Each month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer extravaganza that I will be sharing with you throughout 2016, I will highlight a specific style or theme of beers for a whole week of articles. For the opening month of this project, I wanted to look at some of the flagship and original offerings from breweries around the province.

The Red Racer IPA from Central City Brewing may have been my first introduction to IPAs. Back at a time when I wasn’t into IPAs, I’m not sure I fully appreciated the 6.5% ABV, 80 IBU beverage. Thankfully, that has changed, as my tastes have evolved and I’ve become an IPA fan.

Central City started as a brew pub operation in 2003, before moving into canning their products and finally opening a brewery and tasting room location just a few years back. The company boasts that their Red Racer IPA can be found in 156 BC Government Liquor stores, as well as many private locations. The brew can also be found in 230 LCBO stores in Ontario. Heck, Red Racer products can also be found across the line in the U.S., under the Red Betty brand, thanks to legal action from California’s Bear Republic Brewing.

I’ve enjoyed a few trips to Central City’s Surrey hub (a perfect place to go when Mrs. Sip tells me she’s going to be late leaving work, as I’m already waiting at the Scott Road SkyTrain Station… and trust me, it’s happened a lot), as well as their brew pubs at both the Surrey Central Mall and in Downtown Vancouver. The Vancouver location is conveniently close to the Sip Advisor offices.

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