The Growler B.C. • Volume 1 Issue 1 • February-April 2015

BREWERIES LEGEND

04 40 44 52

34 43 48 56 61

VANCOUVER NORTH VAN BURNABY NEW WEST DELTA SURREY PORT MOODY

Beer Glassware

A guide of recommended glassware that will cover some of the beers in this book and help you enjoy your beer to the fullest.

STANGE

Kölsch

Marzen

Altbier

PILSNER

Lager

Pilsner

Witbier

NONIC PINT

Pale Ale

Stout/Porter

IPA

WEIZEN

Hefeweizen

Weizenbock

Wheat Ale

TULIP

Scotch Ale

Saison

Brown/Red Ale

GOBLET

Belgian IPA

FRASER VALLEY

Strong Dark Ale

Tripel/Quad

SNIFTER

Belgian Ale

SEA TO SKY

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

EDITOR: Stephen Smysnuik editor@thegrowler.ca

PUBLISHER: Dee Dhaliwal

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Gail Nugent sales@thegrowler.ca

CONTRIBUTORS: Joe Wiebe, Jesse Donaldson, Niki Hope, Jonny Healy (photography)

DESIGN: Brave Creative | builtbrave.com

COVER: Anja Werner | builtbrave.com

Barleywine

Strong Imperial

Editor’s Note

Beer Colour Guide

PALE

PALE GOLD

GOLD

PALE AMBER

MEDIUM AMBER

DEEP AMBER

BROWN

RUBY BROWN

BLACK

Brewery Details

GROWLER FILLS

BOTTLES / CANS

KEGS

TASTING ROOM

FOOD

TOURS

KID FRIENDLY

So. Many. Breweries. B.C.’s craft beer industry has grown so quickly, especially in the Lower Mainland, that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with who’s where and what’s when. The Growler Craft Beer Handbook is designed to keep everyone interested in craft beer updated on all local breweries and their beers, both year-round and seasonal. It’s your reference guide and we’ll publish quarterly. It’s meant to be fun to read and fun to look at at. This first issue covers Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky, but future issues will feature all of B.C..And maybe beyond. Eventually. Enjoy. – Stephen Smysnuik

Explaining Vancouver’s craft beer boom

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

by Joe Wiebe

Beer is so much a part of the Vancouver zeitgeist right now that one could be forgiven for thinking it has always been. But B.C.’s largest city was rather slow to embrace craft beer, lagging behind Victoria for much of the first 30 years of the craft beer revolution.

After Granville Island Brewing opened in 1984, only Shaftebury opened in the city in the next decade. Fogg n’ Suds, a restaurant chain started here in the 1980s, was an oasis for a time because of the diversity of beers on its menu. In the mid-’90s there was a brewpub boom with the opening of Yaletown, Steamworks, Dockside and Dix, but the only production breweries that opened during that decade were R&B and Storm. And after Dix opened in 1998, the only growth occurred in the suburbs where lower costs made the business of brewing more viable.

But since 2012, 13 new breweries and one brewpub have opened in the city limits, along with numerous new breweries in the immediate suburbs. Craft beer is now embraced as part of Vancouver’s lifestyle in much the same way as in Portland or Seattle. The culture even surpasses Victoria, the longtime “craft beer capital” of B.C. How did it happen? Looking back over the past 15 years, there are several factors that encouraged consumer interest in craft beer in the city. Caskconditioned beer was one of the first sparkplugs: Dix began hosting a regular monthly cask night in July 2002, and made it a weekly affair one year later. The Vancouver branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (better known as CAMRA), which launched in 2003, grew out of a group of ardent beer geeks who attended those events religiously.

The Alibi Room’s conversion to a craft beer focus in

2006 also played a big role. As the row of taps there grew to include 50 options plus three cask engines, beer lovers arrived in droves and brewers clamoured to get their beers served there. Other taphouses like St. Augustine’s followed, and CAMRA’s membership ranks swelled. Private liquor stores like Brewery Creek began increasing their craft beer sections, which encouraged distributors to expand their portfolios to include better beers from Belgium and the U.S. This created even more demand from ever-growing ranks of beer lovers and challenged B.C. brewers to create better beer. A younger generation of foodies turned to craft beer instead of wine. Food-pairing or brewmaster dinners followed.

Importantly, more and more women began showing up at craft beer events.

By 2012, Vancouver had become the engine that drives craft beer in B.C. and without question the craft beer destination in this province if not all of Canada.

Joe Wiebe is the Thirsty Writer. Look for the new edition of his book, Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries, completely revised with profiles of 90 craft breweries, in March. craftbeerrevolution.ca j

33 ACRES BREWING CO.

15 W 8th Ave. | 33acresbrewing.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-11PM @33acres

EST: 2013

33 Acres has found its groove as the gatekeeper to local craft beer culture. With its clean white finish and minimalist décor, it has become the welcome sign for people newly introduced to the culture. The beer itself is approachable, but creative enough to ensure drinkers to explore the rest of what craft beer has to offer.

33 ACRES OF LIFE

Availability: Year-round

The caramel aftertaste, clean finish and pronounced hoppiness are the perfect introduction for people who claim to hate hoppy beer.

33 ACRES OF NIRVANA

Availability: Year-round

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

33 ACRES OF

Availability: Year-round

This West Coast pale ale has a fruity, floral aroma, with a light caramel taste and strong hop flavour.

33 ACRES OF DARKNESS

Availability: Seasonal

Black as night with a dry finish, this chocolatey schwarzbier is the ideal companion lousy weather.

Vancouver’s first local beer boom started in the late 1800s, and at its height, Main Street featured four breweries, all between 1st and 12th Avenues.

INDIA PALE ALE

SCHWARZBIER

CALIFORNIA COMMON

OCEAN WEST COAST PALE ALE

VANCOUVER

BOMBER BREWING

1488 Adanac St. | bomberbrewing.com

Bomber’s origin is a quintessential Canadian story. Three friends playing on a beer-league hockey team, the Vancouver Bombers, bond over some stubby bottles of homebrewed pilsner in the locker room and decide to start a brewery. Drop by the busy tasting room on the Adanac bike route to sample their excellent creations, which far surpass usual hockey beer.

Availability: Year-round

The professional version of head brewer Blair Calibaba’s home-brewed pilsner. An authentic tasting Czech pilsner. Crisp and refreshing.

Rich, malty and aromatic, this beer updates the original British extra special bitter style with delicious Pacific Northwest hops.

Availability: Year-round

This dependable IPA is well-balanced with a solid malt base and a substantial hop addition.

Availability: Seasonal

MON-FRI: 40 5.2% ABV IBU Prohibition in B.C. only lasted four years (versus the 13 years in the U.S.) 6

Finally, here’s a winter beer that isn’t dosed with vanilla and mulling spices.

BRASSNECK

2148 Main St. | brassneck.ca

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

EST: 2013

The beer is inventive – occasionally bordering on insane – and they’re coming up with new batches (and selling through them) so frequently there’s no way to keep up. With its rotating tap list, zany artwork and a cozy taproom packed constantly with enthusiastic beer lovers, Brassneck’s a must-see for anyone thirsty for a taste of the Vancouver craft beer culture.

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

DRY HOPPED PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Brassneck’s flagship beer and the only one ALWAYS available, it’s somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA with a strong hop backbone.

ONE TRICK PONY

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A (very) strong IPA brewed with pilsner malt to showcase the rotating single hop variety.

CHANGELING

Availability: Seasonal

You’ll be nice and puckered by the end, and the fruit they ferment with is always changing. You’re rarely drinking the same beer twice.

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

Availability: Seasonal

Proof that Stockholm Syndrome can be a beautiful thing, given the right conditions.

Prior to Prohibition, there were more than 140 breweries in the province – far more than the 90 (or so) operating today.

GLOSSA RY.

for non-geeks & beginners

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

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

BARLEY: A cereal grain used as a base malt in the production of beer.

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

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

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

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

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

GROWLER: See page 13 and/or the bottom of page 62.

HOMEBREWING: The art of making beer at home, with varying results, depending on who makes it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

MICROBREWERY : In B.C., defi ned as any operation that produces no more than 160,000 hectolitres of beer per year. Often used interchangeably with “craft brewery”.

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

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

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

REINHEITSGEBOT: The German beer purity law passed in 1516, stating that beer may only contain water, barley and hops .

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

SESSION BEER: A beer of lighter body and alcohol designed for drinking more than one in a single sitting.

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

TOP / BOTTOM FERMENTATION: The two basic fermentation methods characterized by the tendency of yeast cells to either rise or fall in the fermentation vessel. Ale yeast is top fermenting, lager yeast is bottom fermenting.

