The Growler B.C. • Volume 1 Issue 2 • May-July 2015

CRAFT BEER HANDBOOK

ISLANDS AND COAST

BRITISH COLUMBIA

REGION COVERED IN THIS BOOK

EDITOR: Stephen Smysnuik editor@thegrowler.ca

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Gail Nugent gnugent@thegrowler.ca

CONTRIBUTORS: Joe Wiebe, Jesse Donaldson, Jonny Healy (Photography), Michael Kissinger, Kelsey Klassen

DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION + COVER: Anja Werner Brave Creative | builtbrave.com

PUBLISHER: Dee Dhaliwal

Copyright © The Growler Vancouver 2014. Published by Glacier Community Media. Suite 205, 1525 W. 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1T5. 1.778.668.3667

thegrowler.ca | @thegrowlerbc

SEA TO SKY

FRASER VALLEY

LOWER MAINLAND

VANCOUVER

map page 40

VICTORIA

map page 78

BREWERIES

04 52 42 72 77 97

VANCOUVER

SEA TO SKY

LOWER MAINLAND

FRASER VALLEY

VICTORIA

ISLANDS & COAST

READING THE GROWler

Beer Glassware

A guide of recommended glassware that will cover most of the beers in this book and help you enjoy your beer more than out of some crummy mug.

STANGE

Kolsch

Marzen

Altbier

PILSNER

Lager

Pilsner

Witbier

NONIC PINT

IPA / Pale Ale

Stout/Porter

Best Bitter / ESB

WEIZEN

Hefeweizen / Wheat Ale

Weizenbock

Fruit Beer / Radler

TULIP

Saison

Brown/Dark Ale

Red Ale

GOBLET

Belgian IPA

Tripel

Quad

SNIFTER

Belgian Ale

Imperial Anything

for dummies

Beer Colour Guide

PALE

PALE GOLD

Brewery Details

GROWLER FILLS

BOTTLES / CANS

KEGS

PALE AMBER

MEDIUM AMBER

DEEP AMBER

GOLD BROWN

RUBY BROWN

BLACK

Beer Profiles

Indication of beer colour and suggested glassware

IT’S CALLED WHAT?

WHAT TYPE OF BEER IS THAT?

000.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round, seasonal or small batch?

Descriptions of the beer, including taste, colour and maybe a fun fact or two

Editor’s Note

TASTING ROOM

FOOD

TOURS

DOG FRIENDLY

Keep track of the beers you’ve tried by marking off this fun little circle here.

ABV (alcohol by volume) tells you how boozy the beer is.

IBU (International Bittering Units) tells you how bitter – or rather, how hoppy – it is.

First off, I need to thank everyone for being so enthusiastic about The Growler’s first issue that said first issue became virtually impossible to find anywhere. You’ve certainly helped inflate the egos of everyone who worked on this thing by making it so popular. Thanks.

And because of this, we’ve been working harder to ensure beer lovers – and wannabe beer lovers – have the timeliest details, and the most interesting stories that our quarterly print format can provide. This means we’ve expanded the areas we cover and doubled the page count, so you have more to read whilst sipping that pint, procrastinating on that assignment, ignoring that loved one… whatever. Go team. – Stephen Smysnuik

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

15 W 8th Ave. | 33acresbrewing.com

MON-FRI: 9AM-11PM ^ SAT/SUN: 10AM-11PM @33acres

EST: 2013

Though East Van in spirit, 33 Acres isn’t actually in East Van. It’s located a quarter block from Ontario St – the cut off. What really sets it apart from its Brewery Creek neighbours, however, is its minimalist, white aesthetic. But don’t let the café vibe fool you – the focus is definitely the beer, which brewer Dave Varga has dialled in: 33 Acres of OMG.

33

OF

50 5.6% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

Rich and hoppy, this ale showcases citrus and pine aromas, with flavours floating atop a wave of caramel maltiness.

OF

8.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

70

A smooth, highly drinkable IPA, with a hint of grapefruit that goes down real easy.

33 ACRES OF LIFE

CALIFORNIA COMMON

40 4.8% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

Also known as steam beer, this ale-lager hybrid is full-bodied with a distinct hop character and a dry, crisp finish.

OF

14 5.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Seasonal

Mais oui. This light and hazy wheat beer has a subtle yeast character with bonus orange peel, coriander and anise.

There are more than 100 B.C. craft breweries/brewpubs in business, or soon to be in business, at the time this was printed

33 ACRES

SUNSHINE FRENCH BLANCHE

ACRES

OCEAN WEST COAST PALE ALE

33 ACRES

NIRVANA INDIA PALE ALE

The future of growlers in B.C.

by Joe Wiebe

Filling a growler at a brewery is now an intrinsic and nearly ubiquitous part of B.C.’s craft beer culture. But is there a place for growlers beyond breweries?

Breweries and brewpubs are the only businesses allowed to fill growlers in B.C. Liquor stores, private or provincial, are not allowed to do so, although the B.C. Liquor Policy Review Final Report released in 2014 does include this recommendation:

68. Allow private and public retail liquor stores to sell growlers (refillable bottles) and operate refilling stations.

The BC Craft Brewers Guild is against this, arguing that the craft beer industry is still an emerging market and “growler exclusivity at the source allows the small brewer an exclusive revenue stream that enables the possibility of future expansion and growth.” The guild is concerned that the “memorable unique artisan experience” of filling growlers at breweries will be lost if liquor stores can do it, too.

Brewers are also concerned about quality control. Growlers are a poor way to package beer in the first place, but at least breweries can control that process as much as possible. Off-site at a liquor store, who knows how the beer will be poured or if the lines will be kept clean?

Some breweries are also troubled by the economics. When a brewery fills a growler itself, it is selling that beer at its retail price. But when it sells a keg of beer, it charges a wholesale price that is much lower. However, this is essentially the same arrangement breweries have with restaurants and pubs.

South of the border, private bottle shops in Washington have been allowed to fill growlers since 2011. Places like 99 Bottles in Seattle and Elizabeth Station in Bellingham do brisk business filling jugs with draft beer that is otherwise not available in packaged form. The practice is com-

mon in Oregon, too. Most famous, perhaps, is the Stop and Go gas station in Bend that has a 34-tap growler station in its convenience store.

Elsewhere in Canada, it’s a mixed bag, provinc b province. Alberta allows it and numerous private liquor stores there have growler bars, including one Liquor Depot outlet in Edmonton with 34 taps. Some of Manitoba’s government liquor stores fill growlers, but only with Manitoba-produced craft beer, which amounts to two breweries: Half Pints and Fort Garry. Four private liquor stores in Halifax are now allowed to fill growlers, and New Brunswick fills growlers with local craft beer in a pilot program that started last fall.

The beer market in B.C. is gradually opening up: first, tied houses laws were relaxed, and then breweries were allowed to open tasting lounges. Expanding growler taps to liquor stores seems inevitable. Last fall, CAMRA Vancouver endorsed the extension of growler fills to include all liquor stores “and all liquor licensed establishments.”

Breweries may not agree, but there was a time not so long ago when most B.C. breweries did not fill growlers at all because of concerns of cleanliness and shelf life. Try to find a brewery that won’t do it now. j

BIG ROCK URBAN

310 W 4th Ave.| bigrockurban.com

MON-FRI: 11AM-12AM ^ SAT/SUN: 10AM-12AM @brueateryyvr

EST: 2015

An Alberta-based brewery sets up shop in Vancouver in an attempt to capitalize on the city’s booming craft beer industry. Nothing wrong with that, of course, especially now that they’re developing new beers specifically for West Coast tastes, many of which you can find only in-house.

Availability: Year-round

Big Rock’s first Vancouver special is a citrusy flavour from the whole Cascade leaf hops, complemented by caramel and toffee flavours.

Availability: Year-round

Hopped three times with Citra, giving it the characteristic citrus flavour. BRU’s second foray in the Northwest style.

Availability: Seasonal

Dangerously drinkable, the Roggenbier has all the flavour burst of a juicebox from your childhood, with all the fun effects of adult beverages.

Availability: Year-round

It looks aggressive, but it’s as easy drinking as a pint of water, which could be a problem, depending on how you look at things.

Big Rock is named after an enormous quartzite glacial deposit located about 40 minutes outside of Big Rock’s Calgary home base.

Franchise Opportunities

• Baked Goods

www.weedsglassandgifts.com

OPEN DAILY AT 12 LOCATIONS AROUND VANCOUVER

• 1807 Burrard St (@ 2nd) • 604.336-4448

• 1232 Burrard St (@ Davie) • 604-428-2420

• 2580 Kingsway (@ 34th) • 604-336-0420

• 3450 E. Hastings St (@ Cassiar) • 604-568-4420

• 2619 W. 4th Ave (@ Bayswater) • 604-336-6420

• 211 E. 16th Ave (@ Main) • 604-336-5420

• 6657 Main St (@ 51st) • 604-336-7420

• 1193 Main St (@ Terminal) • 778-379-1420

• 5038 Victoria Dr (@ 34th) • 778-379-4420

• 1108 Richards St (@ Helmcken) • 604-891-1420

• 991 Marine Dr (North Van) • 778-340-2420

• 11295 Clearbrook Rd (Abbotsford)

Kwantlen Polytechnic University presents BC’s first diploma in

BOMBER BREWING

1488 Adanac St. | bomberbrewing.com

MON-SUN: 12-11PM @bomberbrewing

Three dudes on a hockey team called the Bombers decide to start up a brewery. Why? Because one of them makes a mean ol’ pilsner and they decided, hell, the whole city can enjoy this! And now the city does. The brewery’s continuing to grow, adding new beers to its standard lineup. People love this place, and for good reason.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A Northwest-style IPA featuring a trifecta of Centennial, Chinnok and Columbus hops, along with B.C.-malted barley.

MÄRZEN

OF COURSE

The name’s lie! It’s not all that bitter, and it won’t get you especially bombed. A wellbalanced brew that’s surprisingly smooth.

BIKE ROUTE BEST BITTER

Availability: Year-round

Märzen might mean “March” beer, but this medium-bodied lager is well suited for any time, anywhere. Except (maybe) the office.

Availability: Seasonal

Named in honour of the two bike routes the brewery is situated on, this session ale is bursting with flavour from the Mosaic hops.

The Stanley Cup can hold 14 cans, or about five litres, of beer

BRASSNECK BREWERY

2148 Main St. | brassneck.ca

MON-FRI: 2-11PM ^ SAT/SUN: 12-11PM @brassneckbrew

EST: 2013

Brassneck’s Main Street tasting room has been busy from the moment it opened. And justifiably so. Brewmaster Conrad Gmoser keeps the brew kettle hot, constantly working on new recipes and tweaking old ones to make them even better. If you can get in on successive nights you’ll see several different beers on tap. Variety is king!

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

DRY HOPPED PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Brassneck’s flagship beer could pass for an IPA anywhere else, but here it’s simply a pale ale, dry hopped for your pleasure.

ONE TRICK PONY

IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Small batch

Gmoser uses light pilsner malts exclusively in this big Imperial IPA to showcase a single hop variety each batch.

NO BRAINER CORN LAGER

Availability: Small batch

A pre-Prohibition lager with 20 per cent corn in the mash and classic German hops that’s dry and refreshing.

CHANGELING

KETTLE SOURED ALE

Availability: Small batch

Gmoser’s always-evolving Changeling is a fast way to enjoy the tart zing of a Belgian sour without waiting two or three years.

“Brassneck” is the name of one of brewery co-founder Nigel Springthorpe’s favourite songs by British indie rock band The Wedding Present.

CALLISTER BREWING CO.

1338 Franklin St. | callisterbrewing.com

HOURS: N/A @callisterbeer

EST: 2015

Yet another Yeast Van upstart, but Callister is taking the co-op approach. There will be several brewers working in several different styles, all of which will be available fresh on tap once the tasting room opens later this spring. The owners don’t even know what they’re getting, which is why the beer selection below is so vague. Sorry about that.

Availability: Small batch

Former CAMRA president Adam Chatburn will be handling these traditional recipes, cellared and served in casks and firkins.

Availability: Small batch

Innovative and traditional takes of popular and lesser-known styles. Beers will be fresh and always rotating.

COAL HARBOUR BREWING CO.

1967 Triumph St. | coalharbourbrewing.com

MON-FRI: 9AM-5PM

EST: 2010

Poor Coal Harbour. They were the first Yeast Van brewery to open, but have seemed to have missed out – or frankly ignored – the tasting room trend. So, the thousands of people streaming in to the Parallel 49 tasting room have no idea Coal Harbour is directly across the street. But whatever – Coal Harbour’s about the beer, and, in the end, that’s what really matters.

@coalharbrew

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A unique take on the Belgian wheat beer, loaded with Cascade and Meridian hops and tweaked with Szechuan pepper.

Maltier than your average IPA, but crammed so full of hops your tongue will be ringing for minutes

Availability: Year-round

The original CH brew, and few B.C. breweries have managed to top them in the lager game.

Availability: Seasonal

Very rich, made with German smoked and Scottish peated malts. A winter seasonal that’s just as nourishing on rainy summer afternoons.

Beer supposedly helps prevent cardiac disease and cognitive decline. It also lowers blood pressure as it helps dilate blood vessels.

311 HELLES LAGER

DOAN CRAFT BREWING CO.

1830 Powell St. | doanscraftbrewing.com

SUN/ WED/THU: 12-9PM ^ FRI/SAT: 12-11PM

EST: 2015

Full disclosure: The Growler has never stepped foot inside Doan Brewing. Fate, or whatever, has made sure of that. But from the outside looking in, their new tasting room – the old Powell Street Brewery facility – embodies all the ethos of an East Vancouver arts collective, with a wacky, brilliant mural and homespun carpentry to boot. And the beer? Well:

RYE IPA

RYE INDIA PALE ALE

60 6.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

Loaded with one of the Doans’ favourite ingredients – rye, of course! – which enhances the classic characteristics of a Northwest IPA.

ALT ALTBIER

@doanscbc

5.0% ABV IBU

25

Availability: Year-round

Malt forward, with subtle taste of German Noble hops. This is a complex, though very crushable, altbier.

KOLSCH

YOU KNOW. I KNOW. WE ALL KNOW.

5.0% ABV IBU

20

Availability: Year-round

Their take on the sessional beer, this traditional German ale has the drinkability of a lager, backed up the malty complexity of an ale.

