Author Archives: Daniel Wilson

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About Daniel Wilson

I love making drinks for my friends and family, and, of course, sampling my concoctions myself! Finding and playing around with recipes is a favourite past time of mine and I hope to share that passion with all my readers.

BC Beer Baron #83 – Yaletown Yaletown Ale

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After a game in which we didn’t fair so well on the ball hockey floor, our team needed some liquid therapy. For this, we visited The Distillery, a sister restaurant of the Yaletown Brewery.

There, I ordered the Yaletown Ale to drown my athletic sorrows. I really enjoyed the strong caramel flavour of this pale ale, which became more pronounced as the beer warmed up. It was a lighter beverage (4.8% ABV) and not as hoppy (only 21 IBUs) as I typically like with my pale ales, but it was a satisfying drink, nonetheless.

Yaletown Brewery

I’m a fan of Yaletown Brewery’s motto: “Dream big. Work hard. Have a beer.” That seems to be the definition of the true Canadian dream and they should really put that slogan on some merchandise.

The Distillery is a great place to go for weekend brunch ($10 breakfast menu and $10 bottomless mimosas), as well as for their Sunday pasta deal. Pa Sip is also a big fan of the restaurant’s unlimited lasagna special, which I believe runs on Tuesdays.

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BC Beer Baron #82 – Stanley Park 1897 Amber

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As my beer tastes have grown, I often find myself looking too hard for unique products and it’s invigorating to occasionally get back to the basics. That’s exactly what this Stanley Park Brewing release offered, as we visited The Social Corner for the first time.

The 1897 Amber is a very nice beer. Light, clean and refreshing, this is the type of beer that all drinkers can enjoy and won’t throw anybody out of whack, complaining about hop or alcohol content.

Stanley Park 1897 Amber

The name of this brew is a nod to the founding of the original Stanley Park Brewery by Belgian brewmaster Frank Foubert, all the way back in (you guessed it) 1897. The 1897 Amber was the original release of the reincarnated Stanley Park Brewing, in 2009.

Suggested food pairings include grilled or herb-rubbed meats of the savoury variety, shellfish and spicy dishes. I had the beer with a mushroom burger and fries and really enjoyed the combo.

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BC Beer Baron #81 – Phillips Blue Buck Ale

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Phillips Brewing is one of the bigger players in BC’s craft beer scene and so it comes as no surprise that many of their products are viewed in high regard by the general community.

With that in mind, it would not be a stretch to name Blue Buck Ale the most popular and accessible craft beer in BC. This English-style pale ale turns up all the time for the Sip Advisor and I have enjoyed the brew on countless occasions. Plain and simple, it’s just good drinking! No wonder then, that the beer has won a number of awards, most notably gold and silver medals at the 2007 and 2012 Canadian Brewing Awards, respectively, in the North American Style Amber category.

Phillips Blue Buck Ale

Originally known as Blue Truck Ale (in honour of the blue 1965 Chevy delivery truck employed by the company during their earlier years), the name change was forced upon Phillips through legal action from Red Truck Brewing, in 2007. Phillips ran with the new name (selected from an online contest), though, eliciting thoughts of a mythological character, which the company writes of: “The Blue Buck is a legendary beast known to grant those that see him good fortune and safe travels! Certainly seeing the Blue Buck on bottle grants the drinker a great experience!”

Food pairing suggestions include: chicken, burgers, and mild to medium cheeses. Some recipes Phillips has come up with, which incorporate the ale, include: Bucked Up Pulled Pork and Buckin’ Good Chili. Blue Buck is available in everything from six packs to tall boy cans and at countless restaurants and bars across the province. It’s popularity has resulted in the beer being available as far east as Ontario.

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BC Beer Baron #80 – Granville Island West Coast Pale Ale

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A couple weeks back, Mrs. Sip and I made a pilgrimage to one of BC’s craft beer meccas, Granville Island Brewing. Okay, so we only had to each take short bus rides to meet there, but it can’t be denied that Granville Island is one of the originators of the industry, in this part of the world.

While Mrs. Sip sampled their North German Pilsner, I chose one of their other small batch releases, the West Coast Pale Ale (not to be confused with GIB’s English Bay Pale Ale). While I’ve had better from Granville Island, this was a decent beer, with a fair amount of hops to add a little punch to the beverage.

