Well, there wasn’t a whole lot going on this last week, but that will change this weekend, with the annual Tip N’ Taste in Langley, as well as Mrs. Sip’s return from Europe on Monday. I better enjoy that last weekend of laziness!

Of course, that’s not to say that the week was absent of drinking. What a foolish conclusion you had come to, my little sippers. With the various beverages, I tried a bunch of new products, starting with a couple of the wines Ma and Pa Sip recently picked up while touring the Naramata Wine Region. These included the Monster Rose Bubbly and Deep Roots Gamay, both of which were quite enjoyable.

I also managed to do a little shopping here and there, picking up a bottle of Old Yale Mango Wheat, which I’m looking forward to trying, and one of my favourites from last summer: Steel & Oak’s Smoked Hefeweizen.

The Smoked Hef was my contribution to dinner with Cousin Sip, where we also worked our way through Mill Street Brewery’s summer seasonal mixed pack, including their Lemon Tea, Amber Lager, Ginger Cat, Tankhouse Ale, Summer Ale, and Organic Lager beers. Along with that, we also drank Bomber’s Passion Fruit Ale and Tree’s Vertical Winter Ale. You might think it odd to enjoy winter ale during the height of summer, but you can’t argue with flavour.

I picked up the Smoked Hef at the Viti Beer and Wine Store in Vancouver. Their prices are a little higher than other places around town, but not too extreme. Plus, they have a selection of some items that you just can’t find anywhere else. I did find the Rogue Sriracha Stout there, which I’ve been trying to track down for a while. Sadly, it came at a price of nearly $20, although it is a 750ml bottle. I might just have to take the splash eventually.

That’s about it for now. I will be live tweeting and instagraming from Tip N’ Taste on Friday, so if you’d like to join the Sip Advisor’s public debauchery, click the links above to check out my various accounts. I will also have a wrap up of the event for next week’s Sip Trips!