The Growler B.C. • Volume 2 Issue 1 • Spring 2016

BRITISH COLUMBIA

IS

MACRO VS. CRAFT

THE

THE

YOUR

BREWER VS

THE

B.C. BEER INDUSTRY LEGAL SQUABBLES

MEAD HAS NEVER TASTED SO GOOD

WHERE’S ALL THE CRAFT LAGER?

MEET A REAL-LIFE BEER CAN COLLECTOR

THE

AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF LUCKY LAGER

THE GROWLER GUIDE TO B.C.’S ALE TRAIL

UNSUNG HEROES OF BEER: JOE LEARY

RECIPE SERIES: BARBECUE CHICKEN

FIRST HANGOVER? WORST HANGOVER

NEW AND RUMOURED BREWERIES

Breweries by Region

60 49 77 86 105 123 133 140

THOMPSON

Editor’s Note

Ch-ch-ch-changes. I may never get another opportunity to honour David Bowie in an appropriate venue, so I’ll do it here, even though he had very little to do with beer. But his music and creative influence loomed very large while putting this issue together. So, thanks for the tunes, mate.

And yes, you’ll notice a great many changes in the second volume of The Growler. Like, for instance, our new cover artist, Neil Manuel from Kamloops, who we hired after issuing an open call for artists last year. We think his work is weird and child-like and perfect for our pages. Give him a round of applause, won’t you?

You’ll also notice that brewery profiles are now half pages, which we’ve done in order to accomodate every B.C. brewery as the industry continues to grow, while maintaining a reasonable page count for future issues.

However, some breweries have upgraded to a two-page spread (a full page profile and a full page ad) to boost their presence in this and future issues. The ad and the space are paid for. The editorial in the profile is not (though we try to be nice).

Finally, the greatest change of all – the price tag. We are charging for The Growler now, for a price that we think people might actually pay for. This is our attempt to stay in this for the long haul. We’d like to stick around. Thanks for all the support.

- Stephen Smysnuik

Brewery Details

GROWLER FILLS

BOTTLES / CANS KEGS

TASTING ROOM

ON-SITE KITCHEN OR FOOD TRUCK

TOURS

Our five favourite beers this spring.

Suggested Glassware

STANGE Kölsch Märzen

Bock

PILSNER Lager

Pilsner

Witbier

NONIC PINT

IPA

Stout

Most ales, actually

WEIZEN Hefeweizen

Weizenbock

Fruit Beer

TULIP

Saison

Brown / dark ale

Red ale

GOBLET Quad

Tripel

SNIFTER

Imperial anything

Sours

by Kelsey Klassen

There’s a rule of thumb in journalism: If you can write your headline as a question, then the answer is always no.

“Does Star Wars: Episode LXXVII live up to expectations?” No.

“Will Donald Trump win the 2016 U.S. election?” No. It’s called Betteridge’s law of headlines, and it’s pretty much foolproof. The beer industry, though, seems to be bucking that trend.

The question in question – is B.C.’s beer industry growth environmentally sustainable – began for me with the 2015 drought. Water restrictions reached severe levels last summer, while the list of breweries kept growing, with some of the less efficient operations reportedly using up to 12 litres of water to create one litre of beer.

What did this mean for Vancouver’s auspicious

“greenest city” goals? Was the craft beer boom having an impact on the environment? If so, what were some of the greenest craft breweries doing to mitigate that?

I wasn’t the only one looking into this. The City of Vancouver and the region’s managing body, Metro Vancouver, had both recently been pursuing similar lines of questioning.

As part of its Greenest City Action Plan, the city wants to reduce overall water consumption by 33 per cent of its 2006 levels. Commercial water use rose 10 per cent between 2013 and 2014, however, with the city attributing some of that to the craft beer boom.

It should be noted, though, that craft beer isn’t being singled out as an environmental problem, per se. Brian Crowe, director of Water, Sewer and District Energy for the City of Vancouver, is quick

In the race to expand, is the beer industry keeping the environment in mind?

to identify craft brewing as an extremely positive addition to the business landscape, providing the province with an estimated 4,000 direct and ancillary jobs, as well as additional tourism and hospitality dollars, thanks to the popularity of brewery tours and events such as Vancouver Craft Beer Week.

He also points out that the craft beer industry is by no means the most significant offender in the water world – a statement perhaps best illustrated by his statistic that the city consumes roughly 110 million cubic metres of fresh water per year, and the craft brewing industry uses an estimated 100,000 cubic metres, or .1 per cent, of that amount.

When compared to, say, Port Metro Vancouver, or the former Molson brewery on Vancouver’s West Side – which, by nature of its scale, Crowe explains, is one of the single largest commercial water users in the city – that is peanuts. Salted peanuts. In a bowl. At your favourite tasting room. Delicious.

But there is always room to improve. Crowe says that, ideally, most craft breweries would come in closer to seven litres of water per litre of beer, or less. And with commercial water rates running at a cost of roughly $1 per cubic metre, it’s more than just a green issue for these small businesses. Crowe explains that there is a very real financial case to be made for changing out those leaky hose nozzles, recycling low-level cleaning water, and installing low-flush toilets.

According to Ken Beattie, executive director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild, many breweries have already begun making such common sense upgrades or have had the foresight to install more advanced equipment from the start, highlighting the new Red Truck facility on East 1st Avenue; Dogwood, Vancouver’s only organic brewery; and East Van mainstay Parallel 49 as local green leaders.

It’s not limited to only them, though.

“[Local breweries] don’t necessarily scream it from the rooftops, but certainly they all practise sustainability,” Beattie asserts, adding, for example, that it’s an almost industry-wide trend for breweries to send their spent grains to local farms for animal feed. That doesn’t mean there aren’t areas that need addressing, however.

On Nov. 27, Metro Vancouver passed a waste-

water bylaw, called the Bylaw for Fermentation Operations, which requires small, previously exempt breweries to start monitoring their wastewater and minimizing the amount of solids that go down the drain. This aims to keep spent grains, yeast and other suspended solids like fruit out of the city’s sewage systems, allowing the wastewater treatment plants to continue to operate properly.

The guild was instrumental in the consultation process for that bylaw and has been working on its own guide to best practices since the summer. It promises, when it’s done, to be a resource for up-and-coming brewers to learn what is expected of them environmentally.

“Really, what we want to avoid is people starting their business not being aware of what they need to do when they’re building their brewery,” says Beattie. “You can’t change the playground once you’ve approved it,” he cautions.

“And you can’t just rip up floors and install drains. If you’ve been to any craft brewery in Vancouver, it’s not like they have an abundance of extra space.”

Back east in Ontario, however, Steve Abrams has already defined sustainable brewing practices. The green brewing pioneer co-founded Mill Street Brewing as a boutique organic brewery in 2002. It subsequently grew to be Canada’s largest producer of certified organic beer and was purchased by Labatt Breweries of Canada last year.

As Abrams sees it, Mill Street’s green mandate was integral to its success.

“We were the first to do [organic beer] in Ontario and it was just a wide open playing field,” he recalls.

“[We] looked at the States at the time and organic beer was growing at, like, 20 per cent annually… >>

Historically, beer is a farmhouse product. Whatever you were growing went into the beer. And then the waste that was left, you sent it back to your cattle.

- Ken Beattie

It was just a good business decision to jump into this early. And talk about good timing,” he continues. “The whole movement of local, artisanal – understanding where your food is grown and comes from – it all just coincided.”

Throughout its expansion, Abrams says that Mill Street has stayed focused on maintaining or expanding green practices across the operation, from production and distribution, to sourcing product.

For example, a few years ago the Scarborough-based brewery helped establish Canada’s organic malting industry, using purchasing power to cut out their grain’s environmentally costly trip back and forth to organic maltsters in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the technology in Mill Street’s production facility is heady and extensive: state-ofthe-art Freeaire refrigeration systems, heat recapturing systems, Clean In Place (CIP) programs to reduce water use through recycling, rooftop solar fields, and centrifuges to remove effluence from waste, to name a few.

But not all breweries see that level of growth as a good thing. In fact, one brewery sees growth as the definition of unsustainable.

“The definition of what sustainability is has been lost in market-speak for the last little while,” says brewer Brian MacIsaac, co-owner of Crannóg Ales in Sorrento, B.C. “Because we have a finite

world, we have to realize that to start a ‘sustainable business’ you have to start with a growth-cap strategy. You have to have an end in sight – a sweet spot where things are getting looked after, employees are getting looked after, and you have enough of an income to continue doing what you’re doing, but you don’t constantly grow.”

“I was really worried in the summer,” he says later in the conversation. “There’s just a huge amount of breweries starting up, but, even during the [stage three] drought going on in Vancouver, I heard no breweries say, ‘Oh, we’re making some steps to save the water – that we reuse it or use less of it.’ I heard nothing of that, and thought, well, what a golden opportunity wasted.”

The Irish-style microbrewery is an example of near-zero-waste brewing. MacIssac says Crannóg’s ratio is currently less than two litres of water per litre of beer. And, to make that beer, MacIsaac sources most of his ingredients from the 10-acre farm he owns with his wife, Rebecca Kneen, right outside the brewery’s doors.

“On our farm we only have so much water coming out of our well, so we can only take what’s available to us,” he explains of their stewardship. “Take what you need and no more.”

That philosophy – to use only what you need –almost sounds quaint. But as Ken Beattie points out, beer making actually has ancient, farmhouse-style sustainable origins, and the philosophy hasn’t changed much in the centuries since.

“Historically, beer is a farmhouse product – it was made at home,” says Beattie, “so you didn’t have excess. Whatever you were growing went into the beer […] and then the waste that was left, you sent it back to your cattle.

“We’re the world’s oldest recipe,” he explains with a laugh, “and we might have been the first green industry, too.” j

These happy pigs are part of Crannóg Ales' near-zero-waste operation

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

15 W 8th Ave. | 33acresbrewing.com

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

EST. 2013

No, the brewery’s name doesn’t come from how many acres of people pack the hip, minimalist tasting room on any given day.

Availability: Year-round

14

An unfiltered white ale. Silky smooth with hits of orange peel, coriander and anise seed.

Availability: Year-round

A potent Belgian that remains highly drinkable with a fruity lemon-rind finish.

33 ACRES OF SUNSHINE FRENCH BLANCHE

33 ACRES OF EUPHORIA BELGIAN TRIPEL

BIG ROCK U RB AN

310 W 4th Ave.| bigrockurban.com

Big Rock Urban’s anticipated nano-system is finally open for business, which means you now get fresh pours of their limited-release and small-batch brews to go. But you should really check out what’s going on inside the Mount Pleasant location, if you haven’t already. The Alberta-based outfit has created a relaxing place to unwind, thanks to live music on the weekend, excellent food, and beer (duh).

Availability: Year-round

A single-hop IPA that uses Citra to get a surprising kaleidoscope of tropical notes and a smooth citrusy taste. Bonus: it was first developed and brewed in Vancouver.

Availability: Seasonal

This wheat ale fermented with Saskatoon berries has an agave nectar finish. Pours golden, but if you look close enough, you’ll notice a light purple haze.

Availability: Seasonal

A crisp, golden lager that gets a bittersweet boost of grapefruit and citrus aroma from Mosaic hops. A brewed-in-B.C. special created by brewmaster Jody Hammell that should be easy-drinking.

Availability: Year-round

This cowboy has an identity crisis – a light, malty ale that wants desperately to be a lager. It’s brewed with an ale yeast that’s fermented at lager temperatures and matured for months.

“All right, brain. I don’t like you and you don’t like me – so let’s do this and I’ll get back to killing you with beer.” – Homer Simpson

BOMBER BREWING C O .

1488 Adanac St. | bomberbrewing.com

DAILY 12-11PM

EST. 2014

Bomber started in a hockey locker room – proof that Vancouver hockey doesn’t always end in tears. Sometimes it leads to tasty beers.

SUPERPEST

DOUBLE IN DI A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

VANCOUVER

BRASSNE C K BREWER Y

2148 Main St. | brassneck.ca

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

EST. 2013

With an ever-changing range of beers, Brassneck is a must-try. Don’t be deterred by the line-up. It’s worth the wait.

ONE TRICK

PONY

IM P ER I AL IN DI A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

This single-malt and single-hop IPA uses pilsner malts as a base for rotating hop varieties.

BIKE ROUTE

BEST BITTER

B EST BI TTER

Availability: Seasonal

MULTIWEIZEN

5-GRA I N WE I SSE

Availability: Seasonal

Corn, oats, barley, wheat and rye give this hefeweizen a uniquely delicious taste and body.

Powered by Centennial, Chinook and Columbus – a hat-trick of PNW hops.

This session ale pays tribute to two bike routes that intersect near the Adanac Street brewery.

VANCOUVER

CALLISTER BREWING C O.

1338 Franklin St. | callisterbrewing.com

WED 2-8PM ^ THU-FRI 2-9PM ^ SAT 1-9PM ^ SUN 1-6PM

EST. 2015

Canada’s first collaborative brewery has four different brands brewed in house, and the beers are changing constantly.

MACHINE ALES

Availability: Until July!

Freewheeling and experimental brews, brewed in the West Coast-style.

VANCOUVER

C OAL H AR B O U R B REWING C O.

1967 Triumph St. | coalharbourbrewing.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2010

REAL CASK

Availability: Also until July

It may be Vancouver’s shiest brewery but it’s far from retiring, thanks largely to its dependable 311 Helles lager.

BLACKWING BALTIC PORTER

BALTIC PORTER

Availability: Seasonal

A big boozy porter to warm the chilly nights, with notes of bitter chocolate and dried fruit.

WOODLAND WITBIER

WIT B IER

Availability: Seasonal

Traditional witbier gets a kick in the pants thanks to some added Szechuan pepper.

Adam Chatburn’s take on the all-cask real ale he fell in love with growing in England.

1830 Powell St. | doanscraftbrewing.com

With an old-school arcade machine and plenty of board games, the Doan’s tasting room is as fun and accessible as its beer.

Availability: Year-round

Chocolate and coffee, a bit roasty, all complemented perfectly with the rye.

Availability: Year-round

Brewed Kaiser-style, it’s balanced and big on drinkability, yet has some depth to the malt.

MEMPHIS BLUES BARBEQUE HOUSE is

Serving it Naked

These days, you’d be hard pressed to find a diner or food truck festival that doesn’t offer pulled pork dripping with tangy, smoky barbeque sauce.

But Vancouverites—and the rest of Western Canada—have George Siu and Park Heffelfinger to thank for the introduction. The duo is responsible for bringing the traditional cooking style of the south up north with Memphis Blues Barbeque House—which serves it naked. Without the sauce, that is.

“Except for our pulled pork sandwiches, we always put the sauce on the side, because one of the things we learned by going to these little hole-in-the-wall rib joints in Memphis, they always tell you, ‘If you’ve gotta put sauce in it, what are you hiding?’” Siu says.

What started out as little mom-and-pop joint adorned with cozy booths, posters of classic blues musicians up on the walls, and a homey ambiance in 2001, is now a chain that spans four provinces—with six spots in B.C. alone.

What hasn’t changed in the past 16 years is the restaurant’s commitment to down-home, authentic southern pit barbeque.

“Every one of our stores has a pit and they smoke all their own meat,” Siu reveals. And as long as they maintain that never-boiled, never-grilled, best-of meat, they’ll always be serving it naked.

But that isn’t the only ways that Siu and Heffelfinger are keeping it authentic.

“Barbeque is a culture, not a food,” Siu says. “When you’re down south, it’s a way of life. It’s about bringing people together because everything is served family style.”

So it comes as no surprise that the barbeque joint’s biggest sellers are the share platters. Namely the Memphis Feast, the even bigger Elvis Feast, and the largest yet—the Priscilla Platter.

Each platter comes with six different barbeque meats and six different sides. The Priscilla Platter includes it all, plus calamari, shrimp, and catfish.

VANCOUVER

DOGWOOD BREWING

8284 Sherbrooke St. | dogwoodbrew.com

WED-SAT 12-9PM ^ SUN 12-7PM

EST. 2015

South Vancouver’s only brewery is worth the trip for its all-organic lineup of solid staples, one-off Wednesdays, and pizza and charcuterie.

ORGANIC FEST MÄRZEN

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 6.9% 20

A big lager that hides its strength well in restrained toasted and caramel flavours.

VANCOUVER

FACULTY BREWING

1830 Ontario St. | facultybrewing.com

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

EST. 2015

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY COLLABORATION

GOSE

Availability: One-off

ABV IBU N/A N/A

Expect salt, coriander and noble hop flavours upon its April release.

Remember the dread of going to school? That’s the opposite of how we’ll feel when this academia-themed tasting room finally opens.

241 MINZE WEIZEN

PEPPERMINT HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.2% 9

Peppermint tea is steeped in wort, giving this wheaty hefe a smooth mint aroma.

421 CASCADIAN

PALE ALE

SINGLE HOP PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 4.6% 76

A refreshing citrus-floral taste pops in this West Coast single-hop pale ale.

Mike Hodges

Q Why did you choose to become a chef?

A Seeing the way perfectly prepared food can positively affect a person’s day.

Q What is your favourite dish to cook?

A It’s constantly changing, that’s one thing I love about being a chef is that you never stop learning.

Q What is your favourite dish to eat?

A Anything that has been braised to perfection.

Q Why did you chose to work at CBM?

A Seeing the enormous potential for a growing brand is something that captured me instantly. The concept has many of the same values that I cherish as both a person and a chef.

Q Why hold a monthly Brewmaster’s Dinner?

A They are a chance for our cooks to show off their skills off-menu. It is a very unique opportunity for us and the breweries as we both get to show off and complement each other’s skills and passion.

Q What is your favourite style of beer?

A A big IPA

Q Why pair beer with food?

A Beer is the new wine. The growth of the craft beer culture is incredible, the brewmasters are really pushing themselves to develop beers that pair and contrast with food.

Learn more about Chef Mike and his passion at the next Brewmaster’s Dinner. For details, visit CRAFT Beer Market online at www.craftbeermarket.ca

HERE'S H OW

IS GOING TO SCREW LITTLE BEER

by Stephen Smysnuik

Look folks: We’re heading straight into what’s very likely going to be a tumultuous year in the beer industry here in Canada, but especially the U.S.

Macro brands – herein referred to as Big Beer – will do their best to squeeze out the pesky (yet popular!) small- and mid-size breweries, or snatch up the big ones, or generally try to maintain their position of lofty authority, which they will do, but only because they’re meaner and have more money.

