Tag Archives: Craft Beer

Beer of the Week #41 – Twa Dogs Drouthy Neibor IPA

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My favourite part about the changing of the seasons is new seasonal beers and even better, fall and winter mixed cases. A new discovery for the Sip Advisor this autumn was the Twa Dogs Brewing Dog Pack case, featuring this beer.

The Drouthy Neibor IPA (aka Thirsty Neighbour) is a tasty, flavourful brew. At 7% ABV and 60 IBUs, the beverage is a hefty one, just the way the Sip Advisor likes ‘em. With that in mind, the product encourages drinkers to be part of their community and a good neighbour.

Twa Dogs Drouthy Neibor IPA

Each Twa Dogs release, as well as the brewery’s name, has a Robbie Burns theme to it. The IPA, inspired by Burns’ Tam O’ Shanter poem is named to “encourage you to ‘catch the moments’ and share your greatest tales with your own Drouthy Neibors.”

Also included in the Dog Pack is the Mistress of My Soul Saison, Keekin’ Glass Pilsner, and Jolly Beggar’s Pale Ale… and no, there are no spelling mistakes with any of the beer names. Twa Dog products can be found at BC Liquor Stores.

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Beer of the Week #40 –Doan’s Oktoberfest

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While recently at Tap & Barrel in North Vancouver to meet with out-of-town friends, I ordered a pint of this Doan’s Brewing release. I’m so glad I did, as it was perfect for the type of grayish fall day we were experiencing.

The Oktoberfest had a nice blend of malt and hop flavours. At 6.5% ABV and 28 IBUs, the beverage falls right within the Sip Advisor’s preferred number ranges. This style has grown on lately, inspired by Cousin Sip’s husband’s love of the variety.

Doan's Oktoberfest.jpg

This beer is a Tap & Barrel exclusive and can also be found at the Doan’s tasting room in East Vancouver (aka Yeast Van). It’s been a while since I visited their location and with the new baby, I’m not sure when a crawl in the area will happen.

While I’ve never been able to get to Germany for the real Oktoberfest, I’m happy BC breweries can give me a little taste of the experience. Having been to German beer halls before, I can only imagine the party it would be.

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Beer of the Week #39 – Hoyne Voltage Espresso Stout

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In need of a stout beer for a recent Mixer Mania cocktail, I picked up this release from Hoyne Brewing. Surprisingly, I had never tried this offering, despite the brew being on the market seasonally for a handful of years.

The Voltage Espresso Stout is a fantastic beer, full of the rich flavours you’d expect. Although I’m not a coffee and definitely not at espresso drinker, I do like the flavour in my ales and this 5.6% ABV beverage did not disappoint.

Hoyne Voltage Espresso Stout.jpg

Described by the brewery as a rich and electrifying breakfast beer, the stout is available in bomber-sized bottles at BC Liquor Stores. Amongst other options, I went with Hoyne because they make some spectacular products.

The story behind this beer is that some of the Hoyne crew would alternate between stouts and espressos at beer events. So, they decided to combine the two into one magnificent concoction and Voltage was born.

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Beer of the Week #38 – Central City India Session Ale

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As Mrs. Sip and I settle into nesting mode following the birth of our daughter, I’ve been doing a lot more drinking at home, rather than out and about. One notable beverage I enjoyed was this Central City Brewing product.

The India Session Ale (aka ISA) has quite a delicious Mosaic hops flavour, yet remains light. The 4% ABV, 40 IBUs beverage is one of a few of the ISA style to resonate with me recently and open my eyes to how good the variety can be.

Central City India Session Ale

I discovered the beer available in the Central City Reign of Hops Mixer Pack. It can also be found in both regular and tall-can formats. Suggested food pairings, according to Central City, include salads, pasta and pizza.

This style of beer seems to be perfect for summertime drinking. It can also provide a nice remembrance of the sunny season when you drink the brews during the fall and winter. Put your shades on and reminisce!

