It’s been a while since the Sip Advisor provided an update on our adventures and that’s because there hasn’t been a whole lot of them. With the change in seasons and still settling into our new place, we’ve found ourselves sticking closer to home more often than not. Here’s what we’ve been up to lately:

On a recent date night for Mrs. Sip and I, we visited an old favourite in Patron Tacos & Cantina in Downtown Vancouver. There, we ordered our usual Queso Fundido and platter of Tacos, combining the two dishes for one incredible meal. I also downed a pair of Patron Lagers, which were on special for $5.50. The restaurant has always had good food and friendly staff, but on this visit, both of those factors seemed to have been improved even more so.

With a move to staying indoors a little more often, I’ve put together a wish list of winter beers to enjoy this season, working my way through a few of them. This has included: Stanley Park Layer Up Winter Wheat Ale, Whistler Black Tusk Chocolate Milk Ale, Dead Frog Red Rum Spiced Red Ale and Granville Island Tropical Stout. Still to be sampled from my “to do” list is the Old Yale Himalayan Salted Caramel Porter and Vancouver Island Misthorn Winter IPA. They will be mine… oh yes, they will be mine!

Last night, we finally emerged from our event hibernation to attend Craft Beer Market’s Cheers to 5 Years Anniversary Party. We have been frequent guests of the restaurant over our years living in Vancouver, celebrating birthdays and New Year’s Eves, so it was only fitting to join the festivities. Tickets were only $5 (plus tax), with proceeds going to the St. Vincent de Paul charity drive, which provides holiday hampers to 10 families in Vancouver. With entry, you received one ticket for a full-sized beer and access to unlimited beer and wine samples from those in attendance. Beer vendors in included: Moody Ales, Stanley Park, Steel & Oak, Granville Island, Strathcona, Steamworks, Longwood, Torchlight, Spectrum, Collective Arts, and Phantom. There were also appies floating around, but it wasn’t always easy to get your hands on them. With Baby Sip in tow, we took a seat in the restaurant area and ordered Chicken Wings and the Gaucho Chicken Flatbread for eats. The night ended with a tasty birthday cake and scrumptious ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Another fantastic event from the folks at Craft. I can’t wait for the next one!

While we haven’t been at our usual level of busy lately, the Christmas season is upon us and that means the schedule is filling quickly with lots of fun events. Tune in next week for another installment of Sip Trips!