It makes sense. Budweiser’s market share is at half of what it was a decade ago, according to a Wall Street Journal story published in late 2014. That same report found that consumers under 30 years of age are purchasing craft beer at one-and-a-half times the rate of people over 30, which means those cursed Millennials are increasingly dedicated to seeking out craft brands over macro brands.

Which means the segment is going to grow and grow and grow. The Brewers Association in the

U.S. announced that in the next five years they expect to see craft beer market share jump to 20 per cent, up from the current 11 per cent. Numbers for 2015 haven’t been published yet, but there were more than 450 microbrewery openings across the U.S. in 2014.

Comprehensive numbers aren’t readily available in Canada, but in B.C. there were 20 new breweries in 2015, the same number as 2014, which was up from 10 breweries in 2013 (and we know of at least 15 new ones to open up before the end of summer).

So, yeah, Big Beer wants in on that action and wanted it, like, yesterday. This will play out largely in the U.S., but with the purchase of Mill Street and Turning Point late last year, Canada has its part in this drama, too.

Here’s what’s going down.

BIG BEER WILL BUY LITTLE BEER

This is obvious. It’s already happening. Anheus-

er-Busch InBev already owns Goose Island, Elysian, 10 Barrel and Blue Point. Heineken owns 50 per cent of Lagunitas. And so on.

BIG BEER WILL MAKE ITS OWN CRAFT B EER

Yes, the title is a little misleading. Big Beer has already made Blue Moon and Shock Top, but it’s likely that InBev will create some other sub-standard brand of craft beer, complete with additives and artificial flavours.

But wait…you disagree that Shock Top is craft beer? Well, just take that up with Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who dismissed a class action lawsuit filed against MillerCoors for labelling Blue Moon a craft beer.

The Brewers Association defines a craft brewery as one that produces six million barrels or less per year (approximately three per cent of the U.S. annual sales) and that less than 25 per cent of the brewery is owned or controlled by an person or organization that itself is not the craft brewer. But according to The Daily Beast, that’s not good enough for Curiel, who wants a better template for what does and does not constitute craft beer.

Which means, at this point, Blue Moon, Shock Top and Bud Light Lime and everything else can all be legally designated “craft beer” until the industry comes up with a more comprehensive, detailed definition.

So Big Beer will continue to create and market “craft-y” brands to that significant hefty percentage of the beer-swilling public that is not yet properly educated on the wonders of craft beer, but maybe wants to try something a little, uh… fruitier? Orange-er? More Mohawk-y?

B IG B EER WILL OWN D ISTRI BU TION

According to The Wall Street Journal, AB InBev launched a new incentive program that could offer independent distributors in the U.S. up to $1.5 million in annual reimbursements – but only if 98 per cent of what they distribute are AB InBev brands.

Participating distributors can only carry craft brewers that produce less than 15,000 barrels, or sell beer only in one state, which will make business difficult for bigger craft brands like Stone, Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, etc.

Historically, breweries and distributors have been separate in the U.S., following the three-tiered system that was imposed after Prohibition: one set

of companies could make the beer, another would distribute it, and the other would sell it. The rise of craft culture in North America is due in part to the breaking down of this model – small breweries have been selling directly to customers through tasting rooms and brewpubs for years. But in most states, breweries can’t own distributors (except in Colorado, where A-B bought two distributors since 2014, and Oregon, where it purchased Morgan Distributing).

The incentive plan is voluntary. The Journal reports that 38 per cent of AB InBev-aligned distributors are signed up, but the company “aims to double participation” over the next three years. There’s a good chance this will happen – Big Beer is what has kept the bulk of them profitable for the past three decades.

MERGE AN D CON QU ER

The Great Merger of 2016, where AB InBev took over SABMiller, is a clear sign of Big Beer’s waning grip on consumer tastes and, like a bloated Axl Rose, a mad attempt to stay on top…although we expect Shock Top will sell rather well, unlike Chinese Democracy. We’ll see how that reunion goes. I’m hedging bets on total disaster. You?

Anyway, we now live in a world where AB InBev owns 30 per cent of the world’s beer market, so expect seismic levels of marketing across North America to hawk their beer. Of course, it won’t really matter as long as craft breweries continue to create badass new beer (which they will) and turn people on to craft (which they will).

And this struggle will continue ad infinitum, or until the Russians finally invade and take us over, imposing the much-feared Vodka State. Be prepared. j

At this point, Blue Moon, Shock Top and Bud Light Lime and everything else can all be legally designated "craft beer" until the industry comes up with a more comprehensive, detailed definition.

MAIN STREET BREWING CO.

261 E 7th Ave. | mainstreetbeer.ca

Tucked away a block off Main , Main Street Brewing deserves all the attention it can get (and more). Brewmaster Jack Bensley is nailing it with his strong lineup of beers, including four regular, rotating casks. The tasting lounge has a chill vibe and a proper kitchen. Add to that the location in the historic Brewery Garage building, built in 1913, back when there really was a Brewery Creek.

Availability: Year-round

Rich and malty with a hoppy finish, Westminster is brewed from a deceptively complex recipe, including three hop additions atop three kinds of malts, along with wheat, oats and molasses.

UP YOUR SPORRAN

Availability: Small batch

A sporran is that pocket thingy that hangs in front of a kilt. That doesn’t tell you anything about this malty, peaty, roasty beer, but we thought you might wanna know.

Availability: Year-round

Saison Dupont, first brewed in Belgium in 1844, is seen as the benchmark of the style today. Call this its Canadian cousin, featuring three different yeasts, resulting in a fruity and dry farmhouse ale.

Availability: Seasonal

A hoppy and malty British ale ideal for MSB’s excellent cask program. Cask conditioning softens and rounds out the beer, with the slightly lower carbonation giving it a creamy texture.

“To some it’s a six pack. To me it’s a support group.”

– Anonymous

OFF THE RAIL BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | offtherailbrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

OTR’s churning out new recipes like the end is nigh, which is excellent news if you haven’t been by in a while.

EASTBOUND NUT BROWN

NORTHER N EN GLISH BROW N ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A classic brown ale featuring a balanced, nutty flavour.

VANCOUVER

SOME BRAVE APOLLO

IN DI A P A LE ALE

Availability: Small batch

The Apollo hop is on full display, backed up by Crystal and Cascade.

PARALLEL 49 BREWING C

O .

1950 Triumph St. | parallel49brewing.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2012

P49 released more than 30 different beers in 2015 (!) and a barrelaging program is beginning to bear delicious fruit (i.e. beer).

CRAFT LAGER

MU N ICH H ELLES

Availability: Year-round

Clean and refreshing, it’s brewed with Sterling hops from Chilliwack’s Sartori Cedar Ranch.

JERKFACE 9000

NORTHWEST W HE A T ALE

Availability: Year-round

Juicy-fruity, earthy-spicy Mosaic hops, expertly balanced with a grainy, biscuity malt base.

POSTMARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | postmarkbrewing.com

EST. 2014

One of the hippest beer spots to open in recent years, is also one of the most historic – Postmark’s located in the 90-year-old Settlement Building, alongside Urban Winery and Belgard Kitchen. New brewer Dominic Giraldes has revamped some old recipes and created some stellar new ones, making this chic restaurant / tasting room the perfect place to to introduce novice beer drinkers to the world of craft.

FALCONER’S FLIGHT

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A well-balanced IPA that clocks in at 52 IBUs, but still has tasty hop hits of lemon and tropical fruit. It’s a mellow and easy-drinking IPA that won’t scare off any hopheads-in-training.

STOUT

Availability: Year-round

Everything you want from a stout: It’s a bit roasty with notes of chocolate, coffee, and a hint of caramel. Winter may be over, but luckily this stout is easy-drinking all year long.

WEST COAST PALE

ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Postmark’s take on the West Coast Pale Ale is on point. Pouring a clean copper, it tastes just as nice as the Instagram photos make it look. A big citrus aroma with a smooth finish.

ISA

IND I A SE SSI ON A LE

Availability: Seasonal

Postmark’s bright, golden session ale is highly quaffable, featurinf Azacca hops that give it a light, tropical hop aroma. Betcha can’t just drink one.

“I’m off for a quiet pint followed by 15 noisy ones.”

–Gareth Chilcot

Gassy Jack helped fuel city’s expansion

by Andrew Fleming

Vancouver is known around the world for its outrageous real estate prices and equally ridiculous liquor laws, so it seems somehow fitting that Canada’s third-largest city first began after a squatter decided to open an unlicensed saloon in the middle of nowhere.

Apart from the First Nations village of Xwayx-

way in what is now Stanley Park, the downtown peninsula was still virtually uninhabited in pre-Confederation days, save for a handful of shack-dwelling workers at Stamp’s Mill, a sawmill on the southern shore of Burrard Inlet that first opened in June 1867.

This changed soon after the arrival three months

Images courtesy of the Vancouver Archives

later of a chubby Yorkshireman by the name of John “Gassy Jack” Deighton, who showed up unexpectedly one day in a dugout canoe that also contained his aboriginal wife, mother-in-law, a couple of chickens, a dog and, most importantly, a giant cask of whisky.

Deighton, like most new arrivals to the Pacific Northwest, was originally drawn here because there was gold in them there hills. When prospecting didn’t pan out as hoped, he became a riverboat captain on the Fraser and later the owner of the Globe Saloon in New Westminster, which was then the capital city of the fast-growing colony of British Columbia.

Deighton suffered from an undiagnosed health problem that caused painful swelling in his legs, and the story goes that he made the unwise decision of leaving the Globe in the care of a friend while he travelled to Harrison Hot Springs in search of a cure. Upon his return, he found most of his stock had been given away for free and opted to flee town in order to avoid creditors. Starting fresh next to a sawmill – where workers were unable to procure an adult beverage –seemed as good a bet as any, and it didn’t hurt that there was yet another dry mill town, Moodyville, conveniently located just across the water.

After pulling ashore, Deighton announced he’d give free whisky to anyone who would build him a new joint, and 24 hours later a ramshackle Globe Saloon version 2.0 opened its doors for thirsty customers near what is today Maple Tree Square.

The rest is history. Easy access to alcohol at the Globe soon attracted a rough and ready crowd from around the globe, many of them runaway sailors or criminals escaping the law. It wasn’t a pretty place – reeking of animal dung and skunk cabbage, and with streets ankle-deep in mud and spilled blood – but it eventually attracted a growing community known as “Gastown” in its colourful founder’s honour.

(It’s worth pointing out that Gassy Jack earned his nickname for his talkative and boastful nature rather than for gastro-intestinal reasons. Based on historical accounts, he comes across as a mix of Shakespeare’s Falstaff and a less murderous version of Al Swearengen, the owner of the Gem Saloon immortalized by Ian McShane in the HBO series Deadwood.)

The makeshift town eventually drew the government’s attention, and on March 1, 1870, Gastown was officially incorporated as the town of Granville, itself named in honour of a colonial

secretary rather than a boozy gasbag. Gassy Jack purchased a plot of land on the corner of Carrall and Water Streets and built a two-storey hotel he called Deighton House, where he died four years later at the age of 44.

It’s unlikely Gassy Jack ever sold beer in either of his establishments given that he passed away shortly before breweries such as Columbia Brewery on nearby Powell Street, Cedar Cottage Brewery at Knight and Kingsway, and the Stanley Park Brewery first opened their doors.

But if ever there was an historic local figure worthy of having a new craft beer named in his honour, ideally whisky-flavoured, surely it’s Gassy Jack Deighton. j

It wasn’t a pretty place –reeking of animal dung and skunk cabbage, and with streets ankle-deep in mud and spilled blood...

POWELL STREET CRAFT BREWERY

1357 Powell St. | powellbeer.com

MON-THU 12-9PM ^ FRI-SAT 12-10PM ^ SUN 12-8PM

EST. 2012

After all the brew-ha-ha of its 2013 CBA win, things have settled into a quieter, equally delicious groove for David Bowkett’s brewery.

GINGER CARDAMOM WITBIER WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal

5.0% 16

An aromatic twist of spice makes this witbier a great contender for pairing with Indian curry.

VANCOUVER

R & B BREWING CO.

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

MOSAIC SOUR

BELGIAN WHEAT

KETTLE SOUR

Availability: Seasonal

5.0% 24

Bowkett’s latest kettle sour highlights the fruit-basket flavours of that hop darling, Mosaic.

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

EST. 1997

After a close brush with death, R&B’s just launched an awesome new tasting room in Brewery Creek, featuring a whole new lineup of beers.

VANCOUVER SPECIAL IPA

WEST COAST INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

IBU 6.0% 70

An evolving recipe, which means it might be a unique beer every time you taste it.

EAST SIDE

BITTER

NORTH AMERICAN BITTER

Availability: Year-round

IBU 5.5% 35

A classic of the Vancity beer scene, loaded with New Zealand and North American hops.

by Joe Wiebe

The opening of the Red Racer Restaurant on Beatty Street earlier this year felt like a re-opening to many because that space was home to Dix Bar-B-Q and Brewery, a popular and influential brewpub that closed in 2010.

Dix has attained a mythical status among the early adopters of Vancouver’s craft beer community in the 2000s. As part of the Mark James Group brewpub chain – which also includes Yaletown Brewing, Big Ridge in Surrey and the BrewHouse in Whistler – it helped spawn and facilitate Vancouver’s craft beer culture as it exists today.

“Dix was Ground Zero,” says Rick Green, CAMRA Vancouver president from 2008 to 2009. “It’s iconic. That’s where cask beer started, where real ale started, in Vancouver. Everything grew out of there.”

Dix was originally a lager house, meant to complement the range of ales at Yaletown Brewing. Iain Hill, MJG’s head brewer from 1994 until he opened Strange Fellows Brewing last year, says the original lineup included a dunkel, a helles and a pilsner.

After setting up Dix and brewing there for six months, Hill returned to Yaletown, leaving Dave Varga in charge. A little later, Mark Andrewsky joined the team as bar manager. He says those early years were challenging because “Dix was completely dependent on shows and hockey and the [BC] Lions.” When the stadiums were quiet, the brewpub was quiet, too. The departure of the Grizzlies NBA team in 2001 was a blow.

Varga moved over to MJG’s North Shore operation in 2001 and was replaced by Stefan Arnason, who remembers that “Dix was a little off the radar in terms of the Mark James Group.” This gave him some room to experiment with different styles of beer.

Andrewsky first suggested doing a cask night at Dix: “We’d go to the Great Canadian Beer Festival and Penticton [Fest-of-Ale] annually, and everyone was so excited about casks. So I thought, why don’t we do it more often?”

Arnason and Hill prepared an IPA and bitter for their first cask night, but it didn’t really become a regular affair until Tony Dewald replaced Arnason in August 2002. His first cask night occurred on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002, but Dewald admits, “We only sold six to eight pints that night so Mark and I had to stay all night to finish it.”

Dix persisted with regular cask nights on the first Saturday of the month, and the city’s brewers began to congregate there.

“There’d be eight brewers sitting around 30 litres of beer till 3 o’clock in the morning,” Andrewsky says.

Guest casks became a common event, too. “James [Walton of Storm Brewing] would show up with a cask under his arm and say, ‘We’re tapping it right now.’ So the other brewers all wanted to do it, too.”

Dix hosted CAMRA Vancouver’s first meeting in January 20003 and monthly meetings after that,

Original photo by Brian K. Smith

serving guest casks from Backwoods Brewing (now Dead Frog), Storm, Steamworks and R&B.

Dewald says these early cask nights were not very successful. “When CAMRA only had eight members you’d be lucky to get one or two to these events.” And with fewer than a dozen breweries total in the Lower Mainland at the time, the number of brewers who might attend was not very significant either.

But Andrewsky and Dewald were devoted “to make Dix the focal point of the Vancouver beer scene.” In the summer of 2003, Dewald organized the first Dix Caskival. His hard work to get publicity paid off when about 100 people attended, sampling at least a dozen casks.

Winter and summer Caskivals followed each year, building up more interest. Then came the NHL lockout in 2004-05, which killed the only busy nights Dix could rely on. Dewald suggested moving the monthly cask nights to once a week on Thursdays, and more and more people began showing up every week.

He also held an IPA Fest in the spring of 2005.

“This was a crucial point in local beer history, when they started pushing boundaries, especially with bigger IPAs,” Hill says.

Dewald remembers chatting with a customer from San Diego, who said, “Dude, your IPA needs to have more hops in it. Whatever you’re doing now, just double the finishing hops.”

This spurred him to start experimenting. “The cask would run green for the first five to 10 pints because there were so many hops in it,” he spurred.

When Dewald left in 2007, he was replaced by Derrick Franche, who had been brewing at Big Ridge for a year after jobs at Spinnakers, Wild Rose and Russell.

By then, “Dix was a real landmark,” Franche says.

“It was where the brewers and CAMRA hung out. I was licking my chops to take that job because I knew that it was pretty high profile.”

But the job came with a warning from Dewald that MJG might shut Dix down because the 10-year lease on the space was up in 2008. However, the prospect of the coming Winter Olympics justified keeping the brewpub open, at least until 2010.

Sure enough, Dix closed on Victoria Day, 2010. Franche remembers the feeling at the pub the night before: “It was like a family gathering there. We just believed it would never close.”

But the next day he showed up to work and his key no longer turned the lock. He helped out at Red Truck for a while before moving to the High Mountain BrewHouse in Whistler.

The new Red Racer restaurant has been met with mostly positive reviews from the old gang. The owners, Central City Brewers and Distillers, acknowledged Dix’s legacy by mounting the large Dix sign that once hung outside the building on a wall inside the restaurant.

And though no actual brewery there any more, the original equipment is still in use at Brassneck Brewery, where brewer Conrad Gmoser invites Dewald and Franche to guest brew a special Spirit of DIXmas IPA each winter.

The legend lives on. j

I was licking my chops to take that job because I knew that it was pretty high profile...

- Derrick Franche

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 E 1st Ave. | redtruckbeer.com

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

SUN 10AM-10PM

EST. 2005

Because ribbon cutting makes for a boring photo op, when Red Truck broke ground on its Brewery Creek location, it decided to drop an appropriately red truck from a crane instead. And the party hasn’t slowed down since its facility and diner opened last year, with weekly live music and a summer concert series. The beers are approachable across the board, and go well served with anything from their menu.

Availability: Year-round

A second-place finisher at 2015’s BC Craft Beer Awards. Floral, pine and citrus aromas and flavours, with a nice bitter touch. It’s an approachable IPA for first-timers scared of the giant hop-bombs.