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Beer of the Week #37 – Bowen Island Main Sail ISA

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One of the mixed cases Mrs. Sip and I picked up for our Baby Shower Beer Garden was Bowen Island Brewing’s Twelve Pack. A new featured addition to that set was this easy drinking release.

The Main Sail ISA is light and refreshing with bold citrus and hop flavours. At 4.3% ABV and 40 IBUs, this beverage can be consumed in mass quantities without getting too tipsy and is ideal for long days imbibing out in the heat.

Bowen Island Main Sail ISA.jpg

What first drew me to the Bowen Island case, which can be found at BC Liquor Stores, was its very reasonable price of $15.99. Also included in the pack is their Reef Break Hemp Blonde, Artisan IPA and Westcoast Lager.

For fall and winter drinking, the company’s Winterlude Pack hits store shelves. This case sees the Snug Cove ESB, Deep 6 Lager and Twisted Trail Extra Pale Ale joining the Artisan IPA.

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Beer of the Week #36 – Tin Whistle Summertime Coconut Hopfenweisse

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When I first learned about this beer from Tin Whistle Brewing, I knew I’d have to get my grubby mitts on it eventually. A recent trip to Legacy Liquor Store helped me cross the drink off my always growing to do list.

The Summertime Coconut Hopfenweisse was a good beer, refreshing and wheaty, but very light on the coconut flavour. The 5.5% ABV, 20 IBUs is described as having a “subtle hint of coconut on the finish,” so I guess it comes as advertised.

Tin Whistle Brewing

Available in bomber-sized bottles at private liquor stores, this limited release may be hard to find, now that summer has come and gone. Some craft beer-focused restaurants and bars may also have it on tap, but it could be elusive to unearth.

I still have to visit Tin Whistle’s facility on my next trip to Penticton. I’ve always enjoyed their presence at the Penticton Farmer’s Market, allowing me to have a drink and stock up on supplies for my stay in the city.

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Sip Trips #115: New Beginnings

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(This article was meant to be posted on September 22, but things became a little hectic for Mrs. Sip and I… read to the end of this post to learn why!)

Well, after a relatively quiet weekend prior, the busy came back with a vengeance last week and into the most recent break from work. Here’s the latest Sip Advisor activity, for your viewing pleasure:

Last Tuesday, we attended the Gentlemen Hecklers show at the Rio Theatre. Prior to the guys’ skewering of the 1996 classic Anaconda, we ended up at the Storm Crow Tavern for a bite to eat. The place is a nerd haven, with round the clock sci-fi and fantasy shows on their TV screens, a mammoth collection of board and card games to play, and one of the most creative menus I have ever come across. You can order a number of items, including burgers and shots, based on rolling the 20-sided dice that role playing fans will be familiar with. As for our meal, we split a round of Teenage Mutant Deep Fried Pickles, with my main being their Klingon Chicken Strips of Prey (with fries), paired with a pint of Red Truck Brew of Cthulhu Lager. We will definitely be back soon. As for our show, it was very funny, and a great reminder of just how bad of a movie Anaconda was. I think I mean bad in a good way, though, as it’s the perfect film to be lampooned by the trio of comedians.

20-Sided Dice.jpg

The rest of the week was used to rest and relax, as the weekend featured a close friend’s stag and what was sure to be a wild day out. We began with paintball at Panther Paintball in Langley. I’m not the biggest paintball fan, but this outdoor location was fun and provided a good starting activity for our group. The poor bachelor had to run through a gauntlet of his friends firing shots at him, but took it like a champion. Hopefully his wounds heal quickly.

Next up was a Vancouver Whitecaps game, where we would be enjoying the luxury of a stadium suite. This was not cheap and when food and drink orders were accounted for the bill was quite high. Our order included the equivalent of a case of beer, bottles of Crown Royal Whiskey and Smirnoff Vodka, trays of chicken wings, dry ribs and hotdogs, potato chips and popcorn, and even a plate of veggies. While the alcohol was all consumed, we handed out what remaining food there was to some needy street folk, doing our civic duty.