Granville Island Brewing

I’m always happy (and prefer) to drink west coast products – it is the best coast, after all – and am proud to hail from this side of the content. Nothing against the east, which holds its own treasures, but the way of life out west just can’t be topped.

Popping into Granville Island’s tasting room has always been a good experience. It brings back memories of my earliest days of craft beer enjoyment, when a much younger Sip Advisor was just learning of the wonders the world holds and is capable of sharing with its inhabitants.

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BC Beer Baron #79 – Stag and Pheasant Imperial Stout

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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. Since March features St. Patrick’s Day and many of us largely associate the celebration with Guinness beer, the Sip Advisor thought it would be a prime month to highlight some of B.C.’s best stout beers.

In late January, the Sip Syndicate descended upon Main Street Brewing for some drinks and before we knew it, each of us was a couple beers deep before Mrs. Sip even arrived. When she did, I insisted she order this brew and get caught up to the rest of us.

The Stag and Pheasant Imperial Stout is definitely of the winter warmer variety. You do feel the 9% ABV, but I was surprised to see it come in at 65 IBU’s, as the hoppiness is nicely hidden. Tastes of chocolate, coffee and what the brewery calls “a touch of pine” are present with a “hint of smoke” on the back end.

Main Street Stag & Pheasant Imperial Stout.png

The stout is named after the Stag & Pheasant saloon, which existed in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood in the late 1800’s. The establishment was owned by Charles Doering, who sold the business in 1888, in order to enter the brewing game. Doering would go on to co-found the Vancouver Brewery which all these years later has been converted into the home of Main Street’s Brewery Creek location.

Originally released in 2014, I look forward to future engagements with this beer, as well as returns to Main Street Brewing and its historical site.

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Sip Trips #60: Tapped Out

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It seemed the theme of the last week for the Sip Alliance was being told a beer we wanted was out. A sadder set of circumstances, I have not come across yet in this life!

Looking for a place to eat last Thursday before our Urban Rec sports and with a couple gift cards to shed, we ended up at The Shark Club in Richmond. Already not thrilled with the beers on tap, my first two orders – Granville Island Winter Ale and Red Truck Amber Ale – were both unavailable. This left me with only one remaining option, Driftwood Fat Tug IPA. I’m sure this will all resurface one day as a PTSD scenario… the time I almost had to settle for Budweiser!

Budweiser Sucks

I will say, that my chicken tenders and fries were very good and I think Mrs. Sip and the rest of our party enjoyed their nachos, but even with that order, they were asked to substitute their original choice of spicy ground beef with chicken. We were never really informed why, but with little options, they just rolled with it. While our server was very friendly and you can’t blame her for the beers being out, service was incredibly slow and the place seemed understaffed.

Our next outing was to EXP Restaurant + Bar in downtown Vancouver. Here, they did have both of the beers I wanted to order, which was quite refreshing. Deciding on what to eat was much more difficult, as the menu here has so many intriguing dishes, each themed around video games. Rather than try something new, I went with a favourite, the Classic Cheese Burger of Experience and was not left disappointed. Other items ordered at our table, included the Attack On Taco, Assassin’s Cheese Fries and Traditional Poutine, all of which looked and tasted great.

The following day, we decided to check out The Social Corner, which recently opened right across the street from my and Mrs. Sip’s building. I ordered their mushroom burger (which I was lucky to see a server bring out to another table, as it wasn’t even on their menu), while the ladies at our table shared a couple of the restaurant’s pizzas. The Stanley Park 1897 Amber Ale I paired with my meal really hit the spot and they must get that burger onto their menu.

Weekend Restaurant

Prior to Monday’s Vancouver Canucks game versus the Winnipeg Jets (which we had tickets to), we ended up at Central City’s Brew Pub, close to Rogers Arena. Here, we were continually denied the beer of our choice. I get it that kegs run out and need to be changed over, but when you have to choose another beer a half dozen times, it becomes a little tiring. The beers we did end up having were pretty good, highlighted for myself by Central City’s Scotch Ale, which I was pleasantly surprised had a smoky finish to it.

