Tag Archives: East Vancouver

BC Beer Baron #322 – Bomber Marzen Amber Lager

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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. With all the crazy brewing options out there, lagers sometimes get lost in the shuffle. That’s why the Sip Advisor is giving them their own feature week. After all, we should support and give thanks to the beers that brought many of us to this craft beer dance!

Lager Week steams along with yet another German-inspired treat. This Bomber Brewing selection is a favourite of Cousin Sip’s husband and after having my own servings over time, I can see why.

The Marzen Amber Lager is smooth and refreshing with a decent alcohol content (5.5% ABV) and just enough bitterness (20 IBUs) to satisfy the hopheads. The beverage is perfect for drinkers of all types for all occasions.

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“Marzen” translates to March or March beer, but Bomber suggests the brew can be enjoyed throughout the year, despite typically being a summer seasonal release. The product is available in canned six-packs, as well as bomber-sized bottles at private liquor stores.

The style originated in Bavaria and dates back to the 16th century, when by decree, beer could only be manufactured between September 29th and April 23rd. Marzen’s were brewed in March and the recipe let it survive until production could begin again in the fall. Remaining cellared bottles were served at Oktoberfest celebrations.

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BC Beer Baron #320 – Coal Harbour 311 Helles Lager

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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. With all the crazy brewing options out there, lagers sometimes get lost in the shuffle. That’s why the Sip Advisor is giving them their own feature week. After all, we should support and give thanks to the beers that brought many of us to this craft beer dance!

The Sip Advisor has enjoyed this Munich-style release from Coal Harbour Brewing on a number of occasions, making it a perfect selection for Lager Week. Most anything coming from German heritage is pretty good… such as Mr. Sip, himself!

The 311 Helles Lager – 311 stands for 11/11/11, which was the date of the company’s first creation – is brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot (also known as the German Beer Purity Law) which outlines which ingredients should be used in beer production. The 5% ABV, 19 IBUs beverage is available in a unique eight-pack of cans for the rockin’ price of $12.49, plus taxes and deposit, at BC Liquor Stores.

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The product has earned Coal Harbour some accolades, such as a gold medal at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards in the North American Style Premium Lager category and a third place finish at the 2013 BC Beer Awards in the Session Lager class.

I really wish Coal Harbour would open a tasting room at their East Vancouver location. I enjoy a bunch of their wares (their Smoke & Mirrors being among my favourite brews) and they could ease the Parallel 49 Brewing congestion.

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BC Beer Baron #311 – Off the Rail Harvest IPA

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With Mrs. Sip and Cousin Sip desperately wanting one of the cheese twists that some BC craft breweries are famous for, we ended up at Off the Rail Brewing. This did, however, provide me an opportunity to grab this beer.

The Harvest IPA is made with 85 pounds of freshly-picked Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops from BC Hop Co. The 5.8% ABV beverage paired nicely with the aforementioned cheese twist, thanks to its balanced mix of citrus and bitter tastes.

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This was the 2016 version of the Harvest IPA, which typically is released in the fall to coincide with the fresh/wet hop harvest. The brew is available on tap and in bomber-sized bottles, from the Yeast Van brewery, for a limited time.

The fresh/wet hop season produces many great beers each year and has brought to mind some selections that I need to keep an eye out for in 2017. It may be the best time of the year for hop heads and breweries, alike.

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BC Beer Baron #309 – East Van Downtown Honey Brown

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Following our evening at the BC Beer Awards, our group popped into Stateside Craft for a bite to eat and a beverage (or two). Along with a bevy of American craft beers, they also had a few East Van Brewing beverages available.

With my mind on this BC Beer Baron project, I ordered the brewery’s Downtown Honey Brown. This dark lager is light with a noticeable sweetness. At 5% ABV and 8 IBUs, the drink probably won’t set the craft brew world on fire, but it’s a serviceable refreshment.

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I believe the beer is only available on tap at select locations. As one description of the beer states: “Sometimes you gotta go downtown to find that honey!” I have come across one picture that shows a similarly titled brew in can form, but can’t verify its legitimacy.

Unfortunately, finding information about East Van Brewing is not very easy. I know, over time, I’ve drank a few of their products, such as at The Winking Judge Pub, but they don’t seem to have any online presence, which is too bad.

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BC Beer Baron #308 – Boombox/Machine Ales Pablo Esco Gnar IPA

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One of the friends I attended the BC Beer Awards with had a simple game plan going in, with sampling this Boombox Brewing and Machine Ales beverage at the top of his list. After having a taste myself, I can totally understand why.

The Pablo Esco Gnar IPA (awesome name!) is a northeastern version of the India Pale Ale. The 7.2% ABV drink is produced using oats and lactose and has instantly become a hit on the BC craft beer scene, thanks to being available at various Lower Mainland pubs.

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Boombox Brewing is currently working out of the Callister Brewing location, Canada’s first collaborative brewery. Machine Ales is a graduate of this system, where upstart operations can use the space for a year, before moving forward with their development.

The Pablo Esco Gnar IPA earned the two breweries some hard-earned recognition at those very BC Beer Awards, taking home the coveted CBC People’s Choice Award. That award was voted on by attendees of the event.

