HAVE CAMERA WILL TRAVEL: TOURING IN A TIME OF CHANGE

TOURING IN A TIME OF CHANGE >> BRIAN K. SMITH

of Baldwin & Cooper Best Bitter. Then we ventured a few more kilometers north, to Backcountry Brewing. This Brackendale brewing team has been pushing out some great beer throughout the spring. Their indoor beer and food service were on hold at the time, but we picked up some seasonal sours in cans.

If you haven't been to Pemberton lateBeer Farmers ly, it is worth the drive to visit The Beer Farmers, about 10 km west of the town in

Followers of my column will be Pemberton Meadows. I was fortunate to familiar with my reviews of sit down with the key players: Will Miller breweries and craft beer pubs near (general manager), Brenda Miller (head and far. I’ve been able to write brewer), and Bruce Miller (farmer and about, photograph, and drink craft beer owner). A lot of the ingredients in their from the local Gulf Islands to Taiwan and farm-fresh beer come right off their 500- multiple countries in Asia, but even leaving acre organic valley farm, which has been in the family for more than 125 years. our province is not recommended during The two flights of beer were true to their the current state of affairs. style and flavor profiles. Something about drinking beer on a farm—it just tastes We were allowed to leave our homes better! One of their bestsellers is the Cranagain in early June, more than 10 weeks berry and Orange Tart IPA: a completely after my favourite local pub regretfully balanced beer with a memorable creamy closed its doors. That first draft craft beer mouthfeel. With an expanded outdoor tasted heavenly! seating area, they have been able to opI ventured out into our newfound freeerate a little closer to normal. After two dom in June and July, to talk to brewers, months of their beer service area being managers, and owners about their expeshut down, they had to pick up with canrience of this pandemic. I had always bening and home delivery and make sure lieved that BC would one day be the their products were getting out to disbeer mecca of North America, tribution beyond the Pemberton/ and we seemed so close, and Whistler corridor. then COVID-19 struck. I Will said, "We see ourselves wanted to know how resilas quite fortunate, being ient our beloved craft beer located on a rural farm. industry was in the face We've seen a huge influx of such an unimaginable of visitors putting recrisis. Would it destroy us newed value of activities or make us stronger? My they can do close to home." quest was to find out and, of course, drink some fresh craft Four Winds Day four of this early explobeer along the way! ration took us to Delta, the far southern reach of this beer survey, In the second week of June, I took a fourfor lunch at Four Winds Brewing. A couday scouting trip between Pemberton ple of cans of beer paired beautifully with and Delta. We headed north to beautiful their famous tacos. Squamish. Lunch at Howe Sound Brewing had to include the satisfying combiWith an expanded parking lot seating nation of a Brewpub Burger and a pint area and all COVID-19 protocols in place, Barnside

it’s a worthwhile place to quench your thirst and appetite all at once. Besides, it's an opportunity to see what special seasonal beers are available for taking away. Brent Mills has one of the very best barrel programs in the country! Just a few kilometres away as the crow flies is the new Barnside Brewing, whose grand opening happened just two months before the pandemic shutdown. The reclaimed wood that was used for the brewery came from the original White Spot Barn. Co-owner Ken Matenstyn noted, "The strong community support carried us through. One of the positives of the whole pandemic has Faculty been a recommitment to family and community. When we were able to reopen to the public, it coincided with finalizing our lounge license. People have been able to sit outside on our patio and grass area and enjoy the unique setting we are in, surrounded by farms and with hop yards directly across the street." The two flights I shared, with a total of eight beers, were all spot-on for flavor and style.

In mid-July, I had a week to go out exploring on my bicycle in Yeast Van. Being a homeboy in this area, it can be challenging to get past one brewery in an afternoon. I sat down with Graham With

