Tag Archives: BC Craft Beer

BC Beer Baron #273 – Dageraad De Witte

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When it comes to Lower Mainland breweries, there are few the Sip Advisor has yet to visit. Dageraad Brewing, based in Burnaby, is one of them and while I must atone for my transgressions, that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying their beers. Such is the case with this release, which I recently tried as a guest tap option.

The De Witte is described by the brewery as a sour-fermented Belgian-style spiced wheat ale, thus checking off some of my and Mrs. Sip’s favourite beer criteria. The 5.2% ABV beverage is quite tasty and perfect for summer drinking. It’s suggested that drinkers carefully pour this brew and try to leave as much of the yeast sediment in the bottle.

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Available in bomber-sized bottles, the De Witte has brought home a few accolades over its lifetime. This includes a silver medal at the 2014 BC Beer Awards in the Belgian/French Ale category and a bronze medal the following year in the Sours/Wild Ale class.

For those curious about the brewery’s name (as was the Sip Advisor), it is an homage to the Dageraadplaats, a square in Antwerp, Belgium. There, beer culture is prevalent and the owner/brewmaster of Dageraad (meaning daybreak or dawn) hopes to bring the Belgian style to BC drinkers… a style he likes to call Burnabarian!

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BC Beer Baron #272 – White Rock Beach West Beach Fruit

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For quite some time, the Sip Advisor has wanted to sample the wares of the White Rock Beach Brewing. Some near misses occurred, such as the brewery no-showing this year’s Tip N’ Taste. Finally, it took a visit to the Fuggles & Warlock tasting room and a guest tap to get the job done.

The West Beach Fruit is an American Pale Ale that is described by the company as being a Pacific Northwest-style English Bitter. The fruit in the 5% ABV, 36 IBUs brew’s name comes from flavours of citrus and grapefruit, which occur thanks to the use of Centennial hops.

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The beer is available on tap at the brewery for glass servings and growler fills. I would love to try some of the company’s other beverages, including the East Beach Nut (American Brown Ale), Border Porter and Pier IPA. The whole lineup collectively describes the features of the quaint beachfront community.

The Sip Advisor has always had a soft spot in his heart for the White Rock area, as Mrs. Sip and I spent some of our first dates walking along the beach promenade and pier, as well as eating at some of the local establishments. This included our one-month dating anniversary!

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BC Beer Baron #271 – Tin Whistle Stag Apple Scotch Ale

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While the government-operated BC Liquor Stores are a great resource for craft beer drinkers across the province, private retailers often carry a wider product base and have become a reliable source for the Sip Advisor. That was the case recently, with my discovery of this Tin Whistle Brewing release.

The Stag Apple Scotch Ale is a great beer, with flavours of apple and cinnamon spice joining the caramel notes one would expect from a Scotch Ale. I’ve become a huge fan of Scotch Ales over the course of this BC Beer Baron project and this 8% ABV beverage was a strong addition to my checklist.

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First released in 2013, the brew is available in bomber-sized bottles. The beer took home the top prize at the 2014 BC Beer Awards in the UK Ales category, as well as a bronze medal at the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Scotch Ale class.

I really wish Tin Whistle would launch its own website. While somewhat active on social media, such as Twitter, I feel its criminal in this day in age to be operating a company and not be established online. Beer this good deserves more of a presence.

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BC Beer Baron #270 – 33 Acres of #Bajab33r

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While meeting up with the guys for an impromptu brewery crawl a couple weekends back, our first stop was a collective favourite in 33 Acres Brewing.

Every time I visit this popular location (which is often), I’m amazed at how there’s always something new on the menu. This time around, I ordered the 33 Acres of #Bajab33r, a Northwest Pilsner. What sold me on the brew was its stats of 5.7% ABV and 40 IBUs, which jived nicely with my thirst at the time.

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I feel like the name of this beer is some sort of code, given its rare use of a hashtag and 3s in place of Es. The drink was apparently inspired by a 10,000 km road trip to Mexico and back. If these are the results, the crew should try to get out of town more often!

One of my favourite things about drinking at the 33 Acres quarry tasting room is that you can get 24 oz servings, trumping your typical pint. This release is only available on site at 33 Acres, in various glass and growler sizes.

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BC Beer Baron #269 – Persephone Brew the Change

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With some time to kill in New West (story of my life anytime I’m supposed to be meeting Mrs. Sip) I popped into the 8th Street Liquor Store, which has become a place of solace for the Sip Advisor. There, I found and purchased this intriguing Persephone Brewing collaborative release.

The Brew the Change is about so much more than simply beer. It’s an industry statement from 10 certified Benefit Corporation breweries (“for-profit companies who meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability, and who choose to use their business as a force for good”).

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This across North America conglomerate includes breweries from Washington State (Aslan), Portland (Hopworks), California (Bison and North Coast), Colorado (New Belgium), Michigan (Vivant), North Carolina (Bull City), Ontario (Beau’s), and New Brunswick (Picaroons).