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BC Beer Baron #295 – Lightheart Purple People Pleaser Blackberry Wheat Ale

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While the summer may have come and gone, many wheat beers were still on display at last weekend’s BC Beer Awards. That included this release from Lightheart Brewing, providing the Sip Advisor’s first opportunity to sample suds from the company.

The Purple People Pleaser Blackberry Wheat Ale was an intriguing offering, given its colour and taste. The 5.4% ABV beverage should not be confused with Urban Dictionary’s definition of a Purple People Pleaser, which I’ll leave to your own imagination to figure out… sicko!

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The beer’s production is in line with the Halloween season, playing on the Purple People Eater character from Sheb Wooley’s 1958 classic tune of the same name. Hey, if it was good enough to reach #1 on the Billboard pop charts, it can certainly be a beer, as well.

Lightheart is one of the collaborative partners occupying space at Callister Brewing’s location. The company’s website is still in the development stage, so those looking for updates on their wares may want to keep an eye on their Twitter account.

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BC Beer Baron #294 – Luppolo Fresh Hop Belgian IPA

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The BC Beer Awards offered a wonderful opportunity to try breweries close to home and abroad for the very first time. One of those that is situated nearby, but has yet to be graced (more like invaded) with the presence of the Sip Advisor and his associates is Luppolo Brewing.

Their Fresh Hop Belgian IPA was another hit with me and Mrs. Sip, as it seemed we couldn’t pick a bad drink if we tried, while traversing the Croatian Cultural Centre’s two rooms. The 6% ABV beverage made a solid first impression with its balanced and tasty recipe.

luppolo-brewing

While the brewery has yet to officially open its tasting room, thus making it difficult to currently track down their products, their doors should be opening before the end of the year. This will add yet another can’t miss stop to any Yeast Van crawl.

Luppolo (which translates to “hops” in Italian) is aiming to capture the qualities of Italian culture, such as quality, craftsmanship, community and family. Makes sense, given the operation is the result of two couples combining their experience and resources.

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BC Beer Baron #293 – Andina Monita Blonde IPA

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Andina Brewing has intrigued the Sip Advisor for some time, thanks to its Colombian theming. Despite the company’s tasting room not being open yet, I was able to try their wares at the recent BC Beer Awards and was impressed with the early yields.

The Monita Blonde IPA was flavourful and refreshing and made me think of how perfect it would be for summer drinking. In fact, the Sip Advisor tried a couple Blonde IPAs at the BC Beer Awards, so it must be a popular style this fall.

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Unfortunately, the 6.5% ABV, 60 IBUs brew isn’t really readily available yet, but it has my full endorsement when that time comes. I can see the beverage filling my growler on a regular basis, in the not-too-distant future!

Andina hopes to open their East Vancouver tasting room in December and it shouldn’t be hard to find, given its yellow façade. Founded by brothers Andrés and Nicolás Amaya, the brewery promises to add some South American flair to the craft beer scene.

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BC Beer Baron #288 – Parallel 49 Schadenfreude Pumpkin Oktoberfest

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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. The season of pumpkin-spiced everything is upon us… and things are no different in the craft beer world. Let’s see what BC has to offer for fans of the flavour.

Blending two of the most popular styles of beer at this time of year (pumpkin-flavoured and Oktoberfest), this popular Parallel 49 Brewing release is sure to find an audience with a wide variety of drinkers.

The Schadenfreude Pumpkin Oktoberfest is light and refreshing, with clear tastes of pumpkin and spice. The brew starts off as an Oktoberfest Lager, before pumpkin is added the mash process of brewing and pumpkin pie spices join during the kittling portion.

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The 5% ABV, 27 IBUs beer (first released in 2012) is available in bottled six-packs at BC Liquor Stores. Parallel 49 is no stranger to the pumpkin-spiced beer, as they also have the Lost Souls Chocolate Pumpkin Porter in their menagerie.

Schadenfreude, for those who don’t know, is the concept of taking pleasure from another person’s pain and misery. Did you know the 1991 The Simpsons episode ‘When Flanders Failed’ is credited for bringing the term back into popularity?

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BC Beer Baron #277 – Boombox/Real Cask GoldenRye

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Prior to heading out for a night on the town to celebrate a friend’s birthday recently, we met up for a drink at the hotel where they were staying. That’s where I got to try a serving of this Boombox Brewing and Real Cask Brewing collaboration release.

The GoldenRye is a very good beer. A Rye Pale Ale, it comes in at 7% ABV and uses Idaho 7 hops, also known as 007 hops, perfect for the theme of this product. The rye content brings the alcohol up a few notches, which the Sip Advisor has never shied away from.

boombox-brewingReal Cask Brewing

The beer’s name, of course, is a play on the classic James Bond movie and even better video game, GoldenEye. Most guys my age spent countless hours hunting down their friends, settling minor squabbles in the virtual world thanks to this awesome first-person shooter.

While this brew is the first product I’ve had from Boombox, I can say without hesitation that it’s the best thing I’ve had from Real Cask. Both companies operate out of the Callister Brewing space in East Vancouver, which is the first collaborative brewery in Canada, offering space to tenants on a yearly basis.

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