Tag Archives: Disney Trivia

Sip Trips 153: Market Madness

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Christmas is rapidly approaching and the Sip Family has been busy. From Vancouver to New West to Langley, we’ve been all over the place in recent times, taking in as much of the holiday season as we can. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

We’re now a couple weeks into Storm Brewing’s 12 Fills of Christmas and the lineup thus far has been delicious and diverse. Week one combined the Must Be Christmas Grape Lambic and Christmas Tree Pilsner, followed by the Dark! The Herald Angel’s Sing CDA and Santa’s Christmas Spiced Ale for week two. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the month has in store. On one of my visits to get my fills, I also sampled their Eggnog Latte Stout, which was quite interesting.

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As for events, a couple weeks back we attended the Vancouver Christmas Market, where I enjoyed some liqueur tastings from Okanagan Spirits. I wasn’t really into the market this year, with us no longer living nearby. We get free tickets annually, so still checked it out, but I don’t know if that will be enough to draw me back next year.

What I enjoyed more, was our visit to Mahony & Sons prior to the Christmas Market. There, I ordered a couple pints of Stanley Park Layer Up Winter Wheat Ale – a wonderful beer for those who haven’t tried it yet – along with the pub’s very tasty Poutine. Everything was on happy hour pricing, making for even more merriment.

The next night, we participated in Disney Trivia at The Pint. Having had dinner at Chronic Tacos beforehand (I adore their Al Pastor Burrito), I was looking to get my drink on and that came in the form of a trio of pitchers, including two of the Whistler Chestnut Ale. The pitchers were on special at $16 each, but were only 50-ounce pours, rather than the traditional 60 ounces. As for the trivia, we didn’t fare so well, but it was still a fun evening.

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We wrapped the work week by visiting the New West Christmas Market. What was nice about this market is that there was no entry fee and it was largely housed under an overpass, keeping folks dry in the case of rain. That said, it got really busy by the time I arrived to join Mrs. Sip and the live band was loud, so chatting was difficult. We left a short time later, after downing a selection from Steel & Oak Brewing, which Mrs. Sip tells me she thinks was their Dark Lager.

The next night, Mrs. Sip and I hosted a group of friends for a classic turkey dinner. This was the first time we’d ever cooked a turkey on our own and I have to say the experience was mostly positive, save for a few rookie mistakes and a lot of Google searches. It also gave us a whole new respect for the work our families have done when preparing dinners in the past. For the party, we shared our latest Storm fills, as well as the Whistler Winter Dunkel four-pack I picked up. This is the first time I’ve seen the scrumptious beer that tastes like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange in any format other than a bomber-sized bottle.

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We closed the weekend with a visit to Township 7 Winery in Langley for their Member Open House. I spent most of the time chasing Baby Sip throughout the tasting room, but did note the event provided a very generous serving of snacks and wines for the members.

The Sip Advisor is now on holiday break and there will be much mischief to get up to, as we have a Canucks game this weekend and then all the fun that Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day usually offer up. It’s gonna get boozy!

Sip Trips #144: Time to Celebrate

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Mrs. Sip and I have been so busy recently that it took a couple weeks to get around to sitting at the computer to record our latest adventures. Here’s what we’ve been up to lately.

A couple weeks ago, we attended the Vancouver Canucks Summer Showdown, a game contested between the team’s prospects. With our season ticket membership, we were entitled to four free tickets, so we quickly selected seats, which were disappearing rapidly. What we learned later, was that the game also included a free entree and beverage, which later became two drinks with alcohol options including wine and beer (albeit Budweiser). For our entrée, both Mrs. Sip and I went with the Prime Rib Sandwich from Carve, after being teased by in-game promotions for the food stall all season long. Other options included: Chicago Dogs from Steamers, Chicken Lover’s or Cheese Pizza from Pizza Hut, Poke Salmon from Catch, Bacon Cheddar or Veggie Burger Platter from Triple O’s, and Smoked Meat Poutine from Crisp. As if that wasn’t enough, free ice cream and popcorn could be found throughout the evening. The event was a lot of fun, with my only suggestion being to have beers available at unused beer stations to alleviate the food lineups, which grew long with many just wanting to use a drink ticket.

Free Food

Two nights later, we were at BC Place Stadium to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps defeat the Chicago Fire. While at the game, I had a large serving of Stanley Park Trail Hopper IPA, which cost a whopping $16. I know event pricing can be wacky, but I feel things are way out of hand when you can get an entire six-pack and more for the same price as one beer at a game.

