomenon when something, seemingly out of nowhere, tickles your brain, then takes up residence, and has you ruminating for months? at’s what happened to me at Bart Watson’s keynote speech at the B.C. Brewers’ Conference back in October.

e chief economist for the American Brewers Association gave an engaging talk about the state of craft brewing, chock-full of brain tickling stats and his interpretations of what they mean now and for the future. Including this innocuous little slide:

PER CENT OF beer DRINKERS WHO ARE DRINKING MORE CRAFT and SAY BREWERY VISITS ARE A REASON

• Clear sign there is new demand here

• Opportunity to grow the segment

• Cuts across typical demographics

• Ripples run farther out

Data courtesy of Bart Watson, American Brewers Association.

Nothing controversial here, folks. Just that some craft beer drinkers are drinking more craft beer, and say they are doing so because they visit breweries. Isn’t that nice? e industry must love when the already-converted are drinking even more craft. And all breweries had to do was o er appreciators a way to visit them at the source? Pure gold!

So what was it about this slide that grabbed me? It was that number in the middle of the chart: 19 per cent. e largest segment who says their drinking has been positively a ected by visiting breweries is my demographic—female-identi ed folks 45 to 54. Menopausal old biddies for the craft beer win!

After catching my breath from performing my victory lap, I had me a good think about what breweries are doing di erently from bars or pubs that is encouraging my people to visit and increase our craft beer drinking. And what else could they do to make even more people come out to mingle and keep the craft beer industry in the black?

I love tasting rooms. I think they’re the best thing to happen to my neighbourhood since they started burying cable. I don’t presume to speak for all women, but here are some of my (very generalized) reasons for visiting a tasting room over a bar or pub: I nd tasting rooms friendlier and more welcoming than bars; I can sit alone in a tasting room without anyone insisting I must be there for more than the beer; when I’m at a tasting room for a beer with a friend, we are left in peace to enjoy our beer—any external conversations revolve around beer, not whether we “come here often”; the communal tables encourage making new friends; and servers at craft beer establishments love talking about beer, without mansplaining it to me.

I’m not sure why 45-54-year-olds love the breweries so much more than the 55-64 and 65-plus sets. Older folks are worth trying to entice into craft beer. Speaking in gross generalizations again, they have disposable income, lots of time on their hands to drink their way through your entire beer list, and adult children they need to nd places to visit with after they nally kick them out of the family home.

e stats tell us breweries are already a welcoming place for many people. What could they do to

entice more of the middle-aged set? Here’s my non-exhaustive wish list:

Better lighting Don’t make me sh out my phone and use the super-useful-but-highly-annoying-to-everyone-else ashlight app to read the menu.

Bigger writing In that same vein, don’t make me have to swap out my distance glasses for my readers (or vice versa), or hold the menu out as far as my arms will reach.

Lower volume Even if my hearing wasn’t going, no one likes to have to shout or be a close talker. But don’t make it too quiet, I don’t want everyone to hear my joints groan when I stand up.

Clean washrooms If your washrooms are decent, I won’t be afraid to use them more than once, which means I’ll stay for more than one drink (and come back again). I’m fond of the non-gendered bathroom, both politically, and because it keeps the line moving faster. I also appreciate the sink outside the stall—I choose to believe it forces handwashing.

Food I love beer snacks. But if I’ve popped in after work, or between meal times on a weekend, and one drink turns into more, I would like to be able to eat some heartier fare so I don’t fall o my barstool. Don’t make me have to leave the tasting room to nd a restaurant or, horrors, go home.

Drink O er more than craft beer options.

Events Make yourself an easy venue for patrons to host casual gatherings.

Staffing Diverse hiring practices encourage diversity in your patrons.

Once they’ve welcomed more older drinkers, it would behoove breweries to nd ways to welcome other groups underserved by and underrepresented in the liquor industry. Expanding the diversity of patrons is good for a brewery’s market share and is also good for the community as a whole. Having more places to gather to hear di erent voices keeps us all young, and well hydrated. j

Berbere Spiced

Grilled Albacore Tuna Salad

BY CHEF DAVI D ED IGER OF TOQUE CAT ERING with

Dageraad De W itte Vinaigrette

Chef David Ediger has worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the province, backing up culinary rock stars like Je Van Geest, Quang Dang and Hamid Salimian. He's since crossed over to the world of luxury catering and had the opportunity to cook for actual rock stars, like Nick Cave, Snoop Dogg and David Foster. As part of the team at Victoria’s Toque Catering along with chef/owner Nick Waters, Ediger has helped the haute cuisine custom catering company pick up scores of awards in recent years, including Caterer of the Year by the Top Choice Victoria Awards and B.C. Wedding Awards, as well as Best Catered Event by the Canadian Event Industry Awards.

“Our motto is, if you can dream it up, we can make it happen,” he says.

WHY D O YOU LOVE T HIS RECIPE?

Albacore tuna is a fantastic product from our local waters. It has such a nice creamy, yet rm texture and it is incredibly versatile in terms of the avours you can add to it. Berbere spice is a blend from Ethiopia with chilies, ginger, paprika and fenu-

greek that gives the tuna some heat and complexity. e richness of the tuna contrasts well with the tart avours inherent in the beer and crisp, fresh textures of the fennel and radish.

TELL US W HY YOU CHOSE T HIS PAR T ICULAR B EER.

I am a big fan of sour beers and Dageraad’s De Witte is a ne example of the style. Sour beers are often paired with seafood dishes such as moules frites, ceviche, or steamed crab. e sourness can highlight the bright avours of the dish and it can also cut through the richness.

WHAT ARE SOME GENERAL T IPS YOU HAVE FOR COOKING WIT H B EER?

Cooking with beer is a great way to add layers of avour to a meal. Beer is often used in place of wine in braised dishes. Coq au vin, beef bourguignon and pulled pork can all bene t from the use of beer as the braising liquid. For example, pork shoulder braised in an IPA bene ts from both the tangy hops and the malty character present in the beer. —Rob Mangelsdorf

Lara Zukowsky photos

M AKES FOUR SERVINGS

INgredients

For the vinaigrette

• 80 mL Dageraad De Witte Beer

• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard

• 1 tbsp minced shallot

• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

• 1 tbsp honey

• 80 mL olive oil

• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the tuna

• 400 grams Albacore tuna loin (belly removed)

• 1.5 tbsp berbere spice (available at specialty grocery stores)

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger

• 1 tbsp orange zest

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp sea salt

For the salad

• 1 head fresh fennel, shaved thin

• 5 red radishes, shaved thin

• 50 mL sweet pickled red onion

• 40 grams whole toasted almonds

• 1 head butter lettuce, cored, washed and torn

• 1 head radicchio, cored, washed and chopped

• Dill fronds

directions

Making the vinaigrette

1. Combine beer, mustard, shallot, lemon zest and honey in a blender. Turn on to low speed and slowly add olive oil to emulsify.

2. Season to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Preparing the tuna

1. In a small bowl, stir together berbere spice, garlic, ginger, orange zest and olive oil.

2. Spread evenly over tuna loin, cover and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.

3. Preheat grill on high heat. Be sure to oil the grill surface just before grilling to keep tuna from sticking.

4. Grill tuna on all sides, 10 seconds per side. Transfer to cutting board to rest.

Making the salad

1. Combine lettuces, shaved fennel and radish in a bowl and dress with the vinaigrette to taste.

TOP: Dageraad's De Witte is a dry-hopped sour passion fruit wheat ale, and is the perfect accompaniment to seafood dishes.

BOTTOM: Chef David Ediger likes to incorporate sour beers into his cooking to highlight bright avours with the beer's acidity.

2. Slice grilled tuna loin with a sharp knife into 1 cm thick slices.

3. Garnish the salad with the tuna slices, pickled red onion, toasted almonds, dill fronds and serve. j

THE G RO W LER PRESEN TS

THE L ONG TA B LE BRE W ERY TOUR

Chef Dave Ediger and Toque Catering have partnered with West Coast Brewery Tours and e Growler to present a unique food and beer-pairing event for Victoria Beer Week. Guests go behind the scenes at their favourite craft breweries to meet the brewers themselves, sampling more than a dozen beers, each paired with a specially designed dish prepared onsite. e March 2 event is sold out, but keep an eye out for the next edition, this spring 2019. WestCoastBreweryTours.ca

BREWING CAUSE

Non-pro t brewers are turning their passion into philanthropy

by Rob Mangelsdorf

While many craft breweries across the province have made beers to bene t various causes, a new breed of non-pro t brewery is being explored speci cally to raise money for charity.

When Brad Harris’s daughter, Linden, was diagnosed with leukemia almost six years ago, the Comox Valley family doctor soon found himself on the other side of the healthcare system. Treatment meant constant trips to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for constant chemotherapy sessions.

Harris and his wife, Dennyse, spent much of their time sitting in the waiting room of the oncology department, surrounded by other parents of sick children, trying to comfort one another.

“It was two and a half years of hell,” he recalls. Today, Linden is a healthy, happy 10-year-old, but Harris, a proli c homebrewer in his spare time, has never forgotten what his fellow doctors and medical sta did for his family.

So when he was asked to help with a fundraiser his wife was planning, he decided to combine his love for beer with his desire to give back.

e result was the Royston Nano Brewery, a non-pro t, contract brewing project with proceeds bene ting the B.C. Children’s Hospital oncology department that saved his daughter’s life, as well as YANA Comox Valley, an organization that assists parents who need to travel for medical treatment for their children.

While Harris has a 150 L homebrew system in his garage for personal use, he contract brews his charity beers at Courtenay’s Gladstone Brewing, which

Dr. Brad Harris is the family doctor and homebrewer in Comox behind the Royston Nano Brewery, which raises money for sick kids and their families. Contributed photo

has graciously donated the tank time. e beer is sold at fundraisers and through Gladstone’s tasting room, and so far has raised close to $20,000.