Following the game, we journeyed to the Irish Heather for more boozing. I started with their Black and Tan beer cocktail, which combined Guinness and Russell Brewing’s Peaks and Valleys Extra Pale Ale. I also enjoyed a pint of Russell Punch Bowl IPA and joined some of the guys for a round of Japanese whiskey, which was smooth and delicious.

Whiskey Age

The next day, we were off to watch the Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights in preseason action. I’ve followed the new Vegas franchise since its inception and upon learning their first ever contest would be against my Vancouver Canucks, I knew I had to be at the game. Mrs. Sip translated this desire into getting me and her half-season tickets… I like her thinking. As for the game, the Canucks got torched pretty bad 9-4.

On Tuesday, we attended a free screening of the second season premiere of Kim’s Convenience at the Vogue Theatre. For those unfamiliar with the show, it is centered on a Korean family who own and operate a convenience store in Toronto. The show is hilarious and the event included appearances from the main cast members, as well as airing the first two episodes of season two. The price was certainly right.

This past weekend was to be another busy one, as we had plans to celebrate the Sip Advisor’s 34th birthday in style. On the docket were trips to the VIP Theatre, a Caskival at Yaletown Brewing, another Vancouver Whitecaps game with the guys, and family dinners at EXP and White Spot. Fate intervened however, when Mrs. Sip went into labour on my birthday (September 22) with our daughter, Leela Audrey Giselle Wilson arriving early the next morning! We are thrilled she is finally here and both baby and mom and doing very well!

Beer of the Week #35 – Yellow Dog High Five Hazy IPA

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I have now had this Yellow Dog Brewing selection a couple times, in two different formats. If a third opportunity presents itself, I won’t hesitate to drink it again no matter what form it comes in.

The first time I had the High Five Hazy IPA was as a mango-flavoured variation at Craft Beer Market’s Caskapalooza 2017. The next was from the brewery itself, as we recently visited Port Moody’s amazing Brewer’s Row.

Yellow Dog High Five Hazy IPA

Both times, I greatly enjoyed the 6.8%ABV, 50 IBUs beverage. It is available at many of the more notable craft beer establishments around Greater Vancouver and can also be found in tall can format at the brewery.

I was happy to see that Yellow Dog finally got their website up and running since I last covered the brewery as part of the BC Beer Baron project. For far too long, the site was under construction.

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Beer of the Week #34 – Mariner Northeast IPA

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The Sip Alliance recently journeyed to Coquitlam to visit Mariner Brewing, which had only recently opened their doors to the drinking public. The trek was an arduous one (for lazy folks like us), but was totally worth it.

While there, I sampled a little of everything thanks to Cousin Sip’s flight of beers, while also ordering a pint of the Northeast IPA. The 7.5% ABV, 67 IBUs beverage is available in tall cans and was a pretty good beer with a refreshing flavour profile.

Mariner Northeast IPA

The brewery is the first to open in Coquitlam, finally providing the fine folks there with a local craft beer option. The tasting room also specializes in gourmet hotdogs, allowing drinkers a different food option than I’ve seen at breweries before.

The rest of Mariner’s inaugural lineup includes an Amber Ale, Cream Ale and Sour Weisse, with more to come. To go along with their constellation-themed branding, I really like their slogan: “Set no path. Never be lost.”

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Sip Trips #114: All the Hits

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Well, another busy week is in the books (I’m starting to sound like a broken record), with Mrs. Sip and I finding time to have as much fun as possible, while getting things as ready as possible for the arrival of our daughter, sometime in the next few weeks. Here’s what we got up to:

The week began with the Sip Alliance’s long-awaited return to Port Moody’s Brewer’s Row. Before arriving there, though, we had to first travel to Coquitlam’s Mariner Brewing, which had only opened days before and is the first of its kind in the city. With four beers on tap, I tried their Northeast IPA, which I found to be pretty tasty. The brewery promises much more to come in the future and their space and constellation theming are really good starts.