Availability: Year-round

German and Czech hops with Canadian Prairie two-row malted barley. This no-nonsense golden lager is about as smooth and easy-drinking as it gets.

Availability: Year-round

A copper-coloured ale made with premium Belgian malts and Pacific Northwest hops. Complex aroma and just enough depth to the flavour that it goes down oh-so smoothly.

Availability: Seasonal

Red Truck’s freshest limited release was still being fine-tuned when The Growler went to print, but expect a bright wheat ale, complemented with German hops that should make for some ideal spring sipping.

“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” – Frank Sinatra

RED TRUCK ALE AMBER ALE

RED TRUCK LAGER LAG

VANCOUVER

STEEL TOAD BREWING CO.

97 E 2nd Ave. | steeltoad.ca

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

EST. 1997

Delicious food and a solid tap list in a giant beer hall with the brewery visible behind glass. What’s not to like?

SAISON SAUVIGNON

SAISON

Availability: Year-round

20

The use of grape-like New Zealand sauvignon hops sets this apart from the saison crowd.

VANCOUVER

YORKSHIRE BEST BITTER

CASK BITTER

Availability: Year-round

This traditional pub bitter is served at cellar temperature through a beer engine. Delicious.

STORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | stormbrewing.org

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

EST. 1994

Fret not if you missed Glacial Mammoth Extinction – or “Canada’s Most Expensive Beer” – something inventive (and cheaper) is always on tap.

BLACK PLAGUE

STOUT STOUT

Availability: Year-round

A dry Irish stout with fresh licorice root and cocoa. It’s a smooth and boozy beast.

BRAINSTORMS

EVER-CHANGING

Availability: One-off

With more 90 weirdo beers since 2013, including Mojito Pilsner, what will they think of next?

ABV IBU 8.5% N/A

ABV IBU N/A N/A

ABV IBU 6.5%

ABV IBU N/A N/A

A street-style experiment

by Kelsey Klassen

When it comes to aesthetics, Vancouver’s craft beer tasting rooms range from comfortably simple and cozy to dramatically styled and defined. Beyond labels and logos, décor is a pivotal part of establishing the vibe and feel of each brewery experience.

So, we decided to have a bit of fun, envisioning what it might look like if some of the city’s most stylish tasting rooms suddenly stood up and started strutting down the street. What would the white, minimalist, Scandinavian-style 33 Acres dress like if it were a person? What would Strange Fellows wear to rendezvous with its mystical and medieval cohort? If Brassneck’s rugged, wood-lined room came to life, would it look as effortless as we imagine?

Behold, the “Brewery Lookbook” – a street-style experiment compiled with clothes from some of Vancouver’s hottest boutiques and designers. We styled it for women because, hey, it’s 2016 (your sexism is showing) and waaay too obvious to assume that breweries would be men.

33 Acres

1. House of Harlow blue chrysalis necklace ($115, Mine & Yours); 2. Wilfred Free Daria pant in vegan leather ($135, Aritzia); 3. 33 Acres hat ($60, 33 Acres Brewing); 4. Zara coat with hood in grey marl ($90, Zara);

5. Stan Smith Adidas sneakers ($110, Simons).

Strange Fellows

1. Pyrrha Heart of the Wolf sterling silver necklace ($198, Pyrrha); 2. Talula Varndell dress ($95, Aritzia); 3. Zoe Jordan Valentina coat ($1,599, Wardrobe Apparel); 4. Diane von Furstenberg fringe leather gloves ($165, Hudson’s Bay); 5. Confort Oxford black patent/suede bootie ($249, Ella Shoes).

1. Granted mountain range woollen sweater ($435, Granted Clothing); 2. Miansai gold hook leather bracelet ($105, Walrus Home); 3. J. JS Lee oversized silk shirt ($1,170, Wardrobe Apparel); 4. Jeffrey Campbell Haaosien ankle boots in taupe ($220, Little Burgundy); 5. Lowell St-Viateur backpack ($280, Eugene Choo).

STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | strangefellowsbrewing.com EST. 2014

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

Plenty of odd things go down at Strange Fellows on the regular. As of late, there was a visit from Krampus, and a Viking-themed celebration in the name of a pagan fire festival. What’s not weird is the crowds that consistently fill one of the city’s best tasting rooms, and can’t seem to get enough of brewer Iain Hill’s latest and strangest creations.

Availability: Year-round

One of Strange Fellows’ mainstays, it’s a light, straw-coloured, slightly cloudy beauty that juggles aromas of orange and coriander, with expected hits of Belgian yeast and spice thrown in, too.

THE TART SERIES

Availability: Ongoing Series

Following on the heels of Roxanne, the fabled raspberry grisette, and Amber the Tart, the Flemish red, is a temptress by the name of Bellatrix la Tart. Strange Fellows’ strong reputation with sours will surely expand as this series grows.

Availability: Seasonal

This farmhouse saison is named after an Old French legend about a magic horse that can change sizes, depending on its rider. Unfortunately, glasses of Bayard can’t magically refill depending on the drinker.

Availability: Ongoing Series

The pun game is strong with Cyclhops, the single-hop “eye”-PA series. The first hop in the spotlight was Equinox, and expect something impressive when it comes to which hop will be featured next.

A lady came up to me one day and said “Sir! You are drunk,” to which I replied “I am drunk today madam, and tomorrow I shall be sober but you will still be ugly.”  – Winston Churchill

You’d think, with the proliferation of breweries in B.C., there’d be no shortage of brewers to choose from for this series. Alas, finding interesting pairings of people who can a) speak intelligently on a topic for long enough that warrants immortalizing in print and b) with a tape recorder and camera stuck in their face is tougher than you think (if you’re thinking).

Fortunately, we found a couple o’ good’uns: Ryan Parfitt of Luppolo Brewing and Nicolás Amaya of Andina Brewing. Because these men were complete strangers prior to this conversation, and because both breweries will be opening in the same area (Yeast Van) at the same time (this summer), we thought they’d have some insightful and compelling ideas on the city, the industry and the beer.

Parfitt and Amaya sat down (with several growlers of beer, naturally) in Andina’s spacious future brewery – which was just an empty warehouse, save the sawdust – on Powell Street.

Photos by Dan Toulgoet

THE NEW BREWERY EDI T IO N

GROWLER: Was it a happy accident that you both ended up in Yeast Van, or did you try to end up here?

RYAN PARFITT: I would say that this area was my target area for several reasons, the main one honestly being cost per square foot. I knew I wanted to be in Vancouver proper. I grew up here my whole life and I don’t want to commute to work. So really there’s just this area and the Brewery Creek area that has the correct zoning. I was aiming for here, but you could say it’s a happy accident, too.

NICOLÁS AMAYA: Because I live in Maple Ridge, we were thinking of maybe opening in Maple Ridge. Then we quickly realized, no, we want to be in the middle of it, right? But after 11 months of looking for places [and finding nothing], we were really desperate and were thinking of other options. Maybe Burnaby or, you know… Then we thought, no no no, it’s got to be in Vancouver. We weren’t really aiming for Yeast Van or whatever, but when this place became available, we came in and said, “I love this place! We gotta do it.” Thankfully it worked out.

GROWLER: Do you find it intimidating, with the level of quality and what you now have to match?

RP: Yeah, for sure. I mean, not debilitatingly intimidating. I always knew that I had to brew good beer if I was going to be successful in this market, but for sure it’s a little intimidating knowing just how good the beer is elsewhere. It just means that we as well have to elevate our game and brew good beer.

NA: More than intimidating, it’s a good challenge to have, right? Your beer has to be as good or better to keep going up. I think, y’know, Brassneck is fabulous. That’s the whole thing. It’s a challenge. If they make good beer, we need to make good beer, right?

GROWLER: Have you noticed if there’s a unique style or flavour that’s being cultivated in B.C., or in the Lower Mainland, versus what’s coming out of the Bay Area or Portland or Washington?

RP: I’d say the one thing in particular – I mean not that it’s not also being done elsewhere – but like barrel-aged sours and that sort of beer. It’s pretty rare to walk into a brewery and not see something in barrel storage right now. Other than that, I don’t know, maybe West Coast hoppy beer, but that’s obviously not independent to Vancouver.

GROWLER: The one thing I’ve noticed is there aren’t as many big, hoppy IPAs and pale ales. There’s a lot more emphasis on doing other kinds of session beers, malty beers, stuff that isn’t the big hop bomb. It’s almost like we’re moving away from that, whereas if you go to San Francisco, it’s IPA all the time.

RP: That’s interesting. That’s probably a pretty astute observation. If you think about all the main breweries in Vancouver now, not a lot of them have super hoppy beers. I guess Strange Fellows in particular, they haven’t really either. I guess they did one IPA, but they certainly don’t have it available all the time.

I guess most of the guys do an IPA, but most >>

of the beer is predominantly, I don’t know if you want to say approachable but a little outside that wheelhouse I guess, which is good. I hear people all the time, going, “I don’t want beer that’s going to punch me in the face with hops.” I still think there is a market for that, for sure, but it’s shifting away.

GROWLER: This market is still so young, and there are still so many people coming in, that I think a lot of the lineups are being dominated by entry level beers because hops scare people away. So you have a lot of these breweries that aren’t creating all these hoppy beers in order to get all these new people in and acquainted with craft beer. Whereas in Portland or Seattle –

RP: They’re so much more established.

GROWLER: Yeah, it’s acquainted with hops and it wants hops. Maybe that’s why. I don’t know, but it’s interesting because it’s creating a flavour profile of Vancouver beers.

RP: To your point about entry-level beers and kind of getting people into the craft beer market, that’s really what we need in the industry, right? We need people shifting over from drinking whatever generic beers into craft. If it takes an approachable beer, then it’s good for all of us.

NA: We’ve all been there – once you get into craft beer, you start to develop the taste, then you go to have a Bud or whatever, a Corona, you go, No, no, no, I want beer. Real beer. That’s a good point you make. That’s a way to get people in.

RP: What’s been your biggest challenge so far in

the whole process? Right from deciding you’re going to do this, all the way up to this point where you’re applying for permits.

NA: I have to say finding the place. Everything else is work, but it’s work you put in and something comes out of it. But when you’re actually in a position where you actually need a place and you can’t find it because there’s nothing available? That’s very stressful. We had some very stressful months. Week after week. Three weeks went by and nothing, you know? How was that process for you?

RP: That was definitely long and tedious. But for me, it was like, when the perfect place pops up then we’ll hit the ground running. Since then, more stressful I think has been paying rent pre-permit. Just waiting for the beer-aucracy to let us through. It’s a lot for space that you can’t do anything with, right?

NA: It is stressful. The way that I think about it is, OK it is stressful, but now we do have a place, and no matter what we do, we’re going to open and we’re going to start producing.

RP: It’s just about raising extra capital I guess, which in the end isn’t outside of your control, whereas finding a space is. If something comes up, great. If it doesn’t, then what do you do? j

We need people shifting over from drinking whatever generic beers into craft. If it takes an approachable beer, then it’s good for all of us. - Ryan Parfitt

STRATHCONA B EER C O.

895 E. Hastings | strathconabeer.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2016

East Van’s newest brewery will open this spring with Michael “Fezz” Nazarec, host of Beer! The Show, serving as brewmaster.

PREMIUM PILSNER

GERMAN P I LSNER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 5.0% 28

This is a classic, light-bodied European Pilsner: it’s crisp, clean and crushable.

VANCOUVER

STRATHCONA IPA

I NSANE P AT I ENT A W A I TS

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 7.0% 65

A hop-forward West Coast IPA with a spicy nose, and a deep, dry, malty architecture.

YALETOWN BREWING CO.

1111 Mainland St. | mjg.ca/yaletown

SUN-WED 11:30AM-12AM ^ THU 11:30AM-1AM

FRI-SAT 11:30AM-3AM

EST. 1994

Fun fact: The wood-and-brick space of Vancouver’s oldest brewpub was designed by B.C. craft beer revolutionary Frank Appleton.

LOADING BAY IPA

ICHABOD’S P I CKLED A NCHOV I ES

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 6.2% 48

A safe take on the Pacific Northwest IPA. Balanced, with just enough citrus aroma and taste.

ROUNDHOUSE WHEAT

WHEAT A LE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 4.8% 12

Cloudy with a good chance of banana aroma and flavour, with expected hefe spiciness.

BLACK KETTLE BREWING

106 -720 Copping St. | blackkettlebrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

Slow and steady has been winning the race for Black Kettle since opening, but now it’s hitting its stride with a widening range of styles.

BLONDE ALE

BLONDE

Availability: Year-round

25

An easy-drinking, everyday go-to with a lick of citrus and passionfruit from Galaxy hops.

Availability: Limited

Full-bodied and rich, with roasted grain flavours balanced by restrained citrus and floral hop notes.

BRIDGE BREWING CO.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | bridgebrewing.com

DAILY 1-7PM

EST. 2012

Three awards at the 2015 BC Beer Awards – two gold, one silver – is just another sign that the folks at Bridge keep rising to new heights.

BLACK RYE IPA

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

Pouring jet black, the spicy rye kick is complemented by a clean hoppy bitterness.

WUNDERBAR KÖLSCH

KÖLSCH

Availability: Year-round

Lager fermented with ale yeast, creating a fruitier, refreshing taste with a slight hop bitterness.

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | deepcovecraft.com

DAILY 12-8PM

EST. 2013

With its lounge licence endorsed, Deep Cove is now the destination it aimed to be, boasting cocktails, comfort food, live music and rebranded brews.

LOOKOUT SESSION ALE

Availability: Year-round

THE CRAWL

OATMEAL STOUT

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.8% 35

Fruity New Zealand hops are the key component in this thirst-quenching, easy-drinking ale.

NORTH VAN

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Ct. | greenleafbrew.com

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

EST. 2013

The shiny tanks dominating this open-plan space leave little doubt you’re tippling at a brewery. Is that an obvious statement? Whatevs.

BURNING ROCK ALE

RED ALE

Proceeds from this delicately roasted stout will go toward Alzheimer’s research.

PIE HOLE

PALE ALE

PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0% 28 ABV

Blocks of red-hot granite dropped into the kettle lend this malt-forward ale rich caramelized notes.

A barnstorming, flavour-packed pale ale that balances toasty caramel malt with tangy hops.

TUESDAY - FRIDAY 4 - 6PM

HEARTHSTONE BREW ER Y

1015 Marine Dr. | hearthstonebrewery.ca

HOURS TBD

EST. 2014

Hearthstone has already been slinging a solid line of brews in stores, but this year, its North Van tasting room is finally open.

PARLEY SESSION ALE

IND I A SE SSI ON A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A big tropical fruit aroma with a mild malt sweetness and earthy bitterness.

IPA

Availability: Year-round

A solid IPA with hits of stone fruit, citrus and tropical goodness.

A FRAME BREWING CO.

38927 Queens Way | aframebrewing.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2016

One of three new Sea to Sky breweries, A Frame’s capitalizing on the ski vibes with a cozy cabin-style tasting room. And lots of beer (obvs).

A FRAME PATERSBIER

BELG I AN P ALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A light trappist-style table beer that’s clean, complex and sessionable.

A FRAME CREAM ALE

C REAM A LE

Availability: Year-round

A classic Mid-West ale that’s light bodied and refreshing. Hello, spring.

HOWE SOUND BREWING CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave. | howesound.com

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 1996

Celebrating its 20th year, now is a good as time as ever to hit up this Squamish institution after a post-Chief hike pint.

LOG DIVER

JUN I PER R YE P ALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A rye IPA brewed with juniper berries. Citrus and mango aroma, with a resinous pine flavour.

THE BREWHOUSE AT H IGH MOUN TAIN

4355 Blackcomb Way | mjg.ca/brewhouse

DAILY 11:30AM-1AM

EST. 1997

KING HEFFY

IMPER I AL HEFEWE I ZEN

Availability: Seasonal

An unfiltered hefe with a one-of-a-kind banana, clove and vanilla aroma.

The extremely popular Whistler Village brewpub has one of the most dependable beer lists on the south coast. Try that IPA.

5-RINGS IPA

INEQU I TABLE PECK I NG ARRANGEMENT

Availability: Year-round

A no-nonsense American IPA dry-hopped with Cascade and backed by caramel malts.

BIERE DE GARDE

BI ERE DE G ARDE

Availability: Seasonal

A complex French-style farmhouse beer brewed with pilsner and Munich malts.

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

Open daily for lunch and dinner until late.

by Ryan Ingram

There is no shortage of geekiness in the craft beer world. Whether it’s a zombie-inspired beer with actual brains in it, or a not-so-subtle Star Wars reference, or even a brewery’s in-joke about an X-Files star, nerdy pop culture references are on taps and in bottles everywhere. Here are some notable examples:

ImperIal Stout trooper

New eN gla N d Brewi N g

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away (New England), a rebel brewer paid tribute to Star Wars with a stout in a Stormtrooper-designed label that treaded dangerously close to trademark infringement. George Lucas swiftly sent his Sith-like lawyers to tell them to knock it off. They didn’t. Instead they added a pair of Groucho glasses over top of the label’s Stormtrooper-esque mask.

Vulcan ale

Federatio N o F Beer

While many Star Wars-referencing beer names have been released to the chagrin of Disney and Lucas, a legit licensed series of Star Trek-themed beers have beamed down the past few years, starting with Vulcan Ale, a nod to Spock’s home planet. It was also brewed to celebrate Vulcan, Alberta’s centennial in 2013.

Scully

Goose Island

When Chicago’s Goose Island released a barrel-aged beauty named Scully, X-Files fans’ may have been curious to know if there a link between the beer and a certain red-haired FBI special agent. When the beer changed its name to Gillian – presumably after Scully actress Gillian Anderson – the conspiracy deepened. But the truth was out there: Turns out the X-Files actress actually worked at the brewpub long before she hunted aliens with Mulder.

Take The Black STouT

Brewery o mme G an G

Another nerdy licensed beer series by Brooklyn’s Ommegang turned HBO’s mega-popular and not-at-all-for-kids Game of Thrones series into a line of adult beverages. Take The Black Stout honours the no-fun Night’s Watch with a boozy concoction, perfect for long nights on the Wall. And unlike George R.R. Martin novels (the show’s source material), Ommegang keeps releasing new ones.

Walker

d ock s treet Brew I n G

Inspired by The Walking Dead, this zombie-friendly beer is blood red and brewed with smoked goat brains, so that has to count for something, right? There was also an official TWD brew released after Walker that sounds tame by comparison: The Walking Dead Blood Orange IPA. And no braaaaains in that one.