What originally lured me to purchase this beer was its description of key ingredients: honey, cranberry juice and yerba mate. The 7.1% ABV, 14 IBUs beverage is available in bomber-sized bottles. Suggested food pairings include rich charcuterie; hard cheeses, such as cheddar; and French honey spice cake.

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BC Beer Baron #268 – Tree Cutthroat West Coast Ale

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While the Sip Syndicate vacationed in Kelowna earlier this summer, we made a jaunt to Tree Brewing for some drinks. There, while playing a couple of the trivia games available at the tasting room and restaurant, I was able to enjoy a serving of this beer.

The Cutthroat West Coast Ale is very good, highlighted by flavours of toffee and just the right amount of hops to lend some citrus notes to the blend. The 5% ABV, 36 IBUs beverage took home a gold medal at the 2007 Canadian Brewing Awards in the English Style Pale Ale (Bitter) category.

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One of the breweries Tall Boys products, the ale is available year round in 500ml cans. Surprisingly, it is not part of Tree’s Season Pass mixed case. Suggested food pairings include pasta, shellfish/sushi, English cheeses, and meat pies.

The company has a couple new limited releases that the Sip Advisor would love to gets his paws on. This includes the Leap Beer Smoked Bock and Kim-Ach Touch Ale. Sounds like as good a reason as any to revisit the Tree Brewing Institute, ASAP!

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BC Beer Baron #267 – Cannery Drupaceous Apricot Wheat Ale

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On our recent visit to St. Augustine’s, this beer from Cannery Brewing instantly jumped out at me from the restaurant’s extensive tap menu.

The Drupaceous Apricot Wheat Ale is brewed with Canadian wheat for a hazy appearance. Apricots are added after fermentation, giving the beer “an Okanagan twist”. This summer seasonal comes in at 5% ABV and 25 IBUs for a nicely-balanced experience.

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For those unfamiliar (as was the Sip Advisor, despite my wordsmith reputation), ‘drupaceous’ refers to fruits that are comprised of an outer skin, a juicy middle layer, and a shell on the inside. These include peaches, cherries, plums and apricots, among others.

A recipe the brewery suggests using the beer – available in 650ml bomber bottles – in is Apricot Wheat Ale Glazed Chicken Wings. They also advise that the brew pairs well with Walnut Crusted Chicken Breast with Mango.

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BC Beer Baron #266 – Vancouver Island Killer White IPA

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While stocking up on supplies for an upcoming camping trip, the Sip Advisor picked up a bottle of this Vancouver Island Brewing new release. Isn’t camping shopping the best!

The Killer White IPA is a wheat ale-IPA hybrid, combining the best from both worlds into one delicious drinking experience. That would include flavours of banana and clove from the hefe yeast and citrus notes from the three different hops used in the beer’s construction.

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Vancouver Island writes of the brew: “This white has some bite to it!” The 7% ABV, 60 IBUs summer seasonal is available in bomber-sized bottles at BC Liquor Stores, as well as other booze vendors.

Featuring a label with a jumping killer whale, I assume the beer is an homage to Vancouver Island’s whale watching industry. This season lasts from March to October each year and brings a great number of tourists to this part of the world.

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BC Beer Baron #265 – Dogwood Organic IPA

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As I’ve mentioned previously, when Mrs. Sip and I visited the Originals Restaurante Mexicano in New West recently, the Sip Advisor was impressed with the diner’s small, yet varied craft beer menu. That included this product from Dogwood Brewing.

The Organic IPA isn’t as hoppy as some IPAs, relying more on its malt content to deliver flavour. This is a good thing for those that don’t do bitter so well. The 5.9% ABV, 50 IBUs beverage presents flavours of caramel and citrus fruits in a well-balanced package.

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While Dogwood doesn’t provide any food pairing suggestions for the beer, Mrs. Sip and I found it worked rather well with our taco platters, complementing the various flavours and spices in our meals. The IPA is available in cans at private liquor stores.

I have still yet to visit Dogwood’s South Vancouver tasting room and really should get around to it. The company is very proud of their all-organic lineup of brews, which also includes a Honey Ale, Fest Ale, and Stout, as well as seasonal treats.

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BC Beer Baron #264 – Fernie Big Caboose Red Ale

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In preparation for our annual Sip Syndicate camping excursion, the Sip Advisor was on the lookout for a good mixed case of canned beers, perfect for beach drinking. That was found thanks to Fernie Brewing.

Part of the company’s Summer Craft Collection, Mrs. Sip and I generally enjoyed the entire set (no duds to be found); however, we were particularly fond of the Big Caboose Red Ale. The 5% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage took home gold and bronze medals at the 2012 and 2013 BC Beer Awards, respectively, in the Scottish/Irish brew category.

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Originally released in 2011, the beer is also available in six-packs and can be found as far east as Manitoba. Suggested food pairings include burgers and nachos… what more could one ask for?

Also joining the Red Ale in the summer mixer (available between April and September) are the Project 9 Pilsner, Griz Pale Ale and Lone Wolf IPA. The Winter Craft Collection is nearly identical, save for the First Trax Brown Ale subbing in for the Project 9 Pilsner.

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