Tag Archives: Brewhall

Sip Trips #221: Science Fact

Posted on by
Reply

April was a fairly laid back month, at least in comparison with our typical breakneck speed. Still, there’s a fair bit to cover, so let’s get right to it:

We spent the Easter extra long weekend at a cabin in Manning Park. On the way there, we popped into Sidekick Brewing, which has a selection of amazing deep dish pizzas to go along with their beers. We ordered the Classic Pepperoni and Smokey Hawaiian pizzas to eat, while I drank the Barb Caramel Cookie Brown Ale, followed by sharing the Sister Mary Patrick Belgian Dubbel with Mrs. Sip, who also tried a flight comprised of the Forgivable Roomie Rhonda Hazy Pale Ale, Aspiring Mixologist Toby Cranberry Lime Sour, First Mate Nate Tropical Stout and Lucas Dark Lager with Cacao Nibs.

For our cabin stay, amongst a horde of other beverage options, we purchased the new Nutrl Tropical Mixed Pack, with three each of pineapple, mango, watermelon, peach, and grapefruit flavours. I find myself leaning towards vodka sodas more and more in my drinking habits, especially when Mrs. Sip is doing keto dieting.

keto

On our way home from the Manning Park, we popped into Old Abbey Ales. Mrs. Sip and I each put together a flight of their eclectic options. My set included the Beerzer Tomato Basil Kolsch, Hipsters Paradise Spinach + Kale Sour, Dirty Blonde Cardamom Blonde Ale and Juicy Caboosey White IPA, while Mrs. Sip selected the Sippy Chai Aye Chai Tea Lager, Wee Peachy Peach Cobbler Wheat Ale, Orange You Glad I’m Beer and Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Sour. We also bought a four-pack of the Old Abbey and Storm Brewing collab Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ale.

That week, prior to taking Girl Sip to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we had dinner at the Cactus Club in Coquitlam. Girl Sip and I shared an order of the Mini Burgers, paired with some Truffle Fries. I also had a pair of Ugly Wheat Ales, reminding me of how much I like that beer.

A few days later, I had time to kill as my vehicle was in for servicing, so I grabbed lunch at the Willowbrook White Spot. Sitting at the bar, watching a muted NHL playoff game, I had a very good meal of their Legendary Burger with Caesar Salad and a Camp Cucumber Kolsch, which was refreshing and tasty.

Cucumbers

Towards the end of the month, Girl Sip had a school Pro D Day, so we took the Sipplings to Science World for a few hours of exploration and play. Following that, we walked over to Brewhall for a meal. The Sip Family shared some Chicken Strips and a Cheeseburger, both with Curly Fries. I also had two Hall Pass IPAs on Happy Hour pricing. To wrap the meal, we ordered the decadent Oreo Ice Cream Cake, which all four of us were fighting for bites over.

A few days later, we closed out April with a bang, returning to Science World for their annual Science of Cocktails charity event. General admission tickets were $185 each (VIP tix were $289), offering 30 bar stations and a host of food tastings. Companies involved included: Jack Daniels, Appleton, Beefeater, Tito’s, Flor de Cana, Campari, and many more. My favourite cocktails of the night included Petrichor Daiquiri, Smoked Old Fashioned and Clarified Smoky Paloma. I even walked away with a pack of Ms. Better’s Bitters. Afterwards, Mrs. Sip asked me if I thought the price was worth it and I’m still grappling with my answer. Yes, it’s very expensive, but you have all-inclusive access to some amazing specialty cocktails and nibbles. Given we wouldn’t go every year because of price, though, I’d have to say it’s an amazing event that is a touch overpriced. When we last went in 2016, we paid $145 each, which feels like a good rate by 2023 standards.

May is already filling up, highlighted by the Sip Family’s debut at Great Wolf Lodge, as well as Cinco De Mayo and Mother’s Day celebrations. Looks like it will be another busy month!

Sip Trips #173: Annual Activities

Posted on by
Reply

This past week was incredibly busy for the Sip Advisor. Two of my favourite yearly events sandwiched my and Mrs. Sip’s wedding anniversary, which is always highlighted by some unique activity. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get right to it:

The week began with a trip across the line to Washington State. We decided to pop into Bellingham’s Aslan Brewing for dinner, where I enjoyed a pint of their Ginger Rye Ale, paired with a host of food items, including Mac Bites, Bacon Bison Burger with Waffle Fries Poutine and Pepper Chicken Taco. The beer was tasty, with a nice spice to it and each culinary item was downright delicious. Even Baby Sip was into much of the meal, chomping down on the mac n’ cheese balls and beef from the burger.

