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Showing posts from November, 2015

link love

doan's craft brewing good beer, and really nice guys! pretty things calls it quits for a beginning there must be an end in case you celebrated american thanksgiving , here's what you should have served instead of turkey road-trip!  s ix breweries to visit 15 best holiday brews hopworks abominable snowman is one of my faves! westender best in the city 2015

grey cup

woohoo! i'm off to winterpeg for grey cup! i'm very interested in seeing what passes for "craft beer" at the sports bar in my hotel and at the "craft beer concert series" the city is running each night seeing as there are only two craft breweries in the whole province, i'm expecting some imports (fort garry and half pints) please, please, please, please let them be actual craft and not crafty! still, if they manage to serve actual craft beer in a province that only has two craft breweries, they will put vancouver to shame we have a zillion craft breweries (113 according to the craft brewers guild) and yet couldn't manage to offer any of them at grey cup events last year so, my fingers are crossed inside several pairs of mittens, but crossed! update: just looking at the beer list for the 150 taps at barley brothers stadium locatio n not the greatest list, but it has more options than i have hours to drink there, so i'll be fine

beer column

my notes from yesterday's beer column on cbc radio's on the coast with stephen quinn: Coralee Oakes, the BC Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction announced last week that as of November 30th government liquor stores will be able to carry up to twelve local craft beers that are non-listed.  Being non-listed means that the products are not otherwise available at the government stores. The new program is timed to coincide with BC Buy Local Week.   Buy Local Week is "an annual celebration of local business to promote the contributions that BC businesses make to our economy and our communities".  Craft breweries definitely fit that bill - they're contributing more and more to local economies and are changing the face of neighbourhoods, so you can't fault the Ministry on their timing! There are currently 102 breweries in the province which qualify as microbreweries by the Province and can take advantage of the initiative.  To be considered

link love

if you didn't win the 6L bottle of la fin du monde that i gave away the other week, you still have a chance to win a 6L bottle of unibroue 17 grand reserve from bc beer blog ! constellation brands buys ballast point for a whole lotta money like, the most spent on a craft brewery yet (and more coverage:   draftmag , reuters , streetinsider ) in perhaps the best beer story of the year, dedicated drinkers go for a pint even though the beer garden is flooded.

juniper

Juniper Rediscovers The Spirit Of the Pacific Northwest Regional, Cascadian restaurant shows home is where its heart is Vancouver, BC (November 18, 2015)  —  A fresh and vibrant distillation of the Pacific Northwest,  Juniper   proudly opens its doors December 3, 2015 in Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood at 185 Keefer Street (corner Main Street). The 104-seat, spirit-forward restaurant and lounge, designed by Simcic & Uhrich Architects, is committed to showcasing the best of Cascadia. From rocky shores to fragrant rainforests to arid deserts, Juniper has sought out the homegrown and handmade, forging relationships with producers and suppliers who share a reverence for craftsman-like quality and time-honoured traditions. In her first Executive post, Chef Sarah Stewart (FRANK Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Northern Ontario’s iconic canoe-tripping Camp Wanapitei and Vancouver’s Edible Canada) has created a menu that incorporates not only her love of the grea

the 12 taps of christmas

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Library Square and Parallel 49 Brewing Company celebrate 12 Taps of Christmas Celebrate craft beer, Advent-style starting December 1st Beer Advent Calendars are craft beer’s contribution to seasonal traditions, and this year Library Square and Parallel 49 Brewing Company are teaming up to offer the “ 12 Taps of Christmas ”, an opportunity to celebrate Advent-style, even if you weren’t one of the lucky beer fans who was able to snag a limited release calendars. Parallel 49 Brewing Company has contributed 12 beers to this year’s collaboration “Craft Crossing” beer Advent calendar and every odd day in December, starting on the 1st, Library Square will be tapping a keg of the exact same Parallel 49 beer which is in the Advent Calendar on that day. The keg will be tapped each morning at 11:30AM and will be poured all day for the feature price of $5/pint. And just like an Advent calendar, each day’s beer will be a surprise until the keg is tapped. This year, get in the holiday sp

