beernesday

this reminds me of the fridge magnet my beloved child got me for christmas one year "yes, you're my favourite.  now go get mommy another beer"

i missed out on the yaletown cask last thursday (instead i went to the steamworks bottle launch... more on that later!) and hear that i really did miss out as nick's unadulterated brown ale cask was to die for what will i be sipping this week? yaletown facebook says: Cask Night! Every Thursday at 4pm we tap a unique cask, this week is a cask of our Downtown Brown with saaz and spalt! DRINK FRESH BEER! oooh, i like saaz and spalt hops! should be delicious!

three months until christmas and i have found the #1 item for my wish list: mitch steele's ipa book - part history, part brewing manual, all india pale ale okay, begin fighting over who is going to be the lucky one to get me this book and become my new favourite!

the cask last night at the railway club was central city's pumpkin ale it was quite a nice pumpkin ale is it too early in the season to be over the pumpkin? and speaking of the lovely railway club, if you ever frequented that joint you would have been served by the fabulous natasha well, she has retired from slinging beer at the railway and there's a party in her honour on sunday at 5 come out and hoist a glass to this wonderful woman bc beer blog reports that a few victoria beers are ready for release including hoyne's wolf vine ipa and driftwood's sartori harvest ipa, both wet-hopped a couple of pieces of gossip as well: there will be a new beer and vodka distributor in town official announcement coming shortly, but i can tell you oregon beers will be featured this bit of news is unsubstantiated... steamworks is opening a new brewery i would assume to brew their bottled beers and restaurant beers currently being brewed off-site makes sense to me

sometimes i hate having a day job (like most days that aren't pay day) and i really hate it because i'm having to miss the red truck truck drop tomorrow afternoon... but if you can make it out at 4:00, here are the details, courtesy of camra vancouver's newsletter Reminder that tomorrow, Red Truck Bee r are holding their "Truck Drop" Ground Breaking Event. They are going to be breaking ground on their new brewery but instead of a ribbon cutting they're dropping a truck from the sky! Beer, food trucks, live DJ, social media contests and prizes! Check it out here! When: Thurs. Sept. 27th 2:46 pm to 5:46 pm (truck drops at 4pm) Where: 315 East 1st Avenue in Vancouver   While we're on the subject of Red Truck Beer...guess who's hiring? The Red Truck Beer company is looking for some 'truckin' help in their brewery! They are looking for brewery staff for Sat, Sun and Monday shifts, and offer competitive wages based on experience and ava

awesome article on craftbeer.com about the pitfalls of beer snobbery done in a tongue in cheek star wars analogy "Becoming a beer geek is a journey, not a destination, and there is probably always someone who knows more than you. Connoisseur status doesn’t happen with a few mix six-packs from the supermarket, but that's a sip in the right direction. Worst of all, claiming to be a beer nerd and looking down your nose at others does nothing to promote the product, culture and craft breweries we love! Otherwise, we are in danger of going to the dark side and banishing others to the desert of lite beer with our condescending fingers."

studies show that larger beer menus lead to more beer consumed? shocking!

more reason to drink beer! sure, its got a lot of sugars in it but all the nutrition in it makes it a much better choice that soda pop or sweetened juice is alzheimer's actually diabetes type 3?

i haven't been to any of these best beer places on craftbeer.com's list guess i have my next few beercation starting points!

its only a couple more days until bc craft beer month! and in that vein i give to you: Vancouver Craft Beer Week For those that missed our little website update. May 31st - June 8th, 2013 is going to be a beer filled nine days. Mark your calendars.

woohoo! it only takes 11 minutes of work for the average canadian to afford an average pint of beer do you know how much beer i could actually afford if it weren't for those pesky things like food and shelter to pay for too heck, i could just work part time for beer! click here for the economist's chart of beer affordability around the world

beerlesque on friday night was good times! engagement party at portland craft on saturday night was good times! working on sunday was not good times but it is my excuse for not having a proper post ready for today instead i bring you other people's bons mots: discovering craft beer in japan from examiner.com drinking in bc's beer identity from the tyee September 24th, 2012: Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale is back and ready to put a smile on the faces of craft beer enthusiasts just in time for Thanksgiving! Straight from the pumpkin patch, fresh ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg spice up this seasonal staple. No tricks here, only the highest quality ingredients went into crafting this sessionable treat. Available for a limited time in finer craft liquor stores.

to whet your appetite for beer and sandwich pairings before the now sold out this sandwich that beer throwdown at portland craft next weekend, craftbeer.com offers six classic pairings

i love these kinds of stories beer is good for you! we all know it i just like seeing it in print (over and over again!)