In 1814, a 1.4-million litre wave of beer flooded London after a massive vat ruptured.

BREWER

GRAHAM WITH

GRAHAM WITH: I have a question: do you ever evolve your beer over time?

GARY LOHIN: I tweak it all the time.

GW: Ah, I do too.

GL: Small changes. It’s going to evolve because there are different crop years every year too.

Danny [Seeton, P49’s lead brewer] downstairs was saying, “Have you tried the new Mosaic hops yet? I can’t wait to try your ISA.” That’s a thing. Earlier we’re talking about how this was one of the worst malt years ever as far as protein levels, so it’s really affecting filtration, which costs a lot of fucking money.

GROWLER: So, if the ingredients are changing all the time, how do you keep a consistent product?

Two brewers sit down (over beers, obviously) to discuss the craft, the industry, and, y’know, the beer. This time, we have two B.C. heavyweights: Central City (and Northwest IPA) mastermind Gary Lohin and Parallel 49’s wunderkind Graham With, squaring off in With’s profoundly disorganized office at P49 headquarters.

Sure, these men agree more than they argue, but it shows a respect and kinship that we find adorable, frankly.

GL: That’s why you keep tweaking. That’s what the lab is telling you, and sensory evaluations. You watch for yeast ferment. Is your gravity finishing the same, you know?

GW: We change our beer. Our IPA will just constantly evolve. If a new hop comes out and it’s really good, we’ll put a little bit in it and...

GL: I won’t change my IPA but I’ll make another one, if a new hop comes out. I won’t change the one I have now.

GW: I feel like I want to make it a dynamic IPA. Recently I was like, maybe I should cut my crystal malt in half. I think I can do it because there’s not much in there. I don’t think anyone will notice. We’ll notice, and I’ll make it a test for our lab tech to notice, and want to see if she catches it because SRM [the colour] is going to change. But I think it’s going to do good things. I kind of had this idea with an IPA, especially with new hops –

GL: Is that Filthy Dirty [P49’s IPA]?

GW: Yeah. With new hops coming out all the

BREWER

GARY LOHIN

time, I kind of want to make it dynamic. I made the pitch to our ownership where I said, “Why don’t we just have an IPA, it’s called Dynamic IPA, and whatever you get could be a completely new IPA.” You can always make a new IPA. Like an all Willamette hop bomb because I have too much Willamette.

DANNY SEETON, who happened to wander in to the room: Right now, we have a different version of the IPA. It’s not different enough to have to call it a different version. With Gypsy [Tears], we have seven versions with hard recipe changes.

GL: I have that too with hop changes. I can’t stand the Chinook in my ESB now, so I have to get rid of it. I can’t stand it.

GW: I talked to Kevin [Emms] at Deep Cove, and he’s like, “Once the recipe’s done, it’s done, I’m not touching it again. Or I’ll do a new beer but I’m not changing the recipe.” I’m very much like, over time, the beer’s going to change anyway, and if you don’t do too much of a drastic change, I think you can bring the consumer along with you.

GL: See, I’m different. I’m going to keep my core brands and I’ll make another beer. I guess I won’t have a dynamic IPA, except only in the fact that

the hops will change and malt will change, but I try to keep that flavour profile consistent. I’ll just make a second IPA.

GW: Well, see, there you go. Different!

GL: There is no right answer. It’s just how you are. I’m brewing because that’s how I want to do it. He’s doing it because that’s how he wants to do it. j

The beer’s going to change anyway, and if you don’t do too much of a drastic change, I think you can bring the consumer along with you.

- Graham With

DOGWOOD BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | dogwoodbrew.com

TUE-THU: 4:30-8PM + FRI: 4:30-9PM

SAT: 11:30AM-9PM + SUN: 11:30AM-5PM

EST: 2015

At last! Vancouver’s premier organic brewery is open and serving the silkiest, most drinkable all-around beers we’ve tasted so far. These aren’t big loud beers – they’re flavourful, very smooth and refreshingly off trend. Owner / brewmaster Claire Wilson’s goal is to make the most drinkable organic beers possible. You want to introduce your parents to craft beer? This is the place.

ALE

Availability: Year-round

An expert blend of malty fruitiness, with a modest bitterness, kick. The first taste is like wine gums in liquid form.

Availability: Year-round

Incredibly smooth, sweet and finely balanced and without a doubt, the number one beginner beer for people who think they don’t like beer.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A light stout designed for six packs to be drunk in one sitting. Some might call this stout “weak,” but they’re clearly missing the point.

An IPA for people who think they hate IPAs. Incredibly smooth, a gentle prick of hops tempered by a honey notes.

The world’s longest hangover: four weeks, after a Scotsman consumed 60 pints of beer. Wuss.

GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING

1441 Cartwright St. | gib.ca

SUN-THU: 11AM-9PM + FRI/SAT: 11AM-11PM

EST: 1984

They’re owned by the biggest beer brand in Canada, which is in turn owned by a multinational corporation. But the beer brewed at the Granville Island mircobrewery has all the verve and complexity we expect of craft beer, with the same commitment to quality, with minimal involvement from the corporate big wigs. Craft comes in many forms, folks.

TWO TIDES ISA

@itsgoodtobehere

SHIPLOAD OF HOPS

35 100 8.7% ABV IBU

Proving that this is indeed the summer of ISA, this mellow, hoppy brew is designed for casual drinking.

HEY DAY HEFEWEIZEN

4.6% ABV IBU 15 5.0%

Availability: Year-round

GIB’s classic wheat ale. Cloudy, crisp and dry, with aromas of banana and clove, and designed for patio drinking.

Hands down, our favourite beer name of the season. This is a boozy, yet surprisingly subdued imperial.

FALSE CREEK RASPBERRY

11

Availability: Seasonal

Ultra-refreshing, ultra-tasty and ideal for the ultra-beer novice. Well-balanced with premium malt, hops and Fraser Valley raspberries.

It’s Good to Be Here

In 1984 Mitch Taylor and Bill Harvey gave the people of Vancouver a gift that hits the spot like nothing else: beer.

Taylor and Harvey, founders of Granville Island Brewing (GIB), opened the first microbrewery in Canada 31 years ago. The task wasn’t easy, says Vern Lambourne, brewmaster for the store, “Taylor and Harvey did a lot of work a couple years before 1984 to start a change to get craft beer sold in stores.”

Their efforts to get a microbrewery licence paid off as GIB became the first beer store to be attached to a brewery. GIB later on became the first company to put craft beer into cans. When the store initially opened, the only beer they produced was a “golden” Island Lager, consisting of a “crisp hop flavour.” Lambourne says, “People were excited about it, they would come and lineup. This was something different.” Now the beer comes in many flavours, and with a side of history to boot as they are named after various hot spots in Vancouver, such as Swing Span

Amber

Over the years, not only has the variety of beer changed, but the people buying the beer as well. “We went from a demographic of middle-aged men to a broader spectrum of people,” Lambourne says. “The most exciting thing has been the growth of craft beer.”

The store, located on Granville Island, has since cemented its spot as a marvel, proving that it really is, “good to be here.”

Ale, Cypress Honey Lager and False Creek Raspberry Ale.

MAIN STREET BREWING CO.

261 E 7th Ave. | mainstreetbeer.ca

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

EST: 2014

Based in the renovated Brewery Garage building, built in 1913 as part of the original Vancouver Breweries complex, Main Street Brewing stands where Brewery Creek once flowed down to False Creek. History aside, the brewery sets itself apart from its neighbours, Brassneck and 33 Acres, with a focus on cask-conditioned beers: there are four casks on at all times along with regular draft options.

MAIN STREET PILSNER

This crisp, clean pilsner was contract brewed by Russell Brewing for a few years before Main Street Brewing opened.

REIFEL RED

A dry red saison brewed with rye and fermented with a blend of three distinct Belgian and French saison yeasts.

HARE AND THE DOG

An English-style best bitter brewed with pale malts, flaked barley and crystal malts, and East Kent Goldings hops.

SOUTHERN HOP

Australian Ella hops give this IPA a spicy, grapefruit zing.

Vikings believed that a giant goat whose udders held unlimited amounts of beer was waiting for them in Viking heaven (Valhalla).

OFF THE RAIL BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | offtherailbrewing.com

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

EST: 2014

Another welcome addition to Vancouver’s burgeoning Yeast Van neighbourhood. The beers offer all the artisanal aspects to sate beer fanatics, while offering enough balance and variety to accommodate newcomers. In other words, they’re right on trend, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. And they have easily one of the coziest tasting rooms in the city.

DERAILER PALE

CRAZY TRAIN

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Despite what the name implies, this pale ale is not mangler. It’s well-rounded fusion of West Coast and Old English ales.

LANCASTER CREAM ALE

THE CREAMIEST OF ALES...

A big ol’ beer with a hearty dose of Chinook and Cascade hops, giving it a rich, robust flavour.

BELT UP ESB

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

An authentic English cream ale that’s golden in colour, with a thick, creamy head that’s light and easy to drink. Great for newbies.

A West Coast style ESB, with a solid malt profile that packs a Pacific hoppy punch with the Amarillo and Cascade hops.

After 84 years, the Railway Club (formally owned by Off the Rails founder Steve Forsyth) is the longest continually running nightclub in Vancouver

PARALLEL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | parallel49brewing.com

MON-SUN: 12-11PM @parallel49beer

EST: 2012

Yeast Van’s craft beer revolutionaries. There are lots of reasons for P49’s popularity, including the cartoony labels, hilarious beer names and diverse range of styles. The tasting room has become one of the city’s most popular. Craft beer is all about creativity and experimentation, and nobody understands that better than brewer Graham With and the rest of his team.

GYPSY TEARS

RUBY ALE

Availability: Year-round

Ruby red, this beer is all about caramel maltiness and West Coast hops. Available pretty much everywhere in Vancouver.

JERKFACE 9000

NORTHWEST WHEAT ALE

TRICYCLE

Availability: Seasonal

Half grapefruit juice, half lager, this style has been popular as a summer thirst-quencher in Germany for decades.

FILTHY DIRTY

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

This hoppy wheat ale’s name was the end result of an argument: “Why don’t we just call it Jerkface 9000 then, you asshole?”

Replacing their old IPA, Lord of the Hops –which the Tolkien folks squashed like a baby orc – Filthy Dirty bursts with citrus hop aromas.

Parallel 49 and Vancouver-based coffee company

GRAPEFRUIT RADLER

49th Parallel collaborated on a beer this past winter: the Parallelogram Oatmeal Coffee Porter

Vancouver Craft Beer Week and e Growler present:

YOUR SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL

SURVIVAL GUIDE SURVIVAL GUIDE SURVIVAL GUIDE

SURVIVAL GUIDE

BRING PLENTY OF CASH

With the overwhelming supply of beer samples, the swell of jivin’ beer enthusiasts and the likely lengthy stay, you’ll probably need to make several trips to the token booth. Not all have interact machines, and you’ll want to avoid unnecessary ATM fees.

WEAR COMFY SHOES

What, you’re thinking heels?

What’s wrong with you?

EMBRACE THE SESSIONAL

Look, if you want to indulge in Imperial whatever, that’s good! Do it! But balance those badass beers with more subtle, more easy drinking beers. It’s easier on the liver, which is nice, and they’re deeply en vogue, which is always a good reason to do anything.

GET THERE EARLY

Because the lines get so bloody long, dude, you’ll want to avoid them, lest you get stuck in a sluggish queue that may inspire feelings of tension and resentment and physical violence toward everyone, including yourself. Most festivals offer a Gate Crasher ticket, which allows early entry.

DRINK WATER

Especially if you get there early

WEAR CLOTHES

Don’t take your clothes off. Not necessarily a “survival” issue so much as a “reputation management” issue.

EAT

Once you’re strapped in the beer train, it’s easy to stave off the hunger by drinking more. But in the heat? And all the beer? On an empty stomach? You’ll be facing both a “survival” and “reputation management” scenario.

DON’T BREAK THE SEAL

No matter how badly you think you need to. Wait until your bladder is pulsating against your pubis. The queues for the toilets can be LENGTHY.

WORK THE QUEUES

Booths are usually hit in waves. Don’t bother standing in lengthy lines at popular brewery booths. Try beers from breweries with smaller lines and wait for a window of opportunity. More beer + less waiting = good stuff.

SAVOUR THE BEER

You’re there to learn something, most likely, so take the time to appreciate what you’re trying. It all starts to blur together after an hour – we know how it is – but if you make the effort, you can learn something new.

Vancouver Craft Beer Week starts May 29, with the main two-day event held June 8 and 9…which might be useless to you if you’re reading this after June 9. If this is the case, please disregard.

POSTMARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | postmarkbrewing.com

MON-FRI: 11AM-11PM + SAT/SUN: 10AM-11PM

EST: 2014

The first brewery to open in Railtown, Postmark shares the Settlement Building with Vancouver Urban Winery and the Belgard Kitchen. It’s a unique and attractive setup where you can sample wine or beer with enticing brunch, lunch or dinner options at the shared tables in the middle of the openconcept building.

@postmarkbrewing

WEST COAST PALE

40 4.6% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

This is a very sessionable golden pale ale brewed and dry hopped with Centennial hops

SAISONELLA

26 4.2% ABV IBU

Availability: Seasonal

A dry, crisp single-hop Saison featuring the tropical and lime-like flavours and aromas of the Ella hop variety.

RASPBERRY LEMON ZEST HEFE HEFEWEIZEN

14 4.8% ABV IBU

Availability: Seasonal

Summer in a glass. This refreshing German wheat beer features hints of raspberry and lemon zest.

BLONDE

4.2% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

18

This light, lager-like blonde ale is less hoppy than Postmark’s pale ale.

ALE PALE ALE

SAISON

BLONDE ALE

POWELL STREET CRAFT BREWERY

1357 Powell St. | powellbeer.com

MON-THU: 12-8PM ^ FRI/SAT: 12-9PM ^ SUN: 12-8PM @powellbeer

EST: 2012

It’s tough to pin down what makes Powell Street so charming. Is it the dreams-really-do-come-true idea epitomized in David Bowkett’s success as co-owner and brewer? It helps. Is it that their beer causes such discordant beauty between the tongue and the brain, like a great slice of psychedelic pop? It’s all these things.

DIVE BOMB

RIGHT KIND OF CRAZY

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

As unpredictable as the name suggests. The hops mask the body’s roasty character. Takes a pint or two to figure this one out.