However, Harris’s ultimate goal is to create a volunteer-run, non-pro t community brewery, where anyone can brew and all proceeds go to charity.

“ e Roy’s Towne Pub is totally on board with what we’re doing, and they’ve said we can set up on their property,” he says. “I love brewing but I don’t want to make money brewing. I have a very good job, I’m not about to leave it to become a brewer.”

Harris estimates it will cost about $40,000 to set up the brewery, and if successful, he’d like to take the idea and inspire similar projects elsewhere.

“It’s not hard to make good beer,” he says. “It’s really hard to make great beer, but good beer is not that hard, and I think people around here will be more than happy with good beer if they know it’s going towards a good cause.”

Harris is one of a growing number of people looking at the non-pro t route to brew beer and help give back to their community.

Graeme Hafey spent 21 years in the Canadian navy as a helicopter pilot, serving in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. When he left the Canadian Forces in 2011, he thought he would have no problem adjusting to civilian life. But after years of struggle and being unable to hold down a job, he was diagnosed with PTSD from his wartime service. Making matters worse, he was denied any bene ts and supports, because he had been out of the navy for “too long.”

“When I left, I didn’t realize that I was sick,” Hafey says. “We’re trained to be strong, not complain and overcome obstacles at any cost. But that robotic, rigid way of being is not how real life is. So that transitional period is di cult.”

After spending years ghting the federal government, Hafey nally got the help he needed. Others aren’t so lucky, however.

Hafey is now a full-time student at Camosun College in Victoria studying business management, where he developed a proposal for a non-pro t craft brewery to help veterans as a school project. He says he thought a veteran-focused craft brewery would be a good way to raise awareness about veterans’ issues, and raise funds to help support them.

“A lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system,” he says. “Many are too proud to ask for help, and when they do, many are denied bene ts. A lot of people develop drug and alcohol problems. It took me six years to transition [to civilian life], I don’t want others to su er like I did.”

Now he’s putting his plan into action with V2V Black Hops Brewing. Hafey is currently contract brewing his Victory Ale English-Style Bitter— which is a lovely malt-forward take on a traditional ESB, by the way—designed and brewed by Nicole McLean at Twa Dogs Brewery in Saanich. At the moment it’s only available on draft at select taps around Victoria—as well as at CFB Esquimalt naval base—but Hafey hopes to can his next batch.

“We’re non-pro t, we don’t pay ourselves, we’re totally volunteer-run,” he says. “Any money we make goes into paying for the beer and then to the organizations we support.”

Organizations like the Cockrell House in Colwood, a supportive housing project for homeless and at-risk veterans.

Much like Harris, Hafey’s ultimate goal is to open up a brick-and-mortar, volunteer-run brewery to step up his fundraising e orts, as well as provide an avenue to have a public conversation about supporting Canada’s veterans.

“ ere’s a lack of understanding about the military, because people only know what they’ve seen on TV,” he says. “We want V2V Black Hops to help people understand about what veterans are going through, and we want to do that through craft beer, because craft beer brings people together.” j

Graeme Hafey started the non-pro t V2V Black Hops Brewing to help support his fellow veterans. Rob Mangelsdorf photo

Local, not Lucky

Friends don’t let friends drink foreign-owned macro swill

by Rob Mangelsdorf

Irecently moved back to Vancouver Island and I was reminded of a certain geographic peculiarity upon my rst trip to the liquor store.

ere, right as I walked into the store, was a six-foot high pyramid of familiar red and white cartons of beer.

“Vancouver Island’s Original Lucky Lager” the boxes proclaimed, next to an illustration of a man in waders hauling in a giant tyee salmon. For the unfamiliar, this is a ubiquitous sight on Vancouver Island. In just about every fridge, the back of every pick-up truck, and the bottom of every roadside ditch, you will nd cans of Lucky Lager. It’s as Vancouver Island as Nanaimo bars and driving 10 km/h under the speed limit.

e thing is, though, there isn’t anything remotely Vancouver Island about it, except the marketing.

Lucky Lager is an American beer brand that began in San Francisco and made its way north with itinerant American loggers who came to work the summers in the B.C. forestry industry in the 1950s, and it caught on with the locals. Labatt Brewing soon bought the brand, and even brie y brewed it on Vancouver Island until it closed its Victoria brewery in 1982.

Today, Lucky Lager is part of the AB InBev global beverage juggernaut, and brewed in Edmonton, Alberta—more than 1,200 km away from Vancouver Island.

ere is nothing remotely Vancouver Island about this beer: not its owners, its makers, or even its ingredients. Yet the locals claim it as their own. Other areas of B.C. also have questionable loyalty to foreign-owned beers. On a recent trip to Northern B.C., I was surprised to discover that the “utility beer” of choice was not Cariboo Brewing’s Blonde Ale—which actually won silver at the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards and is brewed in Prince George by hardworking British Columbians using local ingredients—but instead, Budweiser.

is trend is especially disappointing when you consider how much amazing beer is getting made locally, all over the province.

Phillips grows and malts its own barley, and uses Vancouver Island-grown hops in some its beers. Vancouver Island Brewing has been brewing its beer on the Island since 1984, and it, too, uses Vancouver Island hops. Longwood Brewery in Nanaimo manages to make its Island Time Lager

Lucky

you decide vs.

$23.29* for 15 x 355mL cans // $1.55 per can

✘ Brewed in Edmonton

✘ Foreign-owned

with ingredients grown within 20 km of the brewery.

If you’re from the Island (or Northern B.C., or anywhere, really), I challenge you to switch to a local brand of beer. If you like inexpensive lagers, that’s ne. ere are plenty local examples these days. ere was a time, not too long ago, when craft breweries shied away from inexpensive light lagers that might face competition from the big bad macro breweries. In reality, they are actually incredibly technical and expensive beers to brew. But today, pretty much every brewery in the province has at least one lager even your old man can get into. And should.

ere’s nothing wrong with drinking foreign beer, per se. Some of the best beer in the world is made in places not called British Columbia. But Lucky Lager and other foreign-owned macro garbage aren’t among them. You have options.

By drinking local beer, you’re supporting your own community. You’re not only supporting the local brewery and the people who work there, but the local businesses it contracts and the local suppliers it relies on. You’re supporting everyone from local farmers to truck drivers, you name it. ese are your neighbours, your family and your friends. You’re a goddamn hero, really.

But chances are, if you’re reading this, I’m already preaching to the converted. So let’s all do our part to spread the gospel of local beer. e next time you see your buddy, or uncle or Sharon from accounting cracking into can of foreign-owned and -brewed macro swill, sit them down and tell them their choices are o ensive and wrong.

$10.49* for 6 x 355 mL cans // $1.75 per can

✔ Brewed on Vancouver Island

✔ Canadian-owned

I’m kidding, obviously. Don’t do that. But maybe ask them: “If I could nd you a beer that tastes just as good as what you’re drinking for about the same price, but it was locally owned, locally brewed with local ingredients, and your money stayed right here in our community, would you drink it?”

e answer will be yes.

It bloody well should be, anyways. If it’s not, you don’t need those people in your life.

#LocalNotLucky j

LOCAL MACRO LAGER ALTERNATIVES

Vancouver Island Brewing (Victoria) // Victoria Lager

Central City Brewing (Surrey) // Beer League Lager

Coal Harbour Brewing Co. (Vancouver) // 311 Helles Lager

Longwood Brewery (Nanaimo) // Island Time Lager

Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. (Victoria) // Pilsner

Parallel 49 Brewing (Vancouver) // Craft Lager

Howe Sound Brewing Co. (Squamish) // Howe Sound Lager

Mt. Begbie Brewing (Revelstoke) // High Country Kolsch

Red Truck Beer Co. (Vancouver) //

Road Trip Classic Lager

LUCKY LAGER BY LABATT BREWING

VICTORIA LAGER BY VANCOUVER ISLAND BREWING

STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | StrangeFellowsBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

Bring your friend, your partner, your kids, and your four-legged friends, everyone is welcome at Strange Fellows. e highly decorated East Vancouver craft brewery is inspired by tradition and creativity, known to go beyond the ordinary to celebrate all that is strange and extraordinary.

LITTLE RED ONE

LAMBIC-STYLE

Availability: One-o

Fraser Valley currants give a berry character but with a dry herbal note; aromas and avours of oak, black tea and tobacco.

WIT BEER

Availability: Year-round

Curacao orange, coriander and a unique yeast culture lend a bright spicy character to this refreshing and moreish wheat beer.

Availability: One-o

is barrel-aged brown is reminiscent of cherries, dried gs and light chocolate.

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A lovely balanced hoppy beer, dry-hopped with Mosaic, accompanied by citrusy and tropical aromatics and avours.

Strange days

Inspired by obscure superstitions and folklore from around the world, Strange Fellows established a year of celebrations or “Strange Days” as they call them. Bring your friends and celebrate with them each month as they observe a di erent Strange Day.

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 E. 1st Ave. | RedTruckBeer.com

SUN-WED 11AM-10PM ^ THURS 11AM-11PM ^

FRI-SAT 11AM-12AM

EST. 2015

e wheels are o at the Truck Stop Diner where you now have twice the number of taps to choose from, up to 16 from eight.

HAULIN’ SOME MASS

HAZY IND I A PALE A LE

BAJA BOUND MEX I CAN LAGER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A BV IBU 6.5%40

Brewed with a superior pilsner malt, wheat and golden oats, then dry-hopped with Citra and Vic Secret.

A BV IBU 5.1%18

Full of rich and toasted malt character and bright, herbal noble hop aromas.

No standout moment or amazing experience has ever been had without venturing off the beaten path with a couple of tasty beers at the end.

Red Truck’s Adventure pack was put together to fuel your next adventure. This pack includes: Road Trip Classic Lager, Haulin’ Some Mass New England IPA, El Space Camino Dry Hopped Ale and Baja Bound Mexican Lager – each brewed to be as unique and refreshing as the region they’re from.

