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 #75 – Doan’s Rye 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.

When Mrs. Sip and I attended Big Rock Urban Brewery’s Winter Beer Hall (as part of the Dine Out Vancouver Festival), one of my favourite servings of the night, among the cask beers available, was from Doan’s Craft Brewing.

Their Rye Stout came out near the top of my card, among stiff competition in the form of Storm Brewing’s Vanilla Whiskey Stout and Big Rock’s Dine Out Van Fest Ale. The 6.2% brew is made by soaking malts in Canadian Rye, resulting in a spicy, hoppy drink, which has a strong, but not detestable coffee aftertaste.

Doan's Rye Stout

It helped to have one of Doan’s brewers on site at the event to describe to drinkers how the beer was made, as well as provide other little tidbits about the beverage.

When we visited Doan’s for the very first time last summer, I don’t remember being won over by the brewery. That could have been because it was stop number five or six for us that day and palate fatigue could have been setting in. Regardless, thanks to this experience, I have renewed faith in the company and look forward to my next chance to return to their tasting room.

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

BC Beer Baron #74 – Dead Frog Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter 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.

On our recent beer adventures in the Fraser Valley, we popped into Aldergrove’s Dead Frog Brewing for a flight of tasters.

Among the beers we sampled was the Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter Stout, which I had also gifted to Mrs. Sip last year as part of her annual advent calendar. We liked it then and we still do. The stout has a nice nutty finish to go with flavours of chocolate and coffee that we’re accustomed to experiencing from this style. I could have enjoyed even more of a peanut butter flavour, as I am a PB junkie!

Dead Frog Nutty Uncle Peanut Butter Stout

Originally released in late 2014, the Nutty Uncle won a gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Experimental Beer category. The brew is available in bomber format at liquor stores around the province.

I can’t help but notice a troubling trend amongst BC breweries to take shots at all the uncles out there in the world. On top of this beer, you also have the Creepy Uncle Dunkel from Moon Under Water (a beer which will certainly be covered as part of this project at a later date). While Dead Frog claims the beer is an homage to ‘nutty uncles’ everywhere, I have my suspicions!

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

BC Beer Baron #73 – Tofino Kelp 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.

Having just gone through Chocolate Week last month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer project, I vowed that my Stout Week would stray from any chocolate-based versions of the feature beer and instead focus on unique ingredients to the mix. The fine folks at Tofino Brewing helped greatly with that decision.

For some perverse reason, I’ve been looking forward to trying the Kelp Stout, ever since I heard of it. Kelp? In a beer? You’re damn right! Even the Tofino brewers are having fun with this odd addition, writing: “If there’s one sentiment that’s constantly repeated among craft beer drinkers it is, ‘This beer is good but it needs more seaweed!’ If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times. Well folks, message received.”

Tofino Kelp Stout

The beer is quite complex, with a roasted malty smokiness, which I absolutely loved. All natural and unfiltered, the beverage is brewed with locally harvested kelp. The 6% ABV brew is available year round and can be located in BC Liquor Stores. I would assume this stout pairs well with sushi, but I didn’t test that hypothesis.

A special thanks goes out to Ma and Pa Sip who picked up a set of beers for me when they were on the island, visiting Ucluelet and Tofino last month. They visited the brewery, which they said was a lot of fun, despite the fact that neither of them are beer drinkers. They did it all for little ol’ me!

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

BC Beer Baron #72 – Dockside Winter Bock

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Last weekend, Mrs. Sip and I met on Granville Island and went for drinks at the Dockside Restaurant, which also houses their own brewery.

Winter may be coming to an end, as hinted at with some of the weather we received during the course of that weekend, but why not sample what’s left of the season in the restaurant’s Winter Bock? This seasonal lager was decent. Nothing that will blow your mind, but worth trying.

Dockside Winter Bock

Apparently, in past years, Dockside’s Winter Bock has come with a much higher alcohol content, with some versions reaching 9% ABV. The version we had was much lighter and I wish I could try the previous incarnations.

Dockside is perfectly located along the waters of Granville Island. The restaurant has been publicly voted Vancouver’s best patio for five years running by the Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards and I can vouch for the experience. It’s a great place to try local seafood dishes, while enjoying a gorgeous summer sunset.

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

BC Beer Baron #71 – Red Truck Cherry Porter

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The fifth and final stop of our Brewery Creek crawl brought us to Red Truck Brewing’s ‘Truck Stop’, located where the original Vancouver Brewery did business, many moons ago.

