Tag Archives: PNE

Sip Trips #265: Calgary Collision

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August absolutely flew by. For the first third of the month, Mrs. Sip and I were mostly kid-free and got up to some fun, including visiting friends in Calgary. Over the second half, we were busy with the Siplings, cramming in as many summer activities as we could handle. Here’s what we got up to:

We began August with flying to Calgary for the long weekend, invited by friends to stay at their place. Prior to leaving Vancouver, we shared a snack at the Whistler Taphouse & Grill at the Vancouver Airport. Their Poutine with Pulled Pork was a really good little dish, paired with a Hazy IPA.

Our first destination in Calgary was to go up the Calgary Tower and dine at the Sky 360 restaurant, which offers free tower entry with a reservation. To eat, I had the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and washed it down with a delicious Cherry Bourbon Cola Smash (bourbon, cherry brandy, ginger beer, cola, lime juice).

Next up, we met with our hosts at the Major Tom Bar, complete with a 40th floor view of the city. We were there during their ‘Golden Hour’, so took advantage by selecting the Major Tom Collins 3.0 (Beefeater Gin, lemon oil, citrus vanilla, salt) which was only $5 during this time. I followed that with the Synthwave (Appleton Rum, Blackpool Spiced Rum, tonka bean, tamarind, sarsaparilla, sherry, lime), as the ingredients sounded so interesting.

We continued our crawl of the amazing downtown bar scene by popping into Sound Room. This is a taproom for Ol’ Beautiful Brewing, which burned down in June 2024, although there are plans to rebuild at the original location. Mrs. Sip and I ordered the Okami Kasu Japanese Ale and Brass Monkey Blood Orange Blonde, sharing both.

From there, we moved onto Proof Cocktail Bar, which was has a 4-7pm happy hour. I selected the Manhattan, a former favourite beverage of mine that I hadn’t had in some time. This was followed by Shelter Cocktail Bar, where I tried the Orange & Sesame (Johnnie Walker Black, sesame, black cardamom, orange, CO2), while Mrs. Sip went with the Who the Fuck is Polina? (Flor de Cana 12yr Rum, pineapple rum, banana, cherry, house falernum, lime, grapefruit, tiki bitters).

We wrapped up our night with a stop into 33 Acres Brewing. We love the Vancouver location and didn’t know they had branched out to Calgary. I ordered a 24 oz serving of the Fluffy Cloud IPA, but they were out of that size of glass, so they gave me two 16 oz servings, meaning I got an extra eight ounces for free!

The next day, we had planned a bike beer crawl, hitting five different locations in the Calgary heat. Here’s how our trek played out with first beer being what I ordered, followed by Mrs. Sip’s brew choice:

  • Annex Ale Project – Lorem Ipsum Amber Ale; Water Wings Mango Ale
  • Cold Garden Brewing – Red Smashed in Buffalo Jump; Pinky Promise Cherry Hibiscus Sour
  • Good Cheer Brewing – 980 Raol (raw ale); 1956 Abbey-Style Tripel (also had an Icelandic Hot Dog (Pylsa) here to refuel)
  • Cabin Brewing – All That Glitter IPK; Summer Saturation Tropical Hazy
  • Prairie Dog Brewing – Cloud Alby NEIPA with Fallentimber Honey shared with Mrs. Sip (we also tried the Pork Belly Burnt Ends at this stop and I got to see their smoker, which is the largest indoor BBQ pit in Canada)

All these locations were within an area known as the Barley Belt and we could have visited even more, if we chose to do so. Each place offered a unique experience and made me pine for some of the beer regions we used to frequent when living in Downtown Vancouver.

With one more day left in our visit, you’d think we’d sit back and relax a little, but instead we were off to see other breweries, outside the Barley Belt offerings. We had lunch at Wild Rose Brewery, where I paired the White Shadow White IPA with Teriyaki Chicken Wings.

Then, we were off to The Establishment Brewing, which we tried to get to the day before, but they closed early. I had the Sky Rocket Hazy IPA, while Mrs. Sip elected to try the Museum of Flight. We both enjoyed the Jam Rock from Mrs. Sip’s collection of samples.

