Tag Archives: Vancouver

BC Beer Baron #252 – Whistler Peak to Pier Summer Wit

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Prior to our recent weekend away, camping in the Cultus Lake area, the Sip Advisor did some serious liquor shopping. One of the bottles I procured was this release from Whistler Brewing, which I knew would be perfect for the occasion.

The Peak to Pier Summer Wit is a very good beer, featuring flavours of cranberry and peach to go along with the more typical tastes of a wit variety product (wheat, citrus, and spice). The 5% ABV, 15 IBUs beverage is light and incredibly refreshing.

whistler-peak-to-pier-summer-wit

An exclusive collaboration with Tap & Barrel, the brew can be found at their three Vancouver-based locations for the duration of summer. The restaurant touts the beer as ideal for days drinking outdoors during what can often be too brief of a patio season.

The Peak to Pier Summer Wit is also available in bomber-sized bottles at BC Liquor Stores, as well as private establishments. Get it before it’s gone!

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BC Beer Baron #249 – Big Rock Hollow Tree Red Ale

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On a recent trip to Big Rock’s Urban Eatery, I ordered a pint of this fantastic Big Rock Brewing beverage to pair with the restaurant’s BRUeben sandwich and skinny fries.

The Hollow Tree Red Ale was the first release to come out of the Vancouver-based Big Rock location. At 5.8% ABV and 55 IBUs, the beer is well-balanced and refreshing. Notes of caramel and toffee combine with citrus and grapefruit, thanks to the use of whole Cascade leaf hops.

Big Rock Hollow Tree Red Ale

Inspired by “BC’s majestic red cedars,” Big Rock’s BC brewmaster concocted the Red Ale to be enjoyed “after a day exploring our beautiful backyard”. The Hollow Tree won first place at the 2015 BC Beer Awards, in the Amber/Brown Ale category.

It is available in bomber-sized bottles at the Urban Eatery’s beer store, as well as other liquor retailers. Speaking of the Big Rock beer store, they have a great deal of a pizza and growler to-go for $18, on select days and times.

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BC Beer Baron #248 – Steamworks Killer Cucumber Ale

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As a wee little sipper, the only vegetable the Sip Advisor would dare to eat was cucumbers. With age, my tastes have evolved, but I will always have a place in my heart for the member of the gourd family. Thanks to Steamworks Brewing, now I can also drink my favourite veggie.

After debuting the Killer Cucumber Ale last summer, the beer is back again this year and given its name, it’s back with a vengeance. At the very least, it’s as deadly as a 4.7% ABV, 25 IBUs beverage can be (and I mean that in the best way possible).

Steamworks Killer Cucumber Ale

Dry hopped with organic cucumbers in both the fermenter and conditioning vessel, this year, the Killer Cucumber Ale is only available in tall cans and for a limited time. The use of Belgian yeast gives the refreshing brew flavours of apricot and black pepper.

When I first tried this beer last summer, I preferred it on tap over the bottled six-pack I bought afterwards. Not that the beer was bad in bottle form, but it was just better (with a stronger cucumber flavour) fresh from the keg.

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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

SIP-A-Dee-Do-Da

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!

BC Beer Baron #243 – Main Street/Doan’s Roggenweizen

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On a recent craft beer crawl through the Brewery Creek region of Vancouver, we made our final stop at Main Street Brewing, where I was able to order a pint of this collaborative effort with Doan’s Brewing.

The Roggenweizen (which basically translates to Rye Hefeweizen) combines two of the Sip Advisor’s favourite things in rye/whiskey and hef beers. The 5% ABV, 15 IBUs beverage is a limited edition beer, so drinkers may want to track it down sooner than later.

Main Street & Doan’s Roggenweizen

Doan’s seems to like experimenting with Rye, as earlier this year the Sip Advisor enjoyed a serving of their Rye Stout. They have also concocted a Rye IPA and Rye Pilsner (in collaboration with Bomber Brewing).

As for Main Street, I’ve always been a fan of their beer label work, which is featured on banners that hang at their location. It also remains one of my favourite breweries to pop into while touring out-of-town visitors around Vancouver.

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BC Beer Baron #239 – 33 Acres of Egress

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On a recent visit to 33 Acres Brewing, the Sip Alliance filled up a few growlers (of varying sizes) for later enjoyment. One of those was of this newer menu item.

The 33 Acres of Egress is a Belgian Grisette, featuring flavours of malt and pepper to go along with aromas of apricots and blackberries. The 4.2% ABV beer is apparently inspired by the tradition of miners enjoying similar beverages after a hard day’s work within dark, humid tunnels. Today, we continue this tradition with drinks after long days at the office or other places of work.

33 Acres of Egress.jpg

33 Acres, ever the storytellers, write of the beer: “Cradled by earth’s core, a worthy sweat drips from the air, chipping away inside the passage. Pausing to lean against the cool bedrock, clammy palms flatten against the rough stony contours. Coursing blood circulates while fondly glancing back to where the shift began. A familiar whistle sounds signalling work’s timely end and the usual chorus of hurrahs ensue. Twinkling grins adorn the corridor as fingertips glide along the sculpted tunnel edges stepping into an ever-growing portal home.”

Mrs. Sip once remarked that the tasting room needed a little more colour to go along with its white walls and furniture. Not that I realize they call it ‘the quarry’, I get the design and also this brew’s backstory.

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Sip Trips #72: Everything Under the Sun

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It’s been a surprisingly busy past couple weeks. I thought I could take a week off from Sip Trips articles, as I do from time to time when there’s nothing to report on, only to realize I should have written something last week. Time to make amends!

