beernesday

i'm still on vacation so that means friday frivolity time!

just a wee one this week as i'm on vacation! beer flavoured jelly bellies? craft beer by the number? is it really the way you should choose which beer to order? five perfect pints in vancouver nothing you didn't already know in this one but it's nice to see non-beer specific publications espousing craft beer not a link just some news from spinnakers: "Not long now until you can get your Spinnakers fill at the Victoria airport. You'll find us just past security in the departure hall. We'll be the ones with 12 taps of Spinnakers beer, a locally focused wine and spirits menu and a full menu infused with our signature Spinnakers’ style, as well as Grab and Go items to take on board."

while i'm away on vacation you get frivolity, every friday!

well that's it i'm off to mexico for a couple of weeks i'll be searching for craft beer fingers crossed it's not all going to be macro lagers everywhere i go! i will be spending time at this joint in playa del carmen club de la cerveza and these places in puerto vallarta los muertos brewing la cerveceria union so i'm not too worried about those stops on my tour it's cancun, sayulita and nuevo vallarta that may prove to be macro only

my notes from yesterday's beer column on cbc radio one's on the coast I am winging my way to Mexico tomorrow which I can guarantee you means that I have Mexican beer on my mind! But, why would a self-identified beer geek go to Mexico?   Is there such a thing as Mexican craft beer? Poor Mexico!   It does have craft beer, but the fact that very few people have heard of it is testament to how much further behind Mexico is in the craft beer revolution than a country like Canada.   Mexico would be pretty far down the list of world craft beer destinations.   But it's not their fault!  First of all, most of the great beer brewing countries in the world have colder climates, which are more conducive to brewing beer in the first place, and to being able to easily store and ship it after the fact. Also creating a roadblock in Mexico is the fact that the government has not traditionally legislated against monopolies.   So two companies (FEMSA Cerveza/Heineken and Gru

i'll be on cbc radio one's on the coast this afternoon talking about the craft beer situation in mexico 5:50 p.m. 88.1 fm

drink! you'll live longer! another best beers list this one is the best 365 in the world but don't be dismayed when you click the link and the list isn't there you actually have to pay for the privilege of reading the list the link is to a blog post by the guy who wrote the list about why he thinks there does so need to be another best of list if i didn't have a pesky day job i'd be going to kwantlen college if you are a camra vancouver member please go vote for the 2014 best ofs! arguably the best craft beer joints in vancouver (i don't like craft at all, so it doesn't make anywhere near my top 10) victoria beer week events are up! march 1 - 8, 2014 a spa where you can bathe in beer ? yup, and it's not just any beer, it's dogfish head great beer ads for tourism portland like this guy who really likes beer nordic beer history ancient grog reborn by dogfish head parody of hipsters ordering craft beer you're not th

new and delicious beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: Upright Brewing Co. Seven - $12.55 French inspired ales with a West Coast twist to give them an identity all their own. This Portland brew has a slight haze to its brassy golden colour, and once it hits the glass you immediately plunge into an intense aroma of fruit and white pepper with a touch of Belgian malt. A dry beer with pear and apricot on the palate that hides the 8% ABV perfectly, it’s a simply remarkable offering from the state of Oregon. Evan Doan | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store Fernie Brewing Co. Snowblind Belgian IPA - $6.95 The second installment of Fernie’s Bucket List Series, this Belgian IPA combines the traditional style with new hop varietals from Australian and New Zealand. Unfiltered and hazy with a 7.9% ABV and a 68 IBU kick, this little treasure from the BC interior boasts the best of a Belgian IPA and the brews currently coming out of British Columbia. Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor |

beer friends, january looks like it has been a stellar month so far for craft beer in vancouver but then, it always looks that way to me when it's january and i'm doing a stupid cleanse day 16 of 21 and i'm still going strong i may shoot the next person who invites me to a beer pairing dinner or a cask night though! shoot them a snide email or a dirty look, of course, i am canadian afterall so why do i do this to myself every year? 1.  it really is kinda fun to be holier than thou, at least for a couple of weeks 2.  some part of me really believes this is good for me and maybe, just maybe, will balance out the mean things i do to myself the rest of the year 3.  january becomes a "me" time - less going out, more getting stuff done 4.  i often go to mexico in february and it sure is easier to fit into my swim trunks if i cleanse first! 5.  everything tastes so much better after taking a break from crap and getting back to basics - except the fake crappy

if you missed me on cbc radio one's on the coast with stephen quinn last week and you'd still like to catch me getting all excited about the new craft breweries in the lower mainland that opened in 2013 and those touted to be opening in 2014 then all you gotta do is clicky and choose the january 7th show i'm on about 10 minutes from the end, in case you wanna fast forward

is brewing an extreme sport? twisted pine brewing seems to think so beerme.com gives some love to the new central city brewery expansion brewed awakening 2013 poll results no real big surprises in the results, but very gratifying that so many people took the time to vote! are there british beer gangs? not for reals, but these kinds of beer people don't sound like they're only to be found in britain... cicerone chosen best beer bangs for your buck and lastly, not at all beer-related how to fold a pocket-square!

my notes from tuesday's beer column on cbc radio one's on the coast with stephen quinn (you can hear me wax poetic about craft beer every second tuesday at 5:50 p.m. - 88.1 in the lower mainland)   Is there such a thing as too many local breweries? Is the Lower Mainland beer market hitting the saturation point - - or is more beer always better? It's probably safe to say that 2013 was a banner year for craft beer in the in the Lower Mainland - - certainly a banner year for local breweries. So what awaits Vancouver beer lovers in 2014? 5 breweries opened in the Lower Mainland in 2013, with GreenLeaf at Lonsdale Quay getting in just under the wire in late December.  (33 Acres and Brassneck in Vancouver; Deep Cove in North Van; Four Winds in Delta; plus major expansions at Steamworks and Central City). I have heard of 6 new breweries slated to open in Vancouver in 2014, plus one in Abbotsford. Bomber Brewing on the Adanac bike path in East Van looks set to

friends, abject apologies for my absence of late i am in the midst of having a website made (check out the progress ) and there have been some issues with integration with the blog which locked me out of the blog for a time (and there were the holidaze and all that jazz in there mucking stuff up too, i can't blame the website for my whole absence...) hopefully it's all back to normal from here on out oh, except for the fact that i'll be going away for a couple of weeks in a couple of weeks but more about that later in the meantime, here are some lovely beers that have been arriving at legacy liquor store in vancouver over the past few weeks: Phillips Brewing Black Jackal Imperial Coffee Stout - $6.95 This sweet little collaboration between Phillips Brewing Co. and 2% Jazz Coffee Co. is as dark as the underworld Anubis himself guards. Rich and roasty on the nose with intense aromas of espresso bean and dark malt, on the palate even more roasty espresso and of cou