Given Red Truck is known for their mixed pack of lager, ale, IPA, and ISA flagship products, I made it a point to order only selections I hadn’t tried before. Among my samples was their Cherry Porter, a dark and delicious beer that passed both my and Mrs. Sip’s taste test.

Red Truck Brewing

I’ve never tried any of Red Truck’s darker beers, but my enjoyment of this brew, along with their Irish Stout, makes me very open to changing that stance. Not that it was a stance, per se, but I’ll be more interested in releases I find at local stores, such as the Swamp Thing Stout.

Red Truck’s new facility may be one of the best tasting lounges in the province. Here, live music accentuates a truck stop diner feel, with great food to pair with tasty beers. Their attention to details in decorating the place will have truck lovers (and non-fans alike) searching for the finer features.

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

Sip Trips #59: Creek Crawl

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Waking up Saturday morning, the sun was shining and Mrs. Sip and I decided to take advantage of that sneak peek at spring… at least after I let her sleep in just a little longer!

My plan for the day, was that if weather cooperated, we’d tour the brewing companies that comprise the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver. After making our way across the Cambie Bridge, en route to our first stop of the day, we noticed that a new wine tasting room had opened. Given she was about to visit a handful of breweries for me, I indulged Mrs. Sip’s interest in this impromptu discovery.

Wineorexia

Upon entering the City Side Winery, featuring wines from Mystic Pearl, we sampled four different styles (Semillon, Riesling, Merlot, and Cuvee – a Cab Sauv blend), with Mrs. Sip liking their Semillon so much that she purchased a bottle and put it aside for pick-up later. Staff at City Side said they’ve been quite busy on weekday evenings, thus far. Given their aren’t many Vancouver options for wine tasting, I can understand why.

With wine out of the way, we were off in search of suds, starting with Steel Toad Brew Pub and Dining Hall. It had been sometime since Mrs. Sip and I had visited the location and we were impressed with our tasting flight. From what we remembered, they have added some new beers to their line-up and improved on previously brewed recipes.

Next up, was R&B Brewing, which allowed us to sample each of their beers on tap at their growler fill station. In the very near future, R&B will finally open their long-awaited tasting room. We were lucky enough to peek inside and see what it will look like. There was still some rough edges to sort out, but it looks like it will be a prime spot for beer enjoyment, very shortly.

Moving on, we next popped into 33 Acres Brewing, which is a very popular spot, thanks to their wide array of beers, to go along with coffee, ice cream, and other treats. We lucked out and didn’t have to wait to enter the spot that often reaches its capacity. Our luck continued when we were able to snag a couple seats at the bar. Here, we tried a set of four samples and even got a bonus offering of their 33 Acres of Four Belgian Quad, after Mrs. Sip explained how much of a fan she is of Belgian-styled brews.

Belgian Beer

Our fourth stop of the self-guided tour was Brassneck Brewing, another extremely popular site in the area. After a short wait, we were able to get a spot and try a selection of Brassneck’s wares. I found it interesting that Brassneck has 473ml (good for a pint) containers for refillable beer, a size I have yet to see anywhere else on the market. They sell for only $3 and cost another $3.25, on average, to fill.

We wrapped up our crawl with our first trip ever to Red Truck Brewing’s beautiful facilities. Here, you can sample more experimental beers (as well as traditional releases) from the brewery, while also enjoying food and live music. Over our tasting flight, we munched on some very good garlic fries, while enjoying some tunes.

On this journey, we neglected Big Rock Urban Eatery and Main Street Brewing, which are also part of the Brewery Creek region. This wasn’t done out of malice, but we were tight for time and I wanted to focus on breweries that I hadn’t been able to feature so heavily in the BC Beer Baron project.

Will we be back to Brewery Creek in the future? Oh, you better believe it!

BC Beer Baron #70 – Brassneck Passive Aggressive Pale Ale

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Stop number four on our Brewery Creek crawl brought us to one of Vancouver’s most popular beer destinations, Brassneck Brewing.

There, we enjoyed a flight of beers, highlighted (for myself at least) by the Passive Aggressive Pale Ale. And really, that’s no surprise as it’s the first beer one of the company’s brewers and founders tested and later became an original release and flagship for Brassneck.