Onto some reasonably priced fare, last week we attended Disney Trivia at Pat’s Pub (presented by Tipsy Trivia Vancouver). While we had to buy tickets (costing $10, plus tax each) to this trivia, we had a good time and Mrs. Sip even won one of the raffle prizes, taking home a Corona cooler bag that was filled with two t-shirts and a hat. The food at Pat’s Pub was very decently priced, with us each ordering $10 Chicken Strips and Fries that really hit the spot. The bar is also home to Hastings Mill Brewing, so we ordered very tasty pints of their Highland Scottish Ale and Strawberry Honey Hefeweizen, throughout the night.

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The next night, I celebrated a friend’s stag party at one of the Playland 19+ Nights. We decided to go with the $81 VIP ticket (compared to $31 for general admission), which provided us with front of the line access to 10 rides, as well as a private bar. Drinks available included Parallel 49 beers, well drinks, and amusement park-inspired specialty cocktails, such as Sno-Cone and Candy Floss martinis. It had been a number of years since I had attended Playland and we had a great time riding the old wooden coaster and watching the burlesque show.

While the above doesn’t look like much activity over the last two weeks, my liver and weary eyes can attest that we’ve been busy. I’ll wrap with some recent purchases, which include the Parallel 49 Fanny Pack, and Fernie/Four Winds Sirocco Rauchbier, which have kept me quite happy in recent times.

BC Beer Baron #313 – Whistler Whiskey Jack Ale

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While recently competing in a Disney Trivia event at The Pint, in Vancouver, the Sip Advisor was able to reacquaint himself with an old friend from Whistler Brewing… a pal I wasn’t sure even existed anymore.

The Whiskey Jack Ale is described as either a pale or amber ale, but the beverage reminds me of a Scotch ale, with its dark copper appearance and flavour profile. I would have preferred some even stronger tastes and smells, typical of that variety of beer.

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The brew comes in at 5% ABV and is light on hops, making it very easy to drink. Some more complexity would have been welcomed, but it’s still a solid beer. The ale is available in six-packs at BC Liquor Stores.

A whiskey jack, for those who don’t know, is a bird belonging to the crow and jay family. As the brewery writes: “Like our winged friends on the mountain, this ale is full of personality, with just the right amount of hop!”

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…

Sip Trips #73: Around the World at Home

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As it is with most weeks for me and Mrs. Sip, the last one was pretty darn busy. We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, co-hosted the Sip Advisor’s annual beer pong tournament, participated in a Disney trivia event, and had a fun meal out in New West. Here are some notes from the week that was:

Four Years Strong

Mrs. Sip has always wanted to try Lupo, an upscale Italian restaurant in downtown Vancouver. I figured with our anniversary approaching, it might finally be time to book a reservation. We had a wonderful meal – prior to watching Book of Mormon – which included a shared Bufala Mozzarella Salad to start, Ricotta Gnocchi (with pork cheeks) for Mrs. Sip and Taglierini (with wild mushrooms and chilies) for myself, and finished with a Gelato trio for dessert. The meal was washed down with a very nice bottle of Italian pinot grigio.

Italian Food

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When the Sip Alliance first heard about Disney trivia, hosted at The Pint, we were keenly interested, as Disney love runs in the family. This event proved to be so popular that they kept adding dates and one night quickly grew to four, thanks to the massive waitlist. Unlike some other trivia activities around town, there was a $5 entrance price for this one, but we were just happy to have a spot.

While we finished just outside the top three teams, I was impressed with The Pint’s food menu. This includes a number of great options, perhaps best highlighted by being able to order wings, chicken strips, rice bowls, pulled pork, and other items, done 40 different ways (varying sauces and dry rubs). On Tuesday’s, you can get their Team Platters for $19, instead of $32, while pitchers are only $15. My only complaint would be that their craft beer lineup is lacking, especially for a place called The Pint.

Dipping Sauces

Taco Time

With the week being as busy as it was, Mrs. Sip and I decided we needed a little one-on-one time. Therefore, I made the trip out to New West, where the bronzed goddess works, to join her for a meal at Originals Restaurante Mexicano. We both ordered taco platters, trying a total of six different styles, with our mutual favourite being the Carnitas (slow cooked fried pork in cinnamon and orange). The restaurant also had three craft beers on tap and it was far from your typical selections. Ridge Brewing, Dogwood Brewing and Dead Frog Brewing were all represented. Best of all, the eatery has two happy hours, from 3-6 and 8-11, where these beverages can be had for only $4.

This upcoming Labour Day long weekend will provide a rare stay-cation for Mrs. Sip and I. All that really means is that there is much trouble we can get up to. Check back next week to see exactly how we handled the time off!