WHITE IPA

Well-balanced and citrusy, sure, but still the hoppiest thing you’ll likely to come across in Vancouver this season.

ODE TO CITRA

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A bitter yet refreshing summery IPA, made with wheat and pilsner malts combined with sweet orange peel and Citra hops.

All hail the Citra hop, which, if you’re unsure what that tastes like, take down a glass of this intensely tropical and very hoppy bevvy.

After 84 years, the Railway Club (formally owned by Off the Rails founder Steve Forsyth) is the longest continually running nightclub in Vancouver

R & B BREWING CO.

54 E 4th Ave. | r-and-b.com

THU/FRI: 4-8PM ^ SAT: 12-6PM @randbbrewing

EST: 1997

One of Vancouver’s first craft breweries battled some serious financial issues this year. But worry not – Howe Sound Brewing has bought the brand. They’re still in business, brewing their staple beers and coming up with new ideas. It was a close call, but we’re glad they made it. (See page 92 for more about this).

A West Coast take on an English classic, this ESB is loaded with New Zealand and Northwest hops.

SUN GOD

Availability: Year-round

Behold, patio season is here! It pairs beautifully with this refreshing summer ale.

A staple in East Van bars and restaurants, with a dark amber colour, but a light body that makes for easy drinking.

Availability: Seasonal

Brewed with Belgian yeast, along orange peel and coriander. Available only at Chambar and at the R&B growler fill station.

R&B is named after the breweries two founders: Rick Dellow and Barry Benson.

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 E 1st Ave. | redtruckbeer.com

EST: 2005

It was a long time coming, but Red Truck opened its big, new production brewery on 1st Avenue late last year. The public tasting room component (which should be open by the time you’re reading this) is modelled after a truck stop diner, and you can find Red Truck’s beer pretty much anywhere in the Lower Mainland or Vancouver Island.

RED TRUCK ISA

The little baby brother to their IPA, it packs a big taste without packing all the booze.

RED TRUCK IPA

Not the most aromatic or flavourful IPA around, but it does have some hop character atop a solid malt foundation.

A popular and unchallenging pale ale that won’t blow your doors off or clog your carb. Still, a good option for craft beer newbies.

RED TRUCK

This light lager won top marks in Sip Northwest magazine’s lager/pilsner category for 2014.

Red Truck is owned by Mark James, but NOT the Mark James Group, in case you’ve been wondering.

by Jesse Donaldson

British Columbians have always been a thirsty bunch – and nowhere was this more evident than during provincial Prohibition.

The B.C. Prohibition Act lasted only three and a half years, and was, from every standpoint, an utter failure. The last to be enacted and the first to be repealed in English Canada, it did nothing to quell the province’s desire for booze, and by the time it was repealed, had made outlaws out of thousands of men and women – including police commissioners, prominent politicians and even the provincial Prohibition commissioner himself.

Before 1900, British Columbia was a drinker’s paradise. For pioneer communities, the local saloon was the social centre of town – one that remained open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It was a place to find a job, make friends and relax. It was often the location of the only public toilets

and telephones in town. Adults and children drank regularly at home and at work.

According to the results of a Royal Commission survey, British Columbians consumed more than a gallon of liquor each year – twice the national average.

“It would almost take a line of packet ships, running regular between here and San Francisco to supply this island with grog,” colonist Robert Melrose wrote back in the 1850s, “so great a thirst prevails amongst its inhabitants.”

However, by the onset of the World War I, attitudes had begun to change. Temperance societies had sprung up all over Europe and North America, and had mustered sufficient clout to force a series of provincial referendums on alcohol. Spurred on by fears of the moral degradation brought on by “demon rum,” provinces began adopting legislation that banned the sale of intoxicating liquors.

Image: Stills captured during Prohibition, 1917.

Image courtesy of the Vancouver Archives

By 1917, B.C. was the sole remaining holdout in English Canada. Despite the best efforts of the “wet” forces, British Columbians voted narrowly in favour of the measure, and on Oct. 1, 1917, Prohibition descended on the province. Suddenly, consumption of alcoholic drinks with over 2.5 per cent ABV outside of one’s home was punishable by a $50 to $100 fine, or 30 to 60 days in jail. Manufacture and distribution brought a sentence of up to 12 months hard labour. Police were given the power to raid homes, businesses or vehicles without a warrant. And while arrests and enforcement were steady at first, the operation quickly descended into a farce. While the sale of alcohol was illegal, importation from other provinces was not, so wealthy British Columbians continued to stock their home bars with impunity. “Medicinal” alcohol (including gin, champagne and beer) could still be obtained with a doctor’s note, and as a result, enterprising physicians made fortunes, selling prescriptions for $2 each (a day’s pay). In 1919, B.C. doctors wrote 181,000 prescriptions. In January of 1920, they wrote 27,000 in a single month.

And doctors weren’t the only ones profiting. In 1918, Walter Findlay, the newly appointed Prohibition Commissioner (and formerly the province’s most stalwart anti-alcohol crusader), was sentenced to two years in jail for breach of trust, in connection with selling more than 700 cases of whiskey he had appropriated from government storehouses. His trial was a sensation, but Findlay refused to answer any questions. Evidence pointed to a massive province-wide conspiracy to traffic in

alcohol, one that indicated involvement by police, politicians, and even the Hudson’s Bay Company. Causing further embarrassment, North Vancouver Police Commissioner M.B. Martinson was later found guilty of possession, after a search of his home turned up evidence that he signed for regular whiskey deliveries.

Working class people came up with their own tricks. In some bars, employees would keep their pitcher of whiskey next to a jug of water – if a B.C. Provincial Police agent entered, bartenders would dump one into the other, thus reducing the overall percentage to a perfectly legal 2.5 per cent. Breweries, still permitted to manufacture 2.5 per cent beer, had secret supplies of higher-proof alcohol that they would simply switch out if inspected. In Cumberland, the local constable was on the take, warning hoteliers if provincial police were coming to town.

By late 1918, even prohibitionists had to admit it wasn’t working. Alcohol was widely available. In December of that year, prohibitionists complained to the Board of Police Commissioners that alcohol was available “almost as freely as in pre-Prohibition times.”

With the return of soldiers from WWI, public attitudes did another about-face. British Columbians were as thirsty as ever, and three years of Prohibition had done little besides whet their appetite. A second referendum was called, and on Oct. 20, 1920 ( – just as the Volstead Act was aiming to dry out the United States – the act was repealed by an overwhelming majority: 92,095 votes to 55,448.

And we’ve been drinking our fill ever since. j

Adults and children drank regularly at home and at work.

STEEL TOAD BREWING CO.

97 E 2nd Ave | steeltoad.ca

SUN-THU: 11AM-12AM ^ FRI-SAT: 11AM-1AM

EST: 2014

The first new brewpub to open in Vancouver in 16 years. Steel Toad is located in the Olympic Village, in the historic Opsal Steel building, which underwent a heritage restoration that involved dismantling the dilapidated structure to create a new two-level restaurant that’s reminiscent of an updated German beer hall. The beer harkens back to the Old World, as well.

@steeltoadbeer

15 25 6.0% ABV IBU

Easy drinking, crisp and dry, this is the safest beer on the menu.

Fruity and dry, this classic farmhouse saison is brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops, which evoke white wine grapes.

5

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A refreshingly tart wheat beer style that originated in Berlin, it is served with traditional sweet syrups if requested.

35

Brewed and cellared in the traditional English style and dispensed through a beer engine. Fruity and hoppy, with sweet biscuit malt.

The 3 Basic Principles of Pairing BEER WITH FOOD

~ presented by Steel Toad Brewing Company ~

INTENSITY

The dish and the beer need to complement, rather than overwhelm, each other. Strong, intense foods should be paired with strong beers, and vice versa.

BALANCE & CONTRAST

Flavours interact with each other in predictable ways. Making the most of these interactions will make for a more complex and interesting experience.

Find common flavours in the pairings. Possibilities include:

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

While there are plenty of classic pairings that disobey these rules, it’s hard to go wrong when following all three of these principles. Here are two of our favourite pairings from our current menu.

Spinach and Ricotta Agnolotti, parsely & almond pesto, and asparagus. Paired with Saison Sauvignon

Steak Frites, mushrooms, and peppercorn jus. Paired with Oatmeal Stout

STORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | stormbrewing.org

TUE-SAT:

EST: 1994

Best described as a brewery crossed with a mad scientist’s lair, Storm is led by brewer James Walton, who dresses like a punk rock star, and has perfected his brewing over the past two decades. Storm was one of the first breweries in North America to produce sour Belgian beers, the first in Vancouver to make an IPA, and remains on the cutting edge of craft beer today.

HURRICANE IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

BLACK PLAGUE STOUT

IMPERIAL STOUT

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Back in the 1990s, this “cloudy, bitter ale” often had chunks of hops floating in it, but it’s much better now.

IMPERIAL FLANDERS SOUR RED ALE

FLEMISH RED/SOUR

N/A 11.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Small batch

This strong sour beer is aged for at least a year in the same barrels that once held Storm’s famous Lambic.

This imperial stout is made with fresh licorice root and dark cocoa for a rich, black brew of epic proportions.

BRAINSTORMS

WHATEVER, WHENEVER

Availability: Small batch

Whether it’s Basil IPA or Echinacea Stout, Storm is always coming up with new creations. Visit the brewery to try them.

There’s another Storm Brewing in Canada, located in Mount Pearl, N.L.

STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | strangefellowsbrewing.com

MON-THU: 2-11PM ^ FRI-SUN: 12-11PM @strange_fellows

EST: 2014

Iain Hill left his longtime position as head brewer at Yaletown Brewing Co. to open this brewery with Aaron Jonkheere, who documented the process thoroughly on a blog entitled “I’m starting a craft brewery.” Although it has only been open since December, Hill introductory beers through the tasting room have been stellar.

Don’t let the relatively low alcohol deter you: this pale ale has big hop flavours bursting above its light body.

BAYARD

Wild horses couldn’t tear you away from this delicious saison with its fruity, spicy character and dry finish.

Two different Belgian yeasts juggle the flavours in this creamy, spicy and refreshing wheat beer.

A robust, malty and hoppy dark IPA that will keep thirsty wolves at bay.

Norway’s King Haakon I made it a law in the 10th century that every household must brew a measure of beer for their winter celebrations.

KERRISDALE

5503 West Blvd (at W. 39th Ave) 604-669-1121

EAST VANCOUVER: 6295 Fraser St. (at E. 47th Ave) 604-327-1113

RICHMOND: Domestic Terminal, YVR 604-207-1127

CENTRAL BURNABY: 7651 Royal Oak Ave (at Rumble St.) 604-419-0225

BLACK KETTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | blackkettlebrewing.com

MON-SAT: 11AM-7PM ^ SUN: 1-5PM @blackkettlebeer

EST: 2014

Part of a wave of five new breweries on the North Shore, Black Kettle grew out of the homebrewing dreams of two friends. It’s an understated operation all round: the brewery is a little hard to find and the no-frills labels and non-existent beer names don’t add much incentive to seek them out. But word is there’s often a wicked game of street hockey happening in the parking lot.

A malt-forward IPA in the English style that could use a boost in the hops department.

Rich and malty with a touch of sweetness, this is an ideal rain-rain-go-away sort of beer.

Availability: Year-round

A basic pale ale that doesn’t do much to stand out in the crowd of B.C. pale ales.

This Belgian-style Wit beer is definitely Black Kettle’s best: it’s spicy, citrusy and slightly sweet.

Ancient Sumerians brewed a diet beer called eb-la, which translates to “lessens the waist”.

BRIDGE BREWING CO.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | bridgebrewing.com

MON-SUN: 1-7PM

EST: 2012

There was a time, not too long ago when a visit to Bridge meant crowding around a tasting room counter area not much bigger than the average bathroom. Thankfully, Bridge has moved in to a brand new facility roughly three times the size, with a homey tasting room to boot. What’s better? Word is they might be getting a patio. Maybe. Shh.

An approachable take on the classic German beer, featuring a lager malt profile fermented with an ale yeast, and brewed with Noble hops.

HOPILANO IPA

A beer full of contradictions: A bold flavour balanced with moderate bitterness and a soft, floral aroma.

Juicy, hoppy and deliciously aromatic from the Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Dr. Rudi hops.

NORTH SHORE

It’s an approachable, golden ale and a good introduction for novices.

The Lions Gate Bridge was built partly with funds from the Guinness family – the same family that owns the Irish stout brewery.

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | deepcovecraft.com

MON/TUE: 4-8PM ^ WED-SUN: 12-8PM

EST: 2013

There’s a Beatles vs. Rolling Stones thing brewing in North Vancouver. People seem loyal to either Bridge Brewing or Deep Cove. But with brewmaster Kevin Emms’ creative perfectionism, and the frankly gorgeous tasting room, there’s very little question why they’d choose Camp Cove.

@deepcovecraft

Availability:

A tried-and-true West Coast pale with a generous hops portion balanced with a solid malt base.

Availability: Year-round

A hybrid dry Irish / oatmeal stout that’s brewed with roasted barley (rather than roast malts) and served on nitro.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A rich and flavourful brew, this saison features bourbon-soaked oak and vanilla, with spicy rye malt. A unique experience, to say the least.

The original Deep Cove recipe offers heaps of Galaxy hops, complimented by Dr. Rudi and Chinook, over a high portion of rye malt.

Apparently, beer was invented 10,000 to 13,000 years ago, when a woman who was making bread left the bowl out in the rain. Natural yeast was produced, and the world was never quite the same.

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Ct. | greenleafbrew.com

SUN-THU: 11AM-9PM ^ FRI/SAT: 11AM-11PM @greenleafbrew

EST: 2013

The brewery’s location just inside the entrance to Lonsdale Quay is ideal considering the high number of tourists and commuters that walk by every day. The addition of a patio later this spring will make it an even better destination. The tasting room rotates through lots of different styles of beer, and bottled versions are also available in private liquor stores.

LLOYD’S LAGER

This non-threatening lager is a good entry point for a newcomer to craft beer.

BITTER LEAF

A very hoppy brew, but nicely balanced with a fine malt base, topped with a velvety head.

ISA

Reminiscent of grapefruit, this cloudy session IPA has a very citrusy hop character.