oy to the vey with the super long work days! it is very much interfering with my ability to blog and that is a very sad thing, for me anyway! on the coast last evening was very good times if you missed it (and why would you go and do that??) check back here for a link so you can relive every last glorious moment of my brilliance in the meantime, enjoy this little tidbit beer will survive a nuclear halocaust so i guess this means that we need to hope the end of the world comes via nuclear bombs instead of zombies or the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the 10 best beer gardens in the world , according to the huffington post which list includes our very own yaletown brewpub

its an on the coast day! please tune in to 88.1 fm to hear me wax poetic about hops!

the derby girl ipa launched on friday at the pumphouse in richmond today, it launches in vancouver at st. augustine's this is what beerthirst has to say about the vanbrewers / elysian collaboration ipa i wish i could be there to try it tonight... hopefully there will still be some left for me a little later in the week also from elysian, its almost time for the 9th beer of the apocalypse, the blight pumpkin ale

gcbf plagued by stupid liquor laws obama to be elected by craft beer enthusiasts? the ultimate autumn beer 24 case?

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: Brasserie Trois Dames Pasionaria 2011 Vintage Double IPA from the great land of Switzerland. 9% alc/vol, fans of the IPA revolution will want to try this one out. Brasserie Trois Dames Fraicheur Du Soir 2011 Another great beer from the Swiss, this is a Blanche Double Malt that sits at 7%. Just look for the beautifully illustrated labels. Mill Street Autumn Harvest 6-pack This split 6-pack is perfect for getting into the Autumn mood. 3 Oktoberfest Beers + 3 Nightmare on Mill Street Pumpkin Ales, what could be a better fit!

so many beers, so little time... tuesday's cask at the railway club was central city's hoppy apple pie esb and it was really quite delicious their amazing extra special bitter amped up with some apple and nutmeg notes it really worked! (now i just need to find someone who can bake me a hoppy apple pie... ryan?) after the railway i went out with a friend to mahoney's pub by canada place i had no idea it even existed - really should get out more! for an irish pub they have a pretty darned good craft beer menu and the food was amazing! nice view of the water too and last night at st. augustine's i tried the anderson valley brewing bahl hornin' wee geech pale ale:  4.4% designed to satisfy the hop heads out there, while still offering a sessionable and balanced ale.  the aroma hops have a very piney, citrusy, and grassy element which we further emphasized by adding fresh cut lemongrass late in the kettle.  it also imparts a spicy ginger character.

moon under water brewpub in victoria has new owners b.c. beer blog sat down with them just before gcbf all i have to say is that i hope the new owner/brewer clay potter keeps brewing the hop harvest - it was one of the stand-outs for me at gcbf (p.s. anyone else wonder if clay potter is his real name??)

my friend, the lovely and talented angela kendall, produced, directed and edited this funny look at how cold cold beer is brewhouse light challenge

ten best beers for cellaring city hops project in toronto craft beer camaraderie asheville, north carolina, a new craft beer mecca

i snuck a very quick trip to biercraft into my busy yesterday because they posted that they had just tapped the very last known keg of phillips' 11th anniversary brew, the pandamonium and... since i had been remiss on trying it when it was still available in bottles i figured i'd better hop on over there when the universe gave me one last chance to try it! look how shiney bright it is! holy crap, is it ever a bitter little hop monster though ay carumba! glad i finally got to try it but i won't be going out of my way for another one if you've got a bottle you aren't going to drink though, i'll happily take it that 11% went right to my head! i found it wasn't well balanced but what the heck, i do like me a bitter little beer and it sure paired nicely with those almost bbq flavoured chips they serve at biercraft! August 13th 2012: A year ago we celebrated 10 years of brewing with a 10% Double IPA, and this year there was only one way to

still haven't gotten the pics or review up yet (stupid day job) so here's another link to someone else's review of the festival [insert sheepish grin here]

gcbf has come and gone for another year i'm a bit slow on the posting of my reviews and photos so in the meantime, here's what another blogger had to say about it: victoria beers

its the great pumpkin charlie brown! or sort of... elysian is hosting its 8th annual great pumpkin beer festival that's a whole lotta pumpkin beer ANNOUNCING ELYSIAN'S 8TH ANNUAL GREAT PUMPKIN BEER FESTIVAL!! (TICKET DETAILS FOLLOW) As ridiculous as pumpkin beers can sometimes seem, the folks at Elysian Brewing Co. take them very seriously. This year's Great Pumpkin Beer Festival, on October 19 and 20 , will showcase around 60 different beers made with pumpkin by local brewers, brewers from around the country, and this year from Canada and Norway as well. Elysian alone will contribute 13 different pumpkin beers, some of them of multiple vintage. The 8th annual GPBF will also feature the tapping of the giant pumpkin cask, which in itself has become a Seattle autumn tradition. This year Elysian will bring back such favorites as Hansel & Gretel Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner, Dark o' the Moon Pumpkin Stout and Coche de Medianoche, made with pumpkin see

oh no! germans, start returning your beer bottles otherwise they're gonna run out of beer at oktoberfest !

