Tag Archives: BC Liquor Stores

BC Beer Baron #189 – Red Collar Belgian Witbier

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On one of our liquor store sprees, while we recently vacationed in Kelowna, BC, a member of the Sip Syndicate grabbed a bomber of this Red Collar Brewing offering and was kind enough to split it with the Sip Advisor.

The Belgian Witbier combines Seville oranges and coriander for a spicy and citrusy experience. The 6% ABV, 14 IBUs beer made for a great breakfast beverage, enjoyed with eggs and maple bacon on top of a toaster waffle. Who needs orange juice, am I right!?

Red Collar Belgian Witbier

A seasonal release, it is available in 650ml bomber-sized bottles from BC Liquor Stores, as well as other private retailers. I’m a fan of hitting stores outside of the Lower Mainland, whenever possible, as you can sometimes find items that are more regionalized.

This was only my second sampling of Red Collar’s work. Mrs. Sip and I hope to do more exploring of BC’s burgeoning craft beer scene in the coming months, including stops in Kamloops and other parts of the province.

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BC Beer Baron #181 – Spinnakers Dragonfly Rye Spring Saison

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One of my favourite things about doing this 366-day BC craft beer project has been discovering places I either never knew about or had only had a brew or two from previously. One company that would fit in that category would be Spinnakers Brewing in Victoria, BC.

Most recently, I picked up a bomber of their Dragonfly Rye Spring Saison, which I shared with Mrs. Sip. She enjoyed the beer, noting it went from creamy to a slightly bitter finish. I had to echo her sentiment about the 6% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage.

Spinnakers Dragonfly Rye Saison

The seasonal release is available at BC Liquor Stores and I was pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive the product was, coming in at under $5, before taxes. Good deals can still be had, if you know where to look.

I’ve found that I really like rye in my beers, which give the drink an extra boost of booze on each sip. Saisons have also shot up the charts for me (I’ve dubbed this the ‘Summer of Saisons’), as I like their blend of spice and fruit, reminding me of a more potent hefeweizen.

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BC Beer Baron #92 – Spinnakers Chocoholic Chocolate Milk Stout

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Taking me back to the good ol’ days of grocery shopping with Ma Sip and being allowed to select a treat for my good behaviour, Mrs. Sip gave me the same opportunity on a recent trip to a BC Liquor Store location. My choice was from Victoria’s Spinnakers Brew Pub.

With the store getting ready to close up for the night and with a friend’s place to be, I hurriedly selected the Chocoholic Chocolate Milk Stout. I’ve really come to like Spinnakers line-up and wanted to dip once again into their work.

Spinnakers Chocoholic Chocolate Stout

The stout was not as chocolatey as I hoped it would be, but was still a good beer. At 7.75% ABV, it was just right for sitting back on the late Friday evening and letting a well-constructed brew bring me into the weekend. As I relaxed, Mrs. Sip and her girlfriends had to stress pack for a weekend away in Las Vegas.

I really like what Spinnakers have to say about this product, so I’m sharing it with all you little sippers: “There is more to the relationship between chocolate and beer than tastes and indulgences, both being prehistoric from an ancient past. It is impossible to know which came first but here we present these two fermented foods in a modern relationship, designed to last until the last drop.”

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BC Beer Baron #63 – Big Rock Midnight Rhapsody

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After completing our Dine Out Vancouver Festival menu at Big Rock Brewing’s Urban Eatery, Mrs. Sip and I found a more intimate spot to share a couple additional beers.

My choice was the Midnight Rhapsody dark ale, which I had been wanting to try for a while after spotting it in bomber form at BC Liquor Stores. On tap, the beer has a wonderful berry aroma and flavour (from currants and raspberry jam) and with its darkness, reminded me of a gourmet chocolate bar, only in liquid form.

Big Rock Midnight Rhapsody.jpg

At 5.5% and 25 IBU, this should fall in any drinker’s wheelhouse. Sadly (or amazingly if you’re a local) the ale is only available in British Columbia, so all beer lovers out there in this province should try to track a bottle or pint down.

Although I was a little late on the uptake of this beer, it might make for a perfect New Year’s Eve beverage in future years. As the brew’s description says: “Dance, sing, sway… to the tune of Midnight Rhapsody”!

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BC Beer Baron #30 – Central City Red Racer IPA

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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. 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 Red Racer IPA

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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Sip Trips #15: Back to Basics

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This last week wasn’t as jam-packed full of events as the last month or so has been, which has allowed for some rest and rejuvenation, as well as a chance to catch up on some recent developments. This may be a briefer than usual Out and About than most, but that doesn’t mean the quality won’t be there!

Our big trip of the week was to visit the Big Rock Urban Brewery and Eatery location, which is finally open. We first heard about this project last July at the Langley Tip N’ Taste event and it has at last come to fruition. Although the place had been opened a couple weeks already, this was to be the “grand opening” weekend, but there wasn’t a whole lot of action going on. Even the live music that was supposed to be playing that night never started up.

Grand Opening Fail

That said, Mrs. Sip and I each found beers we really enjoyed. I liked the smoky flavour of the Rauchbier, while Mrs. Sip enjoyed the richness of the Chocolate Malt Stout. We also tried a couple of the eatery’s appetizers and generally had a good time at the place. I can see the potential for the Urban location, as a great hangout and place to enjoy live music, and hopefully another visit will provide these additional elements.

The Out and About week ended with splitting a couple pitchers of Russell Pale Ale, while scarfing down a feast of smoked meat and other goodies at Dunn’s Famous, along with Ma and Pa Sip and Cousin Sip. Sadly, my Vancouver Canucks lost their opening playoff game in the dying seconds of the third period, but there is much more hockey to be played in the coming days.

Onto some news items, late last week, the schedule of events for the Vancouver Craft Beer Week in late May-early July was released and there were so many great options to choose from. Mrs. Sip and I were quick to grab tickets to the “What the Hop?” Beer Trivia, This Sandwich That Beer Throwdown (pairing sandwiches and beers together), and the Beer Cocktail Competition. We may make even more plans, but tickets to some events have sold out already, so we’ll have to be quick on the uptake.

Cocktails Super Glue

Observant booze shoppers have likely noticed recently that BC Liquor Stores are touting their new extended hours and, for many, being open on Sundays. These are wonderful changes and one can only wonder why it took so long for the government-operated stores to catch up with the times. I mean, who wants to live in a world where alcohol is harder to locate on one of the few days most of us don’t have to drag our asses to work!?

Speaking of the weekend, this one looks a little crazier than the last one, so look forward to next week’s more robust Out and About. Maybe we`ll even pick up some Sunday liquor, just for the heck of it!