Green Leaf continues its trend of great beer names with its summer hefeweizen. We haven’t tried it yet though. Let us know how it goes.

i-Growl

Growlin’ mad at flat beer

• Food grade stainless steel growler available in 1.9L and 3.8L

• CO2 tap keeps beer fresh by using disposable CO2 cartridges or a small CO2 tank

• Brewery or pub logos available at low cost (set up fee and minimum order required)

• Foamless counter pressure growler filler installed on your existing tap without disrupting the function of your regular tap

• Less product lost

• Fast growler filling

• Can fill glass screw top growlers and with adaptor can fill flip tops, wide mouth and stainless growlers.

• Also available for PET bottles.

For more info, contact:

Envirotech 778 228 8855

HEARTHSTONE BREWERY

1015 Marine Dr. | hearthstonebrewery.ca

HOURS: N/A @hearthstonebeer

EST: 2014

You might recognize the location of this new brewery as Taylor’s Crossing Brewpub, which closed in 2011, and the former Red Truck facility. The owners of the Mission Springs Brewpub bought the operation and launched this new independent operation, which will eventually include a pizza restaurant and taproom, but for now is just a production brewery.

A clean, crisp golden pale pilsner brewed with Czech Saaz and Polish Marynka hops that impart a spicy, floral aroma.

CHOCOLATE

Brewed with lactose sugar to add sweetness and aged on cacao nibs and shells provided by the East Van Roasting Company.

COMMON MAN

This ruby red rye ale is smooth, slightly spicy, and malt-forward with notes of pear, citrus and black pepper. Availability:

Availability:

Brewed with a lager yeast at warmer temperatures resulting in a dry, crisp body and slightly bitter finish.

Beer is fat-free (but loaded with empty calories).

HOWE SOUND BREWING CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave. | howesound.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-12AM

EST: 1996

Nineteen years in the beer games hasn’t softened Howe Sound’s approach any. Just the opposite, in fact – as their generational peers drum for more pedestrian support, or have been sold off to other companies, Howe Sound’s maintained an experimental streak that has resulted in some of the most interesting – and consistently drinkable – beers produced in B.C.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A expertly balanced, extremely flavourful IPA that’s also the namesake of Howe Sound’s downtown Vancouver tasting lounge.

HOWE SOUND

Availability: Year-round

A malty lager, and arguably one of the finest examples of lagers brewed in B.C. It’s crushable and available in cans, so…camping anyone?

This traditional English nutbrown ale features a deep amber color, and a beautiful aroma. Pairs with meat and cheese, in case you’re hungry.

Availability: Seasonal

A boozy, high gravity hef with huge flavour and a banana and clove aroma. It’s big and bold, yet still refreshing.

Sixteen B.C. breweries or brewpubs have phone numbers ending in 2739, which spells BEER on a phone keypad.

WHISTLER BREWING CO.

1045 Millar Creek Rd, Whistler | whistlerbeer.com

MON-THU:

EST: 1989

Outside the town of Whistler, Whistler Brewing is viewed as another corporate entity with questionable craft status. This is due, in part, to the fact that the beer wasn’t always brewed in Whistler. But in town – at the brewery – it’s a community centre, and as lively a venue to grab a drink as anywhere in town.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A mild ale with a hint of chai tea thrown in for good measure. Complex and mildly spicy.

B.C.’s first gluten-free craft beer, made with sorghum and rice, won Bronze in the 2014 World Beer Championships.

Availability: Year-round

Brewed with organic alpine bee honey, this sweet, sessionable lager is another intro option to craft beer.

Availability: Seasonal

A summer blonde with a grapefruit twist. Dried grapefruit rind adds to the citrusy flavour of the Sterling and Willamette hops.

Canada’s first documented brewers were Louis Hébert and his wife, who produced beer for private consumption as early as 1617.

COST ANATOMY OF A CAN O’ BEER

LDB MARKUP $0.55 per litre. This is essentially a tax, since it’s a blanket fee the LDB puts on all beer, but the LDB doesn’t call it a tax. They call it a markup:

$0.195 / can

$0.01

FEDERAL TAX at $.0311 per litre:

On April 1, the Liquor Distribution Board (LDB) introduced a new pricing model, which could affect the price of beer in B.C. Here’s a handy-ish (though, admittedly, sort of confusing*) breakdown for the new pricing scheme –what you’re paying for, and why you’re paying so much for, that can of deliciously crafted beer.

Because this whole pricing model is confoundingly complex

*

** Price includes deposit, GST + PST. This number is an average based on the LDB’s master price list of B.C. craft beer) ***

Both BC Liquor Stores and private liquor stores purchase the beer at this price

**** Private liquor stores will have additional markups

Illustration by Evoke International Design

DAGERAAD BREWING

114 - 3191 Thunderbird Cres. | dageraadbrewing.com

WED-FRI: 4-8PM ^ SAT/SUN: 12-6PM @dageraadbeer

EST: 2014

Over several visits to Belgium, Ben Coli fell in love with its beer culture sitting with friends at cafés on the Dageraadplaats, a neighbourhood square in Antwerp. Eventually, he tried to recreate his favourite Belgian Golden Ale as a home brewer. He nailed it the first time. Buoyed by that success he decided to open a Belgian-style brewery here.

AMBER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Modelled after Brouwerij De Koninck’s flagship pale ale, this solid pale ale has a slight fruitiness and crisp finish.

RANDONNEUR

SAISON

A tafelbier, or Belgian session ale, this is brewed with oats and lightly spiced with coriander, resulting in a surprisingly flavourful beer.

BLONDE

BELGIAN BLONDE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

This gorgeous saison has a fruity aroma, a peppery and hoppy flavour, and a dry finish.

One of the best beers brewed in B.C. bar none, this strong Belgian blonde is spicy, effervescent and refreshing.

Dageraad means “dawn” in Flemish Dutch.

BELGIAN PALE ALE

BURNABARIAN BELGIAN SESSION ALE

STEAMWORKS BREWING CO.

3845 William St. | steamworks.com

MON-THU: 2-8PM ^FRI/SAT: 12-10PM ^SUN: 12-8PM @steamworksbeer

EST: 1995

The Steamworks brewpub opened in Gastown with a brewing system that used the same steam that powers the infamous Steam Clock to heat its brew kettle. There were limits to how much that facility could produce so this new production brewery opened in Burnaby last year. The same great beers can be found in both places, and the Burnaby brewery has a big, welcoming taproom.

Availability: Seasonal

The pink colour of this beer belies its strength – although there aren’t as many “Frambosen accidents” as back when it was 9 per cent ABV!

JASMINE IPA

Availability: Year-round

Hoppy, refreshing and complex, this jasmineinfused golden IPA has a floral and citrus nose and a well-balanced malt character.

Availability: Seasonal

A beautiful Belgian IPA with fruity, spicy and citrusy characteristics from the yeast, hops, coriander and orange peel all blended together.

Availability: Year-round

Don’t fix what ain’t broke: Under previous brewer Conrad Gmoser’s guidance, this beer won B.C. Beer of the Year twice.

Pssst..... Steamworks Brewing Co. also has a brewpub. See details page 110.

STEEL & OAK BREWING CO.

1319 Third Ave. | steelandoak.ca

SUN/TUE/WED: 12-8PM ^ THU-SAT: 12-10PM

EST: 2014

Brewing was part of New Westminster’s economy from 1879 until 2006 in the form of the Sapperton Brewery, which went through several ownership and name changes before its final tenure as part of the Labatt chain. When beer finally returned to the Royal City last year, locals embraced it wholeheartedly. S&O’s tasting room always seems to be hoppin’.

@steelandoak

This is a light, medium-bodied blonde ale that is very drinkable without much bitterness or hop character.

SMOKED

This tasty beer features a balanced malty/hoppy bitterness augmented by a pungent dry-hopped dose of west coast hops.

The addition of smoke to the banana/bubblegum/clove yeast character of this hefeweizen results in a unique beer for sure.

Caramel malts added to the traditional light pilsner malts make this lager fuller and darker than usual.

There are three bars in Antarctica, only one of which serves beer year-round.

FUGGLES & WARLOCK CRAFTWORKS

103-11220 Horseshoe Way | fuggleswarlock.com

HOURS: N/A

EST: 2012

Now before Richmond beer fans lose their collective minds, we should say this one’s still another six months away at the very least. For now, they’re releasing packaged products – available at private liquor stores – that are some of the wildest, creative beers around, and the most geek-culture obsessed beer labels in the West Coast.

DESTINY IPA

Availability: Year-round

A light malt profile, topped with delicate hop aromas of mandarin oranges, grapefruit, and passion fruit

PERSONAS

Availability: Year-round

A spin on the California Common that’s a bit fruity, with a smooth malt base and deeply aromatic without the extreme bitterness of an IPA.

@fuggleswarlock

SHIVA SESSION

Availability: Year-round

A citrusy wheat IPA. It’s a mouthful of flavour, balancing a light body with an aggressive hoppiness.

BEAN ME UP

Availability: Year-round

This 2014 BC Beer Award Winner blends espresso coffee and a delicate stout with a creamy sweetness from lactose.

Fuggle Hops were a cornerstone for English brewing during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

FOUR WINDS BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | fourwindsbrewing.ca

MON-SAT: 12-7PM ^ SUN: 12-5PM

EST: 2013

Since launching two years ago, Four Winds has remained one of the most exciting and original craft breweries to emerge on the West Coast. With a roster of bold and flavourful beers, they’ve managed to satisfy hardened beer snobs and lure newbies to craft beer. That’s a difficult balance, all the more impressive given the brewery’s location in the outskirts of Ladner.

Availability:

A beer of opposites, it features bold citrus and floral notes that finishes with a mellowed out hoppiness. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

Availability: Seasonal

This limited edition (and extremely popular) IPA blends tropical flavours with the funkiness of Brettanomyces. A little bitter, but balanced.

Availability: Year-round

An homage to early days American craft beer, this pale ale features the dynamic duo of Cascade and Centennial hops.

Availability: Year-round

Infused with New World flavours, this beerfeatures a blend of the classic Bohemian Saaz with new school New Zealand Motueka hops.

One

glass of wine is drunk for every three bottles of beer.

BREWERY TIPPING ETIQUETTE

BUY A BOTTLE OF BEER TO GO

This is just retail, and no one on the front end has to do any real work, except ring through the order.

GET A GROWLER FILL TO GO

NOT REQUIRED NOT REQUIRED

Yes, staff has to fill the growler, but again, this is just retail.

GET A GLASS OF BEER AND/OR A TASTING FLIGHT

STRONGLY ENCOURAGED

The staff is working to serve you. You’re basically sitting at a bar…and you tip at bars, don’t you?

GET A GLASS (OR THREE) OF BEER, AND THEN GET A GROWLER FILL TO GO

REQUIRED

Tip on the glasses of beer, but not on the growler fill.

SIT AROUND FOR A FEW HOURS DRINKING TASTING FLIGHTS, ASKING STAFF QUESTIONS, then getting one of them to show you around the brewery, even though tours aren’t really part of normal operations, but heck, this staff member’s a nice guy...

REQUIRED

Well not really – it’s not the law or anything. But in the law of decent humanity, it’s required. If you don’t tip, you’re a jerk, and staff will always remember a jerk, and you’ll thus receive lousy service forever, or until the situation has been rectified (with tips).

*How much to tip: This is controversial. Some say 12 to 15 per cent is reasonable, while others say $1 per beer. But what about tasting flights, which are three to six different beers, and don’t always add up to one full beer? Sometimes they exceed the amount! Ack.

After careful deliberation and much research, we suggest you tip $1 per item (i.e. glass of beer, tasting flight, etc.) or 15 per cent on the total – whichever amount is greater.

TURNING POINT BREWERY

465 Fraser View Pl. | stanleyparkbrewing.com

HOURS: N/A @ stanleyparkbrew

Turning Point gets a bad wrap. Or, rather, it’s brand, Stanley Park does – a terrible one, which hasn’t been totally undeserved in the past. But now, with new management and a talented new head brewer in Todd Fowler, the beer’s improved significantly. It’s still a corporate enterprise, but Stanley Park deserves a bit more consideration.

Availability: Year-round

A medium-bodied and refreshingly balanced pale ale, with a tropical flavour that’s a huge step-up in taste and quality for Stanley Park.

NOBLE PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

Brewed with Pilsen malt and a blend of Noble hops, resulting in a soft, crisp, easy-drinking beer.

Availability: Seasonal

Stanley Park’s focus is on gateway craft beers, and this sessionable ale, with ripe peach and bold citrus flavours, might be a good option.

1897 AMBER

Availability: Year-round

The original Stanley Park brew is an uninspiring Belgian style ale. Preferable to OK Springs Pale Ale or, heaven forbid, Kokanee.

The original Stanlely Park Brewery was founded in 1896 on the shores of what is now Lost Lagoon. it folded in 1911.

CENTRAL CITY BREWERS + DISTILLERS

11411 Bridgeview Dr. | centralcitybrewing.com MON-FRI:

EST: 2003

Central City is a behemoth. Massively influential in B.C., they make big, bold and beautiful beers, courtesy of head brewer Gary Lohin. They’re the Radiohead of B.C. beer: progressive, experimental and popular, if not a little polarizing. If you haven’t seen their new facility in South Surrey, do yourself the favour. It’s awe-inspiring (for nerdy beer people).

Arguably the single most influential beers in B.C., it’s the IPA that spawned a thousand others. Hoppy as hell.

Light-bodied and designed for easy drinking, featuring toasted Munich malts that give this ale a balanced malty flavour.

Availability: Year-round

Year-round 90 9.0% ABV IBU

Dry-hopped with whole leaves from Yakima and matured to ensure plenty of flavour, with hints of grapefruit, tangerine and mango.

Availability: Year-round

Big in flavour and hoppiness, this is the ideal sessional beer from hopheads. It’s a great Saturday-afternoon-on-a-patio kinda brew.

61 SURREY

RUSSELL BREWING

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | russellbeer.com

MON-FRI: 8AM-4PM

EST: 1995

Another brewery that often inspires the question: “Well, are they craft or aren’t they?” This is due mainly to the fact that they’re publicly owned and have no tasting room. But a simple taste test will show that their beers are created with quality in mind, and definitely in the spirit of craft. We need to consider – does the ownership structure really matter?

@russell_beer

A front-runner for best B.C. pilsner. And great news: now available in cans, so no more lugging those bombers around.

