beernesday

i'm back from my whirlwind tour of burlington, hamilton and toronto! two quick observations: 1. there is a much more vibrant craft beer community in the lower mainland than in megacity 2. i was only gone for a week, but while i was away did the cascadia ever hit the nitro! and quickly, before i get back to work the ginger pale ale cask at the yaletown brew pub last night was delicious! in a cameo appearance, cory brewed this one with a big bag of fresh ginger and he hit one outta the park!  it was not too gingery, no other spices to mess with the big ginger flavour, it was just right! more when i've had a chance to catch my breath (and unsprain my poor liver)

looking for valentine's plans for 2013? PIKE'S FIFTH ANNUAL CHOCOFEST is SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013 5:00 - 8:00 P.M. ____________________________________________________ _ ______________________________ Bigger and Better! Expanded Venue and 60+ vendors... Chocolatiers, Winemakers, and Brewers, Restaurateurs , Bakers, Cheese Makers Oysters and Beer! Sweet and Savory Benefit for Puget Soundkkeeper Alliance FOREPLAY BEFORE THE BIG DAY: The Pike Brewing Company will celebrate Pike Chocofest on February 10, 2013. A SWEET HISTORY: Pike Chocofest began in 2009 as a romantic experience, designed to expose the sensual relationship between chocolate and beer, as Seattle is a love-nest for both. Wine, spirits, cider and mead also cohabit-ate deliciously with chocolate, though perhaps they are not as orgasmic a combination as with beer--vintners, distillers, and mead makers might disagree. For years wineries have promoted red wine and chocolate; drinking eau ...

vacation! odds are good this is a prescription i'll need after spending a week with family...

this seems far too appropriate as i begin my grey cup vacation i expect there will be far too much crappy beer at most events...

not yet sold out so if you have no dinner plans...

Vancouver Island Brewery NOVEMBER 19, 2012 Press Release! Greetings! Our Brewmaster has been hard at work baking some new ideas for a craft brew... Local brewery mixes brewing and baking to craft a Holiday Classic! When you think of the holidays and times spent with loved ones, sweets and treats seem to find their way into the picture. With that holiday inspiration in mind the brew crew at Vancouver Island Brewery set out to craft a beer that brings the best flavours of the season into a unique beer perfect for the holidays. Dough Head Gingerbread Ale is the result of combining the best of baking and brewing and the local brewery has brewed up a fresh limited release batch as part of its seasonal 650 mL bottle series. Crafted carefully, Dough Head Gingerbread Ale unites these two worlds into a handcrafted beer with a touch of ginger and spice that is balanced with a malty sweetness. "The holidays are times to be enjoyed and this beer is a feel...

i am off to onterrible tomorrow i am excited to go to grey cup and to see my family but, what am i going to drink while i'm there? does anyone make a west coast ipa out there? will i be in hop withdrawal? i have already googled which lcbo stores carry the double trouble hops & robbers session ipa because i know i like that... and i'm lining up a tour of nickel brook brewing in burlington... but what else is there to drink?

A Super-Charged Krypton Isotope November 19th 2012: Phillips' Department of Renegade Science is at it again! Those fearless cowboys of chemistry took our Krypton Rye PA--a long-standing member of the Hop Box IPA mixed pack--and doubled the brewtrons of spicy rye malt and citrus-loaded hops, creating this Imperial Hop-atomic variant. Just like the Krypton recipe it was based on, Super-Krypton is a great addition to your fortress of solitute, though at 8.5% you may want to invite a friend. This hop-radiating isotope has a very short half-life and will only be detectable at private craft-focused liquor stores for a limited time. If you'd like to try Super-Krypton on draft, we'll be pouring samples down at the brewery on Thursday December 22nd from 4-6!

i love pairing art with craft in whatever way you want to take that statement so my heart started to swell when i saw that victory and dogfish head are having a night of art (paintings, sculpture etc.) and craft (beer) here's the beer wench with the details

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: Kozel Premium Czech Lager - $3.25 Kozel Premium has a pleasant, balanced taste and a mildly malty and hoppy aroma. At 4.8% ABV, this perfectly sparkling pale lager alcohol regularly wins awards both at home and abroad. Parallel 49 Salty Scot Sea Salted Caramel Scotch Ale - $7.55 "We put the kettle on for a long boil and this Scottish wee heavy is what we got." A rich caramel is complemented by sea salt for a complex, intense flavour. How can you go wrong? You Can't. Deschutes Brewery Chasin' Freshies Fresh Hop IPA - $11.35 Like fresh powder, it's a seize the moment type thing. At harvest, we rush Goschie farms cascade hops fresh from bine to kettle. Not any cascades, mind you, but an heirloom strain, from a single field restored from the original rhizome. 

i'm off to hopscotch! wish my liver well...