Our final stop of the journey was Bitter Sisters Brewing, where we surprised the Siplings, who just happened to be in Calgary with Ma and Pa Sip. It was fun to just sit at the table where they had been seated. Boy Sip kept asking if he was dreaming! My meal here consisted of the Pork Dumplings and Blueberry Blonde Bombshell Ale.

Overall, I was very impressed by Calgary’s vibrant beer and cocktail scene, with many top notch options existing all around the city. While we got to a wild number of places, among our hosts favourites, I’m certain we only scratched the surface of what the area offers.

Upon returning home and looking to take advantage of our kid-free time, we attended trivia for the first time at the Notorious Grey Fox. This is my kind of place, as they were playing classic WWF wrestling and old He-Man cartoons on the TVs. Over the course of the evening, Mrs. Sip and I shared the Nashville Hot Chicken Bites, which I really enjoyed, while I also had the Happy Flatbread, a Philly Cheesesteak creation on this occasion. To drink, I went with a pair of Boombox Juicy AF Hazy IPAs. The trivia itself was tough but fun, hosted by local comedian Justin Nichol.

With the Siplings back at home, it was time to squeeze in some local summer favourites. That started with attending a BC Lions football game. Mrs. Sip and I haven’t been to a match in many years and the Siplings have never attended, so we took advantage of the First Game On Us program, which gives free tickets to folks who want to check out a game. While at the stadium, I did enjoy a Stanley Park Trail Hopper IPA.

A couple days later, we spent a day at the PNE/Playland, in part to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. I only had one drink over our stay, a can of Parallel 49 Trash Panda Hazy IPA. My dinner was extraordinary, as I grabbed some Bulgogi Beef Dirty Fries from the Mahshik food truck, remembering a similar dish I had enjoyed at Glow Langley around Christmas. The meal was fantastic again, a generous serving for only $16. In the future, we will likely try to separate our PNE and Playland experiences, as combining the two makes for an expensive day and makes it difficult to get your full value, as you try to cram as much as you can into the visit, losing focus on parts of each attraction.

Last week, the Sip Family tried some of the McDonald’s World Menu Heist items. Mrs. Sip and I both found the Garlic and Black Pepper Chicken McNuggets disappointing, preferring the classic McNuggets recipe. The Black Garlic sauce was good, though. We also all shared the Stroopwafel McFlurry. By share, I mean I had a single bite, but that nibble was quite enjoyable.

To wrap the month, we got together with a visiting friend, hitting two locations in the White Rock area. First up was White Rock Beach Beer, where I had hoped to try the Five Corners Cream Ale, but they were out of the brew, so settled for the Pier IPA. Following that, we went to the neighbouring Beer Shack, my first visit here since Three Dogs Brewing left the site. Mrs. Sip ordered the Hoyne Entre Nous Belgian Cherry Witbier, while I had a mere couple sips, as the designated driver.

September, being a big family birthday month, is loaded with potential activities. We will also spend the Labour Day long weekend at Ma and Pa Sip’s place in Tobiano, so there is much fun to be had on the horizon!

Sip Trips #249: Wicked Weekends

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Well, August was pretty wild and flew by at break-neck speed. Was it fun? Sure. Was it a little overwhelming? Two things can be true at the same time. Here’s what the Sip Family got up to during most of the month, with our week in Disneyland at the end saved for another Sip Trips update:

With the Siplings still away with Ma and Pa Sip, Mrs. Sip and I took off to Peachland for the August long weekend. On our drive there, we stopped for dinner at Stallones Kitchen & Bar in Hope. I went full Stallone/Rambo, ordering the Stallones Burger and Mountainview First Blood Orange Wheat Ale. We had fantastic food and service at this restaurant, while the live music was very good. A great find by Mrs. Sip as we approached the town and were in need of sustenance.

Our time in Peachland was largely spent visiting a friend whose family has a beautiful place there. We did squeeze in a visit to the amazingly-themed Crown & Thieves Winery. Their tasting room is so cool it has to be experienced in person. Best of all, our $15 tasting fees were waived with a bottle purchase each, which wasn’t hard to do given the great wines available. We received excellent service from our scoundrel (aka server) and will definitely return, hoping to one day check out their onsite speakeasy basement bar.