WHITE RABBIT

Availability: Seasonal

A big, tropical brew with enough mystery and inventiveness to live up to its surrealistic title. Solid summer drinking.

Availability: Seasonal

A dark lager with rich, toasted malt aroma balanced by the clean bitterness of noble hops.

PUNCH BOWL

Availability: Seasonal

A Northwest IPA that’s brewed with Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo, with strong berry and melon flavours.

Countdown of the world’s most popular beers: 10) Coors Light, 9) Brahma, 8) Harbin, 7) Heineken…

WHITE ROCK BEACH BEER CO.

15181 Russell Ave. | whiterockbeachbeer.com

Founded by three school teachers who brew the beer on evenings and weekends. Initially, only growler fills have been available, but expansion plans later this year will allow them to start kegging and distributing to pubs and restaurants, with packaging a possibility after that. In the meantime, it’s the perfect excuse for a weekend getaway

the beach!

A summery session beer, this hef has a taste of honey, orange and a little banana. Availability:

Centennial hops give this American pale ale a citrusy, grapefruit flavour. Thirst quenching and sessionable.

A Baltic porter with a malty aroma and a deep sweetness that is sure to warm you up on a cold day.

Dark nut brown in colour, but mild and not overly hopped with caramel and chocolate undertones.

Yanjing, 5) Skol, 4) Budweiser, 3) Bud Light, 2) Tsingtao, 1) Snow

MOODY ALES BREWING

2601 Murray St. | moodyales.com

SUN: 12-7PM ^ MON/TUE: 3-8PM ^ WED/THU 1-8PM

FRI/SAT: 12-10PM @moodyales

EST: 2014

One of two breweries that helped convert Port Moody into a devoted beer town practically overnight. Not only that, but Moody Ales’ entire aesthetic – neo-impressionatist art, white décor, nifty merch – has helped transform Port Moody, in the minds of all us snooty Vancouverites, into an hip, attractive place to live...maybe…one day.

AFFABLE IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

An approachable (affable, even) IPA with a light malt body and moderate bitterness with notes of pineapple, grapefruit and pine.

CHIPPER BLONDE ALE

AMERICAN BLONDE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Brewed simply with three malts and a single hop variety. Great for both pre-game chugging and beer geek nerd-outs.

SMOULDERING SMOKED PORTER PORTER

Contains loads of beechwood aromas of barbecued meats and wood fire. It’s basically like drinking the char marks on a steak.

HARDY

BROWN ALE

NORTHERN ENGLISH BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

A fresh, flavourful brown ale with a robust malt profile with hints of toffee, nuts and coffee, with a clean and bitter finish.

In 2013, 1.97 billion hectolitres of beer was produced worldwide.

Chris Lennon, Carlos Mendes, Aneez Devji, Joe Chan

YELLOW DOG BREWING

1 - 2817 Murray St. | yellowdogbeer.com

MON-THU: 3-9PM ^ FRI/SAT: 12-10PM

SUN: 12-7PM

EST: 2014

One of 2014’s breakout breweries, Yellow Dog has earned legions of devoted, salivating fans who stream in from all over the Lower Mainland to behold the awesome powers of Port Moody’s dearest pooch. The beers are uncompromising while remaining approachable, which has earned fans from all walks of life. We’ve never seen anything quite like a Sunday at Yellow Dog.

CHASE MY TAIL

Availability: Year-round

A beginner’s IPA – or a gateway-PA? – with a delicious dry-hopped character that’s dangerously drinkable.

TAKE A WALK

Availability: Seasonal

This Belgian Wit pours pale yellow and cloudy with a refreshing, citrusy flavour.

Availability: Seasonal

STAY

Spicy, fruity, Belgium-y, this is a welcome addition to the many ISAs now being produced by B.C. breweries

PLAY DEAD

Availability: Year-round

The big, fruity nose of Mosaic and Citra hops will make you fetch many more growlers, not play dead.

A third Port Moody brewery, Twin Sails Brewery, will be opening in later this year...

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd.

facebook.com/maplemeadowsbrewery

TUE-THU: 2-7PM ^ FRI/SAT: 12-8PM ^ SUN: 12-6PM @maplmeadbrewco

EST: 2015

This is a one-man show. Carlos Baroccio is the sole owner, operater and brewer. It’s also a very modest set up: minimal décor, a wall full of growlers and a few seats. There’s a 10-barrel system in the back, brewing four classic-style beers. But the homebrew-seasoned brewmaster adds enough flourishes to these unpretentious beers to make it all worthwhile.

AMBER ALE

YOU KNOW THIS ONE

Availability: Year-round

Hop forward but not too bitter, with a solid malt base and rich caramel flavour.

HONEY BROWN ALE

NORTHERN ENGLISH BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

A maltier, hoppier and bolder interpretation of a Northern English brown ale that uses local wild flower honey.

BLONDE ALE

THIS ONE TOO

Availability: Year-round

Another hop forward beer, again not too bitter, that’s light bodied and easy drinking.

AMERICAN IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Everyone needs an IPA, eh? This one has a prominent hop aroma with a citrusy, floral character derived from the American hops.

...and a second Maple Ridge brewery, Ridge Brewery, will be opening later this year.

DEAD FROG BREWING

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way | deadfrog.ca

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

EST: 2005

Dead Frog has had a bum rap – unjustifiably so, we think. Sure, it has an unfortunate name with an unfortunate slogan. “Nothing goes down like a cold Dead Frog.” What is that? If it’s a slice of ironic black humour, it’s delightful. If it’s serious, well... but whatever. The fact is, the beer’s improved galaxies the past few years, and the beers here deserve some more attention.

@deadfrogbrewery

Availability: Seasonal

This 2014 Canadian Brewing Award winner is a clean, crisp Belgian ale, with hints of citrus. Perfect for the impending hot summer days.

Availability: Seasonal

A mashup of Cascadia and Belgian styles, strong flavours of citrus, coriander, clove and spice.

PALE

Availability: Year-round

A strong, dark red ale with considerable helpings of malt and Citra dry hops, balanced with tropical flavours.

Availability: Seasonal

Another brazen Dead Frog special, with tropical hops and a bold base of roasted malt. Complex and flavourful.

Fuggles & Warlock and Canuck Empire Brewing are both currently contract brewing at Dead Frog.

Stateside Craft and Modern Malt present… Beginner’s Guide The TO SEA

LE B R

Yes, Vancouver’s craft beer scene has exploded in ways even the most fanatic beer nerd couldn’t have known even four years ago. And yet, we’re still years behind our friends down in Seattle, some of which are making arguably the best beer in North America.

Here’s a beginner’s guide for anyone who wants to know, but barely has enough mental capacity to even take in what’s happening in Vancouver.

An American amber from one of the most consistently impressive West Coast brewers. Odin’s Gift has a good malt backbone and a supporting hop profile, brewed with a touch of juniper berries. The juniper berries could shine through a bit bit more – but whatever. This is a fantastic amber ale that drinks well throughout the year.

ABV: 5.4% IBU: 28

Others to try from Odin: Thor’s Equinox Batch of the Beast (bourbon barrel-aged stout)

We’re close to the Seattle summer, and you need a Seattle saison. Arguably one of the most complex, refreshing and rewarding saisons brewed on the West Coast, with notes of citrus, peppercorn and coriander.

ABV: 6.6% IBU: 20

Others to try from Hilliard’s: Chrome Satan (California common)

Murdered Out Stout

One of the best every day IPAs available, made by a pioneer in Pacific Northwest craft beer. It’s loaded with dry hops, giving it a very rich hop flavour and aroma – but still wonderfully balanced. An absolute must for IPA fans.

ABV: 6.9% IBU: 67

Others to try from Hale’s: El Hefe Hefeweizen Trolls Porter

STATESIDE CRAFT has the largest selection of American craft beer anywhere in B.C. With 40 rotating taps, you’ll find the freshest and most eclectic brews, not just on Commercial Drive, but north of the 49th Parallel. We’re willing to bet you.

MODERN MALT AND SPIRITS AGENCY imports high quality boutique brews from small batched breweries around the world, including (yes) all three beers you’ve just read about. For more information, visit modernmalt.com.

ODIN BREWING ODIN’S GIFT AMBER ALE

HILLIARD’S BEER SAISON

HALES BREWERY SUPERGOOSE IPA

by Kelsey Klassen

Fans of Brassneck Brewery might be familiar with the folk art adorning the merchandise of the Main Street growler stop, but not necessarily with the artist who created it. Those whimsical drawings of bored kings and guilty foxes, found on everything from T-shirts to growlers to the back wall of the tasting room, come from the mischievous mind of Maggie Boyd. Just don’t ask her how.

“I don’t feel like anything I do comes from my brain,” laughs Boyd from her seat on a bench inside Brassneck. “Nothing I make is premeditated.”

Which might explain why our conversation (meant to be a discussion of the symbiotic nature

of art and the craft beer industry), takes many tangents, and very few of them are about beer.

Instead, I learn that Boyd is a Libra, her power animal is the Shetland pony, and she has recently discovered surfing. By halfway through the interview, she has started drawing on my notebook.

Always armed with a brush-tipped pen in her purse or pocket, her sketches – bold, black strokes: quick summaries of objects, scenes or ideas – materialize on scraps of paper, to be given to the friends and colleagues who inspired them. It was these little artistic gestures that caught the attention of Nigel Springthorpe, co-owner of Brassneck, after he hired her as a server at the Alibi Room in Gastown.

Maggie Boyd’s the brains behind Brassneck’s quirky personality

They became friends, and she began doing illustration work for him, which is where her connection with craft beer begins and ends.

The ceramicist and illustrator, who grew up in the Okanagan, got her bachelor of fine arts from NSCAD in Nova Scotia. As she vacillated between school and not-school, a 10-year process she blames jokingly on her zodiac sign, she would often return to Vancouver to work.

“Art was always the primary focus of my life, and then I served at night,” she recalls. “It was like being a single mom to an art career.”

Now, it’s her full-time pursuit.

Out of her “deeply cluttered” studio in Chinatown, she creates hand-built ceramic housewares (sold on her website and at local stores like Charlie & Lee and Board of Trade) and teaches art classes on the side. As her arms would attest, she’s also a master of the stick ‘n’ poke.

“I’ve made parts of my living giving tattoos for trade,” she says, before leaning forward conspiratorially.

“Nigel has a tattoo on the inside of his lip that I gave him – a ‘B’ for Brassneck,” she adds with a grin. “That’s a little trade secret!”

As Brassneck was preparing to open in 2013, Springthorpe and Co. were looking for iconography to capture the essence of their product, and called on Boyd. “The process was kind of seamless,” she explains. “They would go through the images and find ones that

would synch up in some way for them with the names of the beers.

“And that’s the really cool thing,” she continues. “I just get to draw. They’re my friends, they get to pick what they want. And so, in that way, I don’t feel like I’m drawing a product. I’m just drawing the things that I find interesting, which is the most magical employment opportunity I could ask for.” j

I’ve made parts of my living giving tattoos for trade.

OLD ABBEY ALES

1A - 30321 Fraser Hwy | oldabbeyales.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-7PM

EST: 2014

Brewer Tony Dewald made a name for himself at Dix Brewpub, which represented, for a time in the 2000s, the epicentre of craft beer culture in Vancouver. After a stint at Dead Frog Brewery, he is now at Old Abbey Ales, focused primarily on bottleconditioned Belgian styles. The tasting room has 24 taps serving “every style known to man plus a few more.”

@oldabbeyales

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Tropical fruit from brett yeast combined with a unique hop blend produces a distinct IPA.

Delicious and approachable, this Belgian style tripel features a rich malt character enhanced by notes of citrus and spice.

BELGIAN QUAD

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

Dark, strong, and surprisingly smooth, this Belgian style quad features a rich malt base with notes of cherry and fig.

Strong, delicious, and surprisingly smooth, this flavourful beer features a complex blend of fruit, citrus, and spice.

In 2011, the U.S. consumed 17 per cent of the world’s beer, despite having only 4 per cent of the population.

BELGIAN QUAD

BELGIAN TRIPEL IPA

BELGIAN INDIA PALE ALE

BRETT IPA INDIA PALE ALE

BELGIAN TRIPEL BELGIAN TRIPEL

RAVENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd | ravensbrewing.com

The third brewery to open in just over a year, Ravens is the brainchild of Whatcom Spirits owner Paul Sweeting and Nick Fengler, who helped launch the Kwantlen brewing program last year. The tasting room’s buried in the heart of Industrial Abbotsford, but it’s a charming, wood-paneled affair, reminiscent of a cabin in the woods.

GOLDEN ALE

Availability:

Balanced with subtle hops and biscuit-y malt sweetness, making for an ideal sessionable, summery drink.

WEST COAST

Large doses of Centennial and Cascade hops blend with the sweet toffee, caramel and bread flavours. A fresh take on a West Coast standard.

FARMERS ALE

5.75% ABV IBU

27

Availability: Year-round

Hazy in appearance, with hints of lemongrass, black pepper, and a dry lingering finish.

Brewhouses have existed in monastaries, from different religious orders, across Europe since the Middle Ages.

SURLIE BREWING

23-2337 Townline Rd. | surliebrewing.ca

Abbotsford’s first brewery opened with just one beer, aptly called Solitaire. It remained Surlie’s only beer until early this year when owner/brewer Timmy Brown – a Mission Springs and Dead Frog alum – released Fixation. Surlie does offer growler fills, but the brewery is a little hard to find. Its décor – pulled right out of your grandma’s living room – is a treat.

SOLITAIRE

Availability:

Similar to a Belgian dubbel, Solitaire is dark and rich with some spiciness beneath bitter chocolate, brown sugar and dark fruit flavours.

FIXATION

Availability:

A straightforward, easy-drinking pale ale with a well-balanced malt-hop profile.

While we work on that, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

We’re missing a website. Maybe you’ve noticed.

MISSION SPRINGS BREWING CO.

7160 Oliver St. | missionsprings.ca

SUN-THU: 11AM - 11PM ^ FRI/SAT: 11-1AM @msbcbrewery

EST: 1996

What we have here are some of the most consistently high quality beverages produced in B.C. that are also next to impossible to find – on tap or in the store – outside of the Fraser Valley. WHY IS THAT? The silver lining, of course, is that this Mission brewpub is the sort of roadside diner, cluttered with amusing car detritus and other knick knacks, that you only see in movies.