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

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

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

COAL HARBOUR BREWING CO.

1967 Triumph St. | coalharbourbrewing.com

MON-FRI: 9-5PM

Coal Harbour Brewing was the first of the original trio of Yeast Van breweries to open in the Powell-Victoria neighbourhood, but since it doesn’t have a tasting room, its location is unimportant. The brewery initially launched with a lager focus, but they’ve winning accolades for their ales, too.

POWELL

Availability: Year-round

This pitch-perfect German lager won gold at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards.

SMOKE

MIRRORS

Availability: Seasonal

German rauch (smoked) and Scottish peated malts are mixed with chocolate and crystal malts in this big, rich, smoky beer.

Availability: Year-round

Though it has a bigger malt body than most West Coast IPAs, this one still packs a hoppy punch.

WOODLAND

Availability: Seasonal

A Belgian wheat beer that’s been updated with Cascade and Meridian hops, with Szechuan pepper added to the mix.

On average, British Columbians consume approximately 58 litres of beer each year — the lowest of any province or territory except for Nunavut – but...

&

IMPERIAL SMOKED ALE

WITBIER BELGIAN WITBIER

311 HELLES LAGER

IPA BRITISH STYLE IPA

DOAN CRAFT BREWING CO.

1830 Powell St. | doanscraftbrewing.com

Two brothers who love beer decide to make a go of it, setting up shop in the old Powell Street Brewing facility. The brewery’s been plagued by false starts for over a year, but a lively Twitter feed and good humour (not to mention good beer) means Doan’s one of the most anticipated new breweries for 2015. Patience is a virtue, or whatever.

RYE IPA

TAKE A GUESS

Availability: Year-round

A fresh take on the Northwest IPA, loaded with rye and featuring hints of spice and, yes, a whole lotta hops.

KOLSCH

FAIRLY OBVIOUS, NO?

Availability: Year-round

The perfect sessionable brew, it’s light lageresque body is backed up with the malt complexity of an ale.

Availability: Year-round

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

...before Prohibition, British Columbians consumed roughly twice the national liquor average.

DOGWOOD BREWING LTD.

8284 Sherbrooke St. | dogwoodbrew.com

TUE-SUN: 11:30AM-8PM @dogwoodbrew EST:

Organic brewing has finally arrived courtesy of one of the leading ladies of B.C. craft beer, Claire Wilson. High quality, full-flavoured,and organic ingredients sourced from B.C. make Dogwood’s beer taste even better. And if you didn’t know, the dogwood is B.C.’s provincial flower.

ORGANIC IPA

Availability: Year-round

Features bold malt presence and an enduring hop aroma thanks to an abundance of citrusy hops.

ORGANIC HONEY

Availability: Year-round

B.C. bees travel 100,000 km to produce the honey for this beer, but you don’t have to go anywhere near that far to enjoy it.

ORGANIC FEST

Availability: Year-round

This smooth, Märzen-style ale is copperred with full-bodied maltiness and well-rounded sweetness.

ORGANIC STOUT

Availability: Year-round

Dogwood uses only premium malts with the biggest flavours in this bold stout, which features notes of chocolate and caramel.

In 1917, Walter Findlay, B.C.’s provincial Prohibition commissioner was jailed for selling bootleg spirits.

Rushing

THE GROWLER

by Joe Wiebe

What the heck is a “growler” anyway?

You probably own at least one of these ubiquitous, one-handled “minimoonshine” jugs (if not several) but have you ever wondered where its unusual name comes from?

The idea of a growler dates back to 19th century America when people would carry out draft beer from a bar using a half-gallon galvanized pail with a metal lid. As carbonation escaped under the lid, it made a purring or “growling” sound. In the early 20th century, the pail cost five cents and the fill five to 15 cents. Fetching beer this way was called “rushing the growler,” and children were often given the task. “Bucket boys” used a notched wooden pole to carry several cans at once to workers on their lunch break.

In the Oxford Companion to Beer, Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver writes that pre-Prohibition saloon keepers often had “a small service window referred to euphemistically as the ‘family entrance.’ There, it was possible for women and children to rush the growler without walking through the saloon.”

After Prohibition in the U.S., growlers largely died out because of stricter liquor laws and improvements to bottling and canning. They eventually returned as part of the contemporary craft beer renaissance in the 1980s.

In B.C., Nanaimo’s Longwood Brewpub was the first brewery to sell and fill growlers back in 2000. Apparently, the Liquor Board had never heard of them before Longwood asked to do it. It took a while for growlers to take hold here, but they finally broke through when Tofino Brewing opened in 2011. The brewery sold out of its first run of 300 jugs within a week of opening.

An emergency order of 600 more was gone in another week so they ordered another thousand. The

brewery’s business plan was turned on its head –instead of focusing on keg sales until they could afford to expand and begin packaging, they shifted to a retail, customer-faced operation.

This also worked for Townsite Brewing, which opened in Powell River one year later, and has became standard operating procedure among many of the new breweries that have opened in Greater Vancouver over the past few years, with the addition of tasting lounges once legislation allowed them in 2013. The ideal example of how growler culture has evolved in B.C. is Brassneck Brewery, where beer is only available on-site either by the glass or to-go in growlers.

While the original 1.9 -litre (or half-gallon) jug is still the standard size, most breweries also fill one-litre bottles. (Brassneck also offers a 473-ml (16-oz) size called a “purse pop.”)

While economics do play a part in their popularity (a growler fill generally runs $10-$12 for the equivalent of a six-pack or three 650-ml bottles), it seems the main reason people like them is the personal connection you feel when you “rush the growler” at your local brewery. j

Longwood Brewpub was the first brewery to sell and fill growlers back in 2000. Apparently, the Liquor Board had never heard of them before.

GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING

1441 Cartwright St. | gib.ca

MON-SUN: 10AM-8PM

Vancouver’s original microbrewery dates back more than three decades. While Molson has owned GIB since 2009, and the main brands are brewed at the macro-brewing facility near the Burrard Bridge, brewmaster Vern Lambourne has continued to do his own thing at the original brewhouse on the island – and Vern’s creations are legendary and delicious.

SWING SPAN

EST: 1984 50

AULD SKOOL SCOTTISH ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Seasonal

A medium-bodied red ale, Swing Span features prominent Mosaic and Cascade hops, giving it a distinct North American taste.

Heaps of roasted barley and a wee bit of hops create this massively malty beer. It’s the opposite of a “hop bomb.”

ISLAND LAGER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A hopped-up step up from GIB’s Brockton IPA, this one is dry-hopped generously with delicious Citra hops.

Van City’s original craft lager, this light, German-style lager has a crisp, dry, slightly hoppy finish.

Before 1900, most Vancouver bars were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It’s Good to Be Here

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

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

Their efforts to get a microbrewery licence paid off as GIB became the first beer store to be attached to a brewery. GIB later on became the first company to put craft beer into cans. When the store initially opened, the only beer they produced was a “golden” Island Lager, consisting of a “crisp hop flavour.” Lambourne says, “People were excited about it, they would come and line up. This was something different.”

Now the beer comes in many flavours, and with a side of history to boot as they are named after various hot spots in Vancouver, such as Swing Span

Amber Ale, Cypress Honey Lager and False Creek Raspberry Ale.

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

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

MAIN STREET BREWING CO.

261 E. 7th Ave. | mainstreetbeer.ca

MON-THU:

16 VANCOUVER

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

Let’s face it, sometimes it’s easier to look at pictures rather than try to explain what we do in words.

MAIN STREET PILSNER PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

This golden, medium bodied pilsner is created with Noble hops. It has a crisp finish and is designed for clean, easy drinking.

WESTMINSTER BROWN BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

A complex malt bill of Canadian, English and German malts, plus three hop additions make for a caramel flavour and hoppy finish.

MAIN STREET SESSION IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A crisp West Coast IPA balances smooth hop bitterness with premium malts, combined with low ABVs designed for sessionable drinking.

REDBACK ALE RED ALE

Availability: Seasonal

A well-balanced, tropical take on the classic American red ale, featuring dry-hopped Australian Topaz, Ella and Galaxy hops.

OFF THE RAIL BREWING

1351 Adanac St. | offtherailbrewing.com

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

EST: 2014

When Steve Forsyth sold the Railway Club in 2008, he started a hop farm in Chilliwack and then began working towards opening this brewery. Located on the Adanac bike route, Off the Rail (“off the Railway Club” – get it?) has a large tasting room featuring its five main beers as well as seasonals and nitro taps pouring a Boddingtons-style cream ale, stout or ESB.

Availability: Year-round

Properly lagered for as long as it takes, this refreshing beer is brewed with organic Mt. Hood hops.