in the wall street journal, the opposite of most craft beer articles apparently some people are not fans of craft beer's takeover of north america and this just in from crannog ales, there are gmo yeasts tainting our beer

and the rest of what i wanted to mention but ran outta time on tuesday's beer column on cbc: 1.  all british columbian beer lovers should be camra members! "campaign for real ale, an independent, volunteer-run consumer organization dedicated to supporting the brewing of traditional styles of beer in the traditional manner, using traditional ingredients" its only $25 a year to join add your voice to the craft beer lobby sign the FUSS and BYOCB campaigns sign up for the newsletter and be informed about all the fab craft beer events around town and if that wasn't enough, you also get some swell discounts around town for being a member but don't join just for the discounts join because, as a craft beer lover, its the right thing to do and a tasty way to do it 2.  are you a homebrewer? do you want to be a homebrewer? join vanbrewers !  or if you're not a vancouverite, join your local homebrew club membership in vanbrewers is only $20 a year ac...

my beer selections for this week's beer column on cbc radio's on the coast : american brewing company's breakaway ipa and caboose oatmeal stout lazy boy brewing's oktoberfest and ipa diamond knot brewing's brown ale and industrial ipa all three are available in bottles at hastings, legacy and brewery creek liquor stores the lazy boy and diamond knot are also available on rotating taps at the usual suspects like st. augustine's , the alibi room and portland craft .  in fact, i had the industrial ipa at st. augustine's last night!  they are also being poured at rogue waterfront , queen's cross pub , fets bar & grill , biercraft and tangent cafe , among other places like modern malt on facebook and you can keep up to date on where these fine beers are available!

phillips brewing goes non-alcoholic with its craft brews: Phillips Launches Soda Works! CRAFT BREWED NATURAL SODA November 12th, 2012 -Phillips has brewed up a new project that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their age! Phillips Soda Works launches today with two naturally brewed sodas: Sparkmouth Ginger Ale and Captain Electro's Intergalactic Root Beer. The company's entrance into soda really stemmed from their brewing roots and ongoing fascination with flavours, combined with a desire to provide the community with a local, natural soda alternative. Indeed their approach to the craft of soda mirrors their approach to brewing beer, as the recipes were designed from the ground up using only natural ingredients. As such, artificial flavours, colours and pre-packaged syrups were blacklisted from the soda recipe book in favour of raw, natural ingredients. But while the team was committed to this approach in the soda program, it didn't come with...

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: American Brewing American Blonde Ale - $7.55 This Blonde Ale is a golden straw color. It has delicate hop notes and a citrusy aroma; a crisp and dry palate with a touch of sweetness and low bitterness. Higher carbonation adds to the overall experience, light in body and very refreshing, a real thirst quenching beer. There is enough full-bodied flavor to satisfy those who want a well balanced blonde ale. This blonde is a real beauty! American Brewing Caboose Oatmeal Stout - $7.55 This Oatmeal Stout is dark brown to almost black in color with a rich cream colored head. It has a pleasant, full-bodied, smooth profile with an aromatic blend of coffee, oats, and roasted malts. Savor the long, rich finish that tempts you with just a subtle hint of dark chocolate. This oatmeal stout is something great to behold, enjoy! Diamond Knot Brewing Co. India Pale Ale - $8.15 Their flagship beer, the one for which they are ...

what randy shore drank this fall what they're drinking in charlotte and if you're looking for somewhere to drink beer at 6:00 tonight, how about coal harbour's the mill bistro?

the cask last night at the yaletown brewpub was saison word on the street is that it was amazing me, i filled my boot with ipa no really, i bought the gumboot salute boot and filled it twice with ipa even though it was cask night even though it was stout day that's just how i roll okay? (then i went out for fancy dinner and drank prosecco cuz i'm fancy like that!) tomorrow, i will be pouring at the yaletown for their mini caskival 11 casks its gonna be fun! come on down, starting at 11:00 try all 11 casks for $20 or just a few for $2 each if you already have a boot, bring it and get your first fill free if you don't already have a boot, get one for $10 filled and $4.50 re-fills yup, its a great deal so, i'll see you there, right!?! here's what their facebook page says: As part of our now famous "Gumboot Salute" long weekend, here at the Yaletown Brewing Company, we are throwing a little cask event this Saturday! Doors are opening ...

just in time for stout day and audition day for the red racer girl central city brewing comes out with stout in a re-designed can p.s.  break a gear at your audition, viking!!

for a little stout day inspiration, i give you international (but heavy on mexico) stouts: some reading about florida's favourite stouts and metro's lead-up article to next week's hopscotch festival

happy international stout day!!

- from yaletown brew pub (fyi, i will be pouring beer at this event): This Saturday, November 10th, we will be having a mini-Caskival featuring 11 different casks from 11 different breweries! Doors open at 11am. DRINK FRESH BEER - from railway club: Todays cask for Rail Ale Tuesday is a Vanilla-oaked Pumpkin Ale from Central City Brewing - tapping at 5 - what i drank for monday night football last night: - lastly, can craft beer use mega-breweries to succeed? the mega-breweries think so, and say craft brewers do too me, i'm not convinced...

oh, this hasn't happened yet? i thought it happened years ago... why did i think that? grupo modelo purchase by ab-inbev

its a several-months-old guardian article about women in beer but it sure got brewdog's knickers in a twist !