BreW’S Wayne and hulk’S MaSh

Breckenr I d G e Brewery

The Colorado brewer gets top marks for a dynamic duo of punny superhero-named beers. Brew’s Wayne is an homage to Batman’s secret identity, while “Hulk’s Mash” is probably what the greenest Avenger shouts when he’s homebrewing. There’s no tragic murders or gamma radiation involved in their origin though. Both were brewed specially for the Denver Comic-Con, which makes sense.

The oWlS are noT WhaT They SeeM

d o G f I sh h ead

David Lynch’s weirdo network show got a liquid tribute from Dogfish Head, who brewed a limited series of Twin Peaks-inspired beers that also included a Black Lodge, White Lodge and even Diane. But, inexplicably, there was no Damn Fine Cup of Coffee Stout, Cherry Pie Saison or Red Room Red Ale. Maybe they can get on that for when the show comes back next year.

duff Beer

too many B rewers!

If you’re going to crib a reference from The Simpsons for your beer, there’s no lower hanging fruit than referencing Homer’s ever-present go-to, Duff Beer. In fact, so many brewers around the world had created their own knockoff Duff, that 21st Century FOX licensed their own last summer, to crack down on the copyright. But the real Duff is only available in Chile, for now. j

WHISTLER BRE W ING CO.

1045 Millar Creek Rd. | whistlerbeer.com

MON, TUE & THU 1-8PM ^ WED & FRI 1-10PM

SAT-SUN 12-8 PM

EST. 1989

Availability: Seasonal

18

Chai tea spices and maple syrup converge in an unusually spicy and sweet beer. It’s a polarizing beer: you’ll either love it or hate it.

Availability: Year-r

This Northwest IPA has a big dose of citrusy, fruity hops and a solid malt backbone. Yes, it’s unfiltered, as most craft beer is these days, and as tasty and hoppy as IPAs come.

ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Part of Whistler’s Unique Brew series, this brown ale was infused with cold-extracted Face Shot Espresso from the Whistler Roasting Co.

A hopped up wit brewed with traditional Belgian yeast and just a bit of coriander, sweet orange peel and grains of paradise. It shifts into IPA territory with the addition of Northwest hops.

“Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable.”  – G.K. Chesterton

COFFEE BROWN ALE BROWN

CHEAKAMUS CHAI MAPLE ALE MILD

IPA

LOST LAKE IPA IMP ISH, P ANICKY AL P ACA

DAGERAAD BREWING

114 - 3191 Thunderbird Cres. | dageraadbrewing.com

MON-WED 4-8PM^ THU-FRI 2-8PM

SAT 12-8PM ^ SUN 12-6PM

EST. 2014

“Dageraad” is Flemish Dutch for “daybreak” – and also translates into delicious, bottle-conditioned Belgian-style beer in your glass.

Availability: Seasonal

Fruity and spicy, this culturally mashed up abbey ale is sweet, tart, spicy and delicious.

STEAMWORKS BREWING C O

.

3845 William St. | steamworks.com

DAILY 12-10PM

EST. 1995

Availability: Seasonal

This rich Belgian ale is malty with complex fruit and spice notes. Ideal for cellaring.

Led by female brewmaster Julia Hanlon, Steamworks is not only progressive, it’s producing delicious beer.

PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

Originally created by Conrad Gmoser of Brassneck fame, this beautiful beer is close to perfect.

Availability: Year-round

Malt and hops battle for dominance in this beer, but your tongue is the ultimate winner.

STEEL & OAK BREWING C O .

1319 Third Ave. | steelandoak.ca

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

EST. 2013

A solid mix of German styles, casks, barrel-aged indulgences and a cozy, welcoming room makes Steel & Oak a must-visit.

ROGGEN WEIZEN

RYE WHEAT BEE R

SMOKED HEFEWEIZEN

SMOKED WHEAT BEE R

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

15

Cloves and banana bread merge with a chewy, creamy, malty texture in this exceptional beer.

A style traditionally brewed in Bamberg, Germany, this is a taste sensation like no other.

BE RIGHT BACK SMALL BATCH BREWERS

180 - 14200 Entertainment Blvd. | brbco.ca

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

EST. 1997

The rebranded Big River Brewpub may not blow any minds, but, hell, at least the folks are trying. And that’s half the battle...right?

ENGLISH MILD

ENGLISH MILD KENTUCKY

Availability: Year-round

I B U 4.1% 21

A copper in colour (and sorta in flavour…) malt-forward ale.

Availability: Year-round

A sessionable, highly carbonated pre-Prohibition-style ale.

FU GGLES & WARL O CK CRA F TW O RKS

103-11220 Horseshoe Way | fuggleswarlock.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2012

Prepare for close encounters of the nerd kind at Richmond’s newest brewery. Come for the beer, stay for the video games.

Availability: Year-round

Availability: Year-round ABV I B U 6.0% 62

I B U 5.7% 18

Seven hop strains make for a bracing fruity profile, carried by a just-sturdy-enough malt base.

Just a great breakfast beer, with a finely honed blend of gently sweet creaminess and coffee roast.

FOUR WINDS BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | fourwindsbrewing.ca

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

EST. 2013

LA MAISON

WILD SAI S ON

Availability: Limited release

15

A light, crisp saison with a dry finish. It’s brewed with rye and oats – giving it subtle bread undertones –a fermented with wild yeast. Balanced and not too funky.

JUXTAPOSE

WILD INDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year round

55

A B.C. staple. An IPA with a smooth, round body and hints of strawberry and papaya that taste not unlike a bowl of Fruit Loops. We mean no disrespect of course. Fruit Loops are delicious.

64 L ADNER

Availability: Limited release

A new classic? This is a crisp, light-bodied lager with a bright, lemon-y flavour and a clean finish. Let’s call this an elegant barbeque beer – a lager for people who think they hate lager.

FOUR WINDS

PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Here’s a crisp, malt-forward pale ale that inhabits those characteristics that makes Four Winds great: distinctive, dependable and delicious.

LOOKING BACK & MOVING FORWARD

As a brewery whose initial business plan bears little to no relevance in contrast to today’s reality, it sometimes takes a moment of ale-soaked re ection to fully appreciate success.

2015 was a persevering year of lessons, problem solving, commitment and triumph. An honour such as Canadian Brewery of the Year would not have been possible without the considerable con dence instilled in us by the local craft beer community. Your support is paramount in our success, and we thank you for that.

2016 is an exciting time for us, as we venture further into experimentation with Wild Yeast strains, Barrel Aging and the 2nd quarter arrival of 8 x 4000L French Oak Foeder’s from Bordeaux, France. Our passion for innovation and quality will persist, working towards an ever-expanding contribution to the advancement of Craft Beer.

Here’s to another great year for B.C Beer!

Adam Mills Owner/Sales & Marketing Director

The Growler Guide to AND LEGAL SQUABBLES

Oh sure, B.C.’s craft beer community is swimming in glad tidings and brotherly love – but it’s not all hugs and kisses! No, this is still an industry, which means business. And with business comes legal squabbles and disputes. Cease and desist notices! Lawsuits! Anger! Here are some of the most memorable legal squabbles to emerge from B.C.’s beer industry.

MOLSON COORS VS. S EA TO S KY BREWERY

Sea to Sky Brewery is – or was – a 15-barrel brewing company in Whistler that Kevin Winters (formerly of Missions Springs Brewing) planned to open in March. That was, until Molson Coors’ lawyers sent the new brewery a letter stating that it (Molson Coors) had applied to register a mark on the name “Sea to Sky.”

It turns out that last year, Winters and Co. did a trademark search for Sea to Sky, which came back clean. While in the process of opening the brewery, Molson Coors filed for the trademark. Neither party was aware of the other’s intentions. Molson Coors doesn’t currently hold the mark, but Winters has decided to change the brewery name anyway to Coast Mountain Brewing.

S LEE M AN VS. R ED A RROW

Sleeman sent a cease and desist to Duncan’s Red Arrow, claiming that the latter’s brewery logo was too similar to that of the Sleeman-owned Old Milwaukie – in particular, the use of lines around the border. Red Arrow made a modest change to the logo, rounding out the bottom edges and changing the offending lines, which Sleeman agreed to. Incidentally, Red Arrow’s founders originally planned to name the brewery Arrow Brewing, but

changed it to Red Arrow after the owners of Invermere’s Arrowhead Brewing called and politely asked them to reconsider.

O KANAGAN CRUSH PAD VS. L IGHTHOUSE

Lighthouse was forced to change the name of its Switchback IPA after Okanagan Crush Pad, a B.C. winery, called attention to its mark on the title “Switchback,” which is the name of its vineyard in Summerland. Lighthouse changed the name to Shipwreck IPA.

MIDDLE-EARTH E NTER P RISES VS. PARALLEL 49

P49 changed their IPA after J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, filed a C&D over P49’s use of the title Lord of the Hops. P49 might have been able to keep selling Lord of the Hops, since the name and label – featuring an ominous bluehaired wizard – was vague enough to not overtly reference Lord of the Rings. It was the beer’s tagline, “One beer to rule them all,” that gave it away. P49 complied and launched Filthy Dirty instead.

PARALLEL 49 VS. T HREE R ANGES BREWING

Last year, Valemount’s Three Ranges Brewing was forced to change the name of its pale ale, Mile 49, after Parallel 49 issued a C&D. Owner Michael Lewis considered fighting it, as Mile 49 was a geographical location near Valemount, referring to the 49th mile railroad marker from the Alberta going West.

He eventually decided fighting would be far too costly and changed the beer’s name to DeRailed Pale Ale. The beer’s label reads, “Just as you’re picking up steam, a piece of paper can fly in the door and knock the track out from under you.”

RED T R UCK VS. PHILLI P S

Ah, the legendary squabble. In 2007, Red Truck Brewing took Phillips Brewing to court, claiming that Phillips’ Blue Truck Ale’s name was too similar to Red Truck’s name. Red Truck won, forcing Phillips to change the beer’s name to Blue Buck, which helped launch Phillips into the stratosphere of B.C. craft brewing (they’re easily the biggest craft brewery in the province right now).

L ABATT VS. PHILLI P S

But Blue Buck’s troubles didn’t ended there. In 2012, Labatt opposed Phillips’ registration of the trademark for Blue Buck, filed through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. The proceedings are still ongoing and have not gone to court.

Findings for this case weren’t immediately available but it’s not difficult to infer why Labatt, a brewery that produces and sells a product called ‘Blue’, would oppose the registration of Phillips’ trademark of a product called ‘Blue Buck.’

S LEEMAN VS. D EAD F R OG

In 2008, Sleeman (yes, them again) sued Dead Frog over the latter’s use of clear bottles for its packaged product – specifically Dead Frog’s use of embossed clear bottles, which, according to Sleeman’s lawyers, were too similar to the bottles Sleeman used. The suit was eventually settled out of court.

B EACHCOMBE R BR EWE R Y VS. V ANCOUVE R I SLAND BR EWE R Y

In 2013, Vancouver restaurateur Mark Brand was planning to open his new Sunshine Coast brewery as Beachcomber Brewery. He sent letters to the folks at Vancouver Island Brewery, who had been selling beer called Beachcomber Summer Ale, asking them to change the beer’s name.

VIB didn’t have a trademark on Beachcomber, but the beer had earned sufficient goodwill after three years on the market. Brand eventually stopped pursuing VIB and renamed the brewery Persephone.

B EA R RE P UBLIC VS. C EN TR AL C I T Y

In 2010, Bear Republic filed a lawsuit for trademark infringement of two brands – Racer 5 IPA

and Red Rocket Ale – after Central City began marketing Red Racer in the U.S. Bear Republic won after a two-year legal battle, forcing Central City to change Red Racer to Red Betty in American markets.

ST EAMWO R KS VS. EVE R YONE

Ah, this old chestnut. In 2012, Steamworks owner Eli Gershkovitch used his trademark of the term Cascadia to stop B.C. breweries from selling beers called Cascadian Dark Ale. Steamworks had previously brewed a Cascadia Cream Ale, but at the time this was going down, it was no longer brewed (though it was promptly rushed back into production).

Gershkovitch called breweries directly and said he was willing to send out demand letters if the breweries did not cease use of the name. Given the costs of going to court – a recurring theme here – these breweries backed down, and started calling these beers black IPAs (or simply CDAs) instead. Eventually, Steamworks agreed to license the term for $1.

L IGH T HOUSE BR EWING VS. TO R CHLIGH T BR EWING

Nelson’s Beacon Brewing was all set to open when Lighthouse Brewing’s lawyer called them up about a trademark infringement (Lighthouse brews Beacon ESB). The two camps eventually settled on terms, and Beacon changed its name to Torchlight. j

Phillips' iconic Blue Buck moniker was born as the result of a legal battle with Red Truck Brewing

BIG RIDGE BR EWING CO.

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

SUN-THU 11:30AM-12AM ^ FRI-SAT 11:30AM-1AM

EST. 1999

This is what happens when a sports bar births a brewery. Take from that what you will.

152 LAGER

Availability: Year-round

RODEO RED ALE

Availability: Seasonal

12

A clean and refreshing lager, brewed with German hops.

C ENT R AL C ITY

Balanced and full-bodied, with a distinctive hop character.

B R EWE R S + D ISTILLE R S

11411 Bridgeview Dr. | centralcitybrewing.com

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

EST. 2003

The thirst for Red Racer seems unquenchable, with Central City now boasting two busy brewpubs and ever more tanks at its Surrey HQ.

RED RACER SUPER

Availability: Year-round

Fuelled by hophead favourites Citra and Mosaic and packed with citrus and tropical fruit notes.

Availability: Year-round

A crisp yet juicy pilsner with the spicy-herbal tones of Hallertau hops built on biscuity malt.

RUSSELL BREWING CO.

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | russellbeer.com

MON-FRI 8AM-3:30PM

EST. 1995

Russell continues to produce a wide range of beer styles in kegs, cans and bottles. Rumour has it there’s tasting room coming soon.

PEAKS AND VALLEYS

EXTRA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

This tasty pale ale features Chilliwack-grown Centennial hops and barley malted in Armstrong.

WHITE ROCK

WHITE ROCK BREWING LTD.

LUCK OF THE IRISH

RED ALE

Availability: Seasonal

Forget green beer on March 17 in favour of this delicious and malty red ale.

13 - 3033 King George Blvd. | whiterockbrewing.ca

DAILY 11:30AM-7PM

EST. 2015

Evolving out of the neighbouring U-Brew, this South Surrey nano brews pilot-size batches of no-frills lager and ale.

WHITE ROCK

OCEAN LAGER

LAGER

Availability: Year-round

A German-style lager employing noble hops for some light spice and zest.

WHITE ROCK

MOUNTAIN ALE

PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Fuggles and Golding hops lend this beer an English profile, and there’s a dash of molasses for body.

WHIT E R O CK B EA CH

B EE R C O .

15181 Russell Ave. | whiterockbeachbeer.com

FRI 4:30-7PM ^ SAT-SUN 11AM -3PM

EST. 2014

A hobby brewery and sort-of retirement plan for the owners, WRBBC is also the only actual brewery in White Rock. Frill-less and dependable.

WEST BEACH FRUIT

AMERIC AN P A LE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I BU 5.0% 36

A no-nonsense ale that’s designed to drink, not to taste. Get it down!

OXFORD HILL

H EFEWEIZE N

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I BU 4.0% 10

A light take on the hefe, with notes of honey, orange and banana.

MOODY ALES

2601 Murray St. | moodyales.com

SUN 12-8PM ^ MON-TUE 3-9PM ^ WED 1-9PM

THU 1-10PM ^ FRI 12-11PM ^ SAT 11AM-11PM

EST. 2014

You’ll rarely see the same 12-tap list twice at Moody Ales, where quality and inventiveness have hit top gear.

HARDY BROWN ALE

NORTHER N EN GLISH BROW N ALE

Availability: Year-round

It’s roasty, it’s toasty and there’s some nuttiness to boot in this smooth, dark ale.

SOCIABLE PALE ALE

P A LE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Keep it Sociable this spring: low ABV, light body, dry-hopped with Galaxy.

TWIN SAILS BREWING

2821 Murray St. | twinsailsbrewing.com

SUN 11AM-9PM ^ MON-TUE 2-9PM^ WED -THU 2-10PM FRI 12-11PM ^ SAT 11AM-11PM

EST. 2015

The third addition to PoMo’s booming beer ’hood has the best tasting room and a well-rounded lineup of German-style brews. It’s awesome.

TWIN SAILS MAIBOCK MAIBOCK

Availability: Seasonal

A Bavarian strong lager with noble hop spiciness and high carbonation.

TWIN SAILS TABLE BEER

G ER M AN TABLE B EER

Availability: Seasonal

A sessionable German ale that’s low in hops and ideal for the encroaching warm weather.

YELLOW DOG BREWING

1- 2817 Murray St. | yellowdogbeer.com

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

EST. 2014

The Dog that cares little about trends, focusing instead on awardwinning beer that’s won over a whole town (practically) in the process.

Availability: Year-round

A refreshing and dependable spin on the session ale that’s fruity, spicy and easy-goin’.

Availability: Year-round

A boozy, fruity IPA loaded with the classic duo of Mosaic and Citra hops.

FOAMERS’ FOLLY BREWING CORP.

19221 122A Ave. | foamersfolly.ca

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

EST. 2015

Like an oasis in the desert, Foamers’ suddenly appeared last year. It’s a craft paradise of 20 taps...and pizza too!

WASHOUT OATMEAL OATMEAL STOUT

Availability: Small-batch

A velvety-smooth, full-bodied stout that’s even smoother on nitro.

BANDIT BROWN

BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

A well-balanced, approachable brown ale for all. Good anytime of day, anytime of year.

MAPLE MEADOWS BREWING CO.

22775 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | maplemeadowsbrewingco.com

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

EST. 2014

No longer a one-man show, Carlo Baroccio finally has some backup. Maple Meadows remains one of the friendliest tasting rooms around.

BLACK IPA

INTRUDER’S PITHY ANNOUNCEMENT

Availability: Small batch

A dark, roasty-bodied IPA, a little smoky, with a nice clean hop finish.

HOPPY MEADOWS IPA

INFECTIOUS, PRODIGIOUS APLOMB

Availability: Year-round

A deep gold IPA with a punch of Cascade, Centennial and Mandarina Bavaria hops.

Never tasted So Good ROTTEN B EE PUKE

CRAFT DRINKERS TURN TO MEAD AS “NEXT BIG THING”

by Robert Mangelsdorf

It may be the world’s oldest drink, but mead is the newest artisan alcohol trend – thanks in part to the popularity of craft beer, and a certain murder-happy TV show.