Availability: Year-round

This is a big, hoppy IPA brewed with Chinook and Cascade hops and dry-hopped with local, organic Cascades.

Availability: Year-round

Off the Rail brews this medium-bodied Czech pilsner with Saaz hops for a dry, floral finish.

Availability: Year-round

Styled after the brewer’s favourite Irish ales, Raybuck has roasted caramel notes, a reddish hue, and a light hoppiness.

Since 2007, B.C’s craft beer industry has more than tripled in size, from about six per cent of the market to roughly 22 per cent at the end of 2014...

PARALLEL 49 BREWING CO.

1950 Triumph St. | parallel49brewing.com

MON-THU: 12-11PM @parallel49beer

EST: 2012

And here we have it: the cartoon anti-hero of Vancouver beer culture. They, who blew the door off the hinges for a new generation of craft breweries to follow. Right place at the right time? Perhaps, but they’d be nowhere without the beer itself. P49 strikes the right balance of approachability and zaniness to appeal to the masses and help usher in this era of craft beer craziness.

GYPSY TEARS

Availability: Year-round

P49’s flagship beer is a ruby-coloured ale with a rich caramel malt flavour and a burst of West Coast hops. A local staple.

CRAFT LAGER

Availability: Year-round

A pale lager brewed with all malted barley and local Sterling hops grown in Chilliwack. Clean, crisp and refreshing.

FILTHY DIRTY

Availability: Year-round

A hoppy West Coast IPA, with a subtly sweet malt flavour that backs up the enormous orange, grapefruit, pine and floral aromas.

SALTY SCOT

Availability: Seasonal

A very unique beer, it has strong caramel malt flavour with enough salt to give it some bite. It’s boozy, a bit sweet but surprisingly light to drink.

...but in the early 1900s, local brewers accounted for 95 per cent of the local supply.

MUNICH HELLES

SCOTCH ALE

RUBY ALE

INDIA PALE ALE

POSTMARK BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave. | postmarkbrewing.com

MON-SUN: 11AM-11PM

It’s marketing is sleek, it’s swag is stylish and their tasting room, combined with the Belgard Kitchen and Urban Winery in Railtown, is shockingly impressive – and this before you even taste the beer. Rooted in the West Coast style, the beer is approachable and sessionable but tweaked through European techniques to create something familiar but wholly unique.

Availability: Year-round

This hybrid style blends the smooth clean crisp Czech pilsner variety and the restrained balance of the German variety.

Availability: Year-round

Lighter than other American pale ales, its crisp body showcases the full flavor and aroma of the Centennial hop.

Availability: Year-round

Light bodied, with a dry bitterness from both the roasted barley and the generous amount of hops used, topped with roasted flavours.

Availability: Year-round

Built to enjoy rather than endure, its subtle bitterness that’s balanced by the malty backbone.

George Reifel, one of the province’s most prominent brewers, financed the construction of the Vogue, the Commodore, and the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

Chocolate, espresso & Postmark Stout BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Makes approximately 6 x 4oz portions

INGREDIENTS

2 lb beef short rib / chuck flat

Kosher salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp coffee beans (ground fine)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 oz canola oil

1 onion (rough chopped)

3 celery stalks (rough chopped)

1 carrot (peeled, rough chopped)

6 garlic cloves

1. Pat beef dry using paper towel.

2. Season heavily with kosher salt, pepper, ground coffee beans and cocoa powder.

3. In a wide-bottomed pot over high heat, bring canola oil to smoking point.

4. Sear the short ribs until dark golden brown on all sides. Once browned to desired level, remove and set aside.

5. Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic and shallots to the pot and cook, stirring regularly until vegetables begin to caramelize.

6. Using the stout and espresso, deglaze the pot, using a wooden spoon to scrape all cooked bits away from the surface. Reduce the liquid by half.

7. Add the brown sugar and chocolate. Stir until melted.

8. Add vegetable stock, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf, return short ribs to pot and bring to a simmer.

1 shallot (quartered)

330ml Postmark Stout

2 shots espresso (or dark coffee)

½ cup brown sugar

4 oz dark chocolate (rough chopped)

2 L vegetable stock

6 sprigs thyme

1 stem rosemary

1 bay leaf

1/8 lbs butter (cold, cubed)

9. Cover with tin foil, place in a 300F oven and cook until meat is tender, minimum four hours.

10. Remove foil and allow to cool slightly.

11. Remove short ribs from liquid and set aside.

12. Strain the braising liquid and return to the heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce to a gravylike consistency. Whisk in cold butter until fully incorporated.

13. Cut short ribs to appropriate portion size.

14. Plate short ribs with appropriate accompaniments and pour reduced braising liquid overtop.

Belgard Kitchen and Postmark Brewing are part of the Settlement Building brand collective.

POWELL STREET CRAFT BREWERY

1357 Powell St. | powellbeer.com

David Bowkett’s Old Jalopy Pale Ale won Beer of the Year at the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards just five months after opening. He spent the next year running out of beer as demand far exceeded his tiny nanobrewery’s capacity. Now, after moving into an expanded facility last fall, Bowkett finally has a chance to experiment – and that’s certainly good news for all us!

ODE TO CITRA

Availability: Year-old

English pale and caramel malts are combined with spicy, citrusy and floral Northwest hops in this very tasty award-winner.

Availability: Year-round

The name says it all. The Citra hop’s intense, tropical fruit flavours are showcased in the delicious pale ale.

DIVE BOMB

Availability: Year-round

Here’s a case where the punny, play-on-hops beer name is actually accurate – this hop bomb is hugely flavourful. Wow.

Availability: Year-round

It’s a little lighter in colour than a typical porter, but still rich with roasted malt character

In Canada, 44 cents of every dollar spent on beer goes directly to the government in taxes.

BREWERY CREEK The rise & fall of

by Jesse Donaldson

At the turn of the century, Brewery Creek – now home to several of city’s finest up-and-coming breweries – was the epicentre of Vancouver’s vibrant local brewing industry. And it all started with an actual creek.

Carving a swath through Mount Pleasant (at times creating a ravine up to 40 feet deep), the original creek was just one of many freshwater streams flowing downhill to False Creek, following an indirect route one block east of Main, and beginning in a boggy area known locally as the Tea Swamp. For more than 10,000 years, it served as a gathering place for local First Nations people, its waters said to contain the largest trout and salmon populations in the region, and its shores teeming with plant life and migratory birds.

With the arrival of European settlers, the creek became one of the fledgling city’s most important water supplies. By the 1860s, its waters were being transported over two miles by flume to supply Stamp’s Mill, Vancouver’s first major industry. Naturally, an abundance of freshwater was attractive to early industry, and consequently, as settlers expanded outward, the area provided a perfect staging ground for new ventures, resulting in the

creation of the city’s first suburb: Mount Pleasant.

Before 1880, the region was largely untamed wilderness. But, by the end of the decade, as Vancouver’s population exploded, the banks of Brewery Creek were suddenly packed with all manner of businesses, including slaughterhouses, a tannery, and, of course, breweries. The Vancouver Brewery – the first of the bunch – opened its doors in 1888, at the corner of 7th and Scotia (the intersection where Main Street Brewing stands today). The brainchild of German-born Charles Doering, owner of popular local watering-hole The Stag and Pheasant, it was only the second brewing operation in town (J.A. Rekab’s City Brewery had opened the year before downtown) and it immediately garnered glowing reviews.

Doering was among the first to build a dam on Brewery Creek, harnessing its power to drive a 40-foot water wheel to mill his grain. And before the year was out, other breweries began to spring up along its banks, including Henry Reifel’s San Francisco Brewery. By the early 1890s there were four independent breweries operating along the stretch between 1st and 12th.

In spite of this newfound competition, Vancouvery Brewery remained among the region’s most popular. In 1892, Doering entered into a partnership with brewmaster Otto Marstrand to create a line of new beers, among them Cascade Ale and Alexandra Ale, which they launched to great pomp and celebration in the summer of 1892.

“Alexandra beer will no doubt be the popular beverage this summer,” gushed the Vancouver World “There will be no excuse hereafter for sending thousands of dollars out of this province yearly for lager when equally as good an article can be produced at home.”

The early 1890s were the boom years for Mount Pleasant’s breweries. Some failed, including Reifel’s San Francisco Brewery, but Doering’s went on to achieve substantial success – locally, provincially, and internationally. Demand was so great, Vancouver Brewery had to expand several times, opening a brand-new operation in early 1903 (the building is the only remaining turn-of-the-century brewery – it’s now as a live/work studio at the corner of 6th and Scotia).