Buckin’ Bronco

With Ma and Pa Sip, as well as the Sip-in-Laws coming to visit for a big family dinner, we needed a place to go. Using Open Table, Ma Sip chanced upon the Yale Saloon and good thing she did. There, we were treated to amazing food (southern barbecue dishes like pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches and fusion cuisine, such as mac n’ cheese popsicles) and terrific service. The restaurant’s manager even inflated the ring so the Sip Advisor could ride the mechanical bull a couple times. The only criticism I can lob at the Yale Saloon is that they have absolutely no local craft beer on their menu. Perhaps that will come in time.

Bull Riding

New Brews

A couple of impromptu brewery crawls over recent times have yielded some new discoveries. This included my first visits to Vancouver’s Faculty Brewing as well as Old Yale Brewing and Chaos & Solace Brewing – which we didn’t even know existed – in Chilliwack. We also popped into the long-awaited R&B Ale and Pizza House for some drinks and food. Now all I need to do is finally get around to doing another bike tour of the Yeast Van region, where a few new operations have launched lately. For more details on our beer tours, check out the BC Beer Baron listings.

All You Need is Love

We began this week with a bang, as one of my favourite events of the year finally came around again. The Made with Love cocktail competition at the Fairmont Hotel featured not only amazing drinks, but also some great food, including freshly shucked oysters, spring rolls, tuna tartare cones, and chicken wraps, among other hors d’oeuvres. The food seemed to stop being served about halfway through the event, which is too bad because that’s exactly when some guests need it the most, as they realize just how much they’re actually drinking.

Cocktail Super Glue

My favourite cocktail of the night came from Reece Sims of Per Se Social Corner, while Mrs. Sip’s preferred bevvy was provided by Mia Gianz of Odd Society Spirits. Best of all, in a world where prices seem to rise annually, this year, early bird tickets were the cheapest I’d ever seen them, at only $45. I can’t wait for the 2017 edition.

This weekend, the Sip Advisor and Mrs. Sip celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary and the return of my annual beer pong tournament takes place. After that, there’s the Labour Day long weekend, which although we’re stay-cationing, there will be much to report on. Looks like I won’t be taking any more weeks off for a while!

BC Beer Baron #237 – Brassneck Hibiscus Wit

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While recently showing off BC’s craft beer scene to a friend visiting from the U.S., we popped into the wildly popular Brassneck Brewing for a couple drinks.

Among our selections, Mrs. Sip ordered their Hibiscus Wit, which was a neat and unique beer. Made using Brassneck’s Belgian Wheat recipe, the addition of hibiscus provides a tart finish to the 5% ABV beverage. Coriander and orange peel are also among the ingredients, so the beer is spicy and tangy.

Brassneck Hibiscus Wit

First brewed in November 2013 (the Belgian Wheat, that is), Brassneck sometimes replaces the hibiscus with chamomile for a different result. The beer is only available from Brassneck’s tasting room, but the company has more fillable container options than I’ve seen anywhere else in the province.

When Mrs. Sip and I were touring Egypt in 2008 – you know, before all hell broke loose there – we fell in love with fresh hibiscus juice, which could be had at many locations. We even brought home some hibiscus flowers to make some of our own concoctions.

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BC Beer Baron #235 – R&B Kettle Sour Export Stout

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While on a recent craft beer crawl in the Brewery Creek neighbourhood, we stopped into R&B Brewing’s new Ale and Pizza House – a debut visit for the Sip Advisor. There, along with some fantastic pizzas, I ordered a flights of beers, which included this very unique selection.

The Kettle Sour Export Stout is something I have never seen on a brewery’s menu before. I liked the mix of roasted stout flavour combined with a tart finish. At 7% ABV and 50 IBUs, the beer is definitely strong and complex. With each sip, you’ll notice different elements and those components even evolve as the drink changes temperature.

R&B Kettle Sour Export Stout

Originally released at the beginning of 2016, the Kettle Sour Stout is part of the brewery’s Mount Pleasant Series. Suggested food pairings include desserts, such as Black Forest Cake and sea-salted or bitter chocolates. When launched, the beer was available in bomber-sized bottles, but I didn’t see any at R&B during this stopover.

The Sip Advisor was thrilled to see the Ale and Pizza House finally open. In February, Mrs. Sip and I were allowed to peek inside, as they were doing “final touches”. Then, the planned soft opening on St. Patrick’s Day came and went and the delays kept coming, due to BC Liquor Board holdups. Congrats to R&B!

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BC Beer Baron #234 – Faculty 710 Oaked Stout

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As the gents of the Sip Syndicate gathered for some beers while our ladies pampered themselves with massages (hey, we have our own way of relaxing), we discovered that Faculty Brewing had finally opened their doors to the public. That meant an addition to the itinerary.

Once there, the Sip Advisor tried their two beers on tap, which included the 710 Oaked Stout. The Sip Advisor loves his smoky beers and this was a good serving, thanks to the oak, which provided flavours of vanilla and roasted coffee. The beer comes with stats of 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, so everything was in the right ranges for me.

Faculty 710 Oaked Stout

Founded by a husband and wife team, each beer comes with a class number, borrowing from the head brewer’s experience as a professor. One member of the Syndicate thought that was the price of the beer, but thankfully, I was in the know and was able to explain. I find it neat that Faculty is sharing their complete recipes and processes for each beer, as they hope to educate and inform beer drinkers of all levels.

While the brewery only had two selections available, I look forward to more from Faculty in the future. Their 241 Minzeweizen (a hef brewed with peppermint tea) has me particularly intrigued, as I’ve never tried a brew like that.

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