The delicious fermented honey drink dates back almost as far as human civilization, with evidence of mead production as early as 7,000 B.C. in Asia. But mead-making declined in the Middle Ages when it was discovered that rotten grapes were a cheaper way to get wasted, relegating it to the dustbin of history, a largely forgotten drink from another time.

For a while, at least.

Like a White Walker from beyond the Wall, mead is back from the dead and popping up everywhere, largely due to it being the bevvie of choice for George R.R. Martin’s (notoriously short-lived) characters on HBO’s Game of Thrones

According to the American Mead Makers Association’s 2014 annual industry report, mead sales jumped 130 per cent the year following the debut of Game of Thrones, making mead the fastest growing segment of the entire U.S. alcohol market.

“Yeah, that’s a big part of it,” admits Dana LeComte, co-owner of Tugwell Creek Meadery,

of the drink’s increased popularity. Tugwell Creek produces more than 10,000 litres of mead annually, and was Western Canada’s first meadery when it opened in Sooke, B.C., in 2003.

“It’s a big part of nerd culture,” agrees Jeff Gillham, co-owner of Vancouver’s Humblebee Meadery. “And nerd culture is hip and cool now.”

But were it not for the popularity of craft beer, mead might never have been given a second look by consumers, argues Gillham.

The “craft beer revolution” has helped drinkers broaden their horizons, and for many, mead is seen as the “next big thing.”

“Craft beer really opened that door, and opened people’s minds about other craft beverages,” says Gillham.

There’s a lot of appeal for the craft crowd. Mead is local, it’s artisan-produced, and it’s even gluten-free.

It’s an ecologically friendly product, too. Mead products support beekeeping efforts, and that helps keep those plucky pollinators in action.

Since mead is essentially any alcoholic drink made from fermented honey, it can come in many

different forms, notes LeComte, including the traditional wine style, or the cider-like “hydromel.”

With flavours like “Saffron Orange” and “Green Tea and Kaffir Lime”, Humblebee’s canned offerings are carbonated and are anything but traditional, but that’s kind of the point.

“We’re reintroducing a very old drink for a modern palate,” says Gillham.

Unfortunately, that’s created some difficulty for the provincial government, whose job it is to tax mead production and sales. When LeComte opened up Tugwell Creek Meadery in 2003, the BC Liquor Distribution Branch had to create a whole new licence, just for mead.

Humblebee Meadery, meanwhile, has been stuck in limbo, waiting for BCLDB approval since September.

“We’re not a beer, we’re not cider, and we’re not wine, so they don’t know what to do with us,” says Pierre Vacheresse, the other half of Team Humblebee. “We’re totally different, but we’re OK with that.” j

It's a big part of nerd culture. And nerd culture is hip and cool now.

- Jeff Gillham

Top: Pierre Vacheresse and Jeff Gillham are the humble bros behind Vancouver’s Humblebee Meadery.

Photo by Robert Mangelsdorf

RIDGE BREWING CO.

22826 Dewdney Trunk Rd. | ridgebrewing.com

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

SUN 11AM-6:30PM

EST. 2015

With not-entirely-subtle beer names like “Hairy Donut,” the Ridge crew is clearly having just as much fun as those drinking their beer.

ME SO HONEY

“EROTIC AL E ” (?)

Availability: Seasonal

A seasonal honey ale that will only be available during “mating season.” Oh boy.

WATAFEELING BLONDE

BLOND E

Availability: Year-round

According to the brewery: “A curvy blonde with a full body and a delicious finish.”

T R A DING POS T B REWING

#107 - 20120 64th Ave. | tradingpostbrewing.com

TUE-SUN 12-11PM

EST. 2015

Trading Post will have two locations: a classy tasting lounge (open now), and a taphouse, giving Langley a brewery scene to call its own.

BRETT IPA

I GNOR E S PHYSIC A L A CTIVITY

Availability: Year-round

Flavours of mango, guava and orange from four different hops and brewed with a wild yeast strain.

HOP SESSION

Availability: Year-round

A floral hop aroma with a medium malt body. Bready with a light citrus finish.

DEAD FROG BREW ER Y

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way | deadfrog.ca

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

EST. 2005

Still one of the most underappreciated brands around, Dead Frog’s penchant for creating wild, inventive beers often results in a gem.

RED DRAGON

IMPER I AL R ED A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A robust malt base underlies huge tropical Citra flavours.

PRIME TIME PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

A light, dry, golden lager made with Old World malts and hops.

FI E L D H O US E B REW IN G C O .

2281 West Railway St. | fieldhousebrewing.com

TUE-WED 11AM-7PM ^ THU-SAT 11AM-10PM

SUN 12-5PM

EST. 2016

Possibly the hippest brewery to open in 2016. And it’s in Abbotsford. Field House has an intriguing line of beers to match the (deserved) buzz.

SALTED BLACK

Availability: Year-round

A dark, Baltic porter with a Dutch twist: the addition of salted black licorice drops.

EASTERN IPA

I NTENSE POTATO AF I C I ONADO

Availability: Year-round

A light IPA that uses New Zealand-Aussie hops for white grape and stone fruit flavours.

OLD ABBEY AL ES

1A - 30321 Fraser Hwy. | oldabbeyales.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2015

The first thing you’ll notice at the tasting room is the mural. You’ll see what we mean. Then you’ll notice the astounding number of beers Old Abbey Ales has on tap – 26 in total, with possibly another five in the works. This means a huge variety of beers, including experimental takes on some classic styles; some sophisticated Belgians; and just about everything in between.

Availability: Year-round

A crisp, sour and light-bodied saison, with notes of black pepper and orange peel. Brewed with noble hops for a subtle but refined bitterness.

RYE PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Rye takes centre stage in this easy-drinking pale ale. Three types are used, providing a spicy character that’s balanced by the citrusy hop flavours.

Availability: Year-round

A hoppy, light and refreshing take on the Brett IPA. There’s citrus and orange on the nose, with subtle notes of grape and a crisp and fizzy finish.

Availability: Year-round

A tasty and approachable Beglian that’s far more balanced than the high ABVs would suggest. A strong malt backbone enhances the citrus and spice notes.

“Here’s to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.”

– F. Scott Fitzgerald

DRY HOP SAISON SAI S ON

BELGIAN TRIPEL TRI P EL

100% BRETT IPA

I DA’ S P ECULIAR AURA

RAVENS BREWING CO.

2485 Townline Rd. | ravensbrewing.com

SUN 1-5PM ^ MON-WED 12PM-6PM ^ THU-SAT 12-7PM

EST. 2015

It’s not the loudest brand around, but its dependable approach to beer makes Ravens an excellent entry point for craft beer novices.

FARMERS ALE

IRISH

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

27

A bronze BCBA winner that offers hints of lemongrass and pepper. Finishes dry.

A roasty, malty stout with a hint of espresso and a dry, clean finish.

(Just kidding. No beer.)

the-growler.myshopify.com

by Megan Cole

When the craft beer revolution took root, it seemed natural, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, that brewers gravitated toward IPAs. Hops grow well in the area and it was a beer that was gaining popularity in the region.

But as craft beer grew, ones extremely popular beer style seemed conspicuously absent from most breweries’ portfolios: lagers.

Lagers are popular because they’re typically easy drinking, great for warm weather, and you can drink several bottles without knocking yourself out.

“Lagers have long dominated the American beer market,” said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, in a Brewers Association article “Local Lagers Looming.”

“When you look down the list of top selling brands, the top-20 brands are all lagers. Combine that with the increasing desire for diverse locally produced flavours and you get demand for more local lagers in a variety of styles.”

But where are these local lagers? Sure, some of the continent’s oldest breweries – from Yuengling in

Pottsville, Pa. to Wisconsin’s Stevens Point Brewing – have been brewing lagers for over a century, and which continue to be popular. And yes, some craft breweries, including Brooklyn Brewing, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas and Steam Whistle (which makes only a lager), have had some success with the style, but the majoroty of lager sold in North America is made by the macros. Molson, Labatt and Coors continue to be the largest producers of lagers in North America.

If more people want craft lagers, why aren’t more breweries producing them?

For one, craft breweries have largely gravitated towards ales in response the bland, tasteless beer the macro-dominated market has been flooded with for the past 30 years.

“We didn’t really want to make a lager originally,” says Graham With, head brewer for Parallel 49 Brewing. “We wanted to do craft beer and not lagers, because the big breweries make lagers. But all the employees got behind it and changed our minds, and we put it out there.”

P49 is one of the breweries that has successfully added a lager to its portfolio. Craft Lager, which

was originally produced for St. Augustine’s Craft Brew House and Kitchen, is now served on tap at pubs and restaurants across B.C. and can be bought in cans – a 12-pack is now available at government liquor stores across the province. But it took some time to for P49 to give Craft Lager a wide release, due to restrictive productions challenges. There’s an absence of lagers in the craft beer market because most craft breweries don’t have the time and space needed to make a lager properly.

“It’s a challenge. It’s difficult to focus on lagers because you have to be good at it, and it takes more time,” says Sarah Pederson, founder of the

popular Saraveza Bottle Shop and Pasty Tavern in Portland, Ore.

The most important thing for a new brewery is getting its beer to market. When it takes 15 days to make an IPA – versus the six weeks it can take for a lager – most breweries start out with the IPA.

(According to research from the Brewers Association, IPAs accounted for less than 8 per cent of the craft category in 2008. By August 2015 that number had risen to 27.4 per cent.)

On top of all that, Pederson says good lagers are technically challenging to make.

“You can’t hide anything in a lager,” she says. “If there is an imperfection, you can taste it, but with a stout it’s easier to hide something.”

Even though craft breweries have been slow to include a lager among their offerings, With and Pederson expect to see more of the traditional German and Czech styles.

“It will swing in the direction of lagers and pilsners and those other styles, because nobody can get any hops,” With says.

“There are a lot of hoppy breweries, and there are a lot of desirable hops, but you have to contract it a year or two in advance. People are re-thinking the beers they want to make because they can’t get the hops they want to make IPAs and pale ales.” j

- Sarah Pederson

Lagers are hard to make and you can't hide anything in a lager. If there's an imperfection, you can taste it.

Parallel 49's appropriately-named "Craft Lager" is available on tap and in cans.

MISSION SPRINGS

BREWING C O .

7160 Oliver St. | missionsprings.ca

DAILY 11AM - 11PM

EST. 1996

It’s largely unknown in the Lower Mainland, which is a shame, because it has one of the most eclectic (and tasty) lineups around.

FAT GUY STOUT

OATMEAL ST O UT

Availability: Year-round

Great stout, what a great name!

21

MCLENNAN’S SCOTCH ALE S

Availability: Year-round

A smooth and smoky Wee Heavy, with hints of tobacco, burnt sugar and roasted malts.

OLD YALE BREWING C O

4 - 7965 Venture Pl. | oldyalebrewing.com

.

MON 1-5PM ^ TUE-FRI 9AM-6:30PM ^ SAT 1-5PM

EST. 2000

Founding brewmaster Larry Caza and his team will be moving into a brand-new, purpose-built brewery in Spring 2016.

SASQUATCH STOUT

OATMEAL ST O UT

Availability: Year-round

Those who were surprised it was awarded the country’s best beer in 2014 probably hadn’t tasted it.

SCREAMING BANSHEE

IR IS H CREAM IMPER I AL ST O UT

Availability: Seasonal

A rich stout excellently complemented by a touch of sweetness from the Irish cream flavour.

4 MILE BREW I NG CO.

199 Island Hwy. | 4milebrewingco.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2014

The beer’s passable, but its heart lies in its tasting room – a centuryplus-old bar that still has the feel of an old prospector hub.

THUNDER BOMBER

IMPER I AL IND I A P ALE A LE

Availability: Seasonal

Not nearly as oppressive as the name suggests, but it’s a helluva hop bomb all the same.

VICTORIA

AX E A ND B ARREL B REWI NG CO.

2323 Millstream Ave. | axeandbarrel.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2015

GOLDEN ALE

GOLDEN S NA I L

Availability: Year-round

A tart, lightly sweet golden ale with a crisp, dry finish.

Dave Woodward (ex-Tofino) finally started brewing here in the fall, creating tasty, approachable brews that are ideal for Langford novices.

INDIA PALE ALE

INSUFF I C I ENT PROM ATTENDANCE

Availability: Year-round

This fruity, citrusy beer shows off Woodward’s love of hops and talent for brewing IPAs.

SESSION LAGER

Availability: Year-round

A crisp, easy-drinking lager with a touch of Cascade hops adding grapefruit in the finish.

CANOE BREWPUB

DAILY 11:30AM-LATE

Add this to your B.C. craft beer bucket list, if you haven’t already: A visit to Canoe’s old-timey brick building, just outside Victoria’s historic Chinatown. Grab a seat on one of B.C.’s best patios while sampling brewmaster Daniel Murphy’s award-winning beers. While many have since jumped on the South Pacific hop bandwagon, Murphy, an Aussie expat, discovered varietals that have since made their way here.

CANOE BOCK BOCK

Availability: Seasonal

Canadian Brewing Awards winner. Perfects the Euro lager-style by balancing mild and spicy hop notes with rich and complex German malt flavours. An ideal brew to celebrate the imminent arrival of spring with.

ALE

Availability: Year-round

Hits of rich chocolate and roasted coffee. A Cascadian hop backbone with a clean and crisp finish. It’s dark but not heavy. Murphy promises that you won’t need to be rolled off the patio after you have a few.

CANOE LAGER L AGER

Availability: Year-round

A nice hop finish on an extremely clean, crushable lager. Winner of a silver medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards. Another example of Canoe’s beers having one foot in tradition, and the other kicking around local, contemporary influences.

IPA

Availability: Year-round

While Pacific Northwest hops are all the rage in IPAs, brewmaster Murphy pays tribute to his home country with a taste of Aussie hops. A nice balance of tropical fruit hops and a refreshing malt profile.

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.” – Benjamin Franklin

Candemonium!

Collectors take beer appreciation to another level

by Shawn Conner

Dave Maxwell began collecting beer cans 40 years ago. He was only 11. Eventually, his collection grew to encompass more than 4,500 cans and bottles.

He’s since culled his collection down to about 1,500. But this is small potatoes compared to some other collections, he says.

He knows of at least one collector in B.C. who, at one time, had 15,000-plus cans.

“The biggest collection I’ve ever seen on display was in Arizona, about 10,000 cans. And that was utterly nuts.”

Maxwell, who teaches archaeology at Simon Fraser University, says he’s always been fascinated by “ancient and not-so-ancient history.” A pre-teen interest in bottle caps led to beer cans and bottles.

Over the years, his interest in beer cans has grown to include other aspects of “breweriana,” as collectors call it, such as trays and signs. “I never tried to collect trays, but I have 30 or 40 of them. It just kind of accumulates. I’m an accumulator.”

Most of the cans are empty. His oldest full can is from 1938, a Humboldt Extra Pale from Northern California.

He, and most collectors, collect cans, not bottles. “It’s because of space, primarily,” he says. “And bottles break. If there’s a tremor or you bump into a shelf, bottles fall to the floor. They smash and they’re dangerous. Most people I know start off collecting everything and eliminate most if not all of their bottles.”

Steel cans are more sought-after than aluminum

cans, which Canadian breweries switched to in 1984.

“I would say 95 per cent of what I have are steel,” he said. “There are a few aluminum cans I have hung onto. Canada experimented with them in the East in 1967 or so, and there are about 20 really hard-to-find Canadian aluminum cans from that era. I’ve kept those and a handful of other ones. More out of curiosity and labels I happen to like.”

Cans came to Eastern Canada earlier than the West, which didn’t make the formatting switch from bottles until the late 1960s. And no collector worth his hops cares about stubbies.

“Nobody wants these things, even if they’re rare,” Maxwell said. “I don’t know anybody who still collects stubbies. The old long-necked bottles from the pre-stubbie days, some people still collect them.”

Many collectors value graphic appeal over rarity, although some extremely rare cans sell for big bucks.

“There are a couple that sold for six figures in the U.S. recently,” he noted. “But, generally speaking, really rare label designs aren’t that well known and they may not bring in anywhere near as much money as one that looks nice.”

The most he’s ever paid for a can is $200 for an O’Keefe’s Old Vienna can from Montreal from the late 1950s, “in absolutely perfect condition.” He estimates his own collection at somewhere in the neighbourhood of $5,000-7,500.

Maxwell doesn’t do much collecting anymore, but while he’s travelling he will pop his head into what he calls “junkie-looking antique stores.”

“I find something in about one out of every 20 stores. With the Internet, most people know what they are worth.”

Meanwhile, the number of collectors is shrinking. Maxwell was 14 when he joined the association now known as the Brewery Collectibles Club of America (formerly the Beer Can Collectors of America, founded in 1970). Then, he said, there were over 10,000 active members. Now, he says that there are just a few thousand.

“There are very few young collectors at this point,” he said. “Part of that is because it was a big fad in the ’70s I think part of the lack of collectors today is that the aluminum cans don’t have the graphics. The paint isn’t as nice as the old steel cans. And that doesn’t appeal to as many collectors.”

And then there’s the issue of space.

In 2013, he decided it was time to get rid of more than two-thirds of his collection of beer cans.

“I got rid of basically my post-1984 Canadian collection, other than maybe a six-pack and odds and ends that I kept, primarily for space,” he said. Was it hard to part with three-quarters of the collection he’d built up over decades?

“Actually, not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. My wife asked, ‘Are you going to sell these on eBay?’ I said, ‘You want me to spend four years trying to sell them on eBay?’”

Instead, he took them to the bottle depot and got back a dime apiece.

“My wife asked if I was okay. And I said, ‘Actually, I feel liberated. I don’t have the tyranny of keeping these things organized anymore. I don’t have to worry, ‘Do I have that Labatt can? No, I don’t have that Labatt can. I have 159 Labatt cans instead of 160.’ I couldn’t deal with that anymore. It was refreshing to get rid of most of those.” j

Dave Maxwell’s extensive collection currently includes around 1,500 cans.

I think part of the lack of collectors today is that the aluminum cans don’t have the graphics. The paint isn’t as nice as the old steel cans.

CATEGORY 12 BREWING

Unit C - 2200 Keating Cross Rd. | category12beer.com

TUE-SAT 12-6PM

EST. 2014

Its labels tell the whole story – dynamic, irresistible brews whose recipes are just a tad askew from the styles they’re brewed in.

