NORTHERN NOTES | regional report
NORTHERN BC
CELEBRATING THE CULTURE OF CRAFT
I
>> ADAM ARTHUR t certainly has been a very interesting winter so far in Prince George—one of the mildest I can recall. And it’s been an interesting time in the craft beer scene, in town and in Northern BC as a whole.
The 6th Annual Kiwanis AleFest returned on January 24 and 25, 2020 and it was excellent—the best yet. Cheers to all the organizers, volunteers, craft brewers, restaurants, sponsors and attendees that made it a success. This year, partial proceeds supported Northern BC children through Ronald McDonald Houses of BC. The tasting session on January 24 was amazing. The addition of a craft cider booth and some new food vendors was particularly exciting. AleFest is now on the radar of the BC Ale Trail folks; a new Ale Trail booth featured Crannog Ales, Fernie Brewing, Kettle River Brewing and Slackwater Brewing. Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse returned after a year’s absence. I participated during AleFest setup and all three events at the Two Rivers Gallery. The highlight was my first-ever Brewmaster’s dinner; the food and beer pairings were just amazing! The dinner and the Kiwanis AleFest Crawl (formerly Cask Beer Experience Weekend) featured breweries and restaurants that had not participated before. Red Collar Brewing joined the AleFest Crawl, the first non-Northern BC craft brewery to participate; and Mighty Peace Brewing Co. was part of the Brewmaster’s dinner on January 25. Cheers to all of the brewers and their excellent beers. Kiwanis AleFest is Prince George’s premier flagship craft beer festival and I highly recommend it. Prince George’s craft beer community lost some of its biggest supporters when Copper Pig BBQ House, Kask Taproom & Eatery, and Cowboy Ranch all closed in 2019. These establishments offered some of the best northern BC craft beer selections in town, supported Kiwanis AleFest, and hosted their own special events. These fine craft-beer-focused establishments played big roles in the Northern BC and Prince George craft beer revolution over the past decade. Their closing feels like a big setback. But there’s much to celebrate and rejuvenation is around the corner. The Post & Row Local Taphouse in Dawson Creek will be opening up this year, and they will be big champions of craft beer. In Prince George, the craft beer selections at the Cornerstone Kitchen & Lounge, Grand Trunk Tavern and other establishments and liquor stores have improved. Nancy O’s, one of PG’s best craft (bottled) beer focused restaurants, has draft beer on tap for the first time ever. Northern BC’s craft breweries are brewing amazing beers and continue to impress me. Some recent favourites include The Riddle Red Ale from Mighty Peace Brewing and Old Man Winter Ale from Smithers Brewing. The Kiwanis AleFest Crawl also featured a delicious cask called Evergreen Citrus, which was Smithers’ Flagship Pale Ale with handpicked Spruce tips and Citra hops. I’m also always happy with the craft beers from Three Ranges Brewing, CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery and Trench Brewing and Distilling. 40 WHAT'S BREWING S P R I N G 2020
Kiwanis AleFest Brewmaster's Dinner
What A Decade It’s Been The past decade in the craft beer world was quite exciting in Prince George, the North and BC as a whole. We may never see anything like it again. With the threat of macro scale ready-todrink alcoholic beverages including hard seltzers, and with the macros pushing into the craft beer space and further blurring the lines, it’s time for the craft beer community to be more united and collaborative than ever. The founding of the Canadian Craft Brewers Association and the Independent Craft Seal of Authenticity were significant moves. I fully converted to craft beer around late 2009 and early 2010. I’ve tried many delicious craft beers from BC, Canada, and beyond. As the decade progressed, I met many people and made great friends in the craft beer community. Being a part of the craft beer community is quite an amazing thing. The next decade will be an exciting one. I look forward to seeing what it will offer the world of craft. Adam Arthur is a craft beer fan since 2010 who’s glad to represent Northern BC and the city of Prince George. He supports Independent craft breweries in (and outside of) BC.
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