Tag Archives: Vancouver

BC Beer Baron #128 – Red Truck Midnight Run Dark Lager

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When the sun vanquishes the winter darkness (even briefly), you can expect every single Vancouverite to declare that patio season has arrived. Mrs. Sip and I are among those fine folks and so we recently found ourselves at Tap & Barrel in the Olympic Village, enjoying the first glimpses of spring. There, I enjoyed a flight of beers that was highlighted by this Red Truck Brewing release.

The Midnight Run Dark Lager is a limited release of the brewery with stats of 4.9% ABV and 23 IBUs. There was a nice smoky finish, on top of this solid beer, which is available in bomber-sized bottles. I’ve become a big fan of dark lagers (sometimes called schwarzbiers), as they provide a welcome change to your typical brew.

Red Truck Midnight Run Dark Lager

Sticking with Red Truck’s theme of naming beers after vehicles and driving, this may be one of their best brandings and there’s even a story to go with it: “The stakes were high but the risk was even greater, and it went well, very well! We smuggled it out of the brewery right under our brewers’ watchful eyes and noses as they were saving this exceptional Dark Lager for their own personal stash… A Midnight Run was the only way to get it out without being apprehended. We took extremely high risks so you could enjoy our Dark Lager!”

The next time I’m able to visit Red Truck’s very cool facility in the Brewery Creek region of the city, I hope that this selection is on their menu, as I’d love to sit back and enjoy a full serving.

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BC Beer Baron #127 – Brassneck Cherubesque

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Trips to Brassneck Brewing are often met with disappointment. To be clear, that’s not the beer’s fault. It’s just so difficult at peak times to get into their uber popular tasting room. Sometimes you get lucky, though, as Mrs. Sip and I did on a recent tour through the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver.

During that visit, we tried the Cherubesque. This Belgian Strong Ale was first brewed in November 2013. At 8% ABV, it’s nice and strong and right up Mrs. Sip’s alley. For the record, I enjoyed it too.

Brassneck Cherubesque

In their description of the beer, Brassneck takes some shots at “beer nerds” everywhere, including themselves: “Beer nerds think they can get away with throwing a pair of e’s at the end of their adjectives to describe beers so why the heck can’t we. (After all, we are beer nerds!!). Bubblegum-ee, Stone Fruit-ee, Raisin-ee, Booze-ee, Chew-ee. We’d describe it as an Abbey Style Ale. We ferment with a mysterious blend of yeast strains to maximize the Belgian-ee-ness, then we hurl in some dark candy sugar to twist up the ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’ knob. Tastes good. Drink some.”

That last little bit sounds like a motto the brewery should be printing on their merchandise… so long as that doesn’t make getting into their tasting room even more challenging!

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BC Beer Baron #126 – Odds N’ Sods IPA

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A couple months back, the Sip Syndicate wound up at Main Street Brewing’s quaint location on a chilly Friday night, where the work week that was had to be drunk away and beer was the answer.

The Odds N’ Sods IPA was my first choice of the night and while we waited for some seats to open up (apparently we weren’t the only ones that needed some liquid relief), this 6.8% ABV, 55 IBU beverage welcomed me to the weekend with open arms and I embraced it back.

Just released in January, there’s a ton going on with the Odds N’ Sods IPA, including six different malts and another six hop variations, which sees the beer hopped a total of six times during the brewing process. Flavours and aromas in the brew include pine, resin, lychee, spice, passionfruit, peach, grapefruit, melon, lime, and gooseberry.

Main Street Odd N' Sods IPA

A search on UrbanDictionary.com revealed the following about the beer’s name:

  1. 1. A variation on the ubiquitous expression “bits and pieces” in the U.K. A miscellany of objects, tasks, or issues.
  2. A reference to a group of unnamed individuals who are related in some general way.

Well, I’m not sure if that’s a reference to the various ingredients that comprise this beer or to the random assortment of folks who may drink it, but what I am sure about is the IPA was fantastic and it would soon be joined by other options, as the night progressed.

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BC Beer Baron #125 – 33 Acres of Sunshine

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Mrs. Sip and I first visited 33 Acres Brewing on their first anniversary and ever since have enjoyed returning to the brewery, being very impressed with our most recent stopover while touring the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver.

The 33 Acres of Sunshine always seems to be among our favourites when we get tasters or bottles. This 5% ABV French Blanche has flavours of fruit (particularly orange), spices and even black licorice, making for an easy drinking experience.

33 Acres of Sunshine

The brewery describes the beer as: “Born of the sun, this unfiltered white ale has long been praised by the Belgians and revered by the French. Our dreamy Blanche beer is silky smooth and subspiced with orange peel, coriander and anise seed to pair perfectly with the golden days of summer.”

One of my favourite 33 Acres memories stems from planning a bike brewery crawl for a friend’s birthday last year. There was no way we were going to be able to get our large group into their popular tasting room, so we bought a few six-packs (33 Acres of Sunshine among them) and took them to a nearby park to enjoy some drinking in the great outdoors.

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BC Beer Baron #124 – R&B Dark Star Oatmeal Stout

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On two separate visits to R&B Brewing’s Brewery Creek location, I’ve enjoyed samples of this beer and feel the need to share it with all you little sippers.

The Dark Star Oatmeal Stout has flavours or rich chocolate and roasted coffee. I don’t often find stouts with a reasonable amount of carbonation, so this was a nice surprise from the brew. The 4.6% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage is available in bomber bottles.

