Tag Archives: Vancouver

BC Beer Baron #182 – Main Street/Powell Street Scottish Golden Ale

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While perusing new releases at the BC Liquor Store recently, this craft beer collaboration from Main Street Brewing and Powell Street Brewing instantly caught my eye.

The Scottish Golden Ale is light at only 4% ABV and 20 IBUs, but packs a punch with its taste. Although I picked the brew out for a friend who loves Scotch Ales, I probably enjoyed the drink more given its peaty smoky flavour finish. The colour of this beer is incredibly bright, or as the makers put it: “As blonde as the East Van Sun in Spring!”

Main Street & Powell Street Scottish Golden Ale

Dubbed ‘The Streets’ collaboration, thanks to the two breweries monikers, the beer is available in bomber-sized bottles. Each brewery made their own batch of the recipe, before combining the two later. I’m not sure if it was the glassware we were using or some other factor, but the beer poured with a lot of head, although it evaporated quickly.

It seems every visit to the liquor store nowadays – even if only a few days apart – provides at least a couple new treats for consideration. It’s truly a wonderful time to be a craft beer connoisseur in this province and I can’t see the good times ending anytime soon.

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BC Beer Baron #178 – 33 Acres of Nirvana

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In need of some drinks for a friend’s birthday celebration, the Sip Alliance popped out for a brief booze crawl around Vancouver. Our first stop was 33 Acres Brewing, where I filled a growler of this beauty.

The 33 Acres of Nirvana is an IPA which has become one of my favourite Vancouver beers, thanks to its mix of pine and citrus flavours that makeup the 7% ABV, 70 IBUs beverage. Along with your standard tasting room pours – glasses and growler fills – the Nirvana IPA is available in six-packs of bottles.

33 Acres of Nirvana

33 Acres beer descriptions are all neat, but this one will really get your mind thinking existentially: “Along the path to IPA immortality, a wise guide suggested forging a specially brewed trail. As is the pacific north-west tradition, nature’s whispers were honoured following the voice within. Iconically, this beer truly smells like dreamed spirits. One whiff, a taste, then a hearty smile begins any journey into 33 acres of Nirvana after-life.”

Mrs. Sip and I have become quite fond of 33 Acres in recent times, with her falling in love with their Belgian Tripel (33 Acres of Euphoria) and yours truly liking most anything they have on their menu. It has become a preferred stop when showing visiting friends around our great city!

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Sip Trips #66: Weekend Warriors

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While I’ve often dubbed Mrs. Sip and myself ‘Weekend Warriors, Weekday Legends’, this past weekend was incredibly busy, even by our standards. Things all got started – as most weekends do – with the need to procure some alcohol. The Sip Alliance had a member’s birthday Saturday evening and so the hunt was on.

Our first stop was 33 Acres Brewing, a favourite Vancouver location of Mrs. Sip and mine. There, we filled a couple growlers, making sure to try some of the new items to hit their board, such as the 33 Acres of Egress Belgian Grisette, which Cousin Sip elected to purchase.

Beer Growler

Following that, we were off to Storm Brewing, in search of the many odd concoctions the company is highly-regarded for. We sampled much of their ‘Brainstorms’ lineup, including a Chocolate Lavender Stout, Grapefruit Radler IPA, Blueberry Lemonade Pilsner, Pineapple Upside Down Cake Ale, James’ Liver Tonic IPA, Bangers and Sour Mash Ale, Raspberry Pilsner, and… wait for it… Margherita Pizza IPA! Some of these just might make an appearance in a BC Beer Baron article.

Our birthday event that night evolved (as these things sometimes do) from a laid back house party to a relatively laid back bar visit, as we headed out to East Vancouver’s Brickhouse. While the pub’s surrounding area is a little sketchy, the venue itself was pretty cool, with couches you could chill on, while waiting your turn to play pool or darts. The place also has quite an impressive menu of craft beers, mostly from Washington and Oregon.

On Sunday, for Father’s Day, we gathered up the whole extended family and made our way over to Township 7 Winery in Langley for their annual Wine & Swine celebration. Tickets were $30 and included three wine and pork pairings, with live music from LB 4 LB (Pound 4 Pound). The event was a total hit with our crew and I love what Township 7 has done with their patio area, changing it from a grassy area that easily got muddy in the often inclement BC weather to a tiered and tabled setting.

always-been-my-favorite-fathers-day-card

As we were wrapping things up, some of the Township 7 staff suggested we check out the nearby Fraser Valley Cider Company. I’m not much of a fan of the stuff, but others in our group are, while some were curious to try. We split a few of their tasting flights, which included house, dry, honey and elderflower varieties. The setting was nice and the people were very friendly, so it was a great ending to the evening.