Availability: 17 4.5% ABV IBU

This is as artisanal as it gets. Zeus defies style, crosses multiple genres, and, like the god it’s named after, answers to no one.

So you think you hate beer, eh? This light, ginger root-infused brew, blended with California lemons, might just change your mind.

Availability: Year-round

This 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards Gold Medal winner uses traditional European ingredients for a crisp, refreshing brew.

This sessionable ale is mash-hopped, granthopped, boil-hopped, whirlpool-hoped then dry-hopped, all with Chinook hops.

75 MISSION

OLD YALE BREWING CO.

4 - 7965 Venture Pl, Chilliwack | oldyalebrewing.com

MON-FRI: 9AM-5PM

EST: 2000

Yeah, Old Yale’s had a rough few years, but a major coup in 2014 – winning Beer of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards – has helped the Chilliwack brewery turn things around. The tasting room doesn’t have much to offer, except fresh beer for the growler fills…which, honestly, is well worth the trip anyway.

@oldyalebrewing

Availability: Year-round

The big winner at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards, it’s an absolute must-have for stout lovers. Rich and roasty flavours.

Availability: Seasonal

Tart, unfiltered and brewed in the traditional Belgian style. Ideal for pairing with fruit salad or steaming mussels. Yes. Mussels.

Availability: Year-round

A clean, crisp brew with a subtle grapefruit flavour. An easy drinking beer that blends old and new world brewing styles.

Availability: Year-round

A citrusy, hoppy IPA that’s more balanced, and less boozy, than the average IPA. A good starting point for the hops averse.

At its peak, Chilliwack’s fall hop harvest employed 4,000 people, who picked all hop flowers by hand.

Vancouve Islan

THE GROWLER PRESENTS

Illustration: Anja Werner | builtbrave.com

CANOE BREWPUB

450 Swift St. | canoebrewpub.com

MON-SUN: 11:30AM - LATE @ canoebrewpub

A gorgeous brewpub based in the City Lights Building (built 1894; renovated for $6 million in 1994), the Canoe has a great kitchen and one of the best patios in B.C., ideal for sunset viewing of the old Blue Bridge and its controversial replacement currently under construction (and way over budget).

CZECH STYLE PILSNER IPA

SOUTH PACIFIC INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A clean and thirst-quenching Czech-style pilsner that is perfect for long afternoons on the Canoe’s sunny patio.

HONEY WHEAT

AMERICAN WHEAT ALE

This South Pacific IPA bursts with tropicaltinged flavours thanks to the Australian and New Zealand hops in the recipe.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

An American-style wheat ale with Peace River honey and cardomom. Bring on the summer!

Dark but eminently drinkable with a malty character featuring delicious chocolate and coffee notes.

In 1961, China consumed .35 per cent of the world’s beer. In 2005, the country consumed 20.7 per cent.

CATEGORY 12 BREWING

Unit C, 2200 Keating Cross Rd | category12beer.com

TUE-SAT: 12-6PM @c12beer

EST: 2014

Greater Victoria’s newest brewery is the brainchild of Michael Kuzyk, who spent 20 years perfecting his craft as a homebrewer. C12’s focus is “colossal West Coast and Belgian inspired ales,” epitomized by its first two beers: a strong, hoppy Black IPA and a bold, Northwest-style saison.

DISRUPTION

BLACK INDIA PALE ALE

UNSANCTIONED SAISON

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A big, boldly malty and hoppy black IPA, this beer is rich with roasted malt character and aromatic hops.

CRITICAL POINT

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

This Northwest pale ale has a great malt-hop balance with an alluring citrus aroma and a caramel malt finish.

This saison is far from timid, with a big Belgian yeast character augmented by a significant dose of Northwest hops.

TRANSMUTATION

BELGIAN SPECIALTY ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Brewed with hand-made Belgian candi sugar, this is far too drinkable for such a strong beer. So be careful.

Category 12 founder Michael Kuzyk has a PhD in microbiology and biochemistry and has 20 years experience running science labs.

DRIFTWOOD BREWERY

450 Hillside Ave. | driftwoodbeer.com

Driftwood launched Fat Tug in 2010 and the B.C. IPA game changed forever. People were all like, “How can a beer be this bitter AND this delicious at the same damn time! AH!” Since then, the Victoria heroes have created a consistently great lineup of core beers and seasonals that have helped elevate the brewing game, and they deserve all the praise that comes their way.

NEW GROWTH

Availability: Year-round

Driftwood’s flagship and a benchmark in Canadian IPAs. Very hoppy, but finely balanced with a lingering sweetness.

BARK

Availability: Year-round

Brewed in the traditional, featuring rounded malt noted balanced by a citric bitterness, courtesy of the Curacao orange peel.

Availability: Year-round

Driftwood’s original flagship beer has been reworked, featuring an refined recipe that includes hops grown only in B.C.

Availability: Year-round

Another benchmark, Driftwood’s take on the saison has a rich maltiness balanced by herb & spice notes, with a hint of cracked peppercorns.

85 per cent of beer consumed in Canada is brewed in Canada.

4 MILE BREWING CO.

199 Island Hwy. | 4milebrewingco.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-11PM @4milebrewingco

The Four Mile Pub has been an institution in View Royal, a Victoria suburb, since 1979. The building itself actually dates back to 1858; it’s the fourth oldest house in Greater Victoria. Early in 2014, a “Peter Austin Brick Kettle” brewing system was installed and 4 Mile Brewing was born. The beer lineup is predominantly British in style.

Availability:

This English-style pale ale has a bit of a West Coast hop character.

TIGHT

Availability: Year-round

Naturally carbonated and unfiltered, this is an authentic low-gravity best bitter.

Availability: Year-round

Straddling the line between a British IPA and the trendier West Coast version, call this a midAtlantic IPA.

BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

A proper British brown ale with notes of coffee and chocolate.

The Four Mile Pub building used to be a brothel and is apparently haunted.

HOYNE BREWING CO.

101-2740 Bridge St. | hoynebrewing.ca

TUE-FRI: 1-6PM ^ SAT: 11AM-6PM @hoynebeer

Sean Hoyne has been a prominent part of Victoria’s brewing scene since 1989 when he became the first brewer at Swans Brewpub. After a lenghty stint at Canoe Brewpub, he opened his own place in the Rock Bay neighbourhood. Hoyne Brewing has a solid lineup of core beers and interesting seasonals that will keep you coming back for more.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Pretty darn close to the flavourful, malty and hoppy pilsners you would taste in the Czech Republic.

DARK MATTER

A well-balanced West Coast pale ale with a solid malt base and a good dose of Cascade hops.

DEVIL’S DREAM

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

This dark ale is deceptively easy to drink with a subtle roasted chocolate flavour.

This IPA isn’t over the top, but it still offers a great hop presence. Very tasty. Very satisfying.

British Columbians consume the lowest amount of beer in Canada.

LIGHTHOUSE BREWING CO.

2-836 Devonshire Rd. | lighthousebrewing.com

MON-WED: 8AM-4:30PM ^ THU-FRI: 8AM-5:30PM

EST: 1998

Lighthouse is one of Victoria’s best-kept secrets – though why they’re a secret doesn’t really make any sense. Their beer is difficult to find on tap anywhere outside of Vancouver Island, which is too bad. Lighthouse’s roster offers approachable beers, and their varied lineup is a good starting point for newcomers curious about all the variety craft beer has to offer.

Availability: Year-round

A light, dry IPA that’s crammed with aromatic whole hops from all ends of the Pacific. Crisp and highly drinkable.

Availability: Year-round

A light-bodied pale ale brewed whose name is derived from the hops its been brewed with, imported from Tasmania and New Zealand.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Unreasonably strong, with extreme amounts of Pale and Vienna malts and an excessive helping of Citra and Galaxy hops. Experts only!

This is a lighter take on the saison, featuring a distinctive fruity tartness with a crisp, dry finish.

As of 2015, Canadian sailors are prohibited from consuming alcohol aboard ships while out at sea – except at Christmas.

NUMBSKULL IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

JACKLINE RHUBARB GRISETTE TABLE SAISON

SHIPWRECK INDIA PALE ALE

TASMAN ALE PALE ALE

any other name…

by Michael Kissinger

There’s often a lot of thought that goes into the marketing of craft beer, whether it’s selecting the right font to use or designing the perfect woodland creature logo to embody that barrelaged dunkelweizen’s pine cone-infused flavour profile you love so much.

But before all that, brewers have to come up with names for their sudsy creations, and sometimes “Doug’s Swill” doesn’t cut it. Here are some other crafty beer names and the explanations behind them.

ELSINORE PHILLIPS BREWING

Brewed in the Great White North of Victoria, this lucky lager gets its name from the mythical Elsinore brewery in the 1983 Bob and Doug McKenzie cult classic Strange Brew.

DEWI SANT MAIN STREET BREWING

Welsh for St. David, the patron saint of Wales, Dewi Sant is not only a nod to brewery owner Nigel Pike’s homeland but this Welsh bitter was brewed in honour of St. David’s Day (March 1), which, as you probably know, is also Justin Bieber’s birthday. But who wants to drink a beer called Pube Moustache?

BANANA HAMMOCK HEFEWEIZEN PARALLEL 49

While we’re all for Speedos and other ill-fitting forms of swimwear influencing the names of beer, this one gets its name because of its “aromas of bananas and cloves”, not its ball-like elasticity or hints of chlorine.

JAUNE FIZZÉ STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING

According to lore, a.k.a. Strange Fellows’ website, co-owner Iain Hill joked that this helles lager was his “yellow fizzy beer,” proving that French makes everything sound cooler.

POTHOLE FILLER HOWE SOUND BREWING

Not the most appetizing of names, but like the molten asphalt used to patch up the weather-beaten Sea to Sky Highway, this imperial stout claims to be “gloriously thick, intense and black” (is it getting hot in here all of a sudden?) thanks to an abundance of malt and bootstrap molasses.

Hop puns, et al.

Craft brewers are also required by law to employ as many hop puns in the names of their beers as possible, which explains the likes of Hop Circle, Hoperation, Hoparazzi, Hopnotist, Black Hops, Shipload of Hops and Snap Crackle Hop. Matt Lockhart, Phillips Brewing’s commuications manager, believes hop puns are pretty much “tapped out,” but he does have a favourite: Ninkasi Brewing’s Tricerahops Double IPA.

“I tip my hat to that one.” j

MOON UNDER WATER

BREWERY

350B Bay St. | moonunderwater.ca

EST: 2012

Named for George Orwell’s imaginary “perfect pub,” the Moon opened in 2011, but really found its groove when brewer Clay Potter took over in September 2012. Potter is a master of German-style lagers and wheat beers, but also makes great Belgian and North American craft beer styles. He also began a barrel-aged sour beer program in 2014.

POTTS PILS

GERMAN PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

Unfiltered, decoction mashed, dry hopped and lagered for five weeks. The result is a gorgeous, hoppy German-style pilsner.

HIP AS FUNK

FARMHOUSE INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Brewed with saison yeast and funky Brettanomyces, topped with some deliciously tropicaltinged hops.

CREEPY UNCLE

DUNKELWEIZEN

Availability: Year-round

Dark and complex, this is the most misunderstood of all lagers. Dark Munich malts and roasted wheat result in a rich, malty sweetness.

LIGHTSIDE OF THE MOON LAGER

Availability: Year-round

A refreshing craft lager brewed with rice malts and added sweet orange for a dry finish.

Beer sales in Canada generate nearly $6 billion in tax revenue for various levels of government.

Celebrating our Ten Year Anniversar� this summer!

Choux Choux Charcuterie is an Artisanal European Style Charcuterie and Cheese Shop. Utilizing the best of BC ingredients. All hand crafted on premise with no preservatives.

Come experience our old world charm and take away a little piece of Europe Fresh Sausage, Pate, Terrine, Dry Cures, Cotto, Bacon, a wide selection of the world’s nest cheese and so much more.

Meet up at the Bard.

We serve a light lunch 11-2:30 daily. Open 10-5:30 Tuesday through Friday and Saturday 10-5 830 Fort Street, Victoria BC • 250-368-7572

Chouxchouxcharc.com

PHILLIPS BREWING CO.

2010 Government St. | phillipsbeer.com

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

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

EST: 2001

B.C. beer wouldn’t be the same without Phillips. Figures are hard to come by, but we’ll wager Blue Buck has done more to convert people to craft beer than any other, which launched this weird, wild era of boozy insanity. They’re inventive and wildly creative across the board, from their beer to their beer labels, creating new worlds (and fans) along the way.

BLUE BUCK

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

The perfect gateway ale, somewhere between an amber and a pale. Its malt base and modest hop kick make for a refreshing brew.

ELECTRIC UNICORN

INDIA PALE ALE

Soda for adults. A refreshing summer brew to drink all day long, with sweet grapefruit flavours complemented by the pleasant hop bite.

ANALOGUE 78

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A fruity, haze ale ideal for the summer. The banana flavour is balanced by the citrus hop background.

Another Phillips staple, it’s subtly sweet, with a crisp body this finishes dry.

Phillips hosts an annual beer festival, Hopoxia, devoted exclusively to hoppy beers.

SPINNAKERS BREWPUB

308 Catherine St. | spinnakers.com

MON-SUN: 8AM-11PM @spinnakers

The granddaddy of B.C. brewpubs and microbreweries that set the set the cultural and aesthetic template for everything that would follow. The story alone is impressive (and too lengthy to tell here), but doubly so given the high quality of Spinnakers beer and its food, all thanks to co-founder and owner Paul Hadfield. A Victoria staple and worthy of a pilgrimage.

RED FIFE

DRAGONFLY

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A highly unique hef includes a classic German weizen yeast strain and Vancouver Island Red Fife wheat. Light and sessionable.

NUT BROWN

Availability: Year-round

It’s tough to find a good nut brown these days, but this fits the bill: light-bodied, amber-coloured, with a rounded roasted malt flavour.

Fruity and spicy with a light body and dry finish. Brewed with Canadian pilsner and rye malt, American hops and a French saison yeast.

BREWER’S RESERVE

ALWAYS CHANGING

Availability: Small-batch

The ‘Nnakers team is constantly coming up with new ideas. Some are palatable, some bonkers, all more or less worth a try.

Spinnakers once brewed a beer with hops that flew on the space shuttle Discovery. Afterward, hops were declared contraband aboard U.S. space shuttles.