#BREWEDFORADVENTURE

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

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

33 ACRES EXPERIMENT

25 W. 8th Ave. | 33AcresBrewing.com

More than just gorgeous branding, 33 Acres has the hardware to back up the beer, with a win for Brewery of the Year at the BCBAs and gold at the 2018 World Beer Cup.

33

Brewer Dave Varga’s beer laboratory pumps out an ever-changing lineup of small batch experiments that explore the science of fermentation.

ANDINA BREWING CO.

1507 Powell St. | AndinaBrewing.ca

BIG ROCK BREWERY VANCOUVER

310 W. 4th Ave. | BigRockBeer.com

Callister alumni Ben Greenberg of Night Owl Brewing has moved a block away to Andina. Come for his Colombian-inspired beers using South American malts, stay for the patchos!

New menu, new beers, new tanks and the installation of a canning line all point to solid reasons to revisit the one brewery in three di erent provinces. TRADITIONAL

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

BOMBER BREWING CO.

1488 Adanac St. |

BRASSNECK BREWERY

2148 Main St. | Brassneck.ca

Nestled in the heart of East Vancouver, drop into Bomber Brewing to stock up on cans, ll your growlers, or stay for a pint and a board game.

ere’s always something new on the beer list at über-cool Brassneck, where playful experimentation is the name of the game.

BREWHALL

97 E. 2nd Ave. | BREWHALL.com

CALLISTER BREWING CO.

1338 Franklin St. | CallisterBrewing.com

Look for Mighty Morphin Sour Rangers, the People’s Choice award winner at the B.C. Beer Awards, in cans at the brewery and select liquor stores.

MIGHTY MORPHIN SOUR RANGERS

DRY HOPPED SOUR ALE

Availability: Seasonal

COAL HARBOUR BREWING

CO.

SOUR PALE (STRATHCONA COLLAB)

Availability: Seasonal

Vancouver’s beer nursery, Callister is the rst co-working, co-op brewery in Canada, designed to support brewers by giving them access to equipment and commercial facilities.

CUBAN TAXI (CALLISTER) GUAVA GOSE

Availability: Seasonal

CHUCKLEHEAD (GOOD BUDDY) HELLES LAGER

Availability: Small batch

CRAFT COLLECTIVE BEERWORKS

1967 Triumph St. | CoalHarbourBrewing.com

1575 Vernon Dr. | CraftCollective.beer

CHBC has been brewing up a storm lately, with creative new packaged beers being released every month, and its award-winning 311 Helles Lager now in six-packs.

TINY UMBRELLA

FRUIT DOUBLE INDIA

PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

SUPER SAIYAN SAKE SOUR

DRY-HOPPED KETTLE SOUR

Availability: One-o

Nestled amongst the bustling breweries in Yeast Van is Craft Collective Beerworks: Canada’s only “collaborative craft brewery,” home to brands like Doan’s, Postmark, Phantom and Spectrum.

PHANTOM NO. 1

AGAIN

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: One-o

SPECTRUM MARGARITA

Availability: Seasonal

DOCKSIDE BREWING CO.

1253 Johnston St. | DocksideVancouver.com

DOGWOOD BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | DogwoodBrew.com

e beer may take a backseat to the food and that incredible patio, but it’s still one of the best places for a pint on a sunny day.

Vancouver’s only all-organic brewery is hosting the Pink Boots Women’s Brew Day for International Women’s Day on March 9, and then celebrating its fourth anniversary on March 16.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Seasonal Availability: Year-round

EAST VAN BREWING CO.

1675 Venables St. | EastVanBrewing.com

ELECTRIC BICYCLE BREWING CO.

20 E. 4th Ave. | ElectricBicycleBrewing.com

Bring your vinyl down to the taproom on Wednesdays and they’ll play it, or swing through for live tunes on ursdays.

is funky new addition to Brewery Creek wants to make all your craft beer dreams come true. e décor is psychedelic and the beers are just as surreal.

IT’S NO GAME

FACULTY BREWING CO.

1830 Ontario St. | FacultyBrewing.com

GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING

1441 Cartwright St. | GIB.ca

Innovation, collaboration, education and inclusion is the mandate at Faculty Brewing. Everyone is welcome in their tasting room. If you’re unable to enjoy a beer, grab a kombucha!

689 COFFEE PORTER PORTER WITH MILANO COFFEE

Granville Island’s impressive small batch series is made right here at the original brewery. Sample them in the tasting room or take them to go from the retail shop.

323 SOURWEISSE

BRUT IPL

Availability: Year-round Availability:

HASTINGS MILL BREWING COMPANY

403 East Hastings St. | PatsPub.ca

LUPPOLO BREWING CO.

1123 Venables St. | LuppoloBrewing.ca

Another expansion is currently in progress for this brewery housed within Pat’s Pub, which celebrates its jazz roots with Jazz @ the Pat Saturday sessions.

HIGHLAND 1615

SCOTTISH ALE

SCOTTISH ALE

Availability: Seasonal

AMERICAN INDIA

PALE ALE

Live music, live comedy and more experimental brews thanks to the addition of two mahogany foeders for mixed ferment projects.

NORTHWEST RED ALE

AMERICAN AMBER ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

DRY-HOPPED MIXED

Availability: Seasonal

Proud

MAIN STREET BREWING CO.

261 E. 7th Ave. | MainStreetBeer.ca

OFF THE RAIL BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | O eRailBrewing.com

Main Street turns ve this year, but the building it calls home is more than 110 years old. It was built in the early 1900s as part of the original Vancouver Breweries complex.

FRUIT BOMB

PARALLEL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | Parallel49Brewing.com

Check out their Instagram game—spot the location of the growler and then win it. Easiest way to free beer since… ever?

HONEY GINGER

POSTMARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | PostmarkBrewing.com

Stay thirsty for the fth iteration of the Brews Brothers Collaboration, set for a spring release.

Postmark’s facility at the Settlement Building is now being used as an “innovation brewery,” focused on limited releases and one-o s.

AUSSIE PALE

GLOSSARY. for non-geeks & beginners

AB V: Alcohol by Volume. Measured as the percentage volume of alcohol per beer.

ALE : Beers fermented with top fermenting yeast (see below), fermented at warmer temperatures than lagers

B ARL EY: A cereal grain used as a base malt in the production of beer.

BOMBER : A 650 mL (or 22-ounce) bottle of beer.

BREW P UB : A restaurant-brewery whose beer is made primarily for sale in the restaurant and bar.

CRAFT BEER : A term as complicated to define and explain as Jim Morrison’s poetry, though, come to think of it, way more fun to try.

CRAFT BREWE RY: A brewery that makes craft beer (obviously) (see above).

FERMEN TATI ON : A complex process that chemistry students spend years earning PhDs to truly understand. Turns sugars, won from the malts, into equal parts alcohol and carbon dioxide, at which point the brew can actually be called “beer”.

GR OWL ER : A 1.9L re llable glass beer bottle. Also, the

best dang craft beer magazine in the whole wide world!

HOMEBR E WING : e art of making beer at home, with varying results, depending on who makes it.

HOPS : Humulus lupulus, a perennial climbing vine, a cousin of cannabis, the ripened female flowers of which are used for flavouring beer.

IBU : International Bitterness Unit. e measure of the bittering substance in beer, i.e. the hops, the amount of which depends on the style of beer.

IMP E RIA L: Indicating a strong beer, regardless of style. Hops and malts are doubled or tripled during brewing, resulting in higher ABV.

IPA: India Pale Ale. A style of pale ale (see below) developed in England for export to India. e West Coast variety often has higher IBUs and ABV.

LAGE R: Any beer that is fermented with bottomfermenting yeast (see below) at colder temperatures. Often associated with crisp and clean flavours.

MALT: It’s, ah kinda complicated. It’s made from barley? And helps make sugar during fermentation? Um. It’s important for the brewing process, for sure. Google it

MI C RO BR EW ERY : In B.C., defi ned as any operat ion that produces no more than 160,00 0 hectolitres of beer per year. Often used interchangeably with “craft brewery”.

PALE AL E: A style of ale characterized by a higher proportion of pale malts that result in a lighter colour. See also: IPA, Saison.

PI LSN ER : A style of lager, characterized by points so minute only serious beer enthusiasts will really give a hoot, and anyway, we don’t have enough room to address them here.

PORT ER : A dark style of beer, extremely popular in 1700s London, made with roasted malt.

RE IN HEI TSG EB OT: e German beer purity law passed in 1516, stating that beer may only contain water, barley and hops.

S AI SON: A style of pale ale, usually highly carbonated, fruity and spicy, and cloudy golden in colour.

SE SS IO N BE ER : A beer of lighter body and alcohol designed for drinking more than one in a single sitting.

STOUT: A generic term for the strongest (or stoutest) porter, typically around 7% or 8% ABV.

TOP / BOTTOM FE R ME N TATI ON: e two basic fermentation methods characterized by the tendency of yeast cells to either rise or fall in the fermentation vessel.

Ale yeast is top fermenting, lager yeast is bottom fermenting.

WAT ER : One of the four basic ingredients in beer. If you need further definition, we ask you: How are you even reading this right now?

WORT: e bittersweet sugar solution obtained by mashing the malt and boiling in the hops, which becomes beer through fermentation.

Y EA ST: During the fermentation process, yeast converts the natural malt sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.

POWELL BREWERY

1357 Powell St. | PowellBeer.com

R & B BREWING CO.

54 E. 4th Ave. | RAndBBrewing.com

From its humble origins in its original, tiny location, Powell has established itself as one of Vancouver’s leading breweries—all thanks to exceedingly well-made beer.

OLD

STEAMWORKS BREW PUB

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

R&B Brewing is one of Vancouver’s original microbreweries, and the “B” in R&B is for Barry Benson, who’s still a part of the brewery’s team after 21 years!

STORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | StormBrewing.com

ere’s a one-o batch released bi-weekly at this classic waterfront Gastown spot, where the beer is brewed using steam diverted from the system that powers the iconic Gastown Steam Clock.

STRATA SMASH SMASH ALE

One-o

One-o

Amazing to think Storm Brewing is 25 years old! James Walton’s latest experiments include “medicinal” beers involving mushrooms, connecting back to his original degree in mycology.

HURRICANE IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Year-round Availability: Year-round

STRATHCONA BEER CO

895 E. Hastings St. | StrathconaBeer.com

Twelve taps and a full kitchen make this hip Yeast Van hot spot popular with the afterwork crowd—not to mention the midday and weekend crowd, too!

More of a neighbourhood pub, this local favourite boasts a brewery, distillery and restaurant just on the outskirts of downtown.

BEERE BREWING COMPANY

312 E. Esplanade | BeereBrewing.com

BLACK KETTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | BlackKettleBrewing.com

Good news for Beere fans—the brewery plans to push hard to can more beer this year, making its products more widely available in B.C.

FANNY PACK DOUBLE DRY-HOPPED INDIA PALE ALE

BRIDGE BREWING CO.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | BridgeBrewing.com

Black Kettle is celebrating ve years of making it pour on the North Shore at their blue collar brewery in the Harbourside Business Park.

GRUMPY UNICORN IPA INDIA

DON’T FEED THE BEARS WHITE IPA WHITE INDIA

Have you sampled Prime Time yet? B.C.’s rst craft beer that is low calorie and low carb is uncompromising on avour, thanks to the crew at Bridge.

FINNISH

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | DeepCoveCraft.com

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Crt. | GreenLeafBrew.com

Deep Cove o ers it all: delicious craft beer, food, craft cocktails, wine, bubbly and cider, plus live musical performances and special events like beer-pairing dinners.

Arguably one of the best patios of any craft brewery in the province, the Lonsdale Quay locale o ers spectacular views across Vancouver Harbour.

HEARTHSTONE BREWERY

1015 Marine Dr. | HearthstoneBrewery.ca

STREETCAR

123A East 1st St. | StreetcarBrewing.ca

is North Shore favourite is almost as wellknown for its wood- red pizza as it is its beer—the truth is that both are fantastic.

Streetcar looks to be the next brewery coming to the Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood of North Van, and hopefully by the time you read this, they’ll be open.

ALLEY

DAGERAAD BREWING

114 - 3191 underbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

Imagine brewing enough beer for every resident of B.C.? at’s what happened last year at Dageraad—AKA the 2018 Canadian Brewery of the Year—to the tune of 3 ½ tablespoons each. ankfully, its lounge licence allows you to sample much more than that at its Burnaby tasting room.

10˚ ABBEY-STYLE QU A

DRUPEL

Availability: Small batch

Complex fruit and spice notes compliment the malt for a avour best savoured three years after bottling.

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 11.0%20 ABV IBU 9.0%N/A ABV IBU 4.2%15 ABV IBU 4.5%N/A

Abundant Motueka hops from New Zealand, Ella hops from Australia and Tettnanger hops from Germany turn this tripel into a double IPA

54 Sponsored content B URN A BY

Lightly tart, gently hopped with Citra and Styrian Celeia hops and nished with fresh lemon zest.

WHat’s in a name?

DAGERAAD

FOUR WINDS BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | FourWindsBrewing.ca

SUN-WED 11AM-7PM ^ THURS-SAT 11AM-9PM

EST. 2013

Recognized with a silver medal at the World Beer Cup 2018—as well as seven golds in the rst-ever Growlies—the beer out of Four Winds certainly knows how to make an impression. Four Winds focuses on bottle and draft production, while maintaining a warm and welcoming tasting room for craft beer connoisseurs and newbies alike.

VÉLO

Availability: Seasonal

Bright and bursting with citrus, this pale ale is conditioned with fresh lemon juice and pink Himalayan salt.

Availability: Year-round

A delicately light body with a pale golden hue, this dry table saison o ers notes of pepper and tropical fruit.

Availability: Year-round

is crisp and uncomplicated lager is brewed with corn and New Zealand hops for a truly light body with subtle hints of lemon and lime.

Availability: Year-round

A modest IPA with a refreshingly light body. Key notes of tropical fruit and resinous subtleties give way to a clean, crisp nish.

Let’s taco ‘bout it!

In addition to delicious beers, Four Winds’ tasting room also provides an impressive selection of tacos and Mexican-style tapas with a menu that changes daily. Come by on ursdays after 5 p.m. for Happy Hour and get any 12-ounce draft beer for just $4!

M ON KE Y 9 BREWING C O.

14200 Entertainment Blvd. | Monkey9.ca

MON-THU 2-11PM ^ FRI 2PM-12:30AM ^ SAT 11:30-12:30AM ^ SUN 11:30AM-10PM

EST. 2017

Named for the Year of the Monkey, this Richmond hideaway is just over a year old and the perfect spot for happy hour eats including wood- red pizza. Why not sit on the patio and enjoy a pint of James Brown Ale, winner of a bronze medal at the 2018 B.C. Beer Awards.

Availability: Year-round

Classic American pale that is bready and sweet, balancing itself out nicely with Cascade, Chinook and Citra hops.

Availability: Year-round

A new recipe maintains the straight-forward West Coast IPA feel, but with late additions of Amarillo and Simcoe hops.

Availability: Year-round

A dark, roasty ale with big avour while still drinking very sessionable.

Availability: Year-round

Balanced, light and refreshing and dry-hopped with Citra and Cascade hops.

Good company

Located on Richmond’s Entertainment Blvd., Monkey 9 Brewing is just a stone’s throw from a movie theatre, IMAX screens, a waterpark, laser tag and, of course, the Lucky 9 Lanes bowling alley right next door. It might be the funnest neighbourhood anywhere!

STEAMWORKS BREWING CO.

3845 William St. | Steamworks.com

MARINER BREWING

1100 Lansdowne Dr. | MarinerBrewing.ca

Not to be confused with the full-service restaurant in Gastown, the tasting room at the Burnaby production brewery is a more intimate a air o ering tours, tastings and growler lls.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST IPA

WEST COAST IPA

Availability:

PREMIUM CRAFT LAGER AMERICAN LAGER

Availability: Year-round

Mariner Brewing continues to make waves. Founder Byron Vallis, recently took home the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year award!

VENTURE

HORIZON PALE ALE PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

LANGLEY LANGLEY

DEAD FROG BREWERY

105 - 8860 201st St. | DeadFrog.ca

KPU BREWING LAB

20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew

Dead Frog’s spi y new tasting room in Langley might have the most taps of any craft brewery in the province with close to 30 of its own beers available on draft.

is 4,500-sq.-ft. pilot brewery is home to the KPU Brewing Diploma Program. Every Friday and Saturday it features new small batch beers on tap, with growler lls and free tastings.

WIT OR WIT OUT YOU

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Small batch

KAPOENTJE BELGIAN PALE ALE

BELGIAN PALE ALE

Availability: One-o

TRADING POST BREWING

107 - 20120 64th Ave. |

TradingPostBrewing.com

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | MapleMeadowsBrewing.com

is beloved Langley staple just opened their second eatery and tasting room in Abbotsford. Enjoy a full-service kitchen, an all-season patio and plenty of fresh beer on tap.

Maple Meadows is always experimenting with new beers, such as War of the Worlds, “a lager worthy of the last day on Earth!”

MAPLE RIDGE MAPLE RIDGE

RIDGE BREWING CO.

22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | RidgeBrewing.com

SILVER VALLEY BREWING

#101 - 11952 224 St. | SilverValleyBrewing.com

e rst Tuesday of every month is open mic at this Maple Ridge craft brewery, one of two at the intersection of Dewdney Trunk and 228th.

NEIGHBOUR-

is nanobrewery in downtown Maple Ridge picked up a bronze for its lager at the 2018 B.C. Beer Awards.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

NEW WEST PITT MEADOWS

STEEL & OAK BREWING CO.

1319 3rd Ave. | SteelAndOak.ca

FOAMERS’ FOLLY BREWING CO.

19221 122A Ave. | FoamersFolly.ca

New Westminster’s rst (and so far only) craft brewery is a favourite with locals and beer fans all over the province, thanks to brewer Eric Moutal’s inventive brews.

RED PILSNER RED PILSNER

WHEAT ALE WITH HIBISCUS AND ROSEHIPS

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Two separate brewhouses help feed the whopping 20 taps of craft beer goodness at this popular Pitt Meadows brewery.

AMARETTO WILD SOUR

MIXED CULTURE SOUR

Availability: One-o Availability: One-o

NORTHPAW

2150-570 Sherling Pl. | NorthpawBrewCo.com

TAYLIGHT BREWING

402-1485 Coast Meridian Rd. | TaylightBrewing.com

Northpaw pours its labours of love in Port Coquitlam’s new Fremont Village neighbourhood. Head into the sleek, industrial-style tasting room for a growler ll or a pint.

Every Friday, Taylight releases a new beer at its Port Coquitlam tasting room. Customer feedback is welcome—if you like their new brew, they might make it again just for you!

MOODY ALES

2601 Murray St. | MoodyAles.com

THE PARKSIDE BREWERY

2731 Murray St. | eParksideBrewery.com

Moody’s taps a new cask every Friday thanks to its extensive small batch program. Come visit the tasting room to see what they’re working on.

Huge patio, great beers, friendly sta , old school arcade games: this Brewers Row gem has it all!

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

TWIN SAILS BREWING

2821 Murray St. | TwinSailsBrewing.com

ese guys have the hazy game down pat, but they can also bang out a solid Horchata milk stout or a barrel-aged barley wine, doubling up on skill and fun.

On Wednesdays, it’s tunes and tacos for Olè!, while the last ursday of each month means the tasting room lunch hour is taken over by some tiny tots and their thirsty parents.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

BRITANNIA BREWING CO.