While the work week has offered a rare bit of rest, this weekend Mrs. Sip and I (along with Ma and Pa Sip) return to the Bellingham Tap Trail and time will only tell what shenanigans we get up to on this expedition!

BC Beer Baron #173 – Central City Dark Cherry Stout

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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. Fruit beers may have some traditionalists up in arms, but if they only them a chance, they would see how good the beverages can be. In putting together this feature week, I tried to incorporate as many different fruits as possible, so let’s see what BC has to offer in this realm.

On one of our many trips to the Central City Brew Pub in Vancouver a couple months back, this tap menu item from their own brewery instantly caught my eye and I quickly ordered a serving.

The Dark Cherry Stout combined a few of my favourite things: cherries, chocolate and beer. This 6% ABV, 30 IBUs offering was fairly good. There was a reasonable amount of cherry flavour to the recipe, although I always like more when it comes to my beverages. In most cases, I want to know that taste is there, not just get a hint of it.

Central City Brewing

I’m not sure how easy it would be to find this stout, as it wasn’t even listed on the brewery’s website, at the time the Sip Advisor experienced it. I would assume it was available at Central City’s tasting room, as well as at their Surrey brew pub, but I can’t be certain of that.

As far as Central City stouts go, I’ve also tried their Habanero Stout, which I found to be quite enjoyable. If the Dark Cherry Stout has disappeared with the end of the winter season, I would urge all you little sippers to be on the lookout for it next year.

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BC Beer Baron #170 – Off the Rail Raybuck Red Ale

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As previously mentioned, on a recent visit to the Olympic Village Craft Beer Market, I ordered their six-beer flight featuring local brews. Another tasty treat among that sextet was this release from Off the Rail Brewing.

The Raybuck Red Ale was created as an homage to some of the favourite Irish Ales of the Off the Rail crew. Caramel notes highlight the brew, which is constructed using both Cascades and Willamette hops, for a medium level of bitterness (40 IBUs).

Off the Rail Raybuck Red Ale

The 5.4% ABV beverage is available in bomber-sized bottles, as well as in packs of four pint-sized cans. This was the first packaged release from the brewery and it was a good one to kick things off (the rail) with.

This trip to Craft Beer Market was highlighted by my six-pack order, which I also encouraged our visiting American friend to try. As this was his introduction to BC’s craft beer scene, he was rightfully blown away and our ensuing mini-brewery tour may have been more than he could handle!

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BC Beer Baron #169 – Powell Street Ode to Citra Pale Ale

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On a recent visit to Craft Beer Market in the Olympic Village, I ordered their six-beer flight featuring local brews. Among those tasters was this beauty from Powell Street Brewing.

The Ode to Citra Pale Ale has long been a highlight for the Sip Advisor of any of our visits to Powell Street’s tasting room. As the name suggests, the beer is a tribute to Citra hops, which are known for their tropical fruit scents and flavours, including mango, passionfruit and citrus.

Powell Street Ode to Citra Pale Ale

This West Coast-style pale ale is full of flavour, while coming in at a medium level of hoppiness (35 IBUs). The beer has an ABV of 5.5% and is available in bomber-sized bottles at BC Liquor Stores and other fine purveyors of booze.

With summer right around the corner, Mrs. Sip and I have big plans for taking a number of visiting friends through the Yeast Van area on Sip Advisor-guided bike and brewery tours. I’m licking my chops at the mere thought of these adventures!

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BC Beer Baron #164 – Parallel 49/Strange Fellows People Are Strange Hoppy Saison

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For the second consecutive year, Parallel 49 Brewing has joined forces with 12 different BC craft breweries to release a package of unique beers, dubbed Brews Brothers Volume 2. The Sip Advisor figured spending the first chunk of June reviewing these releases would be a great idea. So, let’s get on with things.

We wrap up our Brews Brothers odyssey with this collaboration featuring Strange Fellows Brewing. These two East Vancouver neighbours are among the most popular spots in the city for craft beer lovers and their coming together is something I was eager to try.