Brewery Water

Next up was Brewer’s Row, with stops at Yellow Dog, Twin Sails and Parkside breweries, where I had pints of their High Five Hazy IPA, Street Legal IPA and Motel Five-Hop Pale Ale, respectively. Sadly, we didn’t manage to get to Moody Ales before closing time, so we owe them a visit in the future. I love this area of four breweries packed within a five-minute walk of each other and the new Evergreen SkyTrain line makes heading out that way so much easier. We will be back again soon.

On Friday, we finally got around to hitting one of our favourite annual summer traditions: the Twilight Drive-In Theatre in Aldergrove. While no drinking was involved, it was a great start to the Labour Day long weekend, as the lineup included Cars 3, followed by Despicable Me 3. We only stayed for those first two movies, but in celebration of the drive-in’s 12th anniversary, they were playing four movies on both Friday and Saturday night. While we love our trips out there for movies outdoors and you can’t beat the price of $12.50 per person for the entire evening, this was the first line-up this summer that actually appealed to us. Perhaps bad movies in general are to blame.

The next day, we started with some relaxing pool time at Ma and Pa Sip’s place before returning to Vancouver to move some furniture. Following the move, we treated Ma and Pa Sip to dinner at The Parlour in Yaletown, which had come highly recommended to me. We were not disappointed, as the place has a good happy hour to go along with great service. Our pizzas (The Dirty and Roasted varieties) were very good and were enough for a group of four to be happily fed.

Fitness Whole Pizza

After dinner, Mrs. Sip and I attended the Rio Theatre for their presentation of Dysfunctional Disney Cabaret. The goal here, according to our host, was to completely f*ck up our childhood memories with Disney-themed burlesque acts. It was quite the entertaining show and I have to commend the Rio for having a jug of water available to patrons on this hot, hot day. One server even steered me away from buying bottled water, in favour of the cooler, which I did not know about.

Sunday began with another round of furniture buying and baby laundry loads, but the reward came with hitting Jimmy’s Taphouse for happy hour. This has always been one of my favourite happy hours in the city with a number of half priced menu items and cheap drink options. We enjoyed their poutine with chipotle drizzle and an order of hot wings, which really hit the spot. The spicy combo was washed down with the Phillips Solaris White Peach Ale and a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Why was I getting my shot game on? Because we had received complimentary ticket to the Lionel Richie-Mariah Carey All the Hits concert, as part of Mrs. Sip’s recent anniversary gift to me of Vancouver Canucks half-season tickets. This was the first time either of us had ever sat in the exclusive 500-level Club seats, which provided a bar and bathrooms to about 50 people. As for the show, Mariah Carey didn’t do Fantasy or Honey, which if I know them, must have been hits. That’s okay, though, as Lionel Richie was extremely entertaining. His Dancing on the Ceiling with all the lights and video effects was the highlight of the night.

Lionel Richie Hello

We wrapped the long weekend by celebrating Pa Sip’s birthday at The Keg. Sitting atop the restaurant’s rooftop patio was very relaxing and the service was top notch. I ordered their Keg Burger, which pales in comparison to their former Prime Rib Burger, which I mourn the loss of to this day. As for beverages, I imbibed with a Keg Size Watermelon Mojito and Keg Caesar, perfect accompaniments to my still decent entree. A slice of Billy Miner Pie to finish the meal was the perfect bow on an incredible weekend!

But the family celebrations weren’t done there. On Tuesday, after Pa Sip helped me move some more furniture, we had another dinner in his honour at the Old Spaghetti Factory in New West. I tried their Pot-Pourri Spaghetti with meat, mushroom and clam sauce options. Best of all, the meals come with bread, salad or soup and ice cream for dessert, so we left quite stuffed. My beverage of choice was the Cobblestone Lager, developed for the restaurant by Granville Island Brewing.

The coming week doesn’t have much on the schedule, so I may grasp the opportunity for some rest and relaxation. Following that, the Sip Advisor has a bachelor party, Vancouver Canucks pre-season opener, Sis-In-Law Sip’s birthday and much more on the docket… not to mention who knows when the baby will decide to arrive!