The following weekend, reunited with the Siplings, we were off to Vancouver Island. Once arriving via ferry, we made our way to Rusted Rake Brewing in Nanoose Bay. This was another very cool setting, offering farm-to-table brews and food. To drink, I enjoyed a pint of The Wandering Scotsman’s Spruce Tip IPA. To eat, Mrs. Sip and I shared the Cornbread, Burnt Ends and Chicken & Pickles. We also tried tasters of their It’s Farming Saison and Willem Wets His Whistle Belgian Witbier.

The next day, we had lunch at Fern + Cedar Brewing in Qualicum Beach. Between games of cornhole with Boy Sip and Mrs. Sip, I managed to have the Green Mountain State NEIPA, along with a yummy Teriyaki Salmon dish.

Not content to leave the other brewery in the area off our visit list, we travelled over to Love Shack Libations, ordering two flights to cover their entire available lineup. My favourite drink here was the Juice Bigalow Hazy Mango Pineapple Ale.

Back on the mainland, our next weekend was spent staying at a friend’s place, as mutual friends from the U.K. visited. While out in the Langley area, we had a meal at The Barley Merchant. Over the course of the feast, I had servings of the North Point Strawberry Blonde Ale and Category 12 Fuzzy Peach IPA. My main dish of the Karai Ahi Noodle Salad was good, but I felt the meal didn’t know if it wanted to be a salad or a noodle bowl, incorporating ingredients of each. I guess it came as advertised as a “noodle salad”.

Later that weekend, we hit up Locality Brewing, letting all the kids run wild at the farm location. While there, I drank the Rhuberry Wheat Ale, Lean on Me DIPA and Black Tea Lager, all of which were tasty in their own way. Mrs. Sip and I split the Bison Poutine from Stampede Burger food truck and will have to go back sometime when they have their expanded catering menu, featuring Po’Boy sandwiches and other interesting items.

Our last outing while our friends were in town was to the PNE. I tried a California Sushi Taco from one of the many food trucks onsite, pairing the dish with a glass of Parallel 49 Trash Panda Hazy IPA, which made for a good combo.

That wraps most of August, a month where we didn’t spend a single weekend at home. The next Sip Trips, my 250th entry in the series, will be a special one as I dissect our week-long voyage to the Disneyland Resort!

Sip Trips #113: Highs and Lows

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You’d think with a baby on the way, Mrs. Sip and I would be scaling back on the social activities and moving into that nesting phase we’ve been told about. Think again! It seems we’re trying to squeeze every last bit out of our carefree lifestyle before that all changes. Here’s a look at the week that was:

The week started with the event I had been dreading all summer: Dîner en Blanc. Perhaps a more suitable name would be Dîner avec des Règles (Dinner with Rules – thanks Google Translator). After all, you had to dress a particular way, had to have a table with certain measurements, couldn’t do this, had to do that, etc. Saddest of all, I used to laugh at all the idiots carrying their tables and chairs around downtown Vancouver, dressed like members of some ridiculous cult… I mean, I still did this year, but now I was one of those idiots!

Diner en Blanc.jpg

The dinner itself, I will say, was enjoyable. Sadly, everything surrounding it was straight up unnecessary. First, we had to walk over an hour from our group meeting spot to the eventual destination, carrying tables, chairs, food, drink, and accessories across Vancouver, while holding up traffic at intersections and clogging sidewalks. Why they had us meet in the middle of Downtown Vancouver, only to walk to the northern tip is beyond me. A number of SkyTrain stations were closer and would have provided an easier journey.

Once at the venue, things didn’t get any easier, as we stood in line for close to an hour to receive our pre-ordered wine. Had we also ordered food, that would have added another lengthy delay. By the time we sat down to eat, the sun was already setting and folks were getting ornery. At the end of the night, guess what you have to do? Pack up in the dark and do the arduous journey back home. Will I do the event next year, as Mrs. Sip assumes? Hell no… I’m one and done, homies! Next year, the guys have vowed to spend our precious time saluting the five Bs: babies, burgers, beers, bourbon, and bacon!

