Tag Archives: Brewery Creek

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.

33 Acres of #Bajab33r.png

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 #243 – Main Street/Doan’s Roggenweizen

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On a recent craft beer crawl through the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver, we made our final stop at Main Street Brewing, where I was able to order a pint of this collaborative effort with Doan’s Brewing.

The Roggenweizen (which basically translates to Rye Hefeweizen) combines two of the Sip Advisor’s favourite things in rye/whiskey and hef beers. The 5% ABV, 15 IBUs beverage is a limited edition beer, so drinkers may want to track it down sooner than later.

Main Street & Doan’s Roggenweizen

Doan’s seems to like experimenting with Rye, as earlier this year the Sip Advisor enjoyed a serving of their Rye Stout. They have also concocted a Rye IPA and Rye Pilsner (in collaboration with Bomber Brewing).

As for Main Street, I’ve always been a fan of their beer label work, which is featured on banners that hang at their location. It also remains one of my favourite breweries to pop into while touring out-of-town visitors around Vancouver.

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BC Beer Baron #239 – 33 Acres of Egress

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On a recent visit to 33 Acres Brewing, the Sip Alliance filled up a few growlers (of varying sizes) for later enjoyment. One of those was of this newer menu item.

The 33 Acres of Egress is a Belgian Grisette, featuring flavours of malt and pepper to go along with aromas of apricots and blackberries. The 4.2% ABV beer is apparently inspired by the tradition of miners enjoying similar beverages after a hard day’s work within dark, humid tunnels. Today, we continue this tradition with drinks after long days at the office or other places of work.

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33 Acres, ever the storytellers, write of the beer: “Cradled by earth’s core, a worthy sweat drips from the air, chipping away inside the passage. Pausing to lean against the cool bedrock, clammy palms flatten against the rough stony contours. Coursing blood circulates while fondly glancing back to where the shift began. A familiar whistle sounds signalling work’s timely end and the usual chorus of hurrahs ensue. Twinkling grins adorn the corridor as fingertips glide along the sculpted tunnel edges stepping into an ever-growing portal home.”

Mrs. Sip once remarked that the tasting room needed a little more colour to go along with its white walls and furniture. Not that I realize they call it ‘the quarry’, I get the design and also this brew’s backstory.

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BC Beer Baron #237 – Brassneck Hibiscus Wit

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While recently showing off BC’s craft beer scene to a friend visiting from the U.S., we popped into the wildly popular Brassneck Brewing for a couple drinks.

Among our selections, Mrs. Sip ordered their Hibiscus Wit, which was a neat and unique beer. Made using Brassneck’s Belgian Wheat recipe, the addition of hibiscus provides a tart finish to the 5% ABV beverage. Coriander and orange peel are also among the ingredients, so the beer is spicy and tangy.

Brassneck Hibiscus Wit

First brewed in November 2013 (the Belgian Wheat, that is), Brassneck sometimes replaces the hibiscus with chamomile for a different result. The beer is only available from Brassneck’s tasting room, but the company has more fillable container options than I’ve seen anywhere else in the province.

When Mrs. Sip and I were touring Egypt in 2008 – you know, before all hell broke loose there – we fell in love with fresh hibiscus juice, which could be had at many locations. We even brought home some hibiscus flowers to make some of our own concoctions.

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BC Beer Baron #235 – R&B Kettle Sour Export Stout

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While on a recent craft beer crawl in the Brewery Creek neighbourhood, we stopped into R&B Brewing’s new Ale and Pizza House – a debut visit for the Sip Advisor. There, along with some fantastic pizzas, I ordered a flights of beers, which included this very unique selection.

The Kettle Sour Export Stout is something I have never seen on a brewery’s menu before. I liked the mix of roasted stout flavour combined with a tart finish. At 7% ABV and 50 IBUs, the beer is definitely strong and complex. With each sip, you’ll notice different elements and those components even evolve as the drink changes temperature.

R&B Kettle Sour Export Stout

Originally released at the beginning of 2016, the Kettle Sour Stout is part of the brewery’s Mount Pleasant Series. Suggested food pairings include desserts, such as Black Forest Cake and sea-salted or bitter chocolates. When launched, the beer was available in bomber-sized bottles, but I didn’t see any at R&B during this stopover.

The Sip Advisor was thrilled to see the Ale and Pizza House finally open. In February, Mrs. Sip and I were allowed to peek inside, as they were doing “final touches”. Then, the planned soft opening on St. Patrick’s Day came and went and the delays kept coming, due to BC Liquor Board holdups. Congrats to R&B!

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BC Beer Baron #234 – Faculty 710 Oaked Stout

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As the gents of the Sip Syndicate gathered for some beers while our ladies pampered themselves with massages (hey, we have our own way of relaxing), we discovered that Faculty Brewing had finally opened their doors to the public. That meant an addition to the itinerary.

Once there, the Sip Advisor tried their two beers on tap, which included the 710 Oaked Stout. The Sip Advisor loves his smoky beers and this was a good serving, thanks to the oak, which provided flavours of vanilla and roasted coffee. The beer comes with stats of 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, so everything was in the right ranges for me.