110-12500 Horseshoe Way | BBCO.ca

FUGGLES & WARLOCK

CRAFTWORKS

103-11220 Horseshoe Way | FugglesWarlock.com

Britannia’s production facility and tasting room on Horseshoe Way is nice, but the real party is at its hip taproom and restaurant in Steveston.

ADRIFT

Bent on worldwide domination, Fuggles & Warlock’s beer can be found as far away as South Korea and Brazil.

MALTY TOWERS

Availability: Seasonal

BIG RIDGE BREWING CO.

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

CENTRAL CITY BREWERS +

DISTILLERS

11411 Bridgeview Dr. | CentralCityBrewing.com

Big Ridge, Surrey’s original brew pub, brews its beer solely for consumption onsite, best enjoyed with their selection of comfort food and wok-fried dishes.

Widely known for its award-winning Red Racer beer, Central City also produces some mighty ne cider and spirits—all of which are available at its Vancouver and Surrey taprooms.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

RUSSELL BREWING CO.

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | RussellBeer.com

WHITE ROCK BREWING

13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | WhiteRockBrewing.ca

One of the original 10 craft breweries in B.C., you can nd Russell’s beers all over the province—and the world: it even operates a chain of brew pubs in China!

MIND THE BAR

BELGIAN TABLE BEER

Availability: Year-round

TRIPLE BERRY MILKSHAKE IPA

EAST COAST INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

is community-focused nanobrewery features new small batch brews every week in addition to its lineup of core beers.

MOUNTAIN ALE AMBER ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

3 DOGS BREWING

1515 Johnston Rd. | 3DogsBrewing.com

WHITE ROCK BEACH BEER CO.

15181 Russell Ave. | WhiteRockBeachBeer.com

Who said White Rock was only for the newlywed and the nearly-dead? Not the owners of this brewery, where Food Truck Sunday and live music keep it kickin’.

You’ll nd live music every second Sunday at this little brewery that pledges to be canning its brews by this summer.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

WHITE ROCK

ROCK

FIELD HOUSE BREWING CO.

2281 West Railway St. | FieldHouseBrewing.com

LOUDMOUTH BREWING

103 – 2582 Mt. Lehman Rd. | LoudmouthBrewingCompany.ca

Entering their fourth year, Field House has more wild sours, barrel-aged beers, and adventurous experimental batches on the way.

L’ACADIE BARREL

Availability: Year-round

Availability: One-o

Sure, the beer is good, but have you tried the food here?! Stone hearth-baked pizza, burgers, doughnuts, plus don’t get us started about weekend brunch...

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

OLD ABBEY ALES

30321 Fraser Hwy. | OldAbbeyAles.com

Old Abbey is back with new ownership, more beers than ever and even a pool table and a foosball table in the tasting room.

We have something for everyone: 25 beers on tap, house-brewed cra soda, lemonade and nitro

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

RAVENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd. | Ravens.beer

FLASHBACK BREWING CO.

1 - 9360 Mill St. | ChaosAndSolace.com

With a World Beer Cup win, a website full of beer-infused recipes and the Ground to Glass series, this valley stop is all about crafting quality.

Chaos and Solace founder Gord Gagne rebranded his Chilliwack digs AND the beer. Bring your kids, wine and cider are available and the music comes live or on vinyl.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

CHILLIWACK

OLD YALE BREWING CO.

404 - 44550 South Sumas Rd. | OldYaleBrewing.com

MISSION SPRINGS BREWING COMPANY

7160 Oliver St. | MissionSprings.ca

Old Yale’s recently expanded taproom now holds twice as many people, perfect for special events like the weekly open mic nights on Sundays.

Mission’s favourite gathering spot is almost as well-known for its craft beer as it is for the bonkers all-you-can-eat bu ets it puts on every weekend.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

BACKCO U NT R Y B REWING

#405-1201 Commercial Way | BackcountryBrewing.com

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

SUN 11AM-10PM

EST. 2017

e 2017 BCBA Rookie of the Year just started barrel-aging, so expect some big seasonal releases later this year.

DEAD OF NIGHT

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 6.6%28

Hopped exclusively with Galaxy, this IPA is a dank, tropical treat with a pineapple punch.

Availability: Year-round

A BV IBU 6.7%50

is big, pulpy hop bomb is all about the juice thanks to a ridiculous amount of Citra and Mosaic.

NEVER HIT THE BACKCOUNTRY ALONE

GIBSONS GIBSONS

THE 101 BREWHOUSE + DISTILLERY

1009 Gibsons Way | e101.ca

GIBSONS TAPWORKS

537 Cruice Lane | GibsonsTapworks.com

Not only do co-owner Chris Green eld and head brewer Matt Caver have a handle on the beer, but throw them a saxophone and they’ll rock the shit out of some “Careless Whispers.”

ALL INCLUSIVE DRY-HOPPED TART

Availability: One-o

GIBSONS

TALL FALLER NEW ENGLAND INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

PERSEPHONE BREWING CO.

1053 Stewart Rd. | PersephoneBrewing.com

Enjoy Gibsons Tapworks’ awesome rooftop patio year-round thanks to high-powered heaters and a transparent enclosure. Oh, and the beers are really good too!

ONE SAILING WAIT INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

PEMBERTON BREWING CO.

1936 Stonecutter Pl. | PembertonBrewing.ca

Head on over to Persephone’s bucolic tasting room and enjoy its recently approved lounge licence: full pints, wine and live music now permitted.

COAST

Availability: Year-round

Ready to celebrate? is brewery, which was the People’s Choice winner at the Whistler Village Beer Festival, turns one year old in April!

VALLEY FOG INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

THE BEER FARMERS

8324 Pemberton Meadows Rd. | eBeerFarmers.com

TOWNSITE BREWING

5824 Ash Ave. | TownsiteBrewing.com

e Beer Farmers have a series of beers with 100 per cent of the ingredients grown in Pemberton and are the only brewery in B.C. and one of the few in North America to grow its own barley.

As the inaugural winner of the B.C. Ale Trail’s Best Brewery Experience Award, Townsite should de nitely be at the top of your list of breweries to visit in 2019.

A-FRAME BREWING CO.

38927 Queens Way |

HOWE SOUND BREWING CO.

A-Frame Brewing is inspired by beautiful B.C. and the adventures this province o ers. So much in fact, that each of their beers are a ectionately named after B.C. lakes

Squamish’s original craft brewery has been winning awards for its beer since 1996. e ale and cheddar soup (with beer bread, naturally) deserves a medal all its own, too.

BREWHOUSE HIGH MOUNTAIN BREWING

4355 Blackcomb Way | MJG.ca/BrewHouse

COAST MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.

2 - 1212 Alpha Lake Rd. | CoastMountainBeer.ca

Celebrated as one of Whistler’s best and busiest spots for all your après craft beer needs.

PECAN PORTER

Availability:

WHISTLER BREWING CO.

1045 Millar Creek Rd. | WhistlerBeer.com

is Function Junction brewery o ers hopforward ales and a rotating sour beer program. It’s only available in Whistler so you’ll have to visit in person! GREEN RUN

Whistler Brewing was founded in 1989, which makes it 30 years old this year. e 10-year-old Function Junction brewery o ers live music every Friday.

ALE

WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT LOCAL BEER,

WHISTLER

VANCOUVER ISLAND BREWERY

2330 Government St. | VanIslandBrewery.com

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

EST. 1984

It’s been a big year for Vancouver Island Brewing: there’s new beers, a sharp new look and now a lounge endorsement is on the way for its Government Street tasting room. All of its beers are vegan and kosher, too!

FALLER

NORTHWEST PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Bold pine and grapefruit hop avours are supported by bready malt in this classic West Coast pale.

BROKEN ISLANDS

HAZY INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Hazy, fruity goodness with heaps of hop avour and aroma.

MAGIC HOUR

GRAPEFRUIT GOSE RADLER

Availability: Seasonal

What happens when you cross a sour wheat ale with a grapefruit radler? Perfection, that’s what.

TWISTED STALK

BLACKBERRY HELLES LAGER

Availability: Seasonal

A refreshing, fruit-forward take on the traditional helles lager.

Heavy medal

Vancouver Island Brewing picked up 18 awards for its beer in 2018 from the likes of the B.C. Beer Awards, Canadian Brewing Awards, World Beer Championships and, most importantly, the Growlies—winning gold for Best Strong Beer for its Hermannator Ice Bock!

TWA DOGS BREWERY AT VICTORIA CALEDONIAN

761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com

SUN-THU 12:30-6:30PM ^ FRI 11AM-9PM ^ SAT 11AM-8PM

EST. 2016

Inspired by the poetry of Robert Burns, the beers at Twa Dogs are brewed without pretense or ltration. You can even sip your beer among the brewers and the vats: they have the only licensed production oor in town.

Availability: Small batch

ABV IBU 5.5%N/A

A new twist on the IPA, brewed for a bone dry champagne-style nish and hop aroma.

Ever

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 8.6%N/A

Lush, fruity, and wonderfully unprecedented with notes of pineapple, guava, mango and papaya.

https://youtu.be/h5b94wjZJUQ

JUICY BRUT INDIA PALE ALE

CLOUD CHAMBER SMASH DOUBLE INDIA PALE ALE

CANOE BREWPUB

450 Swift St. | CanoeBrewpub.com

DRIFTWOOD BREWERY

450 Hillside Ave. | DriftwoodBeer.com

e chef and brewmaster at this popular waterfront brew pub work together to pair their beer and food, and it shows.

A true Victoria staple, Driftwood Brewery is known for producing quality beers with unique avour pro les that become longtime favourites.

ORIGINAL GRAVITY HAZE

HAZY INDIA PALE ALE

Availability:

Availability:

HOYNE BREWING CO.

101-2740 Bridge St. | HoyneBrewing.ca

ÎLE SAUVAGE BREWING

CO.

