BC Beer Baron #228 – Driftwood White Bark Witbier

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. Mrs. Sip and I are huge fans of hefeweizens and witbiers. I mean, is there a better summer beer style? Let’s take a look at what BC has to offer in the field.

When discussing the best wheat beers and hefeweizens this province has to offer, no conversation would be complete without mentioning this Driftwood Brewing release.

The White Bark Witbier has become a staple of restaurants menus around the Lower Mainland, as most establishments try to cater to craft beer drinkers, in some manner. The unfiltered 5% ABV beverage is constructed using freshly-ground coriander and Curacao orange peel.

Driftwood White Bark Witbier

One of Driftwood’s Core Brands, the beverage is available year round. Of note, it can be found in bomber-sized bottles for a very reasonable price ($5.19 before taxes and deposit) at BC Liquor Stores.

Suggested food pairings include duck, goose and pork for the carnivores and sweet potatoes, carrots, ginger and bell peppers for the vegetarians. Thai and Indian curries are also said to combine will with the brew.

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BC Beer Baron #12 – Driftwood Crooked Coast Altbier

I have previously enjoyed Driftwood Brewing beers, such as their White Bark Witbier and Fat Tug IPA, so giving this beverage a shot wasn’t a difficult choice. For those unfamiliar, the alt style of beer comes from Dusseldorf, Germany and means “old beer”.

The Crooked Coast Altbier was good. While the brewery suggests pairings, including vegetables (celery, fennel and parsnips) and bratwurst and other pork products, I enjoyed it with a spaghetti dinner (complete with garlic bread and Caesar salad) prepared by Ma Sip, as we listened to some David Bowie tunes, in honour of his life.

Driftwood Crooked Coast Altbier

This Driftwood beer seems to have a story or legend attached to it: “On a misshapen island away from the eyes of the world, the inhabitants have twisted together German noble hops and Munich malt, an unholy Amber Ale brewed to trick the tongue. Do not speak its name. A crooked gesture will suffice.”

The saga depicted above had me intrigued and got me thinking that perhaps this was the perfect beer to toast Mr. Bowie, a master of creativity, innovation and character construction. Sometimes things just line up like this.

Mrs. Sip’s Take:

The beer had a bitter finish that I couldn’t get over, so the drink was better left in the hands of the Sip Advisor. I did love the artwork on the bottle, though, and wish credit to the artist had been available.

The lovely and adventurous Mrs. Sip and I have tossed around the idea of heading to Victoria on the upcoming Family Day long weekend to visit friends and make new ones at the many breweries located on Vancouver Island. Driftwood’s tasting room would definitely be on our route, if the mini vacation goes ahead.

For more BC Beer Baron articles, please visit our main page…