On Saturday, we attended the Battle of the Brews in Surrey for the second straight year. I love this event, as our $40 early bird ticket allows unlimited beer and food over the four-hour runtime. Over 20 breweries and a handful of restaurants participated. While each brewery offered some great variety, Russell Brewing brought a spectacular and unique lineup, with three fruit-flavoured beers: Cucumber Sour, Triple Berry Milkshake IPA and Strawberry Hibiscus Milkshake IPA. As for the food, everything I had from Pulled Pork Sliders from Benny’s Texas BBQ to Double Chocolate Brownies from Brown’s Social House hit the spot.

cat bbq

Not content to end the day after the event, we ventured to ABC Brewing, where they were hosting a pop-up patio party. Here, I tried their Bradburied Australian Pale Ale and I continue to be impressed with the company’s releases and experimentation with different styles, many of which you don’t come across very often.

Sunday marked seven happy years of marriage for me and Mrs. Sip. To celebrate the occasion, I booked us a surprise Taste Vancouver Food Tours route, wandering through the Gastown neighbourhood of the city. I felt the $90 fee was reasonable, as we learned a lot of history for the area, while stuffing our faces with a number of savoury and sweet selections: Chicken Kara-Age at Guu Izakaya, Tortellini at Brioche Urban Eatery, Fish & Chips at 131 Water Kitchen & Bar, Pulled Pork Sandwich at Peckinpah, Ice Cream at Soft Peaks, Cheesecake at Trees Organic Coffee, and Chocolate at Rogers’ Chocolates. The tour also included a sample of Summer Ale from Steamworks Brewing and taste of wine at Brioche.

After a day of rest, I was back in Vancouver to attend Caskapalooza 2019 at Craft Beer Market. This was my third time taking in this event ($25 for 12 tokens), featuring the wares of over 30 breweries. The experimentation for this year’s Caskapalooza was amazing, highlighted by ingredients such as yellow watermelon, caramelized cinnamon and pequin peppers, among many others. With so much variety, it’s hard narrowing down my favourite beer of the day, but it may have been R&B Brewing’s Tart Strawberry Rhubarb IPA. This year’s Caskapalooza included no food, which may have been for the best as it was usually a frenzy anytime a tray came out of the kitchen. Better to not offer and therefore not disappoint, than leave people upset that they missed out.

disappointed cat

After using up all our tokens, we travelled to the nearby Brewhall for dinner and further drinks. My Korean Chicken Burger with Curly Fries was tremendous. The burger included a sumptuous gochujang sesame sauce and any place that offers Curly Fries will also be tops in my books. To wash the meal down, I enjoyed pints of Brewhall/Dageraad Citriplicate Belgian Blonde Ale and Brewhall Neon Lights Pale Ale, both of which were very much in my wheelhouse.

Next up, is the Labour Day long weekend, which I’ve taken an extra day off for, to help offset how busy we’ll be. We have 1st birthday parties and family barbecues to attend, as well as take Baby Sip to the Vancouver Aquarium and check out the newly-opened Stanley Park Brewing location.

Sip Trips #155: Beer Birthday

Posted on by
Reply

The past couple weekends have been loaded with commitments. Here’s what we’ve been up to, of late:

On a recent stop at Steel & Oak Brewing, we picked up a tall can four-pack of their recently released Blush Rosé Saison. The limited edition brew looks beautiful and is quite tasty, utilizing Merlot and Cab Franc grape skins from the brewery’s neighbour, Pacific Breeze Winery. Partial proceeds are going to the Camp Kerry Society and their efforts towards bereavement care. I’ve noticed more wine and bubbly concepts becoming intertwined with the beer industry lately, with Brut IPAs becoming a very popular variety.

bubbly orange

Last weekend, prior to our matinee Vancouver Canucks game, we visited the new Brewhall (formerly Steel Toad Brewing) in the Olympic Village area. I like what the Tap & Barrel folks have done with this place, with the video games and picnic bench seating. Their lineup of beers is also quite impressive, stocked with many of their own releases and collaborations with other BC breweries. While devouring my Crispy Chicken Burger with Dirty Cheesy Fries, Mrs. Sip and I enjoyed pints of the Hoyne & Brewhall German Amber Wheat Ale and Brewhall Polar Beer White Stout. Had we not had the game to attend, I could have drank a few more beers and enjoyed the afternoon there.

This past weekend was Mrs. Sip’s birthday, so a massive HAPPY BIRTHDAY needs to be shouted from all corners of the globe to my muse. Mrs. Sip shares her birthday with one of our good friends, who was celebrating the big 4-0. His wife decided to throw him a surprise party at Mariner Brewing, which was a great location for our large group. Over the course of the evening, I enjoyed pints of their Glow Holiday Spiced Ale and Horizon Winter Pale Ale, along with a taster glass of their Northeast IPA. While I didn’t have any food myself, dishes that came out, including pizzas, hotdogs and popcorn, all looked good.

Upcoming, we have a member’s only event at Township 7 Winery and some kind of vacation around the Family Day long weekend… so long as we can figure out a place to go!