WAVEFORM WITBIER

Availability: Year-round

19

A soft wheat body and grapefruit character make for a refreshing, quaffable wit.

INSUBORDINATE I NDIA S ESSION A LE

Availability: Seasonal

A piney, citrusy ISA with a bolt of crispiness that leads to a mild, malty sweetness and a dry finish.

DRIFTWOOD BREWERY

450 Hillside Ave. | driftwoodbeer.com

TUE-SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2008

Sartori. Singularity. Old Cellar Dweller. The beer names alone turn the mouths of beer nerds frothy. Helps that the beers themselves are top-notch.

ENTANGLED

HOPFEN W EISSE

Availability: Seasonal

Weaving an old-school hefe with an IPA, with big hops and a banana-and-cloves flavour.

NAUGHTY HILDEGARD E

Availability: Seasonal

This ode to the 12th-century nun is a very hop-forward take on the normally-balanced ESB.

Victoria BC

Victoria | Campbell River | Kelowna

HOYNE BREWING CO.

101-2740 Bridge St. | hoynebrewing.ca

MON-FRI 12-6PM ^ SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2011

Sean Hoyne’s enterprise has long been powered by Dark Matter, but his crew of lesser-known beers always set their flavours to stun, too.

APPLETON ESB EXTRA

Availability: Year-round

Ample malt base. Heavy dose of English hops. Beer pioneer Frank Appleton would approve.

VICTORIA

EASY

Availability: Year-round

A smooth, satisfying West Coast pale ale that highlights the classic Cascade hop.

LIGHTHOUSE BREWING CO.

2 - 836 Devonshire Rd. | lighthousebrewing.com

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

EST. 1998

A beacon for quality beer for nearly 20 years. Lighthouse’s core lineup remains dependable and there are racier small batches happening, too.

RACE ROCKS

Availability: Year-round

“Brewed with little caution or restraint,” Lighthouse says. And also a metric frick-ton of hops.

Availability: Year-round

A malt-forward B.C. classic nearing its 20th birthday. Still brings in the awards.

MOON UNDER WATER B REWER Y

350B Bay St. | moonunderwater.ca

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

EST. 2012

Some of Victoria’s best beers come out of here, including painstakingly crafted German and Belgian styles and barrel-aged beauties.

HIP AS FUNK

FARMHOUSE IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

35

Juicy citrus and tropical fruit hops fade into a spicy, earthy finish thanks to brett and saison yeasts.

VICTORIA

PHILLI P S BREW I N G

& M A LT I N G C O . 2010 Government St. | phillipsbeer.com

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

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

EST. 2001

LIGHT SIDE OF THE MOON

S ESS I ON L AGER

Availability: Year-round

A distinctly refreshing unfiltered lager with a touch of orange and rice malts for a light body.

Creators of both highly accessible and palate-wrecking brews have made Phillips a uniquely, uncompromising homegrown Van Isle hero.

ODYSSEY

NI TRO PORTER

Availability: Year-round

A new brew featuring an earthy brown body with roasted flavours and hints of nut and chocolate.

SAX IN THE DARK

D ARK S OUR A LE

Availability: Seasonal

This grape must-infused kettle sour offers subtle grape notes and round, toasted malt flavours.

SPINNAKERS BREWPUB

308 Catherine St. | spinnakers.com

DAILY 8AM-11PM

EST. 1984

Canada’s oldest brewpub is also one of its most versatile and experimental, churning out masterful (and occasionally bizarre) brews.

CIEL

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal VICTORIA

A Belgian porter brewed with French saison yeast and aged in oak barrels for nine months.

CRUNCH

by Jan Zeschky

Let’s say you’ve just set up Super Soda Co. It’s the culmination of your dream to sell premium pop made with high-end ingredients. You’ve put your business plan together. After much searching, you found the perfect production space. The equipment is set up, ingredients are ordered, and soon you have a product ready to sell.

You’re already well in the red due to the costs of setting up. But relief is ahead because social media is buzzing with your imminent arrival, and soon you’ll be cashing your first cheques.

Now let’s say that, to legally sell your soda, you

had no option but to enter a contract with the government. The government then demands you send them every cent of your sales income, with tax on top. Then the government takes weeks to process that income, before finally sending it back minus the tax. Let’s say you had to do this every week.

This is exactly how breweries in British Columbia have to operate in accordance with the B.C. government’s Liquor Distribution Branch.

Let’s be clear: liquor isn’t soda. It’s a good idea for any intoxicant to be taxed and regulated. But

Although LDB reform is underway, small breweries are still feeling the pinch of the drawn-out payment process

B.C. breweries say that, from opening day, they’re handicapped by the LDB’s taxation system – and, in light of the B.C. government’s liquor law reforms of the past couple of years, the bureaucracy of the LDB is looking outdated.

Although there is a commitment to reform the LDB in the 2013 Liquor Policy Review (recommendation No. 58), it’s unclear how or when change will filter down to help B.C.’s breweries, which include some of the province’s smallest – and, arguably, most vulnerable – liquor manufacturers.

Due to the drawn-out markup payment process – which has a minimum turnaround of 15 days –the LDB sits on tens of thousands of dollars of a brewery’s income at any one time. Multiply that by 100, roughly the number of small breweries currently operating in B.C., and the figure is in the millions.

For Dageraad Brewing in Burnaby, two weeks of income tallies to around $25,000-$30,000, says owner and head brewer Ben Coli. “I could afford another fermenter or two if I could get that money from them,” he adds.

The figure is considerably more for New Westminster’s Steel & Oak Brewing Co., which is bigger in size. “For us to operate from a cash perspective, I normally need $65,000-$75,000 in my bank account at any one time. And the fluctuation of that gives me a heart attack,” says Steel & Oak co-owner Jorden Foss.

“It’s so stressful. So stressful.”

Exactly why the LDB operates this way is a mystery.

“Federal excise make us get a bond for more than the taxes we pay, so if something happens they can still take it from the bond,” surmises James Walton, who’s had time to adapt to – less understand – the LDB’s practices during the 22 years that he’s operated Storm Brewing in Vancouver.

“The LDB doesn’t have a bond so they’re probably just trying to make sure the money’s there before they give it to us just in case something goes wrong. Because if they don’t get paid they get really cranky and send out police cars to arrest you,” he says with a laugh.

There’s also a sense that some of the LDB’s pricing policies haven’t kept up with the times.

This is particularly apparent in the relatively new phenomenon of breweries with tasting rooms and lounges that dispense beer from their own kegs.

The LDB asks that breweries charge themselves for that keg; and, furthermore, add a $30 standard deposit for each keg it goes through. The deposit seems sensible when it’s applied to a brewery’s customers such as bars or restaurants, but less so when the “customer” is the brewery itself.

The brewery is eventually reimbursed for the deposit, but it amounts to another chunk of change that could easily remain in house, Coli says.

“I don’t know why they have anything to do with my keg deposits,” he adds. “It’s safe to say that the LDB is sitting on $2,000 worth of [my] keg deposits at any given time, sometimes a bit more.”

Then there’s the paperwork. Keeping track of LDB invoicing is enormously time-consuming, breweries find. Registering, de-registering and even amending details of their products in the LDB’s system is cumbersome and takes weeks to see results.

What adds to the general frustration breweries feel is the lack of communication from the LDB about its procedures, which leads breweries to consult each other as much as the branch.

But change is happening, slowly.

The move to wholesale pricing last April was a step forward, and meant that breweries no longer had to register a separate SKU for every single growler size of every single beer they served.

Additionally, the BC Craft Brewers Guild has been in recent, “super-productive” talks with the LDB, says guild executive director Ken Beattie. >>

I dont' know why they have anything to do with my keg deposits. It's safe to say that the LDB is sitting on $2,000 worth of [my] keg deposits at any given time, sometimes a bit more. - Ben Coli

The B.C. government’s decision last July to combine the liquor portfolio with that of small business and red-tape reduction – giving all three ministerial briefs to Coralee Oakes – was another positive sign, Beattie believes.

In fact, the LDB has already changed structurally in a bid to streamline its processes. Last year it split into separate wholesale and retail wings. Part of the new wholesale division’s plan is to “strengthen its relationships with local craft brewers and provide streamlined service to them,” says LDB spokeswoman April Kemick, who adds that all things beer-related will soon be handled by one specific group of staff.

“This will ensure that all communications, interpretations, advice and support for breweries is consistent,” Kemick says.

Of course, one simple way of appeasing breweries would be to allow them to send a markup payment every week instead of their entire sales income.

“The LDB charges the same number of cents per litre for all of my products now,” Coli says. “Can’t I just tell them the litreage every week and send them the 55-cent-per-litre markup? That’s how any other tax would function.

“As a business owner, especially as a brewery, I levy so much tax for various levels of government – PST, GST, payroll taxes, excise, corporate income tax – and I’m trusted to do all that stuff. But I can’t be trusted to give the LDB’s markup to them.”

Asked about the LDB’s method of markup collection, Kemick replied: “Although there is a waiting period before the LDB returns a B.C.

brewery’s supplier cost after the full proceeds of sale are submitted, after the initial waiting period, payments would flow on a regular basis.

“If the brewery completes their reporting and remittance on time, the turnaround for payment is 15 days. Considering the nature and high volume of these transactions, this is not an extensive amount of time to complete payment.”

Breweries may yet see a practical fix to LDB invoicing. But a wider overhaul of liquor regulation in B.C. is unlikely, says political strategist and columnist Bill Tieleman.

“The thing everybody has to realize about the B.C. government and the Liquor Distribution Branch is that their primary overriding function is to make loads of money for the government to offset any possible need to increase taxes or find other sources,” says Tieleman, who adds that the LDB makes an annual pure profit of almost $1 billion.

“The needs of craft breweries, small wineries, of customers, of importers, of foreign wineries and breweries, everything is secondary by a mile to making loads and loads of money […] The only recourse that smaller players in the liquor business have is to attempt to influence public opinion.”

It’s a small crumb of comfort for small breweries who feel B.C.’s regulatory system is unnecessarily obstructive.

“I believe in taxes. I’m a socialist, I believe in social welfare, I’m happy to pay for it,” Coli says.

“I don’t mind being regulated, I just don’t want to be slowed down.” j

The needs of craft breweries, small wineries, of customers, of importers, of foreign wineries and breweries, everything is secondary by a mile to making loads and loads of money.

- Bill Tieleman

SWANS BRE W ERY

506 Pandora Ave. | swanshotel.com

MON-WED 11:30AM-1AM ^ THU-FRI 11:30AM-2AM

SAT 9AM-2AM ^ SUN 9AM-12AM

EST. 2002

Andrew Tessier is never satisfied with past brews. He experiments regularly on his seasonal taps and keeps the regular beers tip-top.

SUCKER

TESSIER’S WITBIER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

15

A brand new, light-bodied kettle sour featuring Citra hops.

This zesty Belgian-style wit is seasoned with coriander, orange peel and a secret spice.

VANCOUV ER ISLAND B RE WERY

2330 Government St. | vibrewery.com

DAILY 10AM-6PM

EST. 1986

VIB still puts faith in its trusty Piper’s Pale Ale, but a growing roster of limited releases proves this 30-something still has fresh moves.

SEA DOG AMBER ALE A LTBIER

Availability: Year-round

A malty ale with a citrus lilt that’s sure to satisfy landlubbers and sea-farers alike.

HERMANN’S DARK LAGER

Availability: Year-round

2016 marks 30 years of Hermann’s gently roasty coffee-caramel maltiness and softly dry finish.

CRAIG STREET BREWING C O.

25 Craig St. | craigstreet.ca

DAILY 11AM-12AM

EST. 2006

Original brewer Chris Gress moved across the highway to open Red Arrow, but things are still ticking along at the brewpub.

ARBUTUS PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

40

This British-style ale is light and malty with a very subtle hop character.

DU NCAN

SHAWNIGAN IRISH ALE RED A LE

Availability: Year-round

A copper-coloured, full-bodied ale with roasted caramel and light chocolate notes.

RE D ARROW BREWING CO.

5255 Chaster Rd. | redarrowbeer.ca

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

EST. 2015

Red Arrow’s one of the greatest merchandisers we’ve ever seen. Fortunately, they’re not slouching on the beer either.

HERITAGE RIVER

HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

Full-bodied and big on orange and citrus flavours. Bubblegum and clove on the nose.

SWEET LEAF

I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A balanced malt profile eases the considerable wallop of the floral hops.

RIOT B R EWING CO.

101A - 3055 Oak St. | riotbrewing.com

HOURS TBD

EST. 2016

In the works for more than six years, founder Aly Tomlin (previously of R&B Brewing) says, “It’s about f-ing time!”

UNTITLED #1

SOME KINDA I NDIA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

IB U 00% 00 CHEMAIN US

UNTITLED #2

SOME K INDA P ALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

00% 00

Riot didn’t have any info yet at press time so let us know how it tastes.

AB V N ANAIMO

We’re guessing it will be hoppy but they’re keeping it a secret.

L ONGWOO D BR EWE RY

101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. | longwoodbeer.com

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

EST. 2013

Brewing legend Harley Smith keeps Longwood’s output polished while offering one-offs in the tasting room and separate brewpub.

BERRIED ALIVE

RA SP BE RR Y A LE

Availability: Year-round

Delightfully balanced and packed with B.C. raspberries, with just enough counteracting malt and hops.

This hefty, hoppy lager was brewed using only ingredients grown within 20km of Longwood.

WHITE SAIL S BRE W ING

125 Comox Rd. | whitesailsbrewing.com

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

EST. 2015

Nanaimo’s newest brewery is located right downtown, with a big tasting room and a beer list pegged to convert lovers of Lucky.

YELLOW POINT PALE ALE

PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A very quaffable British-style pale ale: malty with a light, floral hop character.

WO L F B RE W ING C O .

Availability: Year-round

The perfect reward after trail riding, hiking or kayaking in the great outdoors around Nanaimo.

940 Old Victoria Rd. | wolfbrewingcompany.com

DAILY 11AM-9PM

EST. 2010

Wolf is still struggling to gain momentum outside of Nanaimo, but if you’re visiting the Island, give ’em a try.

PORTER PORTER

Availability: Year-round

Rich and roasty with notes of espresso and chocolate and a dry finish.

GOLDEN HONEY ALE

HONEY A

Availability: Year-round

Brewed with locally sourced raw honey, this beer is bright, refreshing and delicious.

MT BENSON IPA INFANT I LE P ARAD I NG AMOEBA

Less than 40 Seconds to Fill!

BBS Systems has been in business for over 25 years and has built its reputation using only quality equipment, and more importantly, #1 service. At BBS, we have not only installed quality draft and liquor systems but have now created and installed our custom made growler ller with a less than 40 second pour!

Our llers have:

• CO2 Purge Valve to Eliminate Oxygen in the Bottle

• Bottom Filling Tube to Keep Beer Under the Blanket of CO2

• Flow Control Faucet Regulates the Pour Speed to Minimize Foam

• Flash Chiller Further Reduces Foam on the Pour and Maintains Carbonation

• Additional Cleaning System for Sanitizing CO2 Lines to Maintain CO2 Purity

CUMBERLAND BREWING CO.

2732 Dunsmuir Ave. | cumberlandbrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

A hip, cave-like tasting room nestled in the heart of one the best kept secret towns in B.C. Good people + good beer + good pizza = Go.

RED TAPE PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Malt-forward, but with plenty of hops, smooth and full-bodied.

COURTENAY

TROPICAL HOP

Availability: Seasonal

A bright, tropical ISA that’s severely quaffable but can still satisfy the hop fiends.

FORBIDDEN BREWING CO .

1590 Cliffe Ave. | forbiddenbrewing.com

THU-FRI 3-10PM ^ SAT-SUN 12-10PM

EST. 2015

This tiny operation only brews enough to sell on-site so you’ll have to plan a trip there to taste it.

FORBIDDEN PALE ALE PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

A well balanced pale ale that will keep you coming back for more.

Availability: Seasonal

Do I smell bacon? Smooth, creamy and chocolatey with a hint of smoke.

THE GROWLER GUIDE T O B.C.'S

Nanaimo, Comox Valley, Powell River & Gibsons

Contrary to popular belief, the B.C. beer industry’s greatest asset is not the beer itself. No, it’s the actual space between the breweries, which make for some excellent road tripping if you’re so inclined.

We’re talking some staggering beauty here, folks: the hilly, Old West-y stretch between Kamloops and Kelowna; the rugged mountainous views between Nelson and Fernie; the epic coast between Powell River and Gibsons.

The latter makes up a quarter of the Circle Route Ale Trail, the first phase of an inter-agency tourism program designed to boost the profile of North Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast that includes Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, Powell River and Gibsons.

The tourism angle is a no-brainer. The region’s natural beauty is as raw and exciting as anywhere else in the world, while offering a refreshingly relaxed cultural perspective. Beer, naturally, is the obvious hook for a few reasons: a) It’s internationally trendy; b) tourists enjoy boozing whilst on vacation; and c) it’s the most visible and celebrated cultural industry that the four cities along this route most have in common.

The Growler took time out of its busy schedule to provide for you 1,000 words on why you should take the trip and what exactly you’ll see while you’re there* (thought we mostly ignored the beer here, since we discuss that in length elsewhere in this issue). You're welcome.

DAY 1 // NANAIMO

It’s easy to write Nanaimo off as one sprawling urban dive – what with the dearth of refined cultural spaces and confounding layout. But what we all take for granted just how beautiful the city is. Nanaimo’s worth the visit, if just for the day, and if just for these breweries.

DRINK // WHITE SAIL S BRE W ING

Located across from Nanaimo’s Sutton Park, Nanaimo’s newest brewery is an effective billboard for craft beer for the Lucky-lovin’ locals. The tasting room is spacious, bright and hip while avoiding pretension. The beers are all sessionable, approachable and tasty without overdoing the flavour. By summer, White Sails will have the introductory craft beer segment nailed.

DRINK

MORE // LONG WOOD BRE W ERY

Longwood is one of the most underappreciated breweries in the province, which is a shame. Several of its beers are interstellar, including (fittingly)

the Stoutnik Russian Imperial Stout. The tasting room is modest and located in an industrial area that takes a bit of effort to get to if you’re prone to laziness, but it’s worth the trek.

DRINK M ORE? // WOLF BRE W ING

You’re in the area. Just check them out.

E AT // LONG WOOD BRE W PU B

The original Longwood exists under the same umbrella as the brewery. Good pub fare here.

STAY // COA S T B A S TION I NN

Modest, comfortable and within stumbling distance of White Sails.