R&B Dark Star Oatmeal Stout

Brewed in memory of R&B employee Jamie Kelly, this fall/winter seasonal release won a gold medal at the 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards in the Stout category. That sounds like a great homage to the brewery’s fallen friend.

R&B was set to open their tasting room on or near St. Patrick’s Day, but BC Liquor Board snags held that up. The site finally launched in April and one thing is for sure: the wait for R&B beers is more rewarding than R&B music!

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BC Beer Baron #123 – Steel Toad Saison Sauvignon

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From my earliest visits to the Steel Toad Brew Pub (Mrs. Sip and I were there on their opening weekend), this beer has been part of the company’s flagship lineup.

The Saison Sauvignon is a farmhouse-styled saison that is brewed with New Zealand hops, which result in the taste of white wine (sauvignon blanc) grapes. The beer is boozier than most saisons, coming in at 6.5% ABV. I’m not sure if that’s due to the wine attributes or something else in the beverage’s construction.

Steel Toad Brew Pub

Mrs. Sip and I both remember this beer from our earlier visits to the brew pub and with a change to its recipe (according to our server), it is now much more enjoyable. Mrs. Sip even picked it as her favourite of our most recent jaunt that way.

Located in the very recognizable red building on East 2nd Ave, Steel Toad comprises a network of breweries that are part of The Hoppy Hop (similar to Bellingham’s Tap Trail), allowing enthusiasts to tour the Brewery Creek region and win prizes after collecting answers to trivia questions at each stop.

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BC Beer Baron #122 – Big Rock Rauchbier

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When Big Rock Brewing opened their Vancouver-based Urban Eatery in 2015, Mrs. Sip and I were quick to check out the new addition to BC’s craft beer landscape. On that inaugural visit, the Sip Advisor fell in love with this release and it has since become a highlight of my stopovers, if available.

Rauchbier is German for ‘Smoked Beer’ and anyone that has followed this site or this project knows my affinity for smoky cocktails and brews. This product uses both Beechwood Smoked Malt and Peated Malt to achieve its unique flavour and finish.

Big Rock Rauchbier

The 5.8% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage welcomes you in with the scent of campfire and bacon, which have to be two of the most manly aromas out there. According to the Urban Eatery website, this beer is only available in BC, so we should all take advantage of the west coast treat.

While I haven’t made it to the Urban Eatery since earlier this year, it is a place I try to take friends visiting from out of town. Their unique food dishes and beer lineup provide a bit of everything for everyone and live music is often in the cards, as well.

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BC Beer Baron #106 – Steamworks Jasmine IPA

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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. It may have taken some time, but IPA’s now rank among my favourite styles of beer. Let’s take a look at some of the best BC has to offer, among this acquired taste.

As part of the Sip Advisor’s recent St. Patrick’s Day celebrations (how is this not a worldwide observed national holiday yet?), I shared a bomber bottle of this Steamworks Brewing release with Cousin Sip and it was a highlight of my drinking experiences that day.

It had been a little while since I had tried the Jasmine IPA and I couldn’t remember my previous opinion of it. I’m happy to report that the beer wowed me and I wish I hadn’t gone so long between servings. The jasmine flower notes are mild, but do provide the beer with a nice aroma and taste. I don’t think you’d want the participation of the jasmine to be too overwhelming and that’s achieved here.

Steamworks Jasmine IPA

Steamworks label designs have always been interesting and it’s no different with this product. The artwork features Chinese influences, such as what we’ve all come to know as the ornate entrances to major city’s Chinatowns, as well as animal gatekeepers, in this case the dragon/lion mythological creature.

The 6.4% ABV, 60 IBUs beverage is available year round on tap at Steamworks brewery and brew pub. It can also be located at BC Liquor Stores and other fine retailers in 650ml bottles. I urge you all to get down with your bad dragon/lion self, while enjoying this beer!

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BC Beer Baron #99 – 33 Acres of Ocean

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The Sip Advisor wrapped up his evening out at the Library Square Public House with this fantastic beverage from 33 Acres Brewing.

The 33 Acres of Ocean is an American Pale Ale, with a strong hop profile and pine scent that has it bordering on the IPA perimeter. At 5.6% ABV, the beverage was refreshing and far from heavy.

33 Acres of Ocean

Resulting in the brew’s name, many of its ingredients were harvested near the Pacific Ocean, including the three hops varieties (galena, cascade and citra) that make up the recipe. I like the company’s tagline for the drink: “Typically consumed in good company amid the Pacific and pine.”

Mrs. Sip was recently won over big time by 33 Acres, after enjoying most of their line-up and particularly their 33 Acres of Euphoria Belgian Tripel, during a recent visit to the brewery and tasting room. This beer was another reminder to me, of how good the company is.

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BC Beer Baron #95 – Dogwood Maple Molasses Stout

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Although it recently celebrated its first anniversary, Mrs. Sip and I were finally able to try some of Dogwood Brewing’s work at the recent Yaletown Brewery Irish Stout and Porters Caskival.

The Maple Molasses Stout was Dogwood’s contribution to the event and it was decent, with light flavours of maple and a mild overall sweetness. The easy drinking beer could have benefitted from even more pronounced tastes, especially with the maple.

Dogwood Brewing Flight

The brewery is Vancouver’s first all-organic operation, even offering to recycle customer’s used coffee bags. For those unaware, the dogwood is the official provincial flower of BC.

Owner Claire Wilson was at the Caskival and we spent some time chatting with her about her move to Vancouver from Ireland and opening up the brewery with her husband. Best of luck to them and Mrs. Sip and I will have to pop by for a visit soon.

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