However, by the early 1900s, tides were turning. Of the independent breweries that had opened during the 1890s, only four remained. The rest had closed, or amalgamated with other local companies – seen as a savvy move at the time, allowing them to centralize operations and cut costs.

Doering’s brewery merged with Red Cross (the renamed City Brewery), and following a series of further amalgamations in the early 1910s, became

part of a provincial consortium that controlled approximately 95 per cent of local supply.

However good these mergers may have been for business, they signaled the end of commercial brewing in Brewery Creek. By 1922, only Vancouver Breweries remained – as a consortium of other brewers – but had moved their facilities out of the region. At around the same time, Brewery Creek itself vanished from public view, its roar buried forever beneath tonnes of dirt and asphalt, as part of an early-1920s reclamation scheme.

Prohibition delivered the final blow. In the wake of a federal ban on alcohol, many breweries shut their doors. Others, like the Reifels, turned to bootlegging. There was nary a brewery to be found in the area until R&B Brewing opened its doors in 1997.

But today, after a period of almost 100 years, the Brewery Creek district is roaring once more, providing a new generation of thirsty Vancouverites with the chance to enjoy locally made ales, lagers, porters, and stouts – which would no doubt make Doering, Reifel, and Marstrand proud.

It’s a place where, in the words of the 1892 World, “men seemed never to tire in the arduous but enjoyable work of drawing beer without stint – and fine, creamy-topped, clear-bottomed beer it was.”

Including files from Bruce MacDonald. Image: Vancouver Breweries’ Warehouse, 1926 courtesy of the Vancouver Archives. j

Prohibition delivered the final blow. In the wake of a federal ban on alcohol, many breweries shut their doors.

R & B BREWING CO.

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

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

EST: 1997

Rick Dellow (“R”) and Barry Benson (“B”) were way ahead of the curve when they opened R&B Brewing in the Brewery Creek neighbourhood back in 1997, which today is home to some of the most popular tasting rooms in the city. Now, fingers crossed, they hope to join the rest of the Main Street crowd with a tasting room of their own by the spring of 2015.

SUN GOD WHEAT ALE

Availability: Year-round

Perfect patio beer. This light and refreshing summer ale is brewed in the style of a filtered German Krystallweizen.

EAST SIDE BITTER

Availability: Year-round

Not a typical English ESB, with Northwest and New Zealand hops that give this beer its fruity aroma and crisp finish.

RAVEN CREAM ALE

Availability: Year-round

This “Vancouver cream ale” is darker than a cream ale should be, but it is surprisingly lightbodied and very quaffable.

R&B CHEF SERIES

ALWAYS CHANGING

Availability: Seasonal

In this series, head brewer Todd Graham collaborates with Vancouver chefs to create unique beers paired with special dishes.

The Brewery Creek district is named for an actual stream, now paved over and filled in, which provided fresh water to turn-of-the-century breweries.

RED TRUCK BEER CO.

295 E. 1st Ave. | redtruckbeer.com

Red Truck has moved from its modest dwellings on the North Shore to a brand new and shockingly large facility off Main Street. Their beer is available in stores and on tap, but unfortunately the tasting room – a.k.a. the Truck Stop Diner – and retail store aren’t opening until spring. Patience is warranted, friends.

RED TRUCK LAGER

EUROPEAN LAGER

Availability: Year-round

Made with Canadian Prairie two-row malted barley and hops imported from Germany and the Czech Republic.

RED TRUCK IPA

PACIFIC NORTHWEST IPA

Availability: Year-round

A West Coast IPA, it balances caramel malt sweetness with a strong hop bitterness that lingers long after the final sip.

RED TRUCK ALE

AMERICAN AMBER ALE

Availability: Year-round

Ever dependable, this American amber is rich in flavour and as smooth as beer comes. A perfect entry point for craft beer newbies.

RED TRUCK TRIPLE

AXEL

BELGIAN TRIPLE

Availability: Seasonal

A lovely chamomile and lemon zest aroma with a dry finish. Golden colour, with a frothy head and toffee biscuit malt notes.

During the Middle Ages, beer was consumed more often than water. The alcohol made the water safer to drink.

STORM BREWING LTD.

310 Commercial Dr. | stormbrewing.org

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

EST: 1994

East Vancouver’s first craft brewery is by far strangest. There’s no tasting room to speak of, unless you’re keen to drink amongst tanks hand crafted from detritus culled from scrap yards. And you should be keen. The constantly rotating tap list ensures the brewery’s wild unpredictability – just like the beer itself. There’s nowhere else quite like it.

HURRICANE IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

A rich, golden and intense beer with bitterness in perfect balance with residual sweetness.

IMPERIAL FLANDER

SOUR RED ALE

FLEMISH RED/SOUR

Availability: Irregular rotation

This beer has notes of oak, barnyard and goat (that’s right), which complements its high ABV and puckering, yet malty, sourness.

BLACK PLAGUE STOUT

IMPERIAL STOUT

Availability: Year-round

Smooth, roasty and rich, it’s now available yearround for anyone hoping to fend off the plague of boring beer.

BRAINSTORMS

ALWAYS CHANGING

Availability: Who the hell knows, really?

These are literally whatever the team sits down to create every week. You’ll just need to stop by and see what’s on.

Complete the challenge by Instagraming every stop with #growlerchallenge (Maybe you’ll win stuff?)

ONE DAY. SOME FRIENDS. MANY BEERS. WE DARE YOU .

1PARALLEL 49 Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale

STORM

Black Plague Stout

}BONUS: It took ______ years for Europe’s population to recover from the Black Death.

BOMBER

Extra Special Bitter STRANGE FELLOWS

5 2 3 4

Jongleur Belgian Wit

}BONUS: In 2012, there were over ______ babies named ‘Khaleesi’ in the US.

MAIN STREET

Pilsner

6 7

33 ACRES

33 Acres of Nirvana

American IPA

}BONUS: As a boy, Kurt Cobain had an imaginary friend named ______.

CRAFT BEER MARKET

The most creatively/ ridiculously named beer on tap

}BONUS: Get a funny photo involving the giant sparrow in Olympic Village plaza.

STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING

1345 Clark Dr. | strangefellowsbrewing.com

It opened just last December, but Strangefellows has become one of the quirkiest breweries in the city. Incorporating folk influences from around the world into their business, Strange Fellows is on an almost mystical quest to expand the concept of what a brewery is, celebrating creativity, community and all that is weird ‘n’ wild about the world around us.

TALISMAN

Availability: Year-round

A delicately dry-hopped and golden-hued ale with a tropical and citrusy aroma.

BAYARD

Availability: Year-round

Its fruity, spicy flavour and a dry, refreshing finish, is the result of unique yeasts and an unusual brewing method.

NOCTURNUM

Availability: Year-round

A dark IPA with a robust and balanced flavour designed to be shared among friends when it’s dark, stormy and altogether unbearable outside.

JONGLEUR

Availability: Year-round

Silky, spicy and aromatic, with a body as bright as a Christmas light and the perfect refreshment for any celebration.

Before spirits could be legally served in Vancouver bars, “bottle clubs” allowed patrons to bring their own booze, providing expensive “set-ups”, including, ice, mixers, and a glass.

FARMHOUSE SAISON

BELGIAN WIT

WEST COAST PALE ALE

DARK INDIA PALE ALE

BLACK KETTLE BREWING

106 - 720 Copping St. | blackkettlebrewing.com

This is a small operation started by a few young homebrewers. It’s modest, but it does the trick. This is West Coast beer through and through, offering just enough variety in the ingredients to distinguish itself from the onslaught of pale ales and IPAs flooding the Lower Mainland.

Availability: Year-round

It’s crisp, clean and refreshing. This pale ale is made with pale malt, crystal malt and earthy and floral hops.

Availability: Year-round

It’s a bold, characteristically West Coast IPA, made with pale and crystal malt, along with citric and floral hops.

Availability: Seasonal

An ideal companion for lousy weather. Made with three different types of malt and earthy hops.

Availability: Seasonal

Black as night and hoppy as hell, but nowhere close as intimidating as it sounds.

On average, 0.7 per cent of the world is drunk at any given time. So, roughly 50 million people are drunk as you read this.

BLACK KETTLE OATMEAL STOUT STOUT

BLACK KETTLE BLACK IPA BLACK INDIA PALE ALE

BLACK KETTLE PALE ALE PALE ALE

BLACK KETTLE IPA INDIA PALE ALE

BRIDGE BREWING CO.

1448 Charlotte Rd. | bridgebrewing.com

The little brewery that could: Bridge Brewing outgrew its title as “Vancouver’s first nanobrewery” by moving into an expanded facility late in 2014. Bridge’s new brewery features an attractive tasting room and greater brewing capacity, which will allow it to satisfy more thirsty customers with growler fills, bottle sales, casks and kegs.