Okay, on to better times. The next day, Mrs. Sip and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, attending the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) for the first time since our first summer dating in 2002. There, we enjoyed walking around and gawking at all the crazy fair food options. We started the day with a Dole Whip with Strawberry Sauce and Macaroon Crumbs, which was very tasty. For lunch, we settled on a Double Bacon Mac N’ Cheese Dog, which we shared at the Plaza Beer Garden with a Parallel 49 Gypsy Tears for moi. The setting was nice and relaxed for the time of day and our meal was very filling and gluttonous. For dessert, we grabbed a serving of Cookie Dough on a Stick, which was a perfect treat to end our visit on.

Cookie Dough

Aside from the food, we enjoyed the Extreme Bugs and Toytopia exhibits, while also checking out the world famous Super Dogs do their thing. Probably my only complaint from the day was that there was too many cash only booths, especially for beer and wine. Come on people, we’re far more advanced than that now.

On our way back downtown, we stopped at Legacy Liquor Store, where Vibrant Vine was offering a tasting of a couple products. Their bottles are designed by the son of the owners and even come with 3-D glasses to fully appreciate the work. We grabbed a birthday bottle of their Pinot Grigio for a friend, while I snagged a bottle Tin Whistle Summertime Coconut Hopfenweise.

Next up was Big Rock Urban Eatery’s Summer Wrap Party, where the brewery welcomed guests of all ages (and fur babies) to drop by for food, drinks, games and music. Each attendee could get a free beer and either an artisan deli sandwich or gelato cookie sandwich. With Mrs. Sip’s tickets, I was the recipient of two Grasshopper Wheat Ales and one of each type of sandwich, including peanut butter and bacon gelato on our cookie sandwich. The anniversary was quite the contrast between overpriced fair fare and the free brewery party!

Free Beer

After a very brief rest, I was off to a tournament for my softball team. Our squad already drinks better than we play, so with the tournament having a beer garden, at least we were in our element. Over a four hour break between games, I polished off 10 Hearthstone Atlantic Pale Ales. Suffice to say, our team lost by mercy in our final showing of the day. Triple O’s was also on hand food truck style, with their burgers pairing very nicely with the brews.

Moving on from the ball field, a group of us ended up at Bao Down on Commercial Drive, which serves up Filipino baos, tacos and other Pan-Asian fusion foods. Not quite interested in food just yet, I ordered their Calamasita cocktail (tequila, sweet and sour shrub, Cointreau, egg whites, Calamansi limes, agave syrup), which was very good and refreshing. I’d love to return and try more of their food menu in the future.

Finally, we ended up watching the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight. I’m not a big boxing fan, but the spectacle of the fight was fun and when you’re with friends, pounding double Spiced Rum and Cokes, does it really matter what you’re watching!?

Next week sees many long weekend shenanigans, including our return to Port Moody’s Brewer’s Row; a trip to the Twilight Drive-in Theatre in Aldergrove; the Dysfunctional Disney burlesque at the Rio Theatre; our Lionel Richie-Mariah Carey concert and much, much more. Don’t you dare miss out!

Sip Trips #34: Beer Baron

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Well, this was a beer-soaked weekend if there ever was one – and there have been many! With a self-guided bike and beer tour, as well as a brews cruise on the docket, there’s much to discuss, so let’s get right to it.

With friends visiting from Toronto this weekend, I wanted to show them as much of Vancouver’s amazing craft beer scene as possible. I settled on a bike and beer tour of the affectionately named ‘Yeast Van’ area, which is home to numerous breweries.

Our first stops of the day were Bomber Brewing, followed by Off the Rail Brewing, located right across the street. Both locations offer some good beers and a totally different vibe. With so many stops planned on our itinerary, we largely split tasting flights between couples. My favourite beer at each stop was the Dunkelweizen and Raj Mahal IPA, respectively.

bike and beer

Next up was a short ride to Callister Brewing, which features a number of Real Cask brews, as well. With 10 beers on the menu, our crew ordered one of everything, providing many opportunities to find the perfect beer. I particularly enjoyed the Seshuinox and Apricot Resurrection varieties.