2960 Bridge St. | IleSauvage.com

Wild beer from a wild brewery on a wild island—this brand new Victoria spot is building a name for itself with Belgian-style wild ales and sour beers. FINNEGAN’S

Stay tuned for Hoyne’s new six-pack bottles coming soon to a liquor stores. Or, pop in to the tasting room and get it directly from the source.

MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY

350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca

PHILLIPS BREWING

MALTING CO.

e rst B.C. brewery to work with West Coast Canning’s mobile service ve years ago, the Moon just invested in its own canning line.

SPINNAKERS BREWPUB

308 Catharine St. | Spinnakers.com

Canada’s original brew pub keeps things fresh by making a range of ciders and barrel-aged sours in addition to a diverse lineup of beers. Is distilling next?

2010 Government St. | PhillipsBeer.com SWANS

What we know: the new taproom is always hoppin.’ What you might not be privy to: daily beer blends where the crew takes Phillips staples and mixes them together for a tasty surprise.

506 Pandora Ave. | SwansHotel.com

Renovations including a new bar, new layout and more taps should be complete by March in time to celebrate Swans’ 30th birthday this year.

CATEGORY 12 BREWING

C - 2200 Keating Cross Rd. | Category12Beer.com

LIGHTHOUSE BREWING

2 -

ere’s lots of good news at C12: it’s opening a small kitchen, adding a foeder, and launching a new Barrelholder program with year-round bene ts. Exciting! RHUBARB

If you’re in Victoria, don’t skip Lighthouse Brewing on your brewery tour. In the summer, unique one-o casks are poured every Saturday in its beautiful, nautical-themed tasting room.

AXE & BARREL BREWING CO.

2323 Millstream Ave. | AxeAndBarrel.com

MAYNE ISLAND BREWING CO.

490 Fernhill Rd. | MayneIslandBrewingCo.com

e only brewery on the West Shore is home to Langford Lager, the best international lager in the province, according to the B.C. Beer Awards.

CAFFE FANTASTICO DOUBLE SHOT PORTER ESPRESSO PORTER

Brewer Michael Garratt’s small batch, bottleconditioned beers are worth the trip to this island-bound nano that’s as quaint as they come.

HOPLINE BLING

WILD SESSION ALE

THE MARZENS ARE COMING MARZEN

ENGLISH IPA ENGLISH INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

HOWL BREWING

1780 Mills Rd.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES

270 Furness Rd. | SaltSpringIslandAles.com

is tiny brewery specializes in rare, unusual styles. e tasting room may be small but Howl recently managed to add a licensed picnic area outside.

OLD WORLD

is Gulf Island gem produces unique brews featuring the ora—and inspired by the fauna—of Salt Spring Island. Drink beer with nature!

EAST HAARLEM KOYT KOYT (DUTCH OAT ALE)

HEATHER ALE HEATHER ALE

FAERIE MILK DRY STOUT DRY STOUT

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Availability:

NORTH SAANICH

SALT SPRING ISL.

LANGFORD MAYNE ISLAND

BAD DOG BREWING COMPANY

7861 Tugwell Rd. | BadDogBrewing.ca

SOOKE BREWING CO.

2057 Otter Point Rd. | SookeBrewing.com

Everything’s coming up Bad Dog! is Sooke microbrewery is hoping to get a facelift this year so more folks can enjoy its fantastic brews.

Not only was Sooke Brewing voted best new brewery in B.C. at the 2018 B.C. Beer Awards, but it took home top honours for best tasting room in the province, too.

SOOKE OCEANSIDE BREWERY

1-5529 Sooke Rd. | SookeOceansideBrewing.com

|

Check out the bi-weekly cask nights every second Friday with brewer Garritt Lalonde’s innovative new R&D brews.

With a new beer brewed on the pilot system every week, there is always something new to try, along with great food in a historic setting.

BEACH FIRE BREWING

594-11th Ave. | BeachFireBrewing.ca

RIOT BREWING CO.

101A - 3055 Oak St. | RiotBrewing.com

Tuesday is the day you want to drop in to this Campbell River spot where a new small batch is always pouring, to savour in the taproom only.

Known for their eclectic and colourful branding, visit Riot Brewing in Chemainus and enjoy live music in their tasting room once a week.

LAND AND SEA BREWING CO.

2040 Guthrie Rd. | LandAndSeaBrewing.ca

FORBIDDEN BREWING CO.

1590 Cli e Ave. | ForbiddenBrewing.com

Finally: a new brewery in Comox! You’ll have to visit the Island to taste the beer, though. It’s only available onsite at the brewery.

Since installing a locally built 10-hL brewhouse, brewing capacity has expanded considerably, which means Forbidden has several di erent beers on tap, and has even started canning.

GLADSTONE BREWING CO.

244 4th St. | GladstoneBrewing.ca

CUMBERLAND BREWING CO.

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | CumberlandBrewing.com

Come for the great beer, stay for the cool mechanic-inspired tasting room! Gladstone operates out of a 1940s heritage building that was once a garage and dealership.

HAZY

CRAIG STREET BREW PUB

25 Craig St. | CraigStreet.ca

Head on over to Vancouver Island’s Cumberland Brewing and enjoy a freshly renovated tasting room, o ering more seats and naturally, more fun!

FOREST

BREWMOX VALLEY (GLADSTONE COLLAB)

HISTORIC BURTON IPA

Drinking freshly-brewed beer at a 100-yearold antique bar isn’t something you can do everywhere, and that’s part of the appeal at Craig Street.

RED ARROW BREWING CO.

5255 Chaster Rd. | RedArrowBeer.ca

When the sun’s out, Red Arrow’s hop-lined patio is a great place to kill an afternoon. When it’s not, the tasting room is just as inviting.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Small batch

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

SMALL BLOCK BREWING CO.

203-5301 Chaster Rd. | SmallBlockBrewery.com

LONGWOOD BREWERY

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | LongwoodBeer.com

is hot rod-themed brewery returns to Victoria Beer Week to celebrate its rst birthday where its beers were rst put on tap, back in March 2018.

Longwood’s production facility also features a tasting room and—coming this spring—the rst licensed craft brewery patio in town!

LONGWOOD BREWPUB

5775 Turner Rd. | LongwoodBrewpub.com

Very little changes at this iconic brew pub—but that’s a good thing since it’s a comfortable, welcoming spot with a great menu and solid beer list.

WHITE SAILS BREWING

125 Comox Rd. | WhiteSailsBrewing.com

WOLF BREWING CO.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | WolfBrewingCompany.com

White Sails has been busy lately, installing a new canning line and implementing a barrelaging program. Look for canned and barrelaged releases later this year.

Recently under new ownership, Nanaimo’s Wolf Brewing continues to produce quality craft beer and source local ingredients.

MOUNT ARROWSMITH BREWING CO.

109-425 East Stanford Ave. | ArrowsmithBrewing.com

TWIN CITY BREWING

4503 Margaret St. | TwinCityBrewing.ca

Lauded as Brewery of the Year at the 2017 B.C. Beer Awards, Mount Arrowsmith Brewing lives up to the hype, with its West Coast-themed tasting room and full-service kitchen.

Brewmaster Aaron Colyn says to expect more unique and limited casks and pilot brews throughout 2019 as his team steps up their small batch game.

FASHION VICTIM

LOVESHACK LIBATIONS

1 - 4134 Island Hwy. West | LoveShackLibations.com

TOF

INO BREWING CO.

691 Industrial Way | To noBrewingCo.com

e small but mighty team at LoveShack thoroughly enjoy making their hand-bottled and conditioned beer and sharing it with the people of Qualicum.

Now pouring a kettle sour, this craft brewery is worth the picturesque drive out to Vancouver Island’s West Coast.

C BW CRAFTBEER & WILDERNESS

C BW CRAFTBEER & WILDERNESS

ELEVATION 57 BREWING COMPANY

20 Kettleview Rd. | SessionsTapHouseAndGrill.com

ALCHEMY BREWING CO.

650 Victoria St. | Facebook.com/AlchemyBrewingCompany.ca

e highest elevation brewery in Canada is at Big White’s Sessions Taphouse—almost two kilometres above sea level (5,757 feet, to be exact)—and open year round.

PATROLLER PASSION FRUIT ALE

AMERICAN WHEAT ALE

e doors have been open for a few months now and the cat’s out of the bag about the tasty craft concoctions coming out of Kamloops’ newest brewery.

DOUBLE

BCESB EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

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

IRON ROAD BREWING

980 Camosun Crs. | IronRoadBrewing.ca

RED COLLAR BREWING CO.

355 Lansdowne St. | RedCollar.ca

One of the undiscovered gems of the Interior, Iron Road’s increasingly adventurous brews are well-known to students next door at ompson Rivers University, and should be to you, too!

NORTHERN KING RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

Red Collar might be the most dog-friendly brewery in the province. Interior Health won’t allow dogs in tasting rooms, so Red Collar built a separate room that's just for fur babies!

LOOPLINE IPA INDIA PALE ALE

BLACK HEFE DUNKELWEIZEN

BLACK DOG QUAD QUADRUPEL

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

THE NOBLE PIG BREWHOUSE

650 Victoria St. | eNoblePig.ca

BNA BREWING CO.

1250 Ellis St. | BNABrewing.com

Top notch food and quality craft brews make this lively downtown Kamloops brew pub a must-visit.

PIG PEN HAZY

IPA

HAZY INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Small batch

SOUL MATE IMPERIAL STOUT WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CACAO

Availability: Small batch

BOUNDARY BREWING

2-455 Neave Crt. | BoundaryBrewing.beer

BNA recently acquired more space to expand its barrel-aging program. It already holds 60 wine barrels and will eventually add foeders and more bourbon barrels to the mix.