Availability: Year-round

Bridge’s original beer, this balanced pale ale is made with Canadian pilsner malt and both traditional and Northwest hop varieties.

Availability: Year-round

Worth braving the bridge traffic for, this West Coast IPA features some of the big “C” hops: Cascade, Centennial and Columbus.

Availability: Year-round

This Kolsch-style ale is light and refreshing, similar to a lager but brewed with an ale yeast and German hops.

Availability: Seasonal

This award-winning stout has a rich, sweet body and a dry finish.

Between the 20s and 70s, only hotel beer parlours could serve alcohol, in the form of beer by the glass. Hard liquor, music, and even windows were forbidden.

DEEP COVE BREWERS AND

DISTILLERS

170 - 2270 Dollarton Hwy. | deepcovecraft.com

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

EST: 2013

Beyond Deep Cove’s gorgeous tasting room lies the industrial realm of brewmaster Kevin Emms. One of several young B.C. brewers who earned a master’s degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Emms is a creative perfectionist. In addition to beer, Deep Cove also produces a range of interesting spirits.

LOUD MOUTH

STAR STRUCK

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

This West Coast pale ale features a substantial addition of juicy Pacific Northwest hops over a solid malt base.

KISSED

Emms first showed he knew how to brew with rye while at Coal Harbour, and improved on his recipe at Deep Cove.

FROST BITTEN

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Peppery, fruity and refreshingly tart, this summer seasonal is made with green rooibos tea infused with apple, mango and papaya.

The winter yin to Sun Kissed’s yang, this one features rich and spicy rye malt, bourbonsoaked oak and vanilla.

SUN

TEA SAISON

TEA SAISON

PALE ALE

RYE INDIA PALE ALE

The Weihenstephan Abbey Brewery, the world’s oldest surviving commercial brewery, was established in Germany almost 1,000 years ago.

GREEN LEAF BREWING CO.

123 Carrie Cates Ct. | greenleafbrew.com

FRI/SAT: 11AM-11PM

EST: 2013

A charming, cozy location inside Lonsdale Quay, Green Leaf has an epic view of the Burrard Inlet and downtown Vancouver. The tanks are nestled up against the tasting room, so customers have an up close and personal look at how their beer is made. Their brewery system is custom built by Practical Fusion in Portland to maximize efficiency and reduce their footprint.

PIE HOLE PALE ALE

AMERICAN PALE ALE

LOLO STOUT

CHOCOLATE STOUT

SUN-THU: 11AM-9PM ^ 35 5.5% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

A finely balanced pale ale, brewed with pale and crystal malts and a generous helping of Cascade hops. Hoppy, but not too bitter.

ANIMAL FARM IPA

BELGIAN INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

This Belgian-style IPA has hints of fruit and citrus to parallel the hop bitterness with light, caramelized sweetness.

It’s like drinking a chocolate cookie, filled with oats, crystal and chocolate malts – full-bodied with a subtle, roasted finish.

BURNING ROCK

ALE

AMBER ALE

Availability: Seasonal

This amber ale is all about the malt – the range of caramelized flavours is a result of an unusual brewing process.

HEARTHSTONE BREWERY

1015 Marine Dr. | hearthstonebrewery.ca

EST: 2014

The Missions Springs owner sets up shop in the old Red Truck facility and here we are. Despite the affiliation, the beer recipes are all originals. This is where Old World tradition meets New World pretension (their words). The brewery is churning out product as you read this, and the tasting room (which will include a pizzeria) should be open by spring.

BOHEMIAN PILSNER

MON-THU: 95 8.5% ABV IBU

BURNING BRIDGES

Availability: Year-round

A clean, crisp golden pale pilsner with spicy, floral hop aroma.

RED RYE ALE RED ALE

A bold malty backbone providing sweet toffee flavours to compliment and balance the huge hop presence. A whole lotta hops here, friends.

GRAHAM CRACKER

Availability: Seasonal

A smooth, slightly spicy ruby red ale, backed up by a blend of Yakima hops complementing the malt with notes of pear, citrus and black pepper.

38 NORTH VAN

Availability: Seasonal

50g of graham crackers in each batch results in notes of honey, vanilla and, uh, graham cracker with a heavy malt backbone and Galena hops.

BREWING UP

Brewmaster Claire Wilson is one of a growing number of women making a place for themselves in the the craft beer trade, but it hasn’t been easy. There were just three women in the class of 12 when Wilson – founder and head breawer of Dogwood Brewing in Vancouver – pursued her degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh

She says there just wasn’t a place for women in the industry in those days.

“Women were in the lab or in the office. There was no jobs for women in production,” she says. “You just wouldn’t get one. It was just the way the industry was. It was very traditional.” Still, she graduated in 2003 and pushed her way into the old boys’ club, finding work in European breweries. For a time, she worked under female brewmaster Angela Wurges at Meantime Brewing in England.

Beer is practically in her DNA: Along with studying brewing in Edinburgh, she was born in Ireland and came of age in Munich, where beer is one of the dietary staples. It cemented her love of ale.

Today, Wilson wears a pair of bubble gum pink rubber galoshes as a nod to the Pink Boots Society, an international non-profit female brewers association that provides scholarships and support to women in the brewing community.

“It’s a great way to promote and support women in the industry because we are still underrepresented,” Wilson says, in a charming Irish accent. “I think a lot of women have a passion and an interest for it, but don’t see women in those roles or don’t necessarily know that those roles are open to them.”

Building on her life-long love of ale and extensive experience, Wilson opened Dogwood, Van-

couver’s first organic brewery with a local and sustainable focus. Even after all of these years, Wilson still hears from people who are shocked to learn that she, a woman, is responsible for beer production at her brewery. “It’s my company; I make all the beer. I make all the decisions and people are still surprised. (Even) other women are still surprised,” she says.

As for that business, going the organic route with Dogwood means raw materials cost more and profit margins are slimmer, but Wilson wants to put her buying power towards sustainability.

“If I’m going to spend thousands and thousands of dollars a month on something, I want to choose something local and something organic,” she says. j

a place by Niki Hope

OF HER OWN

It’s my company; I make all the beer. I make all the decisions and people are still surprised.

DAGERAAD BREWING

114 - 3191 Thunderbird Cres. | dageraadbrewing.com

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

EST: 2014

Yes, Dageraad’s the first game in town to brew in a traditional Belgian style, but there’s more to the story. Namely, their beers are so flavourful, it’s as if brewmaster Ben Coli’s brewing Kool-Aid for adults. Everything the brewery does – from the glassware to the labels to the beer – exudes a devoted love of the craft, ignoring trends and simply making tasty beer.

DAGERAAD BLONDE

DAGERAAD AMBER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Crowned with a fluffy, white head and graced with a fruity, spicy, citrusy aroma – and that’s before you even taste the damn thing.

A hoppy aroma and a crisp finish balance the malty sweetness and stone fruit. Rich in flavour, there’s nothing else quite like it brewed in B.C.

DAGERAAD 10°

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Peppery and hoppy, effervescent and bone-dry, this saison is a refreshing go-to when it’s time to relax.

An homage to the strong, dark ales brewed by Trappist monks. Complex fruit and spice notes complement the beer’s layered malt flavour.

Between the 1920s and the 1970s, in an effort to curb the spread of venereal disease, B.C. beer parlours required men and women to sit in separate sections.

STEAMWORKS BREWING

CO.

3845 William St. | steamworks.com

Steamworks is a straight shooter – no frills, no gimmicks, just dependable, amenable beer. It’s also one of the oldest and most successful establishments in B.C., starting out as a Gastown brewpub (which still exists, and is great) and expanding to a full-blown production facility in 2013. But if you’re holding this book, you probably already know this.

PILSNER

PILSNER, OBVIOUSLY

Availability: Year-round

A golden-coloured lager with lively lightly toasted malt flavours that underscore a German hop character that’s light and refreshing.

Availability: Year-round

A Northwest-style pale ale that combines hints of toasted malts with a floral and citrus aroma, courtesy of the Cascade and Chinook hops.

Availability: Year-round

The taste of caramel malt is balanced by the lavish dryhop character and refreshing jasmine flavours.

Availability: Seasonal

Delicious caramel malt flavour blends with the fruity and spicy dry hops, for a bold, flavourful finish.

Up until the 1970s, BC Liquor Store employees were forbidden from giving recommendations – even if asked.