Faculty 710 Oaked Stout

Founded by a husband and wife team, each beer comes with a class number, borrowing from the head brewer’s experience as a professor. One member of the Syndicate thought that was the price of the beer, but thankfully, I was in the know and was able to explain. I find it neat that Faculty is sharing their complete recipes and processes for each beer, as they hope to educate and inform beer drinkers of all levels.

While the brewery only had two selections available, I look forward to more from Faculty in the future. Their 241 Minzeweizen (a hef brewed with peppermint tea) has me particularly intrigued, as I’ve never tried a brew like that.

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BC Beer Baron #212 – Main Street Old Knights Pale Ale

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While leading visiting friends on a mini tour (yes, the Sip Advisor considers three stops to be mini) of Vancouver’s craft beer scene, I made sure to cap the night with a layover at Main Street Brewing.

There, I ordered the Old Knights Pale Ale, which is a Pacific Northwest adaptation of classic English Pale Ales. Released in March 2016, the 5.5% ABV, 50 IBUs beverage is a solid, with a good hop dosage – from Columbus and Cascade varieties – that hits on the front and finish of the drink.

Main Street Old Knights Pale Ale

The beer is named for Main Street’s neighbours, the Western Front Society art gallery, which formerly housed a chapter of the Knights of Pythias, a secret society and fraternal organization. Notable alumni from the group, include former U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding and William McKinley.

I’ve always been a fan of Main Street’s tasting room, finding the place to be quite inviting and comfortable. Plus, the beers on tap (and really, that’s why we’re there) are varied and of great quality. It’s a win-win, really!

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BC Beer Baron #206 – Brassneck Ambiguation

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While Mrs. Sip and I are very happy to take visiting friends around Vancouver’s beer scene, when we’re rewarded for our efforts, it makes the ventures that much more memorable. Recently, we were gifted a pair of Brassneck Brewing’s refillable 473ml growlers, containing this beer.

Ambiguation is a Belgian Wheat Ale that has been ‘Brassneck’d up’ with the addition of wild Saccharomyces during fermentation and the brewery’s own house lacto culture, providing a level of acidity.

Brassneck Ambiguation

First brewed in 2014, this 5% ABV beverage seems to always be available at Brassneck’s popular tasting room, despite how regularly their menu changes. The Sip Advisor found the drink to pair well with a Mexican burrito meal.

The brewery suggests that Ambiguation might be perfectly paired with “a summer evening….on Third Beach….at sunset…. skinny dippin’,” before insisting they “would NEVER endorse public nudity whilst drunk on delicious beer!” They even provide what I assume is a fake email address to send pictures to, for those daring enough to complete the feat.

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BC Beer Baron #182 – Main Street/Powell Street Scottish Golden Ale

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While perusing new releases at the BC Liquor Store recently, this craft beer collaboration from Main Street Brewing and Powell Street Brewing instantly caught my eye.

The Scottish Golden Ale is light at only 4% ABV and 20 IBUs, but packs a punch with its taste. Although I picked the brew out for a friend who loves Scotch Ales, I probably enjoyed the drink more given its peaty smoky flavour finish. The colour of this beer is incredibly bright, or as the makers put it: “As blonde as the East Van Sun in Spring!”

Main Street & Powell Street Scottish Golden Ale

Dubbed ‘The Streets’ collaboration, thanks to the two breweries monikers, the beer is available in bomber-sized bottles. Each brewery made their own batch of the recipe, before combining the two later. I’m not sure if it was the glassware we were using or some other factor, but the beer poured with a lot of head, although it evaporated quickly.

It seems every visit to the liquor store nowadays – even if only a few days apart – provides at least a couple new treats for consideration. It’s truly a wonderful time to be a craft beer connoisseur in this province and I can’t see the good times ending anytime soon.

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BC Beer Baron #178 – 33 Acres of Nirvana

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In need of some drinks for a friend’s birthday celebration, the Sip Alliance popped out for a brief booze crawl around Vancouver. Our first stop was 33 Acres Brewing, where I filled a growler of this beauty.

The 33 Acres of Nirvana is an IPA which has become one of my favourite Vancouver beers, thanks to its mix of pine and citrus flavours that makeup the 7% ABV, 70 IBUs beverage. Along with your standard tasting room pours – glasses and growler fills – the Nirvana IPA is available in six-packs of bottles.

33 Acres of Nirvana

33 Acres beer descriptions are all neat, but this one will really get your mind thinking existentially: “Along the path to IPA immortality, a wise guide suggested forging a specially brewed trail. As is the pacific north-west tradition, nature’s whispers were honoured following the voice within. Iconically, this beer truly smells like dreamed spirits. One whiff, a taste, then a hearty smile begins any journey into 33 acres of Nirvana after-life.”

Mrs. Sip and I have become quite fond of 33 Acres in recent times, with her falling in love with their Belgian Tripel (33 Acres of Euphoria) and yours truly liking most anything they have on their menu. It has become a preferred stop when showing visiting friends around our great city!

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