dures quickly: social distancing, room Up the road at R&B Brewing, Gordo Jones capacity, cleaning regimes and use of per(head brewer) took a moment out of his afsonal protective equipment. Work Safe ternoon to sit down for a pint with me. Using BC just visited; they were extremely satVessel Canning, they have booked months isfied." At first, the brewery had to lay off ahead. "We went from around a 60–40 split, two full-time workers in the kegging area, kegs to cans, to close to 10–90, kegs to cans.” but that was just for a short time. Now In early April, after a brief shutdown, five they are back to kegging and have more staff returned to the brewery. Eventually the workers in the brewery. Asked about any growler station opened, and people could changes coming to their beer lineup, Juspick up do-it-yourself pizza kits. In mid-July, tin replied, "We are not ashamed about they felt almost back to normal with an exit. We are about approachable beers. We panded street patio and sales close to normal. are the gateway craft beer. Our flagship beer is our lager. If that brings people into Back on Hastings Street, I visited Nick Nazthe craft side of things, I'm doing my job arec (head brewer) at Strathcona Beer Comright!" pany. Nick's story at the start of the pandemic is Graham at P49 Across Main Street, on the west side of Jim at the new Truck Stop patio similar. Where he deYeast Van, I stopped in at BREWHALL to parts from the last (head brewer) at Parallel 49 for a pint chat with Nick Menzies (general managthree breweries (or two) to check on his COVID-19 situaer) and Kerry Dyson (head brewer). Nick is that he has his tion. Their drinking lounge was certainly noted that, at the beginning of the shutown compact canmuch quieter inside than it used to be. As down, they had to lay off 65 staff from ning line. "Lucky with most craft beer drinking lounges, the beer hall. Kerry had seen the writing enough, we have the city allowed an expansion of sidewalk on the wall from the brewery side, did a our canning line and street seating. 180-degree turn, and canned everything and as such, we had R&B that was in their tanks. "The brewthe option of un-kegGraham said, "We were very forery is too small for it not to be ging our beer back into tunate to have installed a new always busy. We worked the tank to then repackage as canning line last year. When hard to make sure we didn't cans or bottles.” About the coming months, all the restaurants and bars slow down at all." Nick Nick says, "Expect lots more of our imperial temporarily closed, we adds, "It's probably goIPAs and sours, as well as fun crushable late were able to direct all our ing to be stronger for our summer/early fall seasonals." liquid into cans and keep brand, long term. Before production up. Also, we the shutdown, packaging Just a few blocks away, on Franklin Street were able to divert some was a pretty small part of just west of Clark, Container Brewing (anresources to manufacturing our program. We now have other recent addition to Yeast Van) jumped sanitizer for the provincial Callister more variety and higher sales." on home delivery. With an expanded patio, government." I always feel like they are operating close to their lounge caa kid in a candy store when I am There was a theme emerging: pacity. All the beers on tap are toptrying to decide which beer to choose on breweries needed packaging to notch: definitely worth a flight or their lit-up beer menu wall of more than replace their kegs, and now two. 40 selections. it has become the norm for most. Many were forced to My last two breweries, comCloser to home, I sat down with Jim think outside the box. pleting the circle, were CalDodds (general manager) and Justin lister and Storm. The mesVickaryous (head brewer) of Red Truck Less than a block away, sage from respective owners Beer. Jim recalls the early days in midFaculty Brewing was very Diana McKenzie and James March: "We had to lay off people in busy on a mid-July Walton was to please buy our Truck Stop Diner and reduce Saturday mornfrom them directly. Both are work hours in the brewery. ing. Mile 37 CanContainer very reliant on front door sales. We saw our packaging volume increase." About reopening the diner, he said, "we want to make sure we are doing everything that the chief medical health officer, health minister, and the City of Vancouver require. We seat everyone as we are supposed to and take Luppolo ning was set up in their drinking lounge and head brewer, Jacquie Loehndorf, and her team were filling more than 1200 cans. It was impressive to see six people barely manage to stay ahead of the full cans that gathered at the end of the machine. Jacquie With autumn and winter ahead and an unknown situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is nervous. As a beer drinker, not a brewer, I see there is a lot we can do. Support your neighborhood brewery. Get out and explore other beer communities near you. More breweries are in the works; let's nurture them and make our BC craft beer community stronger than ever benames and numbers for tracing. We said, "We as an industry have had to fore. We can do it! have always run a clean place, but now be very quick to adapt and continue to be we are taking it that extra step." flexible, as there is still a lot of uncertainBrian K. Smith, MPA Stepping into the brewery side of operations at Red Truck, Justin explains, "We ty week to week. All we can hope for is continued support to provide work and safety for our employees and good beer is an accredited member of the BC Association of Travel Writers, and is Chief Phoimplemented some policies and proceto our customers." tographer for What's Brewing.