THRILLER

HAZY INDIA PALE WITH CHERRIES

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Seasonal

FREDDY’S BREWPUB

124 McCurdy Rd. | McCurdyBowl.com

is popular North Kelowna "brauerei" specializes in German-style beers brewed in the only wooden brewhouse in Canada.

Who needs White Russians when you can have craft beer at this Big Lebowski-esque bowling alley-based brewery. Bonus: monthly live comedy nights!

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

KETTLE RIVER BREWING CO.

731 Baillie Ave. | KettleRiverBrewing.ca

RED BIRD BREWING

1086 Richter St. | RedBirdBrewing.com

is small-batch neighbourhood brewery is always experimenting with new recipes and ingredients in a hip, eclectic space.

Red Bird has plans to expand its space by the summer of 2020. In the meantime, keep on enjoying the tasty beers at this North End nanobrewery.

TREE BREWING BEER INSTITUTE

1346 Water St. | TreeBrewingBeerInstitute.com

VICE AND VIRTUE

1033 Richter St. | ViceAndVirtueBrewing.ca

e original brewery is no longer, but Dave Gokiert is still brewing up Tree classics and small batch creations at the Beer Institute, where every beer is served tank-to-tap.

V&V o ers an array of hazy IPAs, wine-beer hybrids, gluten-reduced, fruit, sours, nitro- and new age beers, all paired with enticing dishes, including house-made charcuterie.

WILD AMBITION

1 - 3314 Appaloosa Rd. | WildAmbition.beer

FIREHALL BREWERY

6077 Main St. | FirehallBrewery.com

Wild Ambition's goal is to brew rustic ales with a bit of a wild side. Keep an eye out for some exciting barrel-aged sours in the coming months.

BLENDING IN

Availability:

BAD TATTOO BREWING CO.

169 Estabrook Ave. | BadTattooBrewing.com

e Beer Shop & Social features regular jam sessions year-round, and as the weather warms up expect to hear about this year’s Back Alley Concert series.

Availability:

BARLEY MILL BREW PUB

2460 Skaha Lake Rd. | BarleyMillPub.com

You’ve got options now with your to-go beers at this popular Penticton spot where a brand new canning system is now up and running.

During Okanagan Fest of Ale the Barley Mill o ers the perfect after party: Songs of Beer Karaoke Nights on April 12 and 13!

CANNERY BREWING

198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com

HIGHWAY 97 BREWERY

954 Eckhardt Ave. | Hwy97Brewery.com

Try Cannery’s rst-ever fundraiser beer, a session IPA brewed by all of the brewery’s female sta for the Pink Boots Society, supporting women in the craft beer industry.

CERES (PINK

BOOTS FUNDRAISER)

HAZY INDIA SE SSION A LE

It’s sort of an interactive experience when you stop for a pint at Highway 97, where the taproom is the brewery and the brewery is the taproom.

RAIN SHADOW SOUR

D RY-HOPPED S OUR ALE

THE TIN WHISTLE

BREWING CO.

112-1475 Fairview Rd. | eTinWhistleBrewery.rocks

TRUE CANADIAN ESB

E XTRA SPECIAL BITTER

BAD GAS TRAVELS REAL FAST SOUR ALE

BARLEY STATION BREW PUB

20 Shuswap St. N. | BarleyStation.com

Wet your whistle at the rst craft brewery in the South Okanagan Valley—24 years of beers and counting.

Barley Station makes beer that's smooth and sessionable, whether you’re drinking it at the brew pub, in cans or at home from a growler.

TALKING DOG WIT BEER

SORRENTO SUMMERLAND

CRANNÓG ALES

706 Elson Rd. | CrannogAles.com

DETONATE BREWING

#104-9503 Cedar Ave. | DetonateBrewing.com

Makers of the rst beer in North America brewed with potatoes, this farm-based brewery overlooking sunny Shuswap Lake also grows its own organic hops.

Detonate Brewing was the new kid in Summerland that’s now become an Okanagan favourite. Pop in for a pint, take home a sixpack or 650 mL bottle.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

MARTEN BREWING CO.

2933A 30th Ave. | MartenBrewpub.com

Availability: Year-round

KIND BREWING

2405 Main St. | Facebook.com/KindBrewer

Drop in for the house-made kombucha, all-day happy hour Sundays or play some Nintendo 64 while tasting a host of creative small-batch brews.

BLONDE ALE

Availability: Small-batch

Availability: Small-batch

ere is only one craft brewery in West Kelowna but there's at least three reasons to visit—daily happy hours, ursday open mic nights and, of course, the beer.

DOPPEL

DUNKELWEIZEN

GERMAN-STYLE DARK

WHEAT ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

VERNON WEST KELOWNA

FISHER PEAK BREWING CO.

821 Baker St. | eHeidOut.ca

FERNIE BREWING CO.

26 Manitou Rd. | FernieBrewing.com

Fisher Peak Brewing Company brews all its beers onsite at the Heid Out Restaurant in Cranbrook. Enjoy six year-round taps and the occasional seasonal brew.

WILD HORSE

BELGIAN WIT

BELGIAN WIT

Availability: Year-round

SOGGY OTTER

BROWN ALE

BROWN ALE

Come taste how this small-town team is doing big things taking popular craft styles and putting their own East Kootenay spin on them.

HIT THE DECK

HAZY INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

LONE WOLF INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

WHITETOOTH BREWING

623 8th Ave. N. | WhitetoothBrewing.com

ARROWHEAD BREWING CO.

481 Arrow Rd. | ArrowheadBrewingCompany.ca

Into its third year, Whitetooth is a big hit with locals and visitors alike, thanks to a strong beer line-up and a welcoming tasting room. e recent golds at the BCBAs don't hurt, either.

A small but mighty operation in Invermere, Arrowhead currently boasts six permanent taps, as well as three to ve seasonal varieties with a strong focus on ales.

BLACK MAGIC WOMAN DARK

ANGRY HEN BREWING

343

OVER TIME BEER WORKS

136A

In addition to sponsoring Kaslo's Ladies' Axe- rowing team for the upcoming 2019 LoggerSports during the famous May Days celebration, Angry Hen also brews great beer!

Brewed

BACKROADS BREWING

460 Baker St. | BackroadsBrewing.com

Just in time for its second anniversary, Backroads has expanded, doubling its brewing capacity and nearly doubling its tasting room space. at means double the fun!

Availability: Small batch

NELSON BREWING CO.

512 Latimer St. | NelsonBrewing.com

TORCHLIGHT BREWING CO.

125 Hall St. | TorchlightBrewing.com

NBC has been brewing in the Kootenays since 1991, and doing it all organically since 2006, but the historic building it calls home has been a brewery since 1897.

Torchlight has seen a lot of changes since it opened ve years ago, including a move to a bigger space, a new brewhouse and now a new canning line to replace its entire bottle lineup.

MT. BEGBIE BREWING CO

2155 Oak Dr. | Mt-Begbie.com

RUMPUS BEER COMPANY

208 1st Street E. | RumpusBeerCo.com

With stunning views of the Selkirk and Monashee Mountain ranges, including its mighty namesake, Mt. Begbie, the brewery also o ers tours Monday to Saturday at 4 p.m. daily.

Revelstoke’s second brewery intends to open this spring. e focus will be on ights, pints and growlers with lots of variety, creativity, and experimentation.

ROSSLAND BEER CO.

1990 Columbia Ave. | RosslandBeer.com

TRAIL BEER REFINERY

1299 Bay Ave. | TrailBeerRe nery.ca

One part neighbourhood watering hole, one part après ski stop, all parts avour and fun set against Red Mountain ski resort.

Bocce, anyone? Grab any of the beers on tap and grab a game right in the middle of the brewery, nestled just blocks from the Columbia River waterfront.

LAST SPIKE BREWERY: CANADA’S LARGEST DEDICATED PARTNER BREWERY

We specialize in the brewing, canning, kegging, and packaging of beer for local, national, and international clients. Located in the heart of Calgary, our state-of-the-art brewing facility provides a wide range of services for established brands, start-up craft breweries, and large producers seeking additional brewing capacity.

BREW WITH US!

www.lastspikebrewery.com info@lastspikebrewery.com @lastspikebrewery

100 MILE HOUSE FORT ST JOHN

JACKSON’S SOCIAL CLUB & BREWHOUSE

175 Hwy. 97 | JacksonsSocialClub.com

BEARD’S BREWING

10408 Alaska Rd. N. | BeardsBrewing.ca

100 Mile House is pretty quiet through the winter, but things start to pick up as summer approaches, and then Jackson’s is hopping once again.

BICYCLE

Availability: Year-round

MIGHTY PEACE BREWING CO.

Availability: Seasonal

e rst craft brewery in B.C. to open north of the Rockies is the passion project of a re ghter committed to extinguishing hard earned thirsts.

Availability: Year-round

10128 95th Ave. | MightyPeaceBrewing.ca

e founders of this brewery got hooked on craft beer on a visit to Victoria, then decided they had to create the brewery of their dreams up north. Cheers to that!

MIGHTY HAZE NEW ENGLAND INDIA PALE ALE Availability: Year-round

PEACE GOLD GOLDEN ALE

CROSSROADS BREWING

508 George St. | CrossroadsCraft.com

TRENCH BREWING & DISTILLING

399 2nd Ave. | TrenchBrew.ca

CrossRoads launched its own outdoor patio curling rink this winter. Coming in spring, watch for the rst of three street festivals, starting on May 25.

SUZER'S APRICOT SAISON SAISON

Availability: Year-round

THE BLACK KNIGHT IPA

BLACK INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Trench’s long tables are perfect for social gatherings. e brewery’s busy calendar includes weekly trivia nights, monthly movie nights and live music every Friday.

THE FANG IPA HAZY INDIA PALE ALE

VIKING AMBER ALE

AMERICAN AMBER ALE

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

WHEELHOUSE BREWING CO.

217 1st Ave. E. | WheelhouseBrewing.com

BARKERVILLE BREWING CO.