DAY 2 // COMOX VALLEY

There’s a renaissance happening in the Valley, as young families and professionals flee larger urban areas for a calmer lifestyle and more affordable real estate. The region’s small enough that locals with enough savvy and ambition can mold the

area into something sophisticated and funky, but large enough that these concepts will be embraced – which is how three craft breweries are now operating in an region with less than 45,000 people.

DRINK // CUMBERLAND B REWING

Cumberland’s a former mining town turned mountain biking haven and mid-Island hipster paradise, peppered with little character homes sold at reasonable prices. The brewery captures and expands on the eclectic, down-home vibes. A dependable, ever-rotating tap list and some of the friendliest people you’re likely to come across.

DRINK MORE // G LADSTONE B REWING

The tasting room has a distinct auto garage theme, and is made up of two wooden long tables, enhancing the community feel. Today, a hippie Millennial is working the bar. A pair of 30-something mothers are sitting next to a foursome of seniors, one of whom is holding Gladstone’s stout up to the light and saying, “It truly is a revolution,” to which The Growler assumes is referring to the craft beer revolution. But who really knows.

DRINK MORE (!) // FORBIDDEN B REWING

A small, extremely laid back brewery located in the ground floor of the Best Western, which makes it easy to miss. The beers are largely West Coast in style, but again, without any of the fuss or muss that tends to dominate tasting rooms in bigger cities. It’s the sort of place that, according to head brewer Nicholas Williams, closes when “people stop coming.”

E AT // G UERILLA PIZZA

Attached to Gladstone, but separately owned, Guerilla has all the style of Vancouver pizzeria. All the ingredients are locally sourced, and almost everything on the menu is made in house.

E AT M ORE // W HITE WHALE RESTAURANT

A craft beer-focused pub located in a converted

home along the slough. The menu offers a range of meals, from pizza to ramen to fresh sushi.

STAY // H OLIDAY I NN EX P RESS

It’s no Fairmont Newport Beach, but the rooms are cheap, cozy and come with complimentary access to a waterslide.

DAY 3 // POWELL RIVER

There’s a Gilmore Girls-y quality to this town, where one gets the sense there’s a single degree of separation between everyone, and everyone’s extraordinarily friendly (and a little peppy), and they’re all apparently aware of your business.

The town’s divided in two parts: Westview, which is more populated and offers mind-blowing views of the Salish Sea; and the historic Townsite – or “the armpit” as one local disingenuously described it. If it’s an armpit, it’s certainly a charming armpit, and something of a time warp. If you ignore the 2013 model Ford pickups and the marquee outside the Patricia Theatre that reads “Star Wars 3D,” you’ll get a good look of how the area looked in the’50s.

DRINK // TOWNSITE B REWING

Thanks to an actual Belgian brewer, Cedric Dauchot (who opened the brewery with his wife >>

Chloe Smith in 2012), Townsite offers the most authentically Belgian brews in the province. They’ve also shaped the town’s entire attitude, not just about beer – though they have turned an entire town of blue-collar, Blue-swilling locals on to craft – but about what a small business can be in Powell River, helping to kick off a time of renewal in the area. A must-see.

EAT // COASTAL COOKERY

A West Coast-inspired menu with salmon burgers and quinoa salads and Asian-inspired dishes and the best damn pretzel The Growler has ever eaten.

STAY // OLD C OURTHOUSE INN

Visit Powell River just for this place alone. It takes the Townsite time warp element and doubles down. The hotel – converted from the actual old courthouse – is a tribute to the city’s past, with antiques and displays that provides a glimpse into mid-century West Coast attitudes and fashion. It’s the sort of place you’d expect benevolent ghosts to dwell (but don’t).

DAY 4 // GIBSONS

Let’s take a little time to talk about the ferry. You need to take four on this trip, which means a total cost of $251.85 for two people. People complain

constantly about BC Ferries’ fees, but as The Growler was reminded constantly – mainly by Islanders and Coasters who are evidently obligated to address the issue whenever it comes up – B.C. actually has some of the lowest ferry rates in the world. Which, OK, whatever. The real treat, when viewed objectively, is that these four ferry rides are more like miniature cruises – smooth, comfortable passages through some of the most spectacular coastal views on the planet. Tourists pay thousands of dollars for actual cruises for a glimpse of this stuff, and locals certainly take it for granted.

DRINK // PERSE P HONE BREWING

The pièce de résistance of the trip. Are we using that correctly? It’s certainly a highlight of B.C. breweries. The tasting room itself has all comforts of a family cabin – plus lots of great beer, and crowds of locals who embrace Persephone as if it is, indeed, their very own cabin. It’s a family place with a picnic licence, where folks can fill growlers and drink them on site. There’s live music regularly. There’s a down-home vibe to the space, inspired in part by the living farm surrounding it.

EAT // FARM TO F EAST F OOD TRU C K

A pizza food truck located onsite at Persephone. Like all the pizza on this trip, it’s locally sourced ingredients and Napoli style, and all around impressive.

S TAY // A R C TURUS B ED & BREAK FAST

Gibsons is flocked with B&Bs, and any of them will do. Arcturus is a spacious two-floor home hosted by Stan and Celia Robben. They make excellent crepes. j

*This trip was organized and paid for by Tourism Nanaimo, Sunshine Coast Tourism, and Comox Valley Economic Development and Tourism. All ferry travel was complementary by BC Ferries.

GLADSTONE BREWING C O .

244 4th St. | gladstonebrewing.ca

DAILY 10AM-12AM

EST. 2015

Worth the trip to Courtenay alone. There’s first-rate beer in this beautiful restored garage, and killer Guerrilla pizza next door.

EXPORT STOUT

FOREIGN E XTRA STOUT

Availability: One-off

A massive dry stout full of the malty complexities of roasted coffee and bitter chocolate.

CZECH DARK

LAGER

DARK LAGER

Availability: One-off

25

Toasted malt is ably balanced by earthy Saaz hops in this bold lager.

1-866- 5 4 9 -1 3 2 3 sal es@ t hin kuni v e rsal .co m ww w. thin kunive rsa l. co m

TOFINO BREWING C O .

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

DAILY 11AM-9PM

EST. 2011

Are these folks living the dream? Brewing (excellent) beer out of a beautiful brewery in a West Coast paradise. Sure looks like it...

HOPPIN’ CRETIN IPA

ICELANDERS PRE P AR I NG APP ET I ZERS

Availability: Year-round

A light-bodied and generously hopped IPA that finishes extremely dry.

SPRUCE TREE ALE G

Availability: Seasonal

A sweet, full-bodied golden ale, conditioned with Sitka spruce tips.

TOWNSITE BREWING

5824 Ash Ave. | townsitebrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2012

Although its beer is available all over, plan a visit to the brewery in person for the full Townsite experience.

7800 SAISON

Availability: Seasonal

A dry, fruity and zesty beer made with coriander and orange peel, perfect for Easter dinner.

Availability: Seasonal

This classic Belgian harvest ale’s name refers to the distance to brewer Cédric Dauchot’s home town.

CUMBERLAND

COASTAL CiRCLE ROUTE LE TRAiL

Sunshine Coast

Strait of Georgia

Vancouver Island

NANAIMO

White Sails Brewing 125 Comox Rd, Nanaimo 250-754-2337

whitesailsbrewing.com

Longwood Brewery 101A-2046 Boxwood Rd

Nanaimo 250-591-2739

longwoodbeer.com

Wolf Brewing 940 Old Victoria Rd

Nanaimo 250-716-2739

wolfbrewingcompany.com

COMOX VALLEY SUNSHINE COAST

Forbidden Brewing 1590 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay 250-702-7975

forbiddenbrewing.com

Gladstone Brewing 244 4th St, Courtenay 250-879-1111

gladstonebrewing.ca

Cumberland Brewing 2732 Dunsmuir Ave

Cumberland 250-400-2739

cumberlandbrewing.com

Townsite Brewing 5824 Ash Ave Powell River 604-483-2111

townsitebrewing.com

Persephone Brewing 1053 Stewart Rd

Gibsons 778-462-3007

persephonebrewing.com

SECHELT

POWELL RIVER

NANAIMO

Top 5 tips for designing a craft beer label

presented by The Growler and Summit Print

Fact: Packaged beer demands good art. Eye-catching labels are a huge factor in why consumers will buy your product. Whether you’re a home brewer or are marketing pro, here are some tips to help you create a successful craft beer label:

Tip #1 Shape / Size

• Unique label shapes can differentiate your brand and establish an identity.

• They should cover 30-75 per cent of the bottle body so that they're identifiable from a distance.

Tip #2 Layout

• Strategically design your label layout so that you lead with your logo and brand name to attract your loyal consumers.

• Craft beer fans are receptive to industry terms and processes. Include descriptive words and explain how the beer was crafted on the back.

Tip #3 Typefaces

• Use the same set of fonts across your line of brews for cohesion.

Tip #4 Illustrations

• Iconic, eye-catching and thought provoking graphics should be used to differentiate your product.

• Keep future releases in mind – a cohesive beer lineup has a stronger market presence.

Hey, you professionals!

Know your audience

Craft beer enthusiasts are very conscious of quality vs. price and are more educated about the industry.

Establish an Identity

Consistency is important when releasing multiple products in one line. Your brand identity sets the tone for your products – and people will judge it accordingly.

Determine the Purpose

Craft beers come into your life for a season (a pumpkin ale), a reason (an "Anniversary Stout") or a lifetime (an "Original Lager"). Your label needs to reflect this.

Tip #5 Material / Finish

• Durability, moisture resistance, adhesion, texture and cost-efficiency are important factors when choosing a label material.

• Don’t be afraid to try something new to add character.

• Gloss and matte finishes pair well with beer labels and protect the ink.

.

Summit Print is a team of Vancouver-based custom label and packaging experts servicing a broad clientele of B.C. breweries and distilleries. Check out their website at www.summitprint.ca

PERSEPHONE BREWING C O .

1053 Stewart Rd. | persephonebrewing.com

DAILY 11AM-7PM

EST. 2013

This Gibsons brewery’s welcoming tasting room beckons with its comfy-cozy vibe, great beer and resident food truck and outdoor pizza oven.

PERSEPHONE

PALE ALE

AMERIC A N P A LE ALE

Availability: Year-round

33

The brewery’s new flagship pale ale is available in six-packs as well as 650-ml bombers.

DOUBLE IPA

DOUBLE I NTROVERTE D PENGUIN

A PP RENTICE S

Availability: Seasonal

Massive additions of Amarillo, Galaxy and Cascade hops give this Pliny clone fruity aromas.

GULF I S LA N D S B REWERY

270 Furness Rd. | saltspringislandales.com

DAILY 11:30AM-5:30PM

EST. 1998

Using hops from a nearby farm and brewing with nearby well-water, Salt Spring tastfully embodies the Gulf Island lifestyle.

HEATHER ALE SCOTTI S H ALE

Availability: Year-round

For a 4,000-year-old Scottish drink, it’s light and refreshing, infused with local heather flowers.

EARL O’ IPA

I GNOBLE PA RROT A TT A CK S !

Availability: Year-round

British-style IPA with bergamot oil added, giving it a classy Earl Grey tea flavour.

FIREHALL BREWERY

6077 Main St. | firehallbrewery.com

HOURS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

EST. 2012

Firehall has been extinguishing wine country’s beer thirst since 2012 with a small but well-tuned range of ales.

FALSE ALARM BITTER

PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 4.8% 40

A recipe mix-up created this serendipitously delicious pale ale.

PENTICTON

HOLY SMOKE STOUT SMOKED STOUT

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 4.5% 25

A sturdy stout that belies its strength. Full of roasted coffee, dark chocolate and smoke.

BAD TATTOO BREWING CO.

169 Estabrook Ave. | badtattoobrewing.com

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

EST. 2014

Penticton’s newest brewery offers a good mix of staple styles and diverse seasonals alongside some supremely delicious pizza options.

RUNESTONE

PEATED

SCOTTISH ALE SMOKED SCOTCH ALE

Availability: Seasonal

ABV IBU 5.8% 18

The smoky, caramel character of this rich Scotch ale will get your kilt flying.

LOS MUERTOS CERVEZA NEGRA

DARK LAGER

Availability: Year-round

ABV IBU 5.0% 25

A Mexican-style black lager (like a German dunkel) with a malty, roasted character.

BEERS on the LAKE

MAY 12 - 14 | 2016

120 BEERS • 40 BREWERIES • 3 DAYS • 3000 ATTENDEES

Nestled on the beautiful beaches of Okanagan Lake and right in the heart of the city of Kelowna, Waterfront Park, 40 breweries will come together, pouring beers from across North America and the World. The Great Okanagan Beer Festival will be a 3 day festival, offering patrons a mix of exclusive cask events, beer and brewing seminars, and a beer sampling main event. At the main event, on Saturday, May 14th, 2016, we’ll be pouring for an estimated 3,000 beer drinkers and celebrating the unity of water, hops, yeast and malt.

GREAT OKANAGAN BEER FESTIVAL

GREAT OKANAGAN BEER FESTIVAL •

CANNERY BREWING

198 Ellis St. | cannerybrewing.com

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

EST. 2000

The brewery’s new tasting room offers special events, food and, of course, beer, including an exBEERimental tap featuring pilot brews.

KIEK IN DE KÖK

BALTIC PORTER

Availability: Seasonal

40

Sweet, roasted malts and a spark of dark fruit lead to a rich, velvety finish.

TH E T IN WH I S T L E B REWING CO.

#112-1475 Fairview Rd. | tinwhistle.ca

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

EST. 1995

THE MUSE AND THE GOLDEN PROMISE

E XTRA PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

Hop-forward and well balanced, this extra pale ale blends Golden Promise malt with Simcoe hops.

Brewer Jeff Todd resembles a Scottish warrior with his kilt and beard. He also knows his way around a brew kettle.

STAG APPLE SCOTCH ALE

FRUIT-IN F USED S COTCH A LE

Availability: Seasonal

OATMEAL RUM

RAISIN RED ALE

“ C OOKIE-LIKE B EER” (?)

Availability: Seasonal

Brewed with raisins, oatmeal, molasses, rum and spices to emulate oatmeal raisin cookies.

Todd brewed this on Robert Burns Day wearing his kilt with the Real McKenzies at volume 11.

BNA BREWING CO.

1250 Ellis St. | bnabrewing.com

EATERY 4PM-LATE ^ TASTING ROOM 1-8PM

EST. 2015

Kelowna’s lucky to have one of the rare brewpubs out there that offers inventive food to match the inventive beer.

DON’T LOSE YOUR DINOSAUR

IND I A PALE A LE

Availability: Year-round

25

A bold, fruity IPA with lilting citrus notes and possibly the best beer name in B.C.

KELOWNA

K E TTL E R I V ER B REWING C O.

731 Baillie Ave. | kettleriverbrewing.ca

DAILY 12-10PM

EST. 2016

SWEATER WEATHER S

Availability: Year-round

Cozy up with the chocolate-coffee roastiness of this silky-smooth oatmeal stout.

Kettle River is bringing some of the best – and strangest –beers to a very thirsty Kelowna.

MABELLE TABLE

BELG I AN TA B LE

Availability: Year-round

Fresh citrus aromas with dried fruit and spicy yeast. A cross between a pale ale and a table beer.

SWITCHMAN IPA

Availability: Year-round

A big IPA that will satisfy the diehards. Strong citrus bite with a nice lingering bitterness.

TREE BREWING BEER IN S TIT U TE

1346 Water St. | treebeer.com

SUN-TUE 11AM-9PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-10PM

EST. 1996

There’s way more to Tree than its signature Hophead IPA; its Beer Institute in Kelowna has pizza, tank-to-tap beer and casks galore, for starters.

TRESTLE ESB

EXTRA SP E CIAL BOOG E R

Availability: Seasonal

North American take on an English bitter, with sturdy, nutty malt and a respectable hop profile.

This hop heavyweight pulls no punches with its fragrant fruitiness and rich caramel malt base.

MA RTEN B REWING CO.

2933 30th Ave. | martenbrewpub.com

SUN-FRI 4PM-1AM ^ SAT 4PM-2AM

EST. 2015

Stefan and Pearl Marten opened Vernon’s first brewpub with help from ex-Tree braumeister, Stefan Buhl.

Availability: Year-round

This “Big Friggin’ IPA” has a piney, citrusy hop profile balanced by a medium body.

This proper German lager has a smooth, malty base and a refreshing, floral hop aroma.

SHU S WAP LAKE BREWING CO.

20 Shuswap St. | barleystation.com

DAILY 11AM-11PM

EST. 2006

With good beer and a great restaurant (Barley Station), this is the perfect rest stop on your road trip to wherever (assuming you’re in the area).

STATION HOUSE

Availability: Year-round

A blonde that won medals at both the 2014 and 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards.

FIRKIN

Availability: Seasonal

A proper dry Irish stout poured with nitrogen for a delicious, thick, creamy head.

C RANN ó G A L E S

706 Elson Rd. | crannogales.com

DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM

EST. 2000

Beer, like farming, moves with the seasons. Crannog’s organic, zerowaste farm-brewery has kept to that timetable, with great success.

BACK HAND OF GOD STOUT

Availability: Year-round

Liquid velvet. Luxuriously smooth, with a coffee and chocolate roastiness.

RED BRANCH

Availability: Year-round

A robust, malt-forward ale delicately balanced by Pacific Gem and Fuggles hops.

Vodka. Unsung Heroes of Beer...

Veteran journalist and radio personality Joe Leary stumbled into the craft beer world when he started the Just Here for the Beer radio show with Rick Mohabir. It was conceived in 2009 as a way to get free beer from Labatt, but as the craft beer industry gained momentum, Leary found himself an esteemed member of the small but (ahem) elite B.C. beer media.

What were you doing prior to your involvement with the beer world?

I was doing everything from a Top 40 radio DJ to nightclub DJ at the Roxy to CityTV weatherman, to freelance writer.

What would you say is the best aspect of beer culture?

At some point you think we’re maxed out, we’re tapped out, there can’t be any more room. And there is. Stuff will come out that I personally don’t enjoy, but it still has a market. The best aspect is that there’s no limit and I’m kind of loathe to explain how that’s even possible, because in any other enterprise there’s definitely a saturation point. In this market, there doesn’t seem to be an off switch.

If you’re not drinking beer, you’re drinking… Vodka. Lots of it.

Do you get tired of talking about beer?