JASMINE IPA INDIA PALE ALE

BLACK ANGEL IPA BLACK INDIA PALE ALE

STEEL & OAK BREWING

1319 Third Ave. | steelandoak.ca

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

EST: 2014

This is New Westminster’s brewery. That’s not to say it’s some brewery that happens to be in New West – it’s of the city, a proper neighbourhood pub that happens to pour delicious, traditional German-style beer. They have an enormous vinyl collection in the tasting room, and you can bring your own records in to listen to while drinking their brew.

RED PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

A full-bodied classic pilsner comprised with a multitude of caramel malts that enhance the body and robust red colour.

DRY HOPPED ESB

EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

Availability: Year-round

Hop-forward, with a strong grapefruit and citrus aroma. A balanced malty body is matched by a lasting bitterness.

@steelandoak

ROYAL CITY ALE

Availability: Year-round

A simple mix of classic pale malts is paired with mild bitterness make this beer crushable and flavourful. Light in colour and medium bodied.

SMOKED HEFEWEIZEN HEFEWEIZEN

Availability: Seasonal

Smells like banana and balanced with a curious smoky flavour. It’s a beer of extremes, but a hint of astringency brings it together.

In 2006, Sapporo brewed the world’s first “Space Beer”, made using barley grown on board the International Space station.

FOUR WINDS BREWING

4 - 7355 72nd St. | fourwindsbrewing.ca

MON-SAT: 12-6PM ^ SUN: 12-5PM @fourwindsbrewco

EST: 2013

Easily one of B.C.’s most exciting breweries, thanks to a solid set of core beers and seasonal releases that keep getting better. Founded by brewer Brent Mills, his father and two brothers, the brewery’s location in a non-descript Delta industrial park has nonetheless become a destination for beer lovers, as its tasting room often features one-off brews available nowhere else.

FOUR WINDS SAISON

FARMHOUSE ALE

FOUR WINDS IPA

AMERICAN INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

Finished with Northwest Cascade hops, this fruity and spicy Saison is great year-round.

FOUR WINDS PALE ALE

KINDA OBVIOUS, NO?

This was already a great IPA when the brewery launched, but Mills keeps tweaking the hop profile to improve it.

FOUR WINDS PILSNER

CZECH STYLE PILSNER

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A dynamic duo of Cascade and Centennial hops combine in this refreshingly bitter American pale ale.

The Old World meets the New in this traditional Czech pilsner that is dry-hopped with New Zealand Motueka hops.

As of 2014, B.C. had more breweries than any province except for Ontario.

vs.

Two of Vancouver’s most exciting brewers go head to head to discuss what they love and loathe about the local craft beer scene. Dageraad’s Ben brews in a Belgian style while Steele & Oak’s was trained in the traditional German style and adheres to Reinheitsgebot (or, the Bavarian Purity Law). It turns out they have more to loathe than to love...but that’s OK, right?

and (or, more

Peter Shulz

Ben Coli

PETER SHULZ [Dageraad’s] De Witte tasted like how I want sour beers to taste in the future. All the sour beers that are going on right now are so extreme, and it’s just one end of the spectrum. It’s out of control. But the one sour that you did, there’s just a hint of sourness. It was well played within the body. I think that’s going to be the future of sour beers.

BEN COLI We’re not into doing anything extreme. No extreme hoppiness. We don’t do any of that kind of stuff. No extreme bitterness. No extreme hop flavours.

SHULZ Just extreme quality.

COLI Yeah, and drinkable. Why don’t we make something that’s nice to drink, instead of something that’s a dare? You drink it on a dare. ‘Oh, it’s the bitterest thing you’ve ever had! Put that in your mouth!’ Why?

I have a theory, and I think [extreme flavour] is a reaction to macro lager that we’re still undergoing. First we had beer that tasted like nothing. Then, the [first] stage in craft beer was beer that tastes like anything at all. Like, your American ale that actually has a bit of flavour to it.

The next step is, if flavour is good, why not lots of flavour! It’s phase two of craft beer. You and I are moving on to phase three of craft beer, which is balance. What makes beer good?

SHULZ Harmony.

COLI Harmony, yeah. Something that actually works together. That to me is the way forward. I think it’s awesome you guys aren’t brewing an IPA.

SHULZ Oh! (scoffs) Everyone comes up and says, “When are you brewing an IPA?” I’m like, “Have you tried my pale? Have you tried my pilsner?”

COLI They’re really nice beers.

SHULZ They’re really easy to drink, and if you

want a really intense hop, come have an ESB every once in a while. But that’s not the beer you want to take home every night. If you want to drink for a long time, it’s not going to be that [IPA].

Plus, it’s not economic either. IPA has three times the amount of hops that any other beer does. And what’s going on right now? Hop crisis! All over the country! No one can get it and you have to plan two to three years in advance. It’s crazy.

COLI I enjoy an IPA, you know. I still totally like drinking one, but I’ve had people at beer festivals come up to me and say, “What’s your IPA? I’ll have whatever your IPA is.” I’ll say, I don’t have an IPA and I’ve had them walk away from our table. They waited in line, they got to the front and they walk away! Why not try something else? The whole point of craft beer is variety. It’s the fact that we don’t all have to drink the same shit anymore. So why do you want to drink only one kind of stuff?

SHULZ It doesn’t make sense. But I mean, it’s a cultural thing. It’s extremes all the time in all that we do, and it’s how we move forward. It’s hard to just stay on quality, because you know it’s not exciting. It’s not “happening”, but it’s difficult. It’s a challenge.

COLI Nietzsche said something along the lines of, “Usually when we make a mistake, we make a second. First we do too much, then we do too little.” It’s the other way around with craft beer. First there’s too little flavour, then there’s too goddamn much. Aim for harmony. j

The whole point of craft beer is variety. It’s the fact that we don’t all have to drink the same shit anymore. So why do you want to drink only one kind of stuff? - Ben Coli

CENTRAL CITY BREWING

11411 Bridgeview Dr. | centralcitybrewing.com

EST:

Founded as a brewpub, Central City expanded its operation considerably with a $30-million production brewery in 2013. Never satisfied, brewmaster Gary Lohin dreams big: Aside from the classic Red Racer beers, he’s always adding more styles to the lineup, including a few beers and whiskeys he puts into barrels to age. In this case, bigger is definitely better.

RED RACER IPA

MON-FRI: 40 4.0% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

Hops, hops and more hops! This multiple award winner has been one of B.C.’s best and most popular IPAs for nearly a decade.

RED RACER IMPERIAL IPA

Availability: Year-round

Imperial IPAs don’t get much bigger or bitterer than this. Its massive malt foundation is only surpassed by its huge hoppiness.

48 SURREY

RED RACER INDIA SESSION

It might be only 4% ABV but this session IPA is big on flavour with a wonderful hoppy character.

THOR’S HAMMER

Availability: Seasonal

Aged in bourbon barrels for one year, this special beer exudes deep, rich notes of dried fruit, plum and figs.

RUSSELL BREWING

202 - 13018 80th Ave. | russellbeer.com

MON-FRI: 8AM-4PM @russell_beer

EST: 1995

Long-suffering from a split in focus between craft beer and marketing-driven beer fads, Russell now offers a solid lineup, including pitch-perfect examples of classic styles and creative hybrids. There’s no tasting room at the brewery, but Russell’s beers are readily available in bottle shops and tap houses.

SCOTCH

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

A “90 Schilling Scotch Ale,” this strong, dark ale is brewed with peated malt, which imparts a slightly smoky character.

PEAKS AND

ALLEY

This beer is hoppier than a typical ESB, but it is well balanced by rich, roasted malt characteristics.

SMOKEY THE BEER BAMBER

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

Russell’s newest release features hops grown in Chilliwack and malts from Gambrinus in Armstrong.

Brewed with 98% German beechwood-smoked malt, this unique style originates in Bamberg, Germany. Pairs well with barbecue.

Phillips Brewing’s popular Blue Buck was originally called Blue Truck, but changed its name after Red Truck Brewing took Phillips to court over the name.

WHITE ROCK BEACH BEER CO.

15181 Russell Ave. | whiterockbeachbeer.com

Three friends, all teachers nearing retirement, started this brewery as passion project. Their facility is one step above a home brew system: three small, one-litre tanks sitting at the back of their downtown White Rock storefront. Their intentions are as modest as their set-up: To make easy-drinking beer that’s served at local bars. Simple, sessionable beers. What more do you need, really?

WEST BEACH FRUIT

Availability: Year-round

This Pacific Northwest-style pale ale uses Centennial hops, which gives it a citrusy, grapefruit flavour. Thirst-quenching and sessionable.

BORDER PORTER

Availability: Seasonal

This porter has a big, malty aroma with chocolate notes. There’s a deep sweetness with light fruitiness that’ll warm you on a cold day.

