Tag Archives: Yeast Van

BC Beer Baron #295 – Lightheart Purple People Pleaser Blackberry Wheat Ale

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While the summer may have come and gone, many wheat beers were still on display at last weekend’s BC Beer Awards. That included this release from Lightheart Brewing, providing the Sip Advisor’s first opportunity to sample suds from the company.

The Purple People Pleaser Blackberry Wheat Ale was an intriguing offering, given its colour and taste. The 5.4% ABV beverage should not be confused with Urban Dictionary’s definition of a Purple People Pleaser, which I’ll leave to your own imagination to figure out… sicko!

purple-people-eater-movie

The beer’s production is in line with the Halloween season, playing on the Purple People Eater character from Sheb Wooley’s 1958 classic tune of the same name. Hey, if it was good enough to reach #1 on the Billboard pop charts, it can certainly be a beer, as well.

Lightheart is one of the collaborative partners occupying space at Callister Brewing’s location. The company’s website is still in the development stage, so those looking for updates on their wares may want to keep an eye on their Twitter account.

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BC Beer Baron #294 – Luppolo Fresh Hop Belgian IPA

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The BC Beer Awards offered a wonderful opportunity to try breweries close to home and abroad for the very first time. One of those that is situated nearby, but has yet to be graced (more like invaded) with the presence of the Sip Advisor and his associates is Luppolo Brewing.

Their Fresh Hop Belgian IPA was another hit with me and Mrs. Sip, as it seemed we couldn’t pick a bad drink if we tried, while traversing the Croatian Cultural Centre’s two rooms. The 6% ABV beverage made a solid first impression with its balanced and tasty recipe.

luppolo-brewing

While the brewery has yet to officially open its tasting room, thus making it difficult to currently track down their products, their doors should be opening before the end of the year. This will add yet another can’t miss stop to any Yeast Van crawl.

Luppolo (which translates to “hops” in Italian) is aiming to capture the qualities of Italian culture, such as quality, craftsmanship, community and family. Makes sense, given the operation is the result of two couples combining their experience and resources.

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BC Beer Baron #293 – Andina Monita Blonde IPA

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Andina Brewing has intrigued the Sip Advisor for some time, thanks to its Colombian theming. Despite the company’s tasting room not being open yet, I was able to try their wares at the recent BC Beer Awards and was impressed with the early yields.

The Monita Blonde IPA was flavourful and refreshing and made me think of how perfect it would be for summer drinking. In fact, the Sip Advisor tried a couple Blonde IPAs at the BC Beer Awards, so it must be a popular style this fall.

andina-brewing

Unfortunately, the 6.5% ABV, 60 IBUs brew isn’t really readily available yet, but it has my full endorsement when that time comes. I can see the beverage filling my growler on a regular basis, in the not-too-distant future!

Andina hopes to open their East Vancouver tasting room in December and it shouldn’t be hard to find, given its yellow façade. Founded by brothers Andrés and Nicolás Amaya, the brewery promises to add some South American flair to the craft beer scene.

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BC Beer Baron #277 – Boombox/Real Cask GoldenRye

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Prior to heading out for a night on the town to celebrate a friend’s birthday recently, we met up for a drink at the hotel where they were staying. That’s where I got to try a serving of this Boombox Brewing and Real Cask Brewing collaboration release.

The GoldenRye is a very good beer. A Rye Pale Ale, it comes in at 7% ABV and uses Idaho 7 hops, also known as 007 hops, perfect for the theme of this product. The rye content brings the alcohol up a few notches, which the Sip Advisor has never shied away from.

boombox-brewingReal Cask Brewing

The beer’s name, of course, is a play on the classic James Bond movie and even better video game, GoldenEye. Most guys my age spent countless hours hunting down their friends, settling minor squabbles in the virtual world thanks to this awesome first-person shooter.

While this brew is the first product I’ve had from Boombox, I can say without hesitation that it’s the best thing I’ve had from Real Cask. Both companies operate out of the Callister Brewing space in East Vancouver, which is the first collaborative brewery in Canada, offering space to tenants on a yearly basis.

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BC Beer Baron #241 – Off the Rail Beez Kneez Honey Ginger Ale

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Always on the lookout for new and interesting beers, I recently came across this Off the Rail Brewing release while popping into a private liquor store in Kelowna, as the Sip Syndicate loaded up on suds for the long weekend ahead.

The Beez Kneez Honey Ginger Ale is sweet with a ginger bite on the finish. There’s a nice balance between the two here, but the Sip Advisor is learning that I’m not the biggest fan of beers with honey as part of the recipe. However, I know the sweetness is exactly what others are looking for in their brews. If that’s the case, this might be the beverage for you.

Off the Rail Beez Kneez Honey Ginger Ale

The seasonal release, which comes with stats of 5% ABV and 34 IBUs, is available in bomber-sized bottles at various liquor stores, as well as being on tap at Off the Rail’s East Vancouver tasting room. It would likely make for a good drink to have on hand while enjoying the great outdoors and imbibing in summer fun.

Sampling this beer reminds me that Mrs. Sip and I are way overdue for our annual self-guided bike tour through the ‘Yeast Van’ breweries. There are a few new additions to the region – along with the classics – so that should make for a great journey.

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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 #192 – Storm Margherita Pizza 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. With so many brewery options out there, a game of one-upmanship sometimes occurs and from that, the world is treated to some very unique experimental releases.

It would be criminal to have an entire week devoted to experimental beers and not give one of those feature slots to Storm Brewing. Whenever the Sip Alliance congregates at Storm’s East Vancouver location, we’re always in for treats our minds never imagined would be served to us in beer form.

The Margherita Pizza IPA is one of those brews that only Storm could envision and put together, combining most dudes dream meal – pizza and beer – all in one package. I have to say that the scents and flavours of oregano, tomato sauce and even cheese are evident in the brew and I actually enjoyed the experience. Apparently, I’m not alone, as most reviews on the Untappd beer app are positive.

Storm Brewing Board

The beer was made to help celebrate Vancouver’s Italian Day last month. I’ve joked with friends, who I forced to try the beverage, that it wouldn’t surprise me if the team at Storm simply tossed a couple pizzas in their brewing vats and let nature do the rest. Cousin Sip likened the 7% ABV IPA to a canister of pizza-flavoured Pringles.

Storm regularly cycles through their ‘Brainstorms’ and the board is kept updated at their website and also on their social media feeds. I am a steady follower of what they’re up to and often find myself salivating at something new to come into their tasting room.

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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 #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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