WE

Craft beer in B.C. is in fine health. We know this.

The smaller breweries are steadily eating into the market share of the macros. Just about every other week there’s news of another brewery in planning. And the Liquor Distribution Branch’s financial statements show healthy annual sales figures.

Yet, amid all the good news, one of Vancouver’s oldest microbreweries has been staring down the barrel of closure.

Almost 18 years and 19 Canadian Brewing Awards after it opened, R&B Brewing Co. could no longer pay its nine employees after years of operating at a loss. Staff were laid off in January. It was left to founders Barry Benson and Rick Dellow to take over the day-to-day running of the brewery in the hope that some investment could be found to keep their business afloat.

“We’ve always been on the edge of making a profit one year and then making a small loss the next,” Dellow says. “And then having two, maybe three, years of losses, we got to the point where we couldn’t sustain it.”

As The Growler was going to press, it was announced that Howe Sound Brewing would be taking over R&B. Benson and Dellow are staying

by Jan Zeschky

at the brewery, staff will be hired or re-hired, and plans are being put in place for that long-delayed tasting room.

It’s good news for a venerable brand, but still discomforting. How could R&B ever have been in financial difficulty? Its taps are all over town. It had recently teamed up with local chefs to start the innovative Chef Series of beers. Everything seemed rosy.

“That was the public perception,” Dellow says. “The reality was we were scraping by for so long.” Particularly hampering the brewery was the inability to find investment to fund a sales team and a tasting room.

Beyond those LDB sales figures, it’s nearly impossible to get a sense of how well breweries are really doing. The bottom line remains a figure that private companies aren’t too willing to give out.

So R&B’s dilemma raises a disturbing thought. If one of the province’s most decorated breweries has been brought to the brink of closure, how many others will follow? Are B.C.’s many new breweries – more than 30 in the past two years – opening up in an industry that’s set to slump?

Craft beer is in fine health. Do we really know this?

In these boom times for the craft beer industry, the pressure to grow increases.

As one of Vancouver’s first craft breweries, R&B helped blaze the trail for today’s boom. It’s likely that Benson and Dellow’s business plan in 1997 looked a little different to those of today’s startups, who are trying to carve out a niche in an increasingly crowded market.

Plans for future growth and investment have to be a fundamental part of any brewery project, says Ken Beattie, executive director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild.

“From an operational point of view, you get your tanks in, you get some momentum, but then you need to start acting like a sales company,” Beattie says. “If you don’t have a solid business plan of what that expansion looks like, you’re going to get left behind.”

Take a few examples of business naiveté, add some venture capitalists who see the craft beer boom as

Many recent startups have begun life as tasting room-only operations, but only Brassneck Brewery has stuck with the model. It’s paid off – the Main Street storefront is selling 4-5,000 litres a week, more than some production breweries – yet Brassneck’s owners are refusing to react to demand and sticking to their plan of incremental growth.

“We’ve got a little 50-seat bar on Main Street and that’s valuable in itself, and that’s a good avenue for beer to move through,” says co-owner Nigel Springthorpe. “I think our model is less dangerous.”

While it certainly benefits from its high-traffic location and its popular selection of ever-rotating beer, Brassneck’s lean infrastructure – sans production line – will likely give them a leg up if there’s any cooling of the market. The proof lies in the U.S., where breweries with tasting rooms have thrived for decades.

“All these breweries in the States have continued growth because they’re really brewpubs that have a wonderful product and a great atmosphere,” Phillips says. “Great pubs have been around for a long time because they’re great places to go. When they’re making great beer, I see it as something that’s really sustainable.”

Beattie believes B.C. can sustain at least 125 breweries (we’re likely to hit 100 by year’s end) before any correction would occur. There’s still plenty of macro market share to eat into.

a way to turn a quick profit, and the industry can become unbalanced.

It’s happened before. Matt Phillips remembers the slump of the mid- to late-1990s, when several breweries either closed or were bought out just a few years after opening.

“A lot of people got into breweries because they saw it as a really easy way to make a buck. People put together monstrous breweries without a lot of thought, and in some cases skill, and those were the ones that didn’t do too well,” says the Phillips Brewing Company founder.

Both Beattie and Phillips see less danger in starting small. A brewery can insulate itself from the market to a certain extent by focusing on in-house sales, which became viable in 2013 when the B.C. government allowed tasting lounges.

Beattie adds that craft beer also jives with the trend toward local and sustainable products. As local businesses become more valued, there’s a greater chance that the breweries that get into trouble will find a willing benefactor.

“What will happen is that people with solid business acumen will come into places that are not doing what they hoped to do, or are struggling with the business side of it,” Beattie says. “And they’ll say, ‘Just brew the beer, we got it.’” j

A lot of people got into breweries because they saw it as a really easy way to make a buck.

– Matt Phillips

SWANS HOTEL & BREWPUB

506 Pandora Ave. | swanshotel.com

MON-FRI: 11:30AM-2AM ^ SAT: 9AM-2AM

SUN: 9AM-12AM

EST: 1989

Victoria’s second brewpub opened with a brewery designed by Frank Appleton, who helped build Canada’s first microbrewery in Horseshoe Bay in 1982. The brewpub’s main room is filled with founder Michael Williams’ art collection. The food menu is strong and the beer list is diverse, with cellared styles pulled through English draught engines alongside colder beers on tap.

Availability: Year-round

Need a break from the hops? Try this malty brew with its dark, caramel aroma and subtle sweet finish.

SWANS IPA INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Awesome aromas of citrus, pine and fruit will entice you to return to this IPA again and again.

Availability: Year-round

This popular medium-bodied beer is fermented with real raspberries to create a complex and delicate brew.

WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal

Brewmaster Andrew Tessier sure likes it spicy. Enjoy this zesty wheat beer brewed with coriander, orange peel and a secret spice.

During Prohibition, Parliament’s press gallery ran a bootlegging operation out of the Parliament Buildings that catered to MPs. The operation thrived for over 60 years.

Craft Beer Pioneers Swans

At first glance, the stunning historic building adorned with flower boxes in full bloom gives the impression you’re arriving for high tea, but Swans Brewpub, a staple of downtown Victoria for over 25 years, is serving a different kind of drink.

A pioneer of the craft beer scene, Swans Brewery opened in the spring of 1989 with a design by Frank Appleton. The tradition of grain in this building is strong, for it was originally built in 1913 as a storage facility and feed store for wheat and corn from the farms of the prairies and Vancouver Island. As the story goes, founder Michael Williams laughs when thinking back to what an “ugly duckling” the new building was, thus chuckling at the irony of naming his new venture Swans.

Under the hand of brewmaster Andrew Tessier since 2003, Swans boasts over 31 Canadian Brewing Awards for their British style ales and German and Canadian beers. Visitors and locals alike enjoy live music seven nights a week, sipping on nine signature brews, three of which are pulled through traditional English style draught engines. You won’t find any added syrups or sugars here in the 100% grain mashes. Specialty malts and their own unique strain of yeast imported

“Honest Beer Brewed Here”

from the UK, coupled with the avoidance of filtration or pasteurization makes the folks at Swans proud to say “Honest Beer Brewed Here”.

Feeling tipsy? Swans Hotel is right on site, with 30 spacious condo style suites, a 3 story rooftop penthouse and dog beds for furry guests. Throughout the brewpub and hotel, Williams’ art collection fills the walls, a legacy left as part of a bequest to the University to Victoria after his passing in 2000.

VANCOUVER ISLAND BREWERY

2330 Government St. | vibrewery.com

MON-SAT: 10AM-6PM @vanislebrewery

EST: 1984

This is one of B.C’s original microbreweries, originally named Island Pacific Brewing (they name changed the name in 1991). It’s remained stable and popular throughout Vancouver Island with some brands that have been brewed continuously for three decades, VIB has released a few more cutting-edge styles in recent years.

PALE

Availability: Year-round

A copper-coloured, traditional English pale ale made from a blend of caramel, Munich and chocolate malts.

BETTY

Availability: Seasonal

This German classic has spicy aromas of clove and coriander complemented with light banana and citrus esters.

Availability: Seasonal

Purple-tinged, this crisp, satisfying saison is made with freshly pressed blackberry juice. It’s berry delicious!

Availability: Seasonal

Five different hop varieties are added at different stages in the brewing process, resulting in a light-bodied but highly flavourful ale.

The oldest drinkable beer was found in 2010, preserved in bottles in shipwreck from the early 19th century, discovered off the coast of Finland.

RED ARROW BREWING CO.

5255 Chaster Rd. | redarrowbeer.ca

EST: 2015

This is the dream come true for Chris Gress. As the longtime brewer at Duncan’s Craig Street Brewpub, his chances for experimentation were rather limited, but here he intends to flex his muscles a bit and let arrows fly towards new targets (Eh? Eh?). The brewery offers a full tasting bar serving flights of samples and filling growlers.

SWEET LEAF

65 6.3% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

Distinct and pungent, Sweet Leaf has a medium malt profile with aromas of stone fruit followed by a floral hop flavour.

MIDNITE

5.1% ABV IBU

33

Availability: Year-round

Ruby brown with notes of candied apricot, toffee and brown sugar balanced by tropical southern hemisphere hops.

KUSTOM KÖLSCH KÖLSCH

4.8% ABV IBU

25

Availability: Year-round

Fine tuned and ready to ride, this beer pours clean and bright with a crisp and refreshing flavour.

Beer prevents kidney stones, according to a study published in American Journal of Epidemiology.

LONGWOOD BREWERY

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | longwoodbeer.com

WED-FRI: 2-6PM ^ SAT: 12-5PM @longwoodbrewery

The Longwood Brewpub has been serving thirsty Nanaimo residents since 1999. The addition of this separate production brewery with its own tasting room in 2013 means there are up to 16 different beers available for growler fills between the two options. The unique 568-ml tall cans they chose for Longwood’s packaging definitely stand out in the bottle-shop crowd.

A rich, black stout with a beautiful, awardwinning label design: what’s cooler than Morse code and Sputnik?

Longwood’s signature brew is made with locally grown and malted barley.

BERRIED ALIVE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

A strong, hoppy Imperial pilsner with a strong local connection: 90 per cent of the ingredients are grown within 20 km of the brewery.

A lightly hopped blonde ale refermented with fresh raspberries, resulting in the perfect balance between tart and tasty.

There’s also a Longwood Brewpub. Read all about ‘er on page 110.

#craftbeer

Victoria BC

WOLF BREWING CO.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | wolfbrewingcompany.com

MON-THU: 11AM-6PM ^ FRI: 11AM-7PM

SAT: 12-5PM

EST: 2010

Founded as the Fat Cat Brewery, it was rebranded as Wolf Brewing with an ownership change in 2011. It has taken a while for the new brewery to hit its stride, but things are looking up. They have a newly expanded facility, including a tasting room and growler station called the Wolf Den where certain special beers will be exclusively available only on site.

GOLDEN

Availability: Year-round

A flavourful session ale made with local raw honey and B.C. malt complemented by East Kent Goldings and Saaz hops.

IPA

ISHTAR’S PREFERRED ASCOT

Availability: Year-round

A balanced IPA with a malty backbone and a smooth bitterness from a unique blend of West Coast hops.

@wolfbrewingcomp

Availability: Year-round

This robust, dark malt porter has notes of espresso and creamy milk chocolate with a soft lingering dry finish.

WEE HEAVY SCOTCH ALE

Availability: Year-round

This dark copper ale is brewed in the ‘Wee Heavy’ style with six different malts naturally caramelized in a direct-flame kettle.

There are over 400 reconized types of beer in the world.

CUMBERLAND BREWING CO.

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | cumberlandbrewing.com

TUE-SAT: 12-9PM ^ SUN: 12-8PM

@cumberlandbeer

A charming new brewery in a charming mid-island town. Let’s call this one the Brassneck of Vancouver Island: Brewmaster Mike Tymchuk creates new beers so frequently it’s a bit difficult to keep up. The beers featured here might not be available at the time you’re reading this. Still, what’s available is sure to be quality.

RED TAPE

PALE ALE

Co-founder Darren Adam refers to this one as a “shy-PA.” Refreshing, complex and really quite delightful.

DANCING LINEBACKER

OATMEAL STOUT

Availability: Small-batch

A big ol’ beer that’s light on its feet. Fullbodied, with a dry finish.

JUST A LITTLE BITTER

EST: 30 4.2% ABV IBU

ENGLISH BITTER

Another example of a English-style bitter that’s not even remotely bitter. A well-balanced, evenly hopped beer.

BLACK AND TAN

BITTER-STOUT HYBRID

Availability: Small-batch

A mix of Cumberland’s stout and bitter –a refreshing combination that morphs the character of both beers.

In 2002, Labatt Brewing Company declared Cumberland to be the “Luckiest Town due to its high consumption of Lucky Lager.

101 CUMBERLAND

GLADSTONE BREWING CO.

244 4th St. | gladstonebrewing.ca

MON-SUN: 10AM-LATE @gladstone_beer

Located in an old car dealership just a block off Courtenay’s main drag, Gladstone is a welcome addition to the dynamic local food scene in the Comox Valley. The brewery also has a strong connection with Victoria: its name comes from Gladstone Avenue in Fernwood Village where owner Daniel Sharratt first began homebrewing.

BELGIAN SINGLE

BELGIAN ALE

EST: 2015 30

Availability: Year-round

Based on patersbier (father’s beer), this light and refreshing beer was traditionally brewed in Trappist monasteries for the monks themselves.

BELGIAN GOLDEN STRONG

BELGIAN GOLDEN ALE

Availability: Year-round

Deceptively smooth and light in body, this is a strong beer with a fruity, spicy character and a dry finish.

Availability: Year-round

This solid IPA features big flavours and aromas of tropical fruits with hints of pine.

P.O.R.T.E.R.

Availability: Year-round

Rich and malty with dark roast flavours and hints of chocolate and coffee that come solely from the dark malts.

A second Courtenay brewery, Forbidden, is expected to open later this year.

TOFINO BREWING CO.

Units C & D, 681 Industrial Way | tofinobrewingco.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-9PM @tofinobrewco

A trio of local surfer dudes decided to open a brewery and focused on growlers to reflect Tofino’s focus on environmentalism. The first batch of 300 growlers sold out within a week. An emergency order of 600 more went just as quickly, so they ordered another thousand. By then they’d sold more growlers than there were Tofino residents, and they haven’t looked back since.

