beernesday

look, i finally put up a shelf for my beer glassware and with it the anchor swag i got in the summer at the canada cup of beer!

"Microbrewing in B.C. has never been easy, but the makers of craft beer are enjoying a growing thirst for their product.  And not just beer nerds are sampling craft and cask beers at places like the Alibi Room.  Most of the events at the first Vancouver Craft Beer Week this spring sold old, as did last year's Hopscotch whisky, scotch and beer festival in Vancouver.  Fifty-five hundred people attended Nando's Canada Cup of Beer at the University of B.C. over two days in July where, organizers say, half the vendors were microbreweries.  And craft beer enthusiasts reportedly snapped up tickets to last weekend's Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria in 10 minutes." Cheryl Rossi Vancouver Courier September 17, 2010

and more tasting from the canada cup of beer! last year the efes guys gave me a t-shirt.  this year they were wearing the same ones, and offering token-free beer if you could toss your token into the cup.  we all came close, but had to part with our tokens in the end. the guys were nice enough to let me have a half pour of each of the pilsner and the dark ale so that i could try them both on one token.  the pilsner is so refreshing and perfect for a hot day.  the dark was nicely malted. i'd like to find these at a local store some time to properly enjoy them. russell brewing has come out with a fabulous summer concept - a citrus twist pack!  half lemon ale and half lime lager, its the perfect summertime mixer pack.  both flavours are well filtered, crisp and refreshing.  the lemon has more citrus flavour, but both are delightful.  we strongly suggest picking some up - everyone liked these babies! then we made it over to the cariboo booth ...

jumping back to the canada cup of beer... just to be different, jack daniels had a booth at the beer festival - pushing their new jack daniels pre-mixed drinks.  they had a jack and lemonade mix and a jack and cola mix.  i tried the jack and lemonade.  whoa!  definitely taste the jack!  they were only giving away 2oz pours, which judging by the boozy taste was probably a very smart thing!  they were also giving away drink cozies to anyone who parted with a token, and jack daniels hats by donation.  i got me a cozy! next up we hit the booth offering imports dab and estrella.  the rep gave me a big long spiel about the estrella, the only beer brewed (by a chef no less) with the intention of making the perfect food paired libation.  its 70% lager, 30% unfiltered wheat, with notes of coriander, licorice and citrus.  you serve it chilled in a wine glass.  "Pronounced intensity with a complex aroma.  Very fruity and floral on th...

and now for the low-down on the beers i sampled at the canada cup of beer: we began with the steamwhistle pilsner, which was a hit with everyone.  perfect beer for a hot day.  and darned friendly servers to boot.  we can see why they've taken ontario by storm.  (cindy thinks you could mix this with lemonade for even more refreshment) next up was samuel adams.  on offer was the summer ale and the boston lager.  the lager was a lovely dark lager, quite tasty.  i found the summer ale to be much like russell's lemon, which i like for its lack of yeasty cloudiness, so i was a fan of this as well.  everyone else loves the fruity beers, so they very much enjoyed the summer ale. on to natureland, the first organic brewers in canada, who just got themselves a genuine german brewmaster (who's the same guy responsible for cariboo's honey).  the nice server let us try all three of his available brews (in smaller pours) for a single token - fabul...

ay, karumba! saturday kicked me in the ass.  i blame the sudden onset of summer because i certainly did not drink to excess, yet somehow i ended up with heat exhaustion after the canada cup of beer.  not pretty. good thing i enjoyed myself at the cup and got to sample many a lovely beer first. + lots of fabulous craft brewed beers on offer + port-a-potty numbers and cleanliness ++ having hidden lounge there offering vegetarian food + yelp! offering sunscreen to attendees - drunken boys making homophobic remarks - same drunken boys giving the servers a hard time about 2 oz pours + some of the servers offering to let you try each of their offerings for a single token (in smaller pours) + band playing polka music + the weather - plastic wine glasses instead of the usual little beer steins + swag!! + good times with good friends! + have i mentioned the great beer? and my vote for the best booth goes to alexander keith's for making a whole experience out of ...

not familiar with the canada cup of beer ? well, its like this. you go to thunderbird stadium at 1:00 on saturday july 10th i suggest bringing a backpack containing:  water, pad, pen, wet naps, camera, sunscreen and a protein rich snack you pay your $25 at the door (or buy advance tix for $20 + $2.85 service charge) you get your five beer tokens and a lovely little plastic taster glass do not expect your fingers to fit through the handle of said taster glass consider bringing a lanyard to keep your taster glass safe when not in use (alternatively, you could go on friday night from 4-9 for $20 at the door, or get a pass to both days for $30 advance) enter the stadium before completing your descent to the field, pause a moment to soak in the vista before you a sea of tents, all there to feed you beer it is a thing of beauty, and a joy to behold if the spinning wheel is there again this year, spin it you might win an extra beer token if not, proceed directly t...

in honour of the upcoming canada up of beer, my notes from last year's event (such as they are - arranged alphabetically, not in the order in which i imbibed): barefoot wines:  didn't try any!  but good on them for taking the plunge to attend a beer festival beverage concepts:  i think this is the booth that offered several imports.  we had the menabrea from italy and anchor steam from san francisco.  liked them both. cariboo:  didn't hit this booth (i think we thought it was too generic, silly, silly us!). central city brewing company:  fabulous swag for sale!  we tried their lager and their pale ale.  jackie and julie both loved it.  i wasn't a fan.  which is so odd for me to say now that i can't get enough of their ipa or esb... guess i should have tried those instead of the lager and pale ale. dead frog brewery:  they didn't show up.  rumour has it internal strife kept them from appearing. dockside brewin...

the canada cup of beer is just over a week away! july 10th is the day thunderbird stadium is the place 1pm - 7pm is the time fifth is the year over 200 is the number of beers this year's line-up looks a lot like last year's... solid! from the website (directly from the website - their spelling errors, not mine!) Confirmed 2010 Venders! Rickard's Rickard's Red, Rickard's Pale Ale and Rickard's Honey Brown are made with a blend of malts to create smooth drinking beers. Red Truck Brewing Featuring Red Truck Ale and Red Truck Lager, they specialize in home delivery. Last year at the Canada Cup of Beer they won for "Favourite Booth" and "Friendliest Servers". Hell's Gate Brewing Company BC's newest craft beer features Pale Ale and Lager! Great priced craft beer available at liquor stores around the Lower Mainland! Steam Whistle Brewing The focus of Steam Whistle Brewing is to brew one beer but do it well - Steam Whist...

i'm not really going to weigh in on the "is beer really so bad out of a can" battle.  that would be silly.  i've got nothing earth-shattering to add to the debate. i will say though, that i like the option of beer in a can.  i find it very handy for excursions such as camping, hiking, dining al fresco and the like.  cans are lighter than bottles or kegs, and crush up really small when you stomp on them after emptying them.  and if you happen to be by a source of cold water, they chill much faster than bottles.  i haven't carried a keg around with me, so must reserve judgment on their ability to chill as fast as cans. on my most recent camping trip i decided to take my can appreciation a step further and go with the cheapest cans i could palate.  did you know you can get six Hell's Gate Pale Ale for a mere $7.99 at government stores?  they're practically giving it away!  and its a perfectly drinkable little pale ale. [i chatted up the re...