new releases

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New Belgium Brewing Declares a Mutiny on Gluten with Two Gluten-Reduced Ales Year-round offerings, Glütiny Pale Ale and Glütiny Golden Ale, offer uncompromised options for craft drinkers Ft. Collins, Colo., November 16, 2015 – New Belgium Brewing joins the mutiny against gluten by hoisting pints of its new Glütiny ales. The brewery’s latest year-round offerings, Glütiny Pale Ale and Glütiny Golden Ale, give discerning craft beer drinkers uncompromised choices in the gluten-reduced category. The two beers will be available in New Belgium markets mid-January, 2016. Glütiny Golden Ale New Belgium dosed Glütiny Golden Ale with Nugget, Goldings and Cascade hops, and then dry-hopped it again with Cascade. These bright, floral hops lend grapefruit and subtle herb notes to the wash of bready-sweet malts. An addition of oats adds a layer of smoothness to the mouthfeel. At 5.2 percent ABV and 20 IBUs, Glütiny Golden Ale is a sessionable, flavorful ale that starts sweet and ends crisp

granville island brewing

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granville island wants you to drink their winter ale.  And they're happy to give it to you, and invite you to parties too! check out the winter warmer pack they sent me:  beer glasses, winter ale, brownies, a toque, socks and playing cards.  i may not hate winter quite as much now... Winter Warmth from Lions Winter Ale by GIB on November 13th, 2015 All this talk of winter has got us thinking about our favourite parts of the season. We love those crisp fall mornings, and the cozy dark nights, the raking of leaves and the first dump of snow, we love waxing up our skis and getting out on them any chance we get.  Apres activity makes the snacks and the beer taste even more amazing!  This chilly season we’re most looking forward to the get-togethers with friends. Winter Warmer Care Package Details Thanks for all the support and fan love, we love you too!  Tell us why you love all things winter with a

link love

best news ever!   champagne helps prevent alzheimer's and cosmo assures us that champagne is low-cal too keurig for beer is here! get yours for $499 hey wine lovers!  there's a beer for you

new releases

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PIKE  AULD ACQUAINTANCE  Spiced, holiday ale   Pike Auld Acquaintance is a dark and toasty amber ale with refined spices brewed to complement holiday foods. This festive and flavorful seasonal beer has subtle spices and  aromatic orange notes to please your nose and palate. Pike Auld Acquaintance is lower in alcohol than most winter beers so you can enjoy one or two during those long, Northwest winter nights. Hoppy holidays from Pike Brewing. 2015's Pike Auld Acquaintance label honors the venerable beer writer, Michael Jackson . An Englishman, Michael started writing seriously about beer in 1976 and wrote until the time of his death in 2007. He was passionate about introducing people to beers they had yet to try, and many people credit him with rekindling interest in beer via his books, articles and TV show. Michael was also one of Pike Brewing Company's Founder and Owner, Charles', close friends. He christened The Pike Pub as "a shrine to beer!" M

craft beer kickstarter

Hey Craft Beer lovers ... BC's next up and coming community craft brewery needs your help!! Field House Brewing Co. is set to open in Abbotsford, BC - looking to join the ranks of the other amazing breweries in our local beer community.  BC has some of the best craft beer in the world and we're hoping to bring some twists and turns to the table to help keep things fresh and exciting.  We've launched a Kickstarter Campaign ( Check it out HERE ) to help open our doors, we are 6-7 weeks from opening and budgets are getting really tight, so we could use your help for a couple key things:  1) Finish our Awesome Tap Room  - We need some extra funds to create a rad little tasting room where we are proud to host you. It will be a place you want to stay for a while - featuring a nice warm fireplace, 10 beers on tap, a growler station and lots of seats to meet up with friends and drink some Field House liquid gold. 2) Make the Best Damn (Licensed) Picnic Area in BC  - We've

12 days of christmas

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spinnakers is celebrating the 12 days of christmas with bombers! We are very excited to unveil our first advent calendar. The pack will hit shelves across BC in both private and Government stores this November. Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with a mixed pack of year round, seasonal and special release bombers!             

new releases

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More than just another IPA 4 Hands / Bale Breaker / Stone Sorry Not Sorry IPA For our latest collaboration, we ventured into uncharted territory with 4 Hands Brewing Co. and Bale Breaker Brewing Company—two rising stars of American craft brewing. Brewed with experimental hops HBC 342 and HBC 344, along with beloved varietals Simcoe and Mosaic, this imperial IPA's stone fruit, pine, tropical fruit, berry and citrus notes are amplified by a dose of puréed peaches. So, yeah, we made (more than just) another IPA:  #SorryNotSorry . Read more about this unapologetically  delicious beer on The Stone Blog . For those of you who are thinking, "Is this beer coming to my area and, if so, when?" we have created our  new, exclusive "beer tracker." This great tool, located on the beer's official web page , will serve as a  handy companion to t