Parallel 49 & Strange Fellows People Are Strange Hoppy Saison

The People Are Strange Hoppy Saison didn’t disappoint and was a bit of an exclamation point of this amazing pack of beers. I’ve already declared that this will be the summer of saisons for the Sip Advisor (having previously enjoyed the summer of IPAs in 2014 and the summer of stouts in 2015) and I’m glad this 6.5% ABV beverage was part of that. One note: the taste kind of reminded me of those coloured marshmallow eggs you get around Easter.

Each beer is named after a classic rock song and People Are Strange by The Doors was a perfect selection given Strange Fellows is the partner brewery involved. While not the band’s greatest hit, this track is a great example of The Doors psychedelic rock style, which made them standout in the industry.

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BC Beer Baron #163 – Parallel 49/Fernie Spirit in the Sky Havana Club Stout

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For the second consecutive year, Parallel 49 Brewing has joined forces with 12 different BC craft breweries to release a package of unique beers, dubbed Brews Brothers Volume 2. The Sip Advisor figured spending the first chunk of June reviewing these releases would be a great idea. So, let’s get on with things.

The fine folks at Fernie Brewing (how’s that for alliteration – although I’m sure they are actually fine folks!) travelled a fair distance to make this collaboration with P49 work and their efforts definitely paid off with a delicious beverage.

Parallel 49 & Fernie Spirit in the Sky Havana Club Stout

The Spirit in the Sky Havana Club Stout combines two of my favourite things in this world: Havana Club Rum and stout beers. Using oak spirals that have been aged in seven-year-old Havana Club Rum, this stout is potent (6.5% ABV), but also enjoys the traditional attributes of a smooth, mellow, flavourful stout.

Each beer is named after a classic rock song and the Havana Club Stout meets its match with Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky. An interesting note about Mr. Greenbaum, was that at one time, he was a member of the psychedelic jug band Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band. I don’t know why, but that has me incredibly intrigued… and a little scared!

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BC Beer Baron #162 – Parallel 49/Moody Ales Purple Haze Black Currant Sour

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For the second consecutive year, Parallel 49 Brewing has joined forces with 12 different BC craft breweries to release a package of unique beers, dubbed Brews Brothers Volume 2. The Sip Advisor figured spending the first chunk of June reviewing these releases would be a great idea. So, let’s get on with things.

Moody Ales is a strong collaborator on a number of different releases that I’ve had the pleasure of drinking (1880 Export Stout with Ridge Brewing, Tam O’Shanter Scotch Ale with Bomber Brewing, etc.), so it’s no surprise they would be a contributor on this project.

Parallel 49 & Moody Ales Purple Haze Black Currant Sour

The Purple Haze Black Currant Sour is strong and tart, yet easy drinking. It’s like downing juice that is super awesome amazing. Somehow, I managed to put the two sour beers in this pack back-to-back on my schedule, but that was good in proving to me that sour beers are right up my alley… so long as they are strong on the booze content, as this 8% ABV bevvy is. I was hoping the beer would come in a ‘purple haze’ hue and I wasn’t disappointed.

Each beer is named after a classic rock song and they don’t come more classic than a Jimi Hendrix musical epic, such as Purple Haze. I experimented with the nickname ‘The Experience’ in my younger days, but sadly it never caught on… I suppose it was better left to another legend!

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BC Beer Baron #161 – Parallel 49/Four Winds The Boys Are Back in Town Nectar-Face

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For the second consecutive year, Parallel 49 Brewing has joined forces with 12 different BC craft breweries to release a package of unique beers, dubbed Brews Brothers Volume 2. The Sip Advisor figured spending the first chunk of June reviewing these releases would be a great idea. So, let’s get on with things.

Four Winds Brewing is enjoying quite the run, taking home Brewery of the Year at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards and Beer of the Year at this year’s event. Why not raise their profile even more by combining efforts with P49 for this collaborative release?

Parallel 49 & Four Winds The Boys Are Back in Town Nectar-Face

The Boys Are Back in Town Nectar-Face has been called the “love-child” of Parallel 49’s Jerkface 9000 and Four Winds’ Nectarous (the brew that earned the Delta-based operation Beer of the Year), both of which have large followings. This easy-to-drink sour has me thinking I could get more and more into the style of beer, which is perfect during the summer. I can definitely get down with the beverage when it comes in at 6% ABV.

Each beer is named after a classic rock song and the Nectar-Face got paired with Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town. This single from the Irish rockers narrowly cracked Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (at #499) in 2004. When updated in 2010, the track dropped off the list, but it’s still a great anthem for a guys’ night out!

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