Yeah, I do, because I’m not even that big a beer guy. I fell into this. Somebody suggested that we pitch a show to a radio station. Let’s think of alliteration – B and B. Beer and barbecue. Yeah,

great. Free beer and barbecue. I was an average beer consumer, even though I’m Irish. I’m a vodka guy. If someone said, “Let’s do a vodka show,” I’m doing it tomorrow.

What’s your most memorable beer-related experience?

My first one. It was the first time I got hammered. I was in high school. My mom had deadbolted the back door, which was where my key was for. I was fumbling with the key, when my dad wakes up, opens the deadbolt, pulls open the door and I fell on him and threw up on his shoes. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Scottsdale, Arizona.

WHY?!

Because it’s always 30 degrees, there’s never a bad day in Scottsdale, and it’s fucking Scottsdale!

Just Here For the Beer airs the second and last Saturday of every month on TSN 1410. Leary’s new show BC Brew On Tap airs on on Shaw TV. j

NOBLE PIG BREWHOUSE

650 Victoria St. | thenoblepig.ca

MON-WED 11:30AM-11PM ^ THU-SAT 11:30AM-12AM

SUN 3-10PM

EST. 2010

The brewpub’s aesthetics are all Joey’s-meets-Cactus-Club, but the beer…m’gawd, the beer. Honestly worth the trip to Kamloops.

PRODIGAL SWINE

Availability: Year-round

A delicious, complex amber, with robust spice and malt flavours.

Availability: Year-round

A session ale that aims to please, with a crisp, biscuity finish. Awesome.

RE D C OLL A R BREWI N G C O.

355 Lansdowne St. | redcollar.ca

TUE-WED 4-10PM ^ THU-FRI 3-10PM ^ SAT 1-10PM

EST. 2014

Dave Beardsell’s one of the most expert brewers in the province, and is keeping the ’Loop’s nascent beer culture alive.

DARK A MBER WOBBLY

E

Availability: Seasonal

You’ll be wobbling to the door after a few glasses of this fruity brew.

Availability: Seasonal

Dark, silky, smooth – Barry White’s voice in a glass. Lover.

NELSO N BREWI N G CO.

512 Latimer St. | nelsonbrewing.com

DAILY 8:30AM-4:30PM

EST. 1991

Chilled-out Nelson has been the perfect environment to foster craft beer, as NBC’s quarter-century of producing all-organic ales testifies.

FACEPLANT ORGANIC WINTER ALE WINTER ALE

HOPGOOD ORGANIC SESSION IPA

INDI A SESSION A LE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

30

A rich, malty number made richer with the addition of brown sugar and molasses.

Blends northwestern hops with the floral, stonefruit profile of New Zealand’s Rakau strain.

TORCHLIGH T B REWI N G CO.

511 Front St. | torchlightbrewing.com

TUE 11AM-6PM ^ WED-THU 11AM-7PM

FRI-SAT 11AM-9PM

EST. 2014

Nelson’s nano has been busy expanding local palates, with limited batches of dubbels, tripels, goses, gruits and Northwestern favourites.

GALAXY BURST

WHITE IPA

INCOMPLETE PIR A TE A SS A SSIN A TION

Availability: Limited release

Expect a dominant profile of citrus and passionfruit along with gentle grain notes.

STOWAWAY STOUT

OA TME A L S TOUT

Availability: Limited release

Oatmeal smoothes over the roasty edges of this nourishing stout.

ROSSLAND BEE R CO.

1990 Columbia Ave. | rosslandbeer.com

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

EST. 2012

Rossland grew out of a U-Brew operation, but a gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards shows they know their stuff.

PAYDIRT PALE ALE

AMERIC A N P A LE ALE

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 5.2% 37

Delicious and hoppy, this is a well balanced ale with a juicy, fruity hop character.

ARR OWHEAD B R EWING CO.

SEVEN SUMMITS

MILK STOUT

M ILK STOUT

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 5.9% 20

This gold-plated award winner has coffee and chocolate notes and a smooth, creamy body.

481 Arrow Rd. | arrowheadbrewingcompany.ca

MON-SAT 11AM-6PM

EST. 2012

This is arguably the most remote brewery in the province. Is it worth the visit? Go find out for yourself…

THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER

S A I S ON

Availability: Seasonal

ABV I B U 6.8% 35

A hop-forward Belgian, brewed with orange peel and coriander.

I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

Availability: Year-round

ABV I B U 5.5% 45

An India session ale perfect for rocking out with the aforementioned band (or any other activity).

Barbecue Roast Chicken

with Strange Fellows Talisman

West Coast Pale Ale

These tender juicy chicken thighs will guarantee a happy table. We used chicken thighs but you can use any variety of cuts you’d like. Add your favorite BBQ sauce or make one from scratch if you’re feeling ambitious.

Serves 6

Marinate 24 hours

Cooking time 1 hour

INgredients

3 472 ml cans Strange Fellows Talisman

West Coast Pale Ale

3 cloves garlic

1 sprig rosemary

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon whole pepper corns

12 free range chicken thighs

2 cups Sebastian & Co. BBQ sauce

1 medium-sized onion

1/4 cup butter

Step 1

Rinse the chicken thighs under cold water and pat dry. Place in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. In a large bowl, add the crushed garlic, rosemary, peppercorns, sugar and salt, plus half a can of Talisman. (Drink the other half.) Pour the mixture over the chicken making sure that it is submerged. If you are using a larger container just add more beer until the chicken is covered. Place in the fridge and let marinate for 24 hours.

Step 2

In order to add some extra beer flavour to your barbecue sauce, dice the onion and sauté in 1/4 cup of butter until soft. Add a half of a can of the Strange Fellows Talisman and reduce until the beer has evaporated. Add the onion mixture to your favorite barbecue sauce and heat for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

Step 3

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F. Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper and place skin side down on the pan. Roast in your pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. Rotate the pan after 20 minutes to ensure the chicken is equally browned. Remove from the oven and flip the chicken so the skin side is facing up. Baste the chicken with the barbecue sauce and bake for 7 minutes. Remove and repeat the basting process and bake for another 7 minutes. Keep your eye on it as the sugars in the sauce easily burn. Once the sauce is sticky and bubbly, remove and let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Place the chicken on a platter and serve with roasted corn and your favourite salad or slaw. Heat the leftover BBQ sauce and serve on the side. Be sure to have cans of Talisman to pair with the chicken.

Park Place Productions & Events is a fresh and creative event planning company / private caterer that thrives on bringing any vision to reality.

parkplaceproductions.ca | @parkplaceprod

FERNIE BREWING CO.

26 Manitou Rd. | ferniebrewing.com

MON-THU 10AM-6PM ^ FRI-SAT 10AM-8PM

EST. 2003

“The taste of the Rockies” may have been a one-time tagline for macro swill, but Fernie Brewing’s dependable line of brews is more representative of what real beer from the stunning mountain region should taste like. Since the Pask family first started brewing in 2003, they’ve given folks another reason to visit the popular skiing and outdoors destination.

PROJECT 9

Availability: Year-round

A go-to IPA that hits all the hoppy bitter and citrus notes you’d expect without an overpowering bite. It may be a lone wolf, but it’s brewed with a wild pack of four hop varietals.

Availability: Year-round

It’ll take your taste buds on a ride, not unlike the local bike trail it takes its name from. It’s a crisp Bavarian-style pilsner brewed with continental hops and Munich, Pilsner and Pale Western Canadian malts.

Availability: Seasonal

Fueled by local beans from Crowsnest Coffee Roasters, it’s a silky-smooth coffee stout – thanks to the addition of a big dose of chocolate and milk sugar – but still has a nice, rich coffee finish.

Availability: Year-round

Eight malt varieties provide the backbone to this smooth, nutty, chocolatey-good ale, which pours a deep brown, with a hint of amber. The brewer says it’s the best aprés-ski beer around.

“Hysterically funny, amazingly talented people. That’s what I think of when I think of Canada. That and cold beer and mountains.” – Richard Patrick

MT. BEG B IE B REWING CO.

521 1 St. W | mt-begbie.com

DAILY 9AM-5PM

EST. 1996

Mt. Begbie is celebrating its 20th birthday by opening a brandspankin’ new brewery. Time flies when you’re making delicious beer.

ATILLA THE HONEY

HONEY BROWN ALE

Availability: Seasonal

See what the buzz is all about with this delicious, honey-tinged amber ale.

T HREE R ANGES B REWING CO.

1160 5 Ave. | threeranges.com

WED-SAT 3-8PM ^ SUN 1-6PM

EST. 2013

NASTY HABIT

Availability: Year-round

A gold medal winner at the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards.

Michael Lewis and Rundi Anderson’s big dream was a tiny brewery in a small town. Thankfully, Valemount locals have a huge thirst.

ALPENGLOW AMBER ALE

Availability: Seasonal

An easygoing, malt-forward ale to warm the cockles after a day in the Rockies’ snow.

SNOWDANCE

Availability: Seasonal

This rich, chocolatey porter has likely initiated many a Valemount hoedown.

BARKERVILLE BREWING CO.

185 Davie St. | barkervillebeer.com

EST. 2014

There’s gold in them thar hills. There’s silver too, after the Quesnelbased brewery earned BC Beer Awards for these two beers:

WHITE GOLD WITBIER

Availability: Year-round

A refreshing wheat beer. Citrus notes with a crisp finish and hints of stone fruit.

52 FOOT STOUT STOUT

Availability: Seasonal

A big-bodied stout with a nice smoky aroma. Also: boreal birch syrup from Quesnel.

Chris Lennon, Carlos Mendes, Aneez Devji, Joe Chan

SHERWOOD MOUNTAIN BREWHOU S E

Unit 101 - 4816 Hwy .16 W | sherwoodmountain.beer

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

EST. 2014

Darryl Tucker’s beer has gone down a storm in remote Terrace, offering proof that craft can conquer all corners of the universe.

SKEENA SUNSHINE

SAISON

SAI S ON

Availability: Seasonal

16

An “extraordinarily dry and fruity” saison that’s becoming a seasonal favourite among Terracites.

PRINCE RUP ER T

W HEEL H OU S E B REWING

CO.

217 1 Ave E. | wheelhousebrewing.com

THU 2-8PM ^ SAT-SUN 4-10PM

EST. 2013

MUNICH LAGER

DARK LAGER

Availability: Limited release

Another sign of changing palates is the popularity of this robustly malty yet easy-going dunkel.

The last stop in B.C. before craft beer sterility is a neighbourhood experience that’s turning people off Canadian, one brew at a time.

KAZU MARU IPA

A MERICAN I N D IA PA L E AL E

Availability: Year-round

GILLNETER

GOLDEN ALE

K Ö LS CH

Availability: Year-round

75

The generous servings of hops are levelled out by the malts. Bold, but balanced.

A crisp, clean and light-bodied take on the German-style ale.

IS LITERALLY THE WORST (HANGOVER)

by Stephen Smysnuik

The path of every great beer (or wine; or whisky) drinker is strewn invariably with horrific, soul-destroying hangovers. And chances are, that first hangover is the all-time worst hangover.

Take for example New Year’s Eve, 1998. I had turned 15 just one day prior, and this was my first time getting drunk. This was the plan. My crew of high school friends were celebrating at Mack’s East Vancouver townhouse, in the most predictable ’90s-teenager way possible: with a case of beer; two-litre bottles of Growers “cider”; a half-dozen bottles of Smirnoff; and a stellar playlist consisting of Marcy Playground, Harvey Danger, Third Eye Blind, et al.

By 9 p.m., the living room is crowded with two-dozen high school kids, red of cup and face. The kitchen floor is sticky with Growers. I hijack the stereo with my KoRn CD and there’s

Melissa, who’s swaying in what looks like slow motion. She waves me over and shouts forcefully into my ear, “The real person comes out when you’re drunk, you know!”

Well, I’d never considered that before. I take a grand old sip of my cider, and like what I taste. I drink and I drink and there’s Dan sitting between the couch and the wall, drinking a can of beer. “Would you like one?” “Why not!”

And then I’m swaying and laughing and everyone in the room is laughing too. Rene is sitting in the corner of the room with headphones on, clutching a copy of Mechanical Animals, a bottle of Smirnoff cradled between his thighs, swinging his head violently back and forth to the beat. Take it easy there, Rene!

And look, there’s Caitlin, writhing on the floor. Looking kind of silly there, Caitlin, with your head in that bucket!

And I drink and drink and –

– I wake up on the floor. My vision is watery but I don’t think I’ve been crying. People are crowding around me in a huddle, staring. My head is in someone’s lap.

“He’s wet his pants!” someone says.

“He needs some water!” says another. “Get him some water!”

Rene pushes into the crowd and hands me a red cup. I drink half the water before it burns and I cough and I choke and notice the bottle of Smirnoff in Rene’s hand, and his manic grin and –

– I wake up outside, in the front yard, on a pile of snow. It’s dark. I’m shirtless and shivering. My urine-soaked pants have frozen to my thighs. My bones are cold. My head feels like lemmings have been digging tunnels in there and are frantic to escape. My stomach – oh, my stomach.

I crawl to the front door. Inside, everyone’s asleep. The carpet is strewn with more vomit than I’m capable of truly perceiving at this difficult time. Someone’s punched a hole in the wall. I crawl to the nearest bedroom. I lay my head down –

– I wake up and crawl to the bathroom, but I miss. If this is the real me, I don’t like what I –

– wake up to Mack’s mother holding a cold rag to my head. Sunlight filtering through the curtains. Has she been here the whole night? Mack’s standing behind her. He’s pissed in just about every way. I’m in his bed now, I see. I lean over and retch into the bucket she’s holding up, but not before thinking, That sure is full!

And as much as my body wants it, nothing comes up. At this point, it’s very clear to me that I’m going to die. There’s no way life can feel like this. My esophagus is grasping at air at this point, my whole body tightening and scraping for something anything to come up, and I’m just heaving at nothing at all. Until finally, this bright green liquid like the ooze of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II brought forth from the deepest depths….

“I think he has alcohol poisoning,” says Mack’s mom. “Should we call the hospital?”

“I don’t need the hospital,” I croak. “What happened?”

Turns out, the “cider” had done me in and I fell

down drunk and pissed myself. While I was down, I chugged a cup of vodka, given to me instead of water. I made a mess right there in the living room, got up, then staggered to the stairs. I made

a larger mess at the foot of the stairs, after sliding headfirst down them. Mack put his fist through the wall in a rage and, with the help of hulking teenagers Greg and Martin, tossed all 110 pounds of my deadweight outside. Out of sight, out of mind. (I’m still not sure when I lost my shirt.)

My dad comes to pick me up. Greg and Martin bring me out, hoisting me between them, my feet dragging like some propped up corpse. Which, in many ways, I am.

They fold me into the front seat of the car. My dad’s angry, obviously, but later, both parents come to my room to stare at me in bed, into which I’ve planned never to leave again. Mom’s beaming, as if I’d finally proven to her the one fact she’d long suspected, but I’d been denying her the proof of: That her son is, in fact, a moron.

“You’re a moron,” she says.

And bless their hearts, they stare at me with knowing faces, clearly amused and no doubt thinking back to the time when they were 15 and their parents stared goofily at them from the doorway of their bedroom, reminiscing on their first hangover.

They weren’t that amused though. I was grounded for three months. The hangover was one of those multi-day affairs I wouldn’t experience again until I turned 30.

I didn’t touch alcohol for over two years. And now I’m a beer writer. j

My head feels like lemmings have been digging tunnels in there and are frantic to escape...

the

BEER GROUND To

ANDIN A BREWING CO.

Vancouver (Summer) – Brothers Andres and Nicolás Amaya are launching their Columbia-inspired brewery on Powell Street.

BE AC H FIRE

Campbell River (Late Summer/Fall) – The owners are aiming for a 10-barrel brewhouse with a tasting room, lounge and patio.

BOUND A RY BREWING COMPA NY

Kelowna (Late Summer) – We don’t know much, except that they’re going to focus on German styles.

BROKE ‘ N R ODE BREWING CO.

100 Mile House (Pretty soon) – A nano-brewery that’s going to have a bit of a cowboy theme. Also, a tasting room and growler fills.

CH A OS A ND S OL AC E CR AF T BREWING CO.

Chilliwack (Late Spring/Summer) – Co-owners Gord Gagne and Calvin Quaite will kick off Chilliwack’s Year of Beer by early summer.

CO A ST M OUNTA IN BREWING CO.

Whistler (Summer) – A new startup by Kevin Winter (formerly Mission Springs).

CROSSRO A DS BREWING

Prince George (Late Fall) – PG’s first craft brewery has branding completed and is moving into the old Tony Roma’s space.

LA NGLEY BREWING CO.

Langley (?) – The folks behind Old Abbey Ales are opening this new brewery sometime this year.

L UPPOLO BREWING CO.

Vancouver (Summer) – A new brewery straddling the boundary of Strathcona and Yeast Van.

O NE D U C K BREWING

Squamish (No Friggin’ Idea) – They've avoided our queries for so long we now refer to people ignoring us as “One Ducking.”

T HE PA RKSIDE BREWERY

Port Moody (Late Spring / Summer) – Former GIB brewmaster Vern Lambourne’s new brewery will be the fourth on Murray St.

SAVOY BREWPU B

Nelson (Summer) – The folks behind Shambhala Music Festival are refurbishing part of the historic Savoy Hotel.

S OOKE OC E A NSIDE BREWING

Sooke – We don’t know much about this one.

S OOKE BREWING CO.

Sooke (Late Fall / Winter 2016) – This one’s still in the permitting / rezoning phase, but they do have a lot pegged for the microbrewery, and a brewmaster has been hired (though is currently anonymous).

S TA RKHUND BREWING

Kelowna (Fall/Winter 2016) – Construction will begin later this spring on this downtown brewery, tasting room and pub.

T WIN CITY BREWING

Port Alberni – Owner / brewer Aaron Colyn says the brewery is in “pre-brewing limbo” but that he still has every intention of opening. We just don’t know when!

T WISTED S H A RK

Chilliwack (Summer) – A new startup that’s setting up in either Old Yale’s former facility in Chilliwack, or in Abbotsford. We couldn’t confirm by press time for this issue.

VICTORIA CALEDONIAN BREWERS & DISTILLERS

Victoria (Early Summer) – Dean McLeod (formerly of Lighthouse) is heading up the brewing side of this operation.

W HITETOOTH BREWING

Golden (Sometime 2016) – A 18hl production facility with tasting room, growler fills and retail. Beyond that, we don’t know much.

The explosion of B.C. breweries continues unabated, much to our surprise and delight. Will it ever stop? Who knows.