185 Davie St. | BarkervilleBeer.com

e brewery at the end of the world keeps on growing, this time with a new patio in the works.

Quesnel’s little brewery that could (and continues to do so) is a great reason to consider Northern B.C. for your spring road trip destination.

WANDERING

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Seasonal

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round

PRINCE RUPERT QUESNEL

PRINCE GEORGE PRINCE GEORGE

SMITHERS SMITHERS

BULKLEY VALLEY BREWERY

3860 1st Ave. | BulkleyValleyBrewery.ca

SMITHERS BREWING CO.

3832 3rd Ave. | SmithersBrewing.com

is small brewery’s tasting room has a rustic vibe that celebrates local outdoor activities. Recently they added food and began canning some of their beers. HAZY

Brewmaster Cameron McKeigan is at the helm of this Northern B.C. craft brewery, o ering 10 taps to thirsty patrons, including a core lineup, rotating taps, as well as housemade kombucha.

SHERWOOD MOUNTAIN BREWHOUSE

101 - 4816 Hwy. 16 West |

SherwoodMountain.beer

THREE RANGES BREWING CO.

1160 5th Ave. | reeRanges.com

e Sherwood Sessions—a steady live music showcase—have helped put this Germaninspired brewhouse on the map in the far reaches of Northern B.C., along with the beer.

FARMHOUSE ALE

Expansion plans are in the works for this tiny brewery, but they are moving slowly—just like the pace of life in V-ALE-mount.

MUDBOGGER

BEER GROUND To the

Just when you think the craft beer revolution might be slowing down, another couple dozen breweries pop up out of nowhere. Here’s a look at the many breweries being planned around the province for 2019.

ACE BREWING CO.

Courtenay (summer 2019) e Comox Valley is getting yet another craft brewery; this one plans to pay homage to the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

ANOTHER BEER CO.

New Westminster (early 2019) We’ve had our eye on this new Sapperton brewery for years now, and it looks like they could nally be getting close. AnotherBeerCo.com

THE BAKERY BREWING CO.

Port Moody (summer 2019) Barrel-aged sour and wild ales will be the focus of Murray Street’s soon-to-be fth brewery, brought to you by Adam Crandall of Moody Ales.

eBakeryBrewing.com

BARNSIDE BREWING

Delta (summer 2019) A true on-farm brewery started by four multi-generational farm families, Barnside will be growing all of its malting barley on-site in Ladner. BarnsideBrewing.ca

BRIGHT EYE BREWING

Kamloops (summer 2019) Located at the new Station at Tranquille development, Bright Eye will be the rst craft brewery for Kamloops’ North Shore.

CAMP BEER CO.

Langley (summer 2019) Langley might be the biggest story in B.C. craft beer in 2019 with four new breweries in the works. is 20 hL operation is moving in 800 metres west of Trading Post and features 10 taps and a 1,500-sq.-ft. patio, complete with a re pit. CampBeerCo.com

CONTAINER BREWING

Vancouver (summer 2019) is new craft brewery will be right at home in Yeast Van, just blocks away from Powell and Callister on Franklin Street. Tim Juul, formerly of Fort Hill Brewery in Massachusetts, is tapped to be the head brewer. ContainerBeer.com

COPPER BREWING

Kelowna (summer 2019) Long known for its ne wine and food, Kelowna is nally coming around to craft beer. Copper Brewing is one of four new breweries planned for K-Town this year.

DOG MOUNTAIN BREWING

Port Alberni (summer 2019) Brewmaster

Robin Miles plans a wide selection of sessionable ales as well as wild and sour beers at this new brewery planned for Port Alberni’s historic downtown. DogMountainBrew.com

EMPTY KEG BREW HOUSE

Merritt (summer 2019) With its rst nanobrewery just months away, it might be worth pulling o the highway in Merritt to check out the beer.

FARM COUNTRY BREWING

Langley (summer 2019) Farm Country will likely be the rst brewery in the City of Langley, as opposed to the Township of Langley, where Trading Post and Dead Frog are located. Expect a rockin’ patio come summer time. FarmCountryBrewing.com

FIVE ROADS BREWING CO.

Langley (summer 2019) e tanks are in, the signs are in the windows and the doors should be open any week now at this new brewery on 202nd Street. FiveRoadsBrewing.com

FOUR WINDS BREWING CO.

Tsawwassen (2020?) e new Four Winds brewery in Tsawwassen’s new Southlands neighbourhood is still a ways away, but with the fancy restaurant and tasting room that’s being planned, it’ll be worth the wait. FourWindsBrewing.ca

FRASER MILLS FERMENTATION CO.

Coquitlam (2020) e massive new development in South Coquitlam it originally had its eye on is taking too long, so this edgling brewery is looking at a location nearby until it can move into its fancy new digs. FraserMillsFermentation.com

HAKIE BREWERY

Squamish (2019) e newest addition to the Sea-To-Sky beer scene has its branding and merch ready to go, but no word yet on the beer. Instagram.com/hakiebrewing

HATCHERY BREWING

Penticton (summer 2019) Downtown Penticton just got way cooler with Hatchery moving in to the old Mule nightclub space. Expect a whole lotta radness from former Powell and Postmark brewer Chris Vandenberg, as well as a rooftop patio and local food options. HatcheryBrewing.com

HERALD STREET BREW WORKS

Victoria (2019) e people behind e Drake Eatery and Steel & Oak are teaming up to bring more delicious craft beer to downtown Victoria. Can’t wait for this one! HeraldStreet.com

HOUSE OF FUNK BREWING

North Vancouver (spring 2019) Former Hearthstone and Mission Springs brewer Darren Hollett is behind this brewery special-

izing in all things funky, conveniently located next door to Beere Brewing on Esplanade. HouseOfFunkBrewing.com

THE HUDSON TAPHOUSE AND BREWPUB

Victoria (summer 2019) e owners of Victoria’s Yates Taphouse are behind this 300plus seat brewpub and distillery in the newly redeveloped Hudson District.

JACKKNIFE BREWING

Kelowna (late 2019) Kettle River brewer Brad Tomlinson is moving right next door and opening his own brewery, promising a heavy metal edge and big weird beers.

MERRIDALE BREWERY AND DISTILLERY

Victoria (spring 2020) Merridale’s new purpose-built 12,000-sq.-ft. LEED certi ed agship location will be home to its distilled products, as well as a brewery and a restaurant. Merridale.ca

MOUNTAINVIEW BREWING CO.

Hope (2019) Owners Danielle and Adam Keil plan to slake local thirsts as well as give travellers a reason for a pit stop at Hope’s rst craft brewery. MountainviewBrewing.ca

N EIGH B OURHOOD BRE W ING C OMPANY

Penticton (2019) is new project from Yellow Dog’s Mike Coghill will be located at the corner of Westminster and Winnipeg, smack dab between Bad Tattoo and Hatchery Brewing. Penticton was named the second best Beer Town in Canada this year by Expedia, and it looks like it’ll be gunning for No. 1 in 2019.

NEW T RADITION BRE W ING

Comox (spring 2019) Everything is coming together nicely for this new brewery in downtown Comox. e tanks have been delivered and renovations are almost done, so expect them to open any day now.

NewTraditionBrewing.com

O LD YALE BRE W ING

Langley (summer 2019) Chilliwack’s original craft brewery is opening up a second brewery and tasting room in Langley. OldYaleBrewing.com

R ED BIRD BRE W ING

Kelowna (2020) is popular Richter Street nanobrewery hopes to upgrade to a proper 10 hL brewhouse when it moves to a bigger space nearby. RedBirdBrewing.com

R ODEO BRE W ING

Surrey (2019) Rodeo will be paying tribute to the Cloverdale’s cowboy culture and focusing on crisp, refreshing lagers. RodeoBrewing.com

R UMPU S BEER C OMPANY

Revelstoke (spring 2019) Mountain culture and craft beer collide at this super tiny but super cool brewery in historic downtown Revelstoke. RumpusBeerCo.com

RUS TIC R EEL BRE W ING C OMPANY

Kelowna (summer 2019) Rustic Reel’s massive space at 760 Vaughn in North Kelowna will also feature an artisan market featuring local crafts and goods from the Okanagan. RusticReel.com

STANLEY PARK BRE W PU B

Vancouver (summer 2019) Renovations are still ongoing at the historic former Fish House

restaurant, which AB Inbev-owned Stanley Park Brewing hopes to transform into a agship brewpub in its namesake park. StanleyParkBrewing.com

SUPERFLUX BRE W ING

North Vancouver (2019-ish) e Super ux crew has been sni ng around at properties on the North Shore in the hopes of nally opening their own brewery. Hazy IPA fans are no doubt waiting with breathless anticipation. Super uxBeer.com

T INHOU S E BRE W ING

Port Coquitlam (2019) With a name presumably inspired by the nearby tin boathouses at the Pitt River Boat Club on DeBouville Slough, this new craft brewery is located just around the corner from Northpaw Brewing on Sherling Place. TinhouseBrewing.ca

U CLUELET BRE W ING C O.

Ucluelet (summer 2019) e historic St. Aiden’s on the Hill church at the centre of town has received a much-needed facelift in preparation for its new life as craft brewery. UclueletBrewing.ca

T HE WILD W OOD PUB

Powell River (2019?) e former Red Lion Pub has undergone renovations, but the brewhouse is still yet to come. e plan was for a focus on craft lagers.

WILDEYE BRE W ING

North Vancouver (summer 2019) e renovations are in full swing at this new brewery on Main Street, but the beer is already being contract brewed and available at North Shore liquor stores. WildeyeBrewing.ca

WHI S TLE BUOY BRE W ING

Victoria (summer 2019) Spinnakers brewer Matt West-Patrick and his buds are behind this new “Brassneck-style” craft brewery in the middle of Market Square. Expect the patio to be bumping come summertime. WhistleBuoyBrewing.com j

• Got a hot brewery tip? Let us know at editor@thegrowler.ca

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