Speaking of the Canucks game, I was hoping for a better collection of craft beers at the stadium than we were able to locate. The adjacent BC Place (home of the Canadian Football League’s BC Lions and the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer) has worked hard to up their craft beer content and I figured – or at least hoped – Rogers Arena would do the same. Alas, it was not meant to be and the night was spent sipping on expensive Shocktop, while watching our beloved ‘Nucks put up a stinker.

Here’s hoping future Sip Trips aren’t as marred with unavailable menu items!

BC Beer Baron #78 – Central City Habanero Stout

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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. Since March features St. Patrick’s Day and many of us largely associate the celebration with Guinness beer, the Sip Advisor thought it would be a prime month to highlight some of B.C.’s best stout beers.

If there’s anything the Sip Advisor likes more than a smoky beverage, it’s a spicy one and Central City Brewing has the answer to my wishes with this seasonal release.

The Habanero Stout is roasty, smoky and spicy – the triple threat! At 8.5% ABV, they aren’t messing around here. Despite the high alcohol content, it’s not noticeable. There’s also a nice balance between the overall sweetness of the stout and the chili spice of the habaneros.

Central City Habanero Stout

To go with the beer’s heat, the classic Central City Red Racer logo of a girl riding a bike has been adapted to being a she-devil (still on the bike), clad in red and complete with tail and pitchfork. You gotta love the company slightly altering their label to give the beer a little more shelf appeal.

I’ve always enjoyed popping into Central City’s Surrey brewery, tasting room and store, but on this visit I was completely blown away by the pricing of some of their available beers. I’m not sure if they were simply clearing stock, but I was able to pick up bombers of today’s feature beer for only $2 each. You just can’t beat that!

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #77 – Old Yale Screaming Banshee Irish Crème Stout

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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. Since March features St. Patrick’s Day and many of us largely associate the celebration with Guinness beer, the Sip Advisor thought it would be a prime month to highlight some of B.C.’s best stout beers.

Last month, the Sip Advisor attended a birthday at Craft Beer Market, but I felt like the celebration was for me, given the restaurant’s daily special of $5 BC craft beers. Since Craft Beer Market has so many good BC brews on tap, I felt like a kid in a candy store! My second selection of the evening was this Old Yale Brewing gem.

What a delicious beer we have here in the Screaming Banshee Irish Crème Stout. Sure, the name sounds like something from an R.L. Stein Goosebumps novel, at the very least, but the brew is not something to be scared of at all. My first taste was a nice caramel flavour, followed by an Irish Crème finish that is smooth and scrumptious.

Old Yale Screaming Banshee Irish Creme Stout

The brewery suggests drizzling the Irish Crème Stout over ice cream and also has a recipe for turning the brew into cupcakes. If you’re looking for meal pairings, they include hearty stews, Irish steak pies, chili, and chocolate cakes (yes, chocolate cakes can be more than just dessert!).

I’m really becoming enamoured with Old Yale Brewing, having previously enjoyed their Sasquatch Stout. If I was still covering the Chilliwack Bruins Western Hockey League team (they moved operations to Victoria in 2011), I’d be popping into their brewery regularly for growler fills and bottle purchases. If they ever open up a tasting room, they may never get me to leave!

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

BC Beer Baron #76 – Lighthouse Seaport Vanilla Stout

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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. Since March features St. Patrick’s Day and many of us largely associate the celebration with Guinness beer, the Sip Advisor thought it would be a prime month to highlight some of B.C.’s best stout beers.

Although I first drank this Lighthouse Brewing beer back in January, it was so amazing that I felt inclined to save and share the experience during Stout Week.

I found a bomber-sized bottle of the Seaport Vanilla Stout when perusing a BC Liquor Store one night and grabbed it, having enjoyed Lighthouse products before. The next morning, I went over notes I’d made the night before and next to this beer was the short, yet apt opinion, “F’N AWESOME!” This means two things: 1) I was really fond of the beer and 2) while I’m not shy about swearing with real words, apparently I prefer to keep it clean on my phone.

Lighthouse Seaport Vanilla Stout

The brew is made with Madagascan vanilla beans, which work with the chocolate and coffee flavours one expects from a stout. Add a hint of sweetness and you have the total package in the palm of your hands.

I like Lighthouse’s theme of naming their beers after nautical references. These include Jackline, Shipwreck, Beacon, Bowline, and Tasman, among others. They also have a more traditional stout in their line-up, the Keepers Stout.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…