EAST BEACH NUT

Availability: Year-round

A brown ale that’s dark brown in colour, but clear all the way through. Very mild, not too hoppy, with caramel and chocolate undertones.

OXFORD HILL

Availability: Seasonal

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

Skunked beer – y’know, foul tasting beer that smells like skunk? – is caused by exposure to light.

AMERICAN PALE ALE

AMERICAN BROWN ALE

Happy Hour at Dockside

• 3-5 in our Restaurant Bar

• 5-7 in our Lounge

Dockside Growlers available

1253 Johnston Street • 604-685-7070 in the Granville i sland h otel

ONLY HE WHO HOLDS THE LAST PINT CAN BE CROWNED...

ONLY HE WHO HOLDS THE LAST PINT CAN BE CROWNED...

ONLY HE WHO HOLDS THE LAST PINT CAN BE CROWNED...

ONLY HE WHO HOLDS THE LAST PINT CAN BE CROWNED...

ONLY HE WHO HOLDS THE LAST PINT CAN BE CROWNED...

ONLY HE WHO HOLDS THE LAST PINT CAN BE CROWNED... Get

TAPPING A UNIQUE CRAFT BEER EVERY WEEK, STARTING AT 5PM (max 2 people per tab)

MOODY ALES BREWING

2601 Murray St. | moodyales.com

SUN: 12-7PM

^ MON: 3-8PM

The second of two breweries to open in Port Moody in 2014, Moody Ales was founded by two ex-IT consultants who bonded over homebrew and decided to take the plunge and open their own brewery. Sample their beers in the comfortable tasting room with a view of the brewery beyond and fill a growler or two to take home.

HARDY BROWN ALE

NORTHERN ENGLISH BROWN ALE

Availability: Year-round

This ale features notes of chocolate and coffee with a hint of nuttiness in the aroma.

LUSTY CHOCOLATE

@moodyales

SMOULDERING SMOKED PORTER

SMOKED PORTER

5.5% ABV IBU 38 5.8% ABV IBU 26 5.5% ABV IBU 19 6.9% ABV IBU

Availability: Year-round

This strong stout is brewed with oatmeal and conditioned on cocoa nibs, giving it a rich, dark chocolate character.

Port Moody seems to be all about the smoked porters! Moody’s has a wood-smoke aroma and a rich malt body.

CHIPPER BLONDE ALE

AMERICAN BLONDE ALE

Availability: Year-round

An easy-drinking blonde ale with a lightly sweet malt body and a crisp hop finish.

YELLOW DOG BREWING

1 - 2817 Murray St. | yellowdogbeer.com

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

SUN: 12-7PM @yellowdogbeer

EST: 2014

Shortly after Yellow Dog opened last year, brewer Liam Murphy (ex-Parallel 49) won Best in Show at the 2014 BC Beer Awards for his Shake a Paw Smoked Porter. The tasting room offers a view of the brewing equipment, but even cooler is the licenced picnic area behind the brewery. Now if only they can train Rover to fetch refills. Good dog!

PLAY DEAD IPA

Availability: Year-round

The big, fruity nose thanks to heaps of Mosaic and Citra hops will make you sit up and beg for more.

SMOKE A PAW

Availability: Seasonal

Very drinkable despite its smoky, roasted malt character, this award winner is smooth and complex with hints of coffee and chocolate.

CHASE MY TAIL

Availability: Year-round

This west coast pale ale is a “gateway IPA” with a fresh, dry-hopped character that makes it dangerously drinkable.

OLD DOG

Availability: Seasonal

Altbier is a traditional German-style ale that pre-dates lager brewing. Yellow Dog’s is malt forward with a subtle nuttiness.

... which broke the record the brewery previously set in 2012 with Armageddon at 65% ABV

BREWPUBS

Yes, they’re all crammed on to a single page, but that doesn’t mean these brewpubs are worth any less of your time. Not at all, friends. Check’em out.

DOCKSIDE

RESTAURANT & BREWING COMPANY

1253 Johnston St, Vancouver

MON-SUN: 7AM-10PM

docksidevancouver.com

YALETOWN BREWING CO

1111 Mainland St, Vancouver

SUN-WED: 11:30AM-12AM ^ THU: 11:30AM-1AM ^ FRI/SAT: 11:30AM-3AM

mjg.ca/yaletown

BIG RIVER BREWPUB

14200 Entertainment Blvd, Richmond

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

zbowl.com/richmond_br/brewstory

CENTRAL CITY BREWING CO

13450 102 Ave, Surrey

MON-FRI: 10:30AM-12AM

^ FRI/SAT: 10:30AM-2AM centralcitybrewing.com

STEEL TOAD

BREWPUB & DINING HALL

97 East 2nd Ave, Vancouver

MON-THU: 11AM-12AM ^ FRI: 11AM-2AM

SAT: 10AM-2AM ^ SUN: 10AM-12AM

steeltoad.ca

STEAMWORKS BREWPUB

375 Water St, Vancouver

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

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

steamworks.com

BIG RIDGE BREWPUB

5580 152 St, Surrey

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

mjg.ca/big-ridge

BREWHOUSE

4355 Blackcomb Way, Whistler

MON-SUN: 11:30AM-1AM

mjg.ca/brewhouse

DEAD FROG BREWING

1 - 27272 Gloucester Way, Langley | deadfrog.ca

10AM-5PM

12-4PM

Originally Backwoods Brewing, the ownership dumped that name in favour of Dead Frog, a rebranding that initially seemed more about marketing than craft beer, and the brewery has struggled to rise above that perception ever since. But the beer has definitely improved – there’s no question about that – but it’s still tough to get past that name. After all, “Nothing goes down like a cold Dead Frog.” Hmmm.

BUCKING SHEEP

BUCKWHEAT IPA

NUTTY UNCLE

MON-FRI: 24 6.1% ABV IBU

Buckwheat provides a fluffy head retention to die for, and the generously dry-hopped Citra add a citrus kick. Froggy style!

RED DRAGON

IMPERIAL RED ALE

Chocolate and peanut butter in a milk stout – say what? Why has no one thought of this before?

HYPER COMBO

RED RYE IPA

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Seasonal

A full flavoured red ale that balances a complex malt base with massive amounts of citrus hops.

This collaboration with Fuggles & Warlock is dry hopped with Citra, Amarillo, and Galaxy atop a complex malt base featuring rye.

MISSION SPRINGS BREWING CO.

7160 Oliver St, Mission | missionsprings.ca

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

Since opening, this brewpub has expanded its operation considerably beyond B.C. It now operates two taphouses in Seoul, South Korea, sending more than 4,000 litres of beer in disposable kegs there each month. The brewpub in Mission is like an old automobile museum filled with collectibles, antiques and memorabilia. Oh, and the beer is good, too.

TRAILBLAZER PILSNER

EUROPEAN PILSNER

Availability: Year-round

This crisp and refreshing pilsner recently won gold medal at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards.

PALE

Availability: Seasonal

This takes the radler trend to a new level: lager blended with cranberries, white grape juice and ginger root infusion.

Availability: Year-round

Mission Springs brews this no-nonsense, fullbodied, pleasant-drinking ale to be enjoyed any time of year.

Availability: Year-round

Celebrating the Fraser Valley’s resurgent hopgrowing industry, Mission Springs only uses locally grown hops in this delicious IPA.

...allowing the Fraser Valley industry to take off. Harry Hulbert started the first mainland hop farm on 50 acres outside of Sardis.

OLD ABBEY ALES

1A - 30321 Fraser Hwy, Abbotsford | oldabbeyales.com

MON-SAT: 11AM-10PM ^ SUN: 12-8PM

@oldabbeyales

EST: 2014 30

Conveniently located right off Highway 1, Old Abbey Ales is the perfect pit-stop for a growler fill, on the way home from work (or to work, we suppose). They’re brewing in a West Coast / Belgian hybrid style – all of it bottle conditioned and all of it real freakin’ ale. Their tasting room has 24 taps, showcasing every beer known to man, plus a few more.

BELGIAN TRIPEL

Availability: Year-round

Rich malt character enhanced by a wonderful blend of fruit, citrus, and spice. A complex beer, indeed.

BELGIAN TRIPEL IPA

BELGIAN INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Smooth, with a hearty flavour, featuring notes of fruit, citrus, and spice.

QUAD

BELGIAN QUAD, OF COURSE

Availability: Year-round

Dark, strong, and surprisingly smooth, featuring a rich malty palate with notes of cherries and figs.

DOUBLE RASPBERRY WIT

BELGIAN WIT

Availability: Seasonal

So, so fruity, and the bottle conditioning process creates a champagne-like experience.