i had a taster of the dead frog fearless ipa at the craft beer market open house a couple of weeks back but as i had that sample after i'd had several others, i really can't say more about it than i liked it from dead frog: Hello! The Dead Frog Fearless IPA is the first collaboration brew from our new brew team Tony Dewald and Timmy Brown! Tony and Timmy are BC Craft Beer pioneers and they’ve finally come together to brew under one roof. For their first brew they wanted to make a hop forward West Coast IPA that didn’t pull any punches. The end result was the Fearless IPA, a 77 IBU brew packed with 4 different hops including Galaxy and Zythos. The Official Description: Our Fearless IPA is a hop forward India Pale Ale crafted with premium malts and hops from around the world. Zythos and Galaxy hops combine to provide a tropical fruit aroma while Cascade and Columbus provide a citrus-like bitter finish. The Full Specs: · Ingredients: Water, malt, hop...

central city brewing is looking for a red racer girl to promote its beers there has been a fair bit of press around their use of a burlesquey pin-up red head on a bicycle as their label icon me, i think she's awesome! yes, i worry a little bit that craft beer using a woman for sex appeal to sell their beers could be construed as pandering, and i don't love that they refer to her as a girl when she's obviously a fully-grown woman so i am very interested to see the direction central city goes in choosing their red racer girl i am sure that there will be a few cheerleader-types who audition for the role i hope that the judges choose a woman who knows and loves beer i think the last thing any self-respecting craft brewery needs is to choose an ambassador based soley on sex-appeal and ignore beer knowledge and i can't believe that i am the only person out there who thinks that way one of my friends applied for the job and frankly, they'd be lucky at central ci...

new and exciting beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver: St. Ambroise Discovery Pack - $14.95 A great gift idea, this beer pack includes 1x Pale Ale, 1x Pumpkin Ale, 1x Apricot Wheat Ale, and 1x St. Ambroise Stemware. Historic Ales of Scotland Gift Pack - $17.55 These ales have been recreated from old recipes of traditional domestic brewing in the Scottish Highlands. 1x Froach Heather Ale, 1x Grozet Gooseberry Ale, 1x Alba Scots Pine Ale, 1x Ebulum Elderberry Strong Ale. Innis and Gunn Gift Pack - $18.00 This gift pack includes your favorite Original Innis and Gunn along with 1x Winter Treacle Porter, 1x Highland Cask and 1x Innis and Gunn official glassware. free tastings this weekend: Today, drop by for a sample of Kronenberg beers, straight from France! We'll have these tasty treats open from 4-7pm so don't miss out. Saturday, Green Flash Brewing will have their beers open, perfect for the cold weather. If you like stout, you'll want to try t...

now i have proof that i'm smrt "Go ahead, order that second beer: You deserve it because you're so smart. According to the greatest study in the history of science (we're only slightly exaggerating), smarter people tend to drink "more frequently and in greater quantities" than their duller, drier peers. In two studies conducted in the United States and United Kingdom, children's intelligence was measured and categorized in five groups ranging from "very dull" to "very bright." When the study participants were assessed later in life (the Brits checked in from their 20s to their 40s) the "brighter" kids were the ones who emptied more glasses more often. Why? No one is exactly sure yet. Anybody want to drink on it? [ Source ] Click to see more on msnNOW.com , updated 24 hours a day."

its almost time for international stout day november 8th here's what the beer wench, the founder of #ipaday, has to say about it last year i asked marnie at rogue to do a beer pairing dinner featuring stouts and did she ever come through for me! this year... well... i haven't done a damn thing about stout day guess i'll just have to go with raising a glass of stout that day

i always run out of time during my radio spot on cbc's on the coast! six minutes just isn't enough time for me to say all i want to say on a subject (which is good, because i can save up all that unsaid stuff and have topics for 100 more shows...) so, i am going to use this, my lovely blog, to finish saying what i didn't have time for on the air (and i will try to do it in a more timely manner next time!) what makes a good beer joint? imho it doesn't matter what style of beer joint it is, fancy, british, dive, restaurant, brewpub, pub... these four things NEED to be present to get repeat beer loving customers: clean lines interesting beer choices food for pairing with beers knowledgeable staff if i hate your decor i may not have my birthday party at your establishment, but it won't stop me from coming back if the beer's good if the beer is off, i definitely won't be back if there are few to no craft beer choices, i won't willingly be ba...

beer with benefits! November 1st, 2012: The U.S. Presidential Race isn't the only election to follow! Today voting gets underway in our Benefit Brew Project. There are 10 worthy causes in the running to have a special beer released in their honour with full proceeds donated to the cause, and they're all looking for your vote! Have your voice heard by voting at www.phillipsbeer.com/benefitbrew on which beer you'd like to see us make. Votes can be submitted once/day until Nov. 18th and the winner will be announced on December 1st!! Good luck to everyone! The finalists (in no particular order) are: Music BC Foundation Sunshine Clown Society Providence Farm Little People of BC Community Micro-Lending CNIB British Columbia The Nature Trust of BC Lifecycles Project Society Cetus Research & Conservation Soceity The Ucluelet Aquarium Veterinarians Without Borders

the cask tonight at the yaletown brewpub is green tea ipa the cask on tuesday night at the railway club was also an ipa i love it when the casks are hoppy!