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

This bright, copper-coloured pale ale has a toasty malt base balanced with West Coast hops.

Beach blondes are best! This one is strawcoloured with a tasty malt body and a crisp finish.

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

This full-bodied stout is brewed with locally harvested kelp to add an umami character. Seriously dude

Conditioned with fresh-picked Sitka spruce tips and piney hops, this spring seasonal is sweet and full-bodied.

Zythology: The study of beer and beer-making

THE GROWLER’S FAVOURITE PLACES TO DRINK, BASED PURELY ON AESTHETICS AND CONVENIENCE, AND NOT AT ALL BASED ON THE

MAIN

STREET BREWING // UM, MAIN

STREET: Easily our favourite tasting room in B.C. Located in the old Brewery Garage building, it’s been refurbished to maintain that old warehouse feel. The high ceilings and sky lights are in tact and it never feels too crowded even when it’s busy. Which is nice.

BEER ISLAND, A.K.A. HABITAT ISLAND // FALSE CREEK

A tiny island between the Cambie Street Bridge and Olympic Village. People have flocked there to crush six packs on the island’s stony shore, with its stark views of Yaletown directly across the creek. The cops show up now more than they used to, which adds a danger vibe that pairs well with public intoxication.

THE DRAKE // VICTORIA

Victoria’s newest (and best) tap room with a constantly shifting beer list, a groovy vibe and tasty food. It’s also the only place outside of Brassneck and the Alibi Room that we’ve seen Brassneck beer on tap.

THE CROW AND GATE // CEDAR, VANCOUVER ISLAND

A British style pub located smack in the middle of B.C.’s own version of Hazzard County. You can sit outside and have a pint in the summer or hunker down in the cozy darkness inside. Food is good, beer selection is OK, and despite recent liquor law changes, they still maintain a no kids policy.

STATESIDE CRAFT // COMMERCIAL DRIVE

It’s a pit of depravity, with expertly curated American beer and very little natural light, which breeds the sort of excessive sport drinking that’ll leave you no less than mangled upon leaving. But in a fun way.

THE BLACK LODGE // FRASER & KINGSWAY

Admittedly, a hipster locale, but the Twin Peaksthemed décor, cavernous interior and rotating Parallel 49 taps make this a cozy hangout for the bearded, the flannelled and those with progressive hairstyles. It also features one of the most consistently satisfying iPod playlist, ranging from

BEER SELECTION, SO PLEASE DON’T JUDGE US IN THAT REGARD, THANKS

Hall & Oates to early-’90s-era Flaming Lips (the best version of the Flaming Lips, case closed).

CUMBERLAND BREWING CUMBERLAND, VANCOUVER ISLAND

A tiny, very groovy, slightly eccentric space in the heart of a cozy, slightly eccentric town in the Comox Valley. Great pizza, too.

THE WICKLOW’S PATIO // FALSE CREEK

You’ll need a hat, or at least decent sunblock, if you’re planning any daytime drinking – the sun rides high and hot over this patio, which has an exquisite view of False Creek, its marinas, and downtown beyond it. It all has an English mariner’s pub vibe to it, which we dig.

DEVIL’S ELBOW // CROSSTOWN

Located in the old Chambar (which has moved next door), this new craft-beer-and-BBQ joint has all the brick-walled charm of a New York dive without any of the unseemly elements of a New York dive (i.e., dried puke in random places). The Howe Sound Brewing owners own a share in the bar, so the majority of taps are Howe Sound beers, which, if you’re uneducated in, will make it easier for you to get educated in.

BRASSNECK // MAIN STREET

What’s a list like this without adding Brassneck, whose tasting room has done as much for drawing people in to craft beer as the beer itself. The tasting room’s designer Joe Holmes-Peters, passed away in March, so here’s in honour of him, for doing something extremely rad for beer, for Vancouver, and for people who love both. j

Clockwise from opposite: Beer Island; Brassneck Brewery; Devil’s Elbow; Main Street Brewing (photo courtesy of Main Street Brewing); Cumberland Brewing.

TOWNSITE BREWING

5824 Ash Ave. | townsitebrewing.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-7PM @townsitebrewing

Named for Powell River’s historic Townsite neighbourhood, Townsite Brewing is based in the Federal Building, an architectural treasure built in 1939. Brewer Cédric Dauchot hails from Belgium and definitely puts a Belgian spin on some of the beers, although he also knows how to brew a great porter and west coast IPA. He has also initiated a sour beer program.

Availability: Year-round

Part of the Sunshine Coast’s own lexicon, “zunga” means “rope swing over water.” Dive into this refreshing blonde ale.

Availability: Year-round

Available only at the brewery or on draft on the Sunshine Coast, this delicious pale ale is well worth the trip.

Availability: Year-round

A solid west coast IPA with a great malt foundation and an aromatic hop nose. “Tinhat” is logger slang for “hardhat.”

Availability: Year-round

Rich and creamy with a roasted malt character, this porter has won gold and silver at the BC Beer Awards.

Ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles wrote that the best diet for Greeks consisted of breads, meats, vegetables and beer.

PERSEPHONE BREWING CO.

1053 Stewart Rd. | persephonebrewing.com

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

2013

Persephone’s homebase is a craft beer utopia: A farm on a beautiful plot on the Sunshine Coast, with acres of hops, two acres of vegetables, beehives and chickens. The employees have fled whatever towns or cities they came from to live the dream. It all funnels in to the creation of some of the most flavourful and rewarding brews available.

EST: 45 6.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

Modeled after an English summer bitter, Goddess is crisp and dry with an herbal hop aroma.

GODDESS

Availability: Seasonal

A crisp refreshing unfiltered lager with a bright floral hop aroma a la the Czech Saaz hops. Light in body and colour.

Arguably the finest red ale north of the 49 parallel, it’s hop forward but balanced with piney hopes and dark, caramel and toasted malts.

KELLER

Availability: Seasonal

An American-style ale that gives American ales a run for their money. A charming, sessionable, brew with a citrusy hop flavour.

107 GIBSONS

SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES

270 Furness Rd. | saltspringislandales.com

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

EST: 2008

Founded originally as Gulf Islands Brewery, this operation is based in a converted barn on a 14-acre lot, located just off the main road between the Fulford Harbour ferry terminal and Ganges. The brewery pipes in water from a spring on the mountainside above, and uses its own hops grown on a nearby farm.

HEATHER ALE

13

Availability: Year-round

An ancient brew dating back over 4,000 years, the Picts of ancient Scotland drank heather ale before going into battle.

SALT SPRING WHALE TALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

An amber ale with island-grown hops that are balanced by earthy flavours of the specialty malts. Features notes of caramel and citrus.

@saltspringales

SALT SPRING DRY PORTER PORTER

Availability: Year-round

A dry and very drinkable porter, with notes of espresso and dark chocolate, coupled with a nice kick from the hops.

SPRING FEVER GRUIT ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Instead of hops, gruit is brewed using wildcrafted herbs and “a little magic.” Complex, fruity and herbaceous, this beer is unique.

The world’s largest beer fesrival is – surprise, surprise! – Oktoberfest, held annually in Munich, Germany.

NORTH AMERICAN AMBER ALE

These brewpubs are minor problems for us. Either they’re not production facilties, or they’re attached to other, bigger breweries, or they just don’t fit in with the craft beer scene at large. Still, they make their own beer – so here they are!

STEAMWORKS BREWPUB

375 Water St. | steamworks.com

The original Steamworks location has a different beer selection than the main Burnaby brewery. With excellent food and various nooks and crannies to enjoy a brew, it’s must-see for locals and visitors, and a good introduction to craft beer in Vancouver.

MON-FRI: 11:30AM-12:30AM

^ FRI/SAT: 11:30AM-1:30AM

YALETOWN BREWING CO

1111 Mainland St. | mjg.ca/yaletown

One of three Mark James Group brewpubs, this one is by far the yuppiest craft beer-related establishment in the city, probably BC. Nothing against that – the beer is good and Friday nights here are banging.

SUN-WED: 11:30AM-12AM ^ THU: 11:30AM1AM ^ FRI/SAT: 11:30AM-3AM

DOCKSIDE RESTAURANT & BREWING COMPANY

1253 Johnston St. | docksidevancouver.com

Ah, the “forgotten” brewpub. Dockside has kept a low profile lately, even as the craft beer boom continues. Still, it has a spectacular patio, which is definitely worth the visit.

MON-SUN: 7AM-10PM

BREWHOUSE

4355 Blackcomb Way | mjg.ca/brewhouse

One of the very few drinking establishments in Whistler not designed to get its clientele completely annhiliated, it’s also has some of the most original tap selections in town. Great après spot.

MON-SUN: 11:30AM-1AM

VANCOUVE R

WHISTLER

VANCOUVE R

VANCOUVE R

RICHMOND

BIG RIVER BREWPUB

14200 Entertainment Blvd. zbowl.com/richmond_br/brewstory

The only brewery located in Richmond, it’s long catered to families and moviegoers, as it’s attached to a bowling alley and the Silver City movie theatre across the street.

SUN: 11:30AM-11PM ^ MON-SAT: 11:30-12AM

SURREY

BIG RIDGE BREWPUB

5580 152 St. | mjg.ca/big-ridge

Another Mark James Group brewpub, Big Ridge has a relaxed atmosphere and a solid beer line-up. Brewer Nick Bolton puts on regular casks for the Surrey Beer Club and CAMRA’s South Fraser chapter.

MON-SUN: 11:30AM-12:30AM

SURREY

CENTRAL CITY BREWING CO

13450 102 Ave. | centralcitybrewing.com

With its location by the Surrey Central SkyTrain station, this brewpub is a great destination for Vancouver beer lovers. Best time to go is for its semi-annual cask beer festivals.

MON-FRI: 10:30AM-12AM

^ FRI/SAT: 10:30AM-2AM

LANGFORD

THE LOGHOUSE PUB

2323 Millstream Rd. | loghousepub.ca

Langford is joining the craft beer revolution with the addition of a brewery at the popular Loghouse Pub. With brewer Dave Woodward in place, look for a solid line-up of beers.

MON-SUN: 11AM-11PM ^ FRI/SAT: 11AM12:30AM ^ SUN: 9AM-11PM

CRAIG STREET BREW PUB

25 Craig St. | craigstreet.ca

The Cowichan Valley’s one and only brewpub has a basic but dependable beer list. As other craft breweries come online in the area, look for the local palate to improve.

MON-SUN: 11AM-11PM ^ FRI/SAT: 11AM12AM ^ SUN: 11AM-10PM

NANAIMO

LONGWOOD BREW PUB

5775 Turner Rd. | longwoodbrewpub.com

This oasis in the craft beer desert of central Vancouver Island is a welcoming pub with four English-style draught engines pulling cellar-conditioned beers, as well as colder styles on tap.

SUN-MON: 11AM-12AM

DUNCAN

And the worst beer

AVAILABLE IN B.C. IS...

by Stephen Smysnuik

Craft beer culture is, in a lot of ways, a collective groping for the best beer available. Yet, no one seems concerned about the worst beer. But I am...

My wife, two friends and I did a taste test to determine the lousiest beer available in B.C. The tasting group included two men (avid beer enthusiasts) and two women (not). The setting: my in-laws’ house in Comox.

We stuck with macro and pedestrian lagers only. We chose 13 beers that a) we considered crummy enough for inclusion and b) were available in single cans at the one store in the Comox Valley that sold them, which was vital since none of us wanted to spend excess dinero on beer we’d just throw away in the end.

This means Kokanee, Blue, Coors Light and Lucky – though exceptionally lousy beers –weren’t included because singles weren’t available. A tragic omission, but one we’ll have to live with.

All beers were tasted in alphabetical order, then ranked using a point system that we made up on the fly: taste, aftertaste and sessionability were all given scores between 0 (“the worst of all time”) and 5 (“drinkable, if nothing else was available”). All scores were reached by group consensus, then added up to create a score out of 15. Here are my notes:

BIG SURF: Tastes like a cleaning chemical, like perhaps someone had spiked the can with Comet. Score: 5

BLACK ICE: Comes in an enormous tall can, the sort of thing low- (or no-) income alcoholics might spring for. Inoffensive on the first sip, horrific by the fourth. Score: 9

BUD LIGHT: The one beer I’d always considered an affront to brewing, but less offensive than I remember – if only because of its tastelessness, which I guess is offensive in a way. Still, easily the most drinkable of the brews so far, and we all agreed we could choke a few down without any serious repercussions. Score: 11

BUDWEISER: The Big One, “Brewed the Hard Way.” The kind of beer that can be enjoyed in a

cold bottle, but turns quickly to monkey piss when sipped out of a can. Crummy overall. Score: 8

CANADIAN: The (unfortunate) king of Canadian beers. I have years of experience with this one that I’m bringing to the table, after countless episodes gagging on the warm, urine-like dregs that constitute the last half of any given can. Not as bad as some, but still really bad. Score: 7.5

CARIBOO LAGER: Why does it taste like metal? Score: 3

COLT 45: Nauseating smell. Shudders aplenty. My wife calls it “parking-lot beer.” Without question the most foul liquid I’ve poured in to my mouth in a long time, possibly ever. The taste of my own vomit is preferable. Score: 0

ISLANDER: Technically a craft beer, since it’s brewed by Vancouver Island Brewing. Compared to Colt 45, it’s a dream. It’s watery and resembles Kokanee in more than just the can. Score: 10

OLD MILWAUKEE: An old go-to. Many a Friday night I’ve spent putting back a 12-case and a pack of smokes in hazy East Vancouver apartments. Easily the most drinkable of the bunch and not nearly as bad as everyone claims (but still bad). Score: 13

PABST BLUE RIBBON: Nowhere close to terrible, given the context. It’s fine. Whatever. Score: 10

PACIFIC KOLSCH: A nice surprise – better than some craft beer I’ve tasted, in fact. Not bad. Not bad at all. Score: 12

TNT LAGER: I’m scared of it. It’s the colour of unhealthy urine. Smells like it, too. If the End Times had a taste, this would be it. Score: 1

WILDCAT: Arguments abound on this one. I think it’s absolutely rancid. Others find it acceptable. Goes great with thrifted Taiga jackets and severe bouts of depression. Score: 9

There you have it. Colt 45 is without question the worst beer available in B.C. If you’re in a position where you have to drink it, you’re likely beyond the scope of human help. You're in God's hands now. j