beernesday

Summer is finally here, and there’s no better time for a BC road-trip! Some of my vacations come about because of beer, and some fit beer in along the way.  With breweries popping up around every corner, it is easy to include stopping in to check out the vibe and sample the wares any time I find myself travelling.  If a locale has a large concentration of breweries, I’ll visit based on that alone - and discover the other wonderful things it has to offer along the way. I know not everyone is as craft beer obsessed as my friends and I are, but if you like beer, even a little, it is really easy to include brewery stops on your vacation – or to use visiting breweries as an excuse to take a vacation! It’s easy!  You don’t even need a travel agent!  If your vacation destination is in BC, there is a great planning tool available online – the BC Ale Trail .  It is a website that offers sample itineraries for self-guided tours in many areas around the Prov...

my notes from yesterday's beer column on cbc radio's on the coast with stephen quinn ( to listen, click here and fast-forward to 10 minutes from the end - 2:19): Seasonal ales We can’t deny it any longer, winter is here, and that means it’s time for drinking winter beers.   Winter ales in these parts have been very vanilla the past several years, and by vanilla I mean the spice not that they’re boring!   So let's talk about some imported winter ales that utilize different flavours to celebrate the season. I brought in three Christmas ales from Belgium for us to taste.   These beers are imported by Bravo Beer Co.   You can find them via the Bravo BeerCo . website and at private liquor stores like Legacy, Firefly and Brewery Creek. The first is a blonde beer - one of the only blonde ales brewed for Christmas - Bonsecours Blonde de Noel from Caulier Brewery is 10% and rated 100 out of 100 by Beer Advocate but only 50 out of 100 on RateBeer.  It come...

usually i take photos of all the pairings at a rogue dinner but alas, i only had my iphone with me and the lighting was atmospheric... so all you get are these two! the lobster on cauliflower risotto the diver scallop that melted in my mouth! for more, see vancouverfoodster.com's review best pairings: r&b lychee white ale with sea bream crudo - this would be a great summer beer the lychee was not too sweet and went well with the brine of the fish cannery scotch ale with smoked lamb loin (or for me, salmon) the smokiness of the scotch ale went really well with the smoked salmon townsite powtow porter with chocolate porter cake i didn't have the cake, but the malty porter paired very well with the mocha custard and glazed pecans best beer: crannog ales something hoppy - cascade hops and cardamom made for an amazing brew other pairings: big river rose hibiscus honey ale with contry ham (for me, tuna) and apple kimchi tuna with rose did not pair so well but the ...

for all the vancouver girlies out there, come celebrate international women's day with me at rogue kitchen and wetbar Eight Women In Our Local Brewing World Eight Specialty Beers Eight Small Plate Pairings by Rogue Chef Cory Chapman. A mingle and meet event hosted in the Platform of Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar Brewery Line-Up: Crannog Brewery Big River Brewing, Nelson Brewing Howe Sound Brewing, R&B Brewing Cannery Brewing, Townsite Brewery, Gulf Island Brewing $55 per person Includes Entry, Beer Sampling, Food Pairing, Welcome "Swag Bag", Silent Auction with Proceeds to Breast Cancer Survival. and yes, boys and non-female identified folks are welcome too!