Brassneck Passive Agressive Pale Ale

First brewed in September 2013, Brassneck says this beer falls somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA. If Passive Aggressive isn’t enough for you, the brewery still has you covered. Their Double Pale Ale is dubbed Massive Aggressive!

Brassneck is a hard place to get into sometimes. Mrs. Sip and I have been turned away by massive lines and long waits before. Part of that success was having their One Trick Pony named Best in Show at the 2015 BC Beer Awards. If you wish to check the place out, we were advised that Sunday through Tuesday results in shorter waits.

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

BC Beer Baron #69 – 33 Acres of Euphoria

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The third stop on our recent Brewery Creek crawl was 33 Acres Brewing, where Mrs. Sip learned that the company had a Belgian tripel, one of her favourite styles of beer and one that not every local craft brewery includes in their arsenal.

The 33 Acres of Euphoria was boozy (9.2% ABV) and flavourful, with notes of banana and spices. The beer is available on tap for samples, glasses and growlers, as well as in four-pack cases. 33 Acres write-up for the brew is something that needs to be read: “We say good things come in the power of threes, and when this magical concoction joyfully adorns the table an even three is still good company. A fruity lemon rind finish conceals what is pound for pound our most dangerous, yet very drinkable, Belgian. Eyes wide closed, the potency of this feverish blend remains a secret until one feels the creamy golden rush hiding inside 33 Acres of Euphoria. Boasting deep flavour and a hefty dose of celebration, we strongly encourage sharing amongst lovers, between friends, and the best of kin.”

33 Acres of Euphoria

I like 33 Acres style of naming products. Each beer begins with “33 Acres of”, before finishing with words such as Life, Ocean, Sunshine, Darkness, Nirvana, Courage, and Dusk. I’m not as big a fan of their logo work (pictured above), but it does fall into line with their other theming.

It might just be our luck, but we’ve always found it difficult to get into 33 Acres tasting room. Our very first visit accidentally coincided with the brewery’s first birthday, but successive visits haven’t been so fortunate. I suppose that’s good news for them, though.

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

BC Beer Baron #68 – R&B Hidcote Purple Lavender Saison

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The second stop on our Brewery Creek crawl took us to R&B Brewing, where we were able to sample a handful of beers at their growler fill station.

Mrs. Sip was a big fan of their Hidcote Purple Lavender Saison, which is very subtle in the lavender department. She liked it so much that she grabbed a bomber bottle for the road… which the Sip Advisor then had to carry around all day! Coming in at 5.7% ABV, the beer is a little boozier than most saisons I’ve encountered and I think that works for Mrs. Sip, who prefers Belgian tripels of all things.

R&B Lavender Saison

The saison is part of the brewery’s Mount Pleasant Series and is a limited release. This fifth entry into that series only hit taps earlier this month and the servers we spoke to over the weekend, didn’t expect the beer to last long. If saisons or experimental beers are your thing, I’d act fast on this intriguing product.

We may have visited R&B just a little too early, as they anticipate their tasting room to officially open in the next week or so. We were able to duck our heads quickly into the almost ready facility and it looks like it will be a highlight of future stops in the neighbourhood. All the best to the team that has worked so hard to get this up and running.

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

BC Beer Baron #67 – Steel Toad Kermode West Coast IPA

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Taking advantage of the gorgeous weather over the weekend, Mrs. Sip and I did a self-guided crawl through the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver, hitting five different locations. Our first stop was at Steel Toad Brew Pub & Dining Hall, where we sat down for a flight of their beers.

Among our tasters was the Kermode West Coast IPA. I thought this beer was quite good and had a tough time picking a favourite between this and the brew pub’s Farmhouse Double IPA. I gave the edge to the Kermode because it’s a favourite among patrons of the dining hall and Steel Toad has recently began bottling it (a first for the company), advising us that it should be hitting store shelves shortly.

Steel Toad Kermode West Coast IPA

Already, this is the second beer I’ve sampled as part of this 366-day BC craft beer project that has adopted the Kermode or Spirit Bear name. Well, I’m more than happy to drink in honour of the official provincial mammal of BC and you should be too.

This was our first visit to Steel Toad since the summer. I can’t really explain why we’ve neglected the place for so long, but we were impressed by the line-up we sampled, including some beers that have gone through a recipe change, resulting in a better product. Our very first visit was all the way back when the restaurant opened and due to a liquor licensing snafu, we ended up with free tasting flights!

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