Another short jaunt and we arrived at Powell Street Brewing. When originally constructing the plan for the day, I had marked Powell Street as a stop that was optional. I’m very glad we made it there, though, as each of the four beers I sampled were quite good. This included the Wayne Grisettesky (awesome name!), Amarillo Sour, Right Kind of Crazy Double IPA, and Ode to Citra Pale Ale.

After a few tasting rooms to loosen us all up, it was time to visit what I considered would be our main event: Storm Brewing. Mrs. Sip and I love this place for its great staff (the Heathers!), funky atmosphere, and amazing beers. I really enjoy trying the brewery’s  ‘Brainstorms’, an ever-changing list of creative and unique beverages. On tap this time was a Pineapple Upside Down Cake Ale, Gin and Tonic Pilsner, Cream Soda Pilsner, Iced Mocha Stout, Raspberry Berlinerweisse, Dry Hopped IPA, and Vanilla Whiskey Stout. I gave high rankings to each of these options and can’t wait to go back and try the next batch of conceptions. Perhaps best of all, doing a tasting at Storm is by donation and with that, you get up to six samples.

Our last stop of the beer and bike tour was Doan’s Brewing, another first visit for the Sip Advisor. Here, we tried each of the four beers available, including their Kolsch, Alt Bier, Rye IPA, and German IPA. Nothing against Doan’s (their brews were decent), but the stop was a little anti-climactic after Storm.

anticlimatic

We had also hoped to get into Parallel 49 and Strange Fellows, but by the time we hit either place, later in the day, they both had long waits to get in and those in our group who had rented bikes, had to return them. The day was long from over, though, as after dropping off our rides, we walked over to Big Rock Urban Eatery in the Olympic Village area.

For this trip to Big Rock, I was more enamored with the food than the beer. I ordered what I describe as the ‘Eric Cartman Special’: crispy fried chicken skin, called Chickeronnes. The waitress pointed out to me that there was no meat involved in the dish and I told her that’s exactly how I wanted it! They didn’t blow my mind or anything, but now I can say I tried them. One of our party was celebrating their birthday, so the restaurant brought her a serving of their Fiasco Smores. I thought this dish was fantastic, with boozed up ingredients, including chocolate stout gelato, rauchbier ganache, and bourbon vanilla marshmallow.

We finished the day at Craft Beer Market, a must for any visitor to the city, as far as the Sip Advisor is concerned. Sadly, a few of the beers I wanted to try were already tapped out. We also tried to order some samples of beers we were curious about, only to receive a full serving. Despite that, the beer (Hoyne Dark Matter, Dieu Du Ciel Rosee D’Hibiscus, Hilliard’s Chrome Satan) was still good and it seems they improved on their Fast Food Sushi appetizer.

As if that wasn’t enough beer for a lifetime, we had purchased a Groupon earlier in the week for the Vancouver Craft Brew Cruise. Thanks to an additional discount, the originally priced $50 tickets only cost $24 per person. The cruise featured 17 craft breweries and with entry, you got five drink tickets. Each additional ticket was only $1, which is cool with the Sip Advisor. Through my own choices, sharing, and a couple freebies, I managed to try 16 different brews (or at least that’s what I recorded). I gravitated towards options I hadn’t experienced before and there were many available on the boat. My favourites included the Black Kettle IPA, Hoyne Summer Haze, Dageraad Burnabarian, and Phillips Short Wave.

female boat

Following the cruise, we were on the hunt for food and conveniently came across some reps for Central City, who advised us of their new downtown location on Beatty Street. What luck, as they were featuring half price burgers. Our group ordered five different options and all were good. My choice was the Crispy Crunch chicken burger, which was absolutely delicious and paired very nicely with my Steel & Oak Smoked Hef.

As if the week wasn’t busy enough already, Mrs. Sip and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on Tuesday. To commemorate the day, we had dinner at the Pan Pacific Hotel, which was special because that’s also where we stayed on our wedding night! Sadly, Mrs. Sip wasn’t feeling well, but I have largely recovered from a similar cold and ordered their Caliente cocktail, which mixes tequila, smoked serrano peppers, cilantro, and pineapple juice. It was muy bueno!

Next week looks busy again, with a visit to the Pacific National Exhibition and their craft beer fest scheduled for Saturday and one of my favourite events of the year, the Made with Love cocktail competition, on Monday.