The most expensive bottle of beer in history cost $3,500 and was made by Tenaya Creek Brewery. Ingredients included black truffles, Tahitian vanilla beans, and kopi luwak coffee.

OLD YALE BREWING CO.

4 - 7965 Venture Pl, Chilliwack | oldyalebrewing.com

MON-FRI: 1-5PM @oldyalebrewing

EST: 2000

Following two ownership changes and a move to a new location, things are looking up for Old Yale, thanks to a big win at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards. The addition of a growler station, some equipment upgrades, and, most importantly, recipe improvements, have Old Yale pointed in the right direction.

SASQUATCH STOUT

WESTCOAST IPA

Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round

This rich, dark stout won Beer of the Year at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards. Robust and roasty.

SCREAMING BANSHEE

A big step up from Old Yale’s previous IPA, this new addition in 2014 is bursting with citrusy, Northwest hops.

OFF TRAIL PALE ALE

AMERICAN PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

“Give me a screaming banshee, please.” Pardon? “It’s an Irish Cream stout.” Pardon?! On ice cream maybe? Actually, that sounds good…

Well-balanced with a hoppy edge, this American pale ale is brewed with whole leaf Cascade hops.

The End of History Belgian Ale by Scotland’s Brewdog Brewery came encased in a taxidermied squirrel and cost $830 per bottle. Only 11 bottles were produced.

HOWE SOUND BREWNG CO.

37801 Cleveland Ave, Squamish | howesound.com

MON-SUN: 8-12AM @howesoundbeer

EST: 1996

It’s just a small brewpub, but it somehow manages to put out 35 different beers each year in its unique, one-litre “potstopper” bottles. If you haven’t been to the source, it’s well worth a visit, and you can stay in the brewpub’s own inn. Howe Sound also opened the Devil’s Elbow Ale House on Beatty St. in Vancouver last fall.

POTHOLE FILLER

IMPERIAL STOUT

DEVIL’S ELBOW IPA

INDIA PALE ALE

Availability: Seasonal Availability: Year-round

This infamously strong imperial stout is brewed with six malts and blackstrap molasses. It is gloriously thick, intense and black.

SKY PILOT NW

PALE ALE

NORTHWEST PALE ALE

Availability: Year-round

Howe Sound began brewing this assertively hopped golden ale to help launch the Sea to Sky Gondola in 2014.

As English-style IPAs go, this one has a substantial malt base and a considerable dose of hops. Very satisfying.

HOWE SOUND LAGER

DORTMUND LAGER

Availability: Year-round

A golden Dortmund-style lager, this awardwinning beer has a slightly sweet malt character and a clean, dry finish.

The oldest surviving beer recipe comes in the form of a 3900-year-old poem honouring Ninkasi, the ancient Sumerian goddess of brewing.

WHISTLER BREWING CO.

1045 Millar Creek Rd, Whistler | whistlerbeer.com

Whistler has gone through a few ownership changes since it started. At one point the brand was owned by Big Rock and for a while the beer was actually brewed in Kamloops (with water shipped from Whistler). Since the company built an actual brewery in Whistler prior to the Olympics, some of the beer has been made there, and it’s been steadily improving, too.

WINTER DUNKEL

Availability: Seasonal

This tasty, malty German dark lager celebrates the holiday season with a nicely balanced addition of chocolate and orange.

BIG SKY UNCOMMON

Availability: Year-round

A California Common-style, brewed with lager yeast at warmer ale temperatures, creating a full-bodied beer with a crisp, hoppy finish.

Availability: Seasonal

TRAIL

Roasted chestnuts impart a nutty character with vanilla notes to this seasonal brown ale. A tad sweet, but people love it.

FORAGER GLUTEN

Availability: Year-round

The first gluten-free beer from a B.C. brewery, Forager is made from sorghum and rice, rather than malted barley or wheat.

In the U.K., a ‘growler’ refers to a woman’s, ah, nether region.

The Park Pub presents

5 BEERS

FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY HATE BEER

Beer is the oldest fermented drink in the world, yet there are many out there who claim to hate it. You know the type. You might even be the type.

Rather than discount beer altogether, we think it’s time to acquaint yourself with beer that suits your personal palate. It’s true: Anyone who thinks they hate beer simply hasn’t tried the right one.

Beer’s an acquired taste for many, but also a multi-faceted and personal experience dependent on many variables.

That’s why it’s important to get started on the right type of beer. Understanding the different styles can help find a brew more suited to your personal preference.

When in doubt, ask your bartender for a sample, or look for tasting flights that allow you to try smaller portions of numerous brews.

Or, just take it from us. Start with one of these quality choices.

WHAT THE HUCK

Darker, Belgian style beers are ideal for people in to wine. This flavourful Belgian pale ale from Burnaby’s breakout brewery features sweet malt flavours and a hint of spice.

*Available at The Park

From one of Vancouver Island’s finest breweries, this saison style beer has a citrusy, orange flavour and a smooth, refreshing finish. Sweet, delicious and very approachable.*

Wheat beers are another good option for newcomers. They’re sweet, rarely hoppy and often very tasty. Fernie’s What The Huck, made with huckleberries, offers a unique twist.

Dark beers can intimidate the unitiated. But Russell’s cream ale is smooth and surprisingly light, featuring an espresso flavour. And not even remotely hoppy. Very approachable.*

The Park Pub is the West End’s go-to craft beer hangout, offering tasting flights of four 4-ounce beers of your choice for $5.75. Every day, the Park features a different craft beer on special; sleeves for $4.50 and pints for $5.50. The Park’s selection of 25 taps, live entertainment, 11 flatscreen TVs and two big screens displays ensures there’s something for everyone...even if you still can’t appreciate a good beer. theparkatenglishbay.com |

HONEY PALE ALE

The honey flavour is noticeable, but not overpowering. You could drink a few of these without without the sweetness getting to you. Very smooth and easy drinking. *

DAGERAAD BREWING AMBER DRIFTWOOD BREWERY FARMHAND

RUSSELL BREWING CO. CREAM ALE WHISTLER BREWING CO. BEAR PAW

FERNIE BREWING CO.

Beer-swilling teenagers

HAVE NO IDEA

HOW LUCKY THEY ARE

by Stephen Smysnuik

The first beer I ever drank was a can of Labatt Blue. I was 15 or 16 and stole it from my parent’s fridge. I was alone at the time. Why I chose to drink my first beer all alone, I can’t recall. I was a weird kid.

I ran outside to drink it. Again I don’t know why. If it was to hide this bout of adolescent experimentation from my parents, my intentions were flawed since I chose the driveway to consume it, for the entire neighbourhood to see.

But that’s beside the point. I cracked the top and took this enormous gulp. It was foamy and bitter and watery. Instead of sipping it like I imagine a rational person would have, I drank the whole thing in three big gulps, just to get the whole thing over with. I wanted to know what the fuss over beer was all about.

I choked on that beer. I wretched. I threw the can in a ditch and walked back inside with precious little insight into why people would ever willingly drink that swill.

In the years that followed, I got used to that taste, but never particularly enjoyed drinking it. Throughout my 20s, I was not so much a beer enthusiast as a drunk enthusiast, since the brands of beer readily available in those days didn’t exactly encourage anything close to “enthusiasm.”

Still, I didn’t know any better that the time. I just assumed the taste of beer was supposed to be endured rather than enjoyed. Thankfully, it’s not like

that anymore and it took me until my mid-20s to realize that, no, Sleeman’s Honey Brown is not the premium beer I’d been told it was.

And the teens of today, experimenting with booze for the first time, have no idea how lucky they are. Rather than barfing up their father’s Blue, they’re barfing up Blue Buck. Not that I condone underage drinking, but for better or worse, their options are far greater than having to choke down the watery, tasteless dregs from a Kokanee can.

The best beer-related story I’ve heard in a long time comes from Graham With, Parallel 49 Brewing’s brewmaster, telling me how he knew he’d “made it” in the industry when he found a discarded empty six-pack of Gypsy Tears lying in a ditch. It’s a beautiful image, in a Bukowski-esque sort of way.

But, at the risk of sounding like a schmaltzy alcoholic, it’s beautiful too that Gypsy Tears exists at all. And in quantities that permit this beer to be consumed and discarded so frivolously. What an age!

I imagine, for absolutely no reason whatsoever except to suit the purposes of this article, that the six-pack of Gypsy Tears was consumed by a two or three teens.

And that these kids had no real concept of just how lucky they are that the beer was full of flavour and tasted great to very last drop. j

Rather than barfing up their father’s Blue, they’re barfing up Blue Buck.