if you missed my debut on cbc radio one here's a link to the whole show i'm on at about the 2:06:00 mark

i'm off to gcbf but before i go... here are the new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: Eet & Bierlokaal De Molen Licht & Lustig Licht & Lustig, which means 'light and cheerful', is exactly what this delicious golden-coloured ale is! Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen in the Netherlands, this is a great beer for the end of summer.   Tatra Pils Zywiec Brewery in Poland is where this easy drinking refreshing lager hails from. This simple Eastern European style lager is in limited supply so make sure you get this one while quantities last.   Granville Island Brewing Saison The newest limited release from Granville Island's brewmaster Vern is the Belgain Saison. This brew has a fruity characteristic with lower hops and a light malt flavour. Saison, the French word for "season" - is a nod to beers traditionally brewed during the late summer harvest for thirsty farmers.

gcbf is tomorrow!!! here's what the times colonist has to say about the great canadian beer festival and the collaboration beer by phillips brewing of victoria and great lakes brewing of toronto

last night i needed nachos it was imperative that i have some and who does better nachos on the drive than st. augustine's? no one! and what goes down better with nachos than ipa? nothing! so i had a tin whistle scorpion double ipa for double the fun 8% - "loaded with citra hops and a huge malt backbone. brewed in small batches" they weren't kidding about that huge malt backbone it was teetering awfully close to the 'too much' precipice i could have used a little less but then i do like my ipas bitter(er) darker in colour, dense head, clear as the day is long its a fine beer for sure its not going to crack my top ten list though and... i'll be making a brief appearance at st. augustine's again this evening its the beerthirst half pints re-launch in bc i hear there will be swag as well as good beer!

just when i was patting myself on the back for having picked up a few bottles of hop in the dark when i was in seattle last weekend, deschutes tells me there is a new beer a-brewing! Have you heard? There's a new fresh hop beer in our Bond Street Series...Chasin' Freshies IPA. We're very excited and we're harvesting the hops (Heirloom Cascades) for this beer from Goschie Farms, Inc. on Monday! so, who's going to be in the states in october and can pick some up for me???

if i was going to be in onterrible on september 15th, i would be going to the steam whistle brewing barrel bragging rights competition if i was going to be in portland on september 22nd i would be going to the hop school at saraveza

after my inaugural radio gig last evening i went to my usual tuesday night cask tasting at the railway club it was r&b's red devil pale ale and it was a win! unfortunately my photo of the beer is a bit of a fail... the actual beer was not quite as hazy as it looks in this photo full bodied, great flavour, adequate carbonation gosh darn it, it was everything you ever asked for in a cask ale

upcoming casks at st. augustine's (monday evenings) Super excited for our upcoming casks: Storm Brewing home-grown, fresh-hopped Hurricane IPA on the 10th, and a Ninkasi Brewing / Elysian Brewing collaboration Pumpkin IPA on the 17th!

from the beer thirst newsletter: So believe it or not, summer is almost over. Luckily, the Great Canadian Beer Festival is this weekend, which will be plenty of craft beer fun under the sun. But before you head out to Victoria for 2 days of craft beer madness, you're gonna need a little "warm up." So instead of scaring the s@%t out of your liver on Friday, ease your way into GCBF. Join us the night before at St. Augustine's for the Half Pints relaunch party on Thursday September 6th ! The party starts at 6pm, and St. Augustine's will be serving the Humulus Ludicrous, Little Scraper IPA, and Noche De Los Alebrijes. Half Pints co-owner, Nicole Barry, will be in attendance, and we'll be giving away plenty of Half Pints swag! The first 7 people to order a Half Pints beer and tell the server "Together We Can Fight The Evil Spread Of Lite Beer" will win a Half Pints shirt or a $50 Gift Certificate to St. Augustine's! For those of you who don'

today is my first cbc radio day!! i'll be on at 5:40 p.m. cbc radio one (690 am / 88.1 fm) talking about gcbf

what am i looking forward to at gcbf??? well, drinking beer in the sunshine of course! but more specifically, there are a few beers i have not tried before and some casks/limited releases that have my antenna twitching 1.   IPAs I haven’t tried before:   BANFF BREWING/JASPER BREWING – Banff , AB - Head Smashed IPA - This excellent brew is our flagship beer. Heavily hopped pale ale. DOUBLE TROUBLE BREWERY – Guelph, ON - Hops and Robbers session IPA, golden, fruity aroma of lemon, pineapple, and toasty caramel malt flavour. GREAT LAKES BREWING - Toronto , ON - Karma Citra IPA - Flavours of mango, grapefruit and lychee with a clean, crisp bitter finish. MICROBRASSERIE CHARLEVOIX – Baie-Saint-Paul, QUE - Vache Folle RyePA – It's red colour, spicy notes and silky body conferred by the use of rye set the table for an aromatic hop explosion! MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY – Victoria, BC - Tranquility IPA - This intense, spicy and delightful IPA is extremely well bala