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Feeling Kölsch
Plus early-bird pricing on our first beer appreciation course
Joseph Lavoie
April 21, 2023
Happy Friday!
Looks like Strathcona is opening a second location at Lonsdale Quay Market. There’s a small debate on Reddit as to whether a craft brewery loses its community feel once it expands to a second location. I can assure you, a second brewery is a far stretch from being a massive conglomerate. Congrats to Strathcona for growing their small business!
In today’s issue we:
Share 19 new beers, including one made with donuts 🍩
Offer early-bird pricing on our first beer appreciation course 🐦️
Seek your views on whether a brewery is an appropriate gathering spot for young kids. 🧒
Recommend attending one of the many events taking place during Vancouver Brewers Fest.
Enjoy the long weekend!
— Joseph Lavoie
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FEATURED NEW BEER RELEASE
Take a trip to Cologne
@coastmountainbeer/Instagram
Coast Mountain is paying homage to Kölsch, using imported grain, hops, and yeast from Germany to make this new beer as authentic as possible. The brewery even recreated the water chemistry to match Cologne’s water profile. And the story behind the label? The Cologne Cathedral is believed to contain the bones of the biblical Magi, hence the three distinct crowns.
Available: fresh pints and to-go, from the taproom.
Ales and IPAs
Old Yale is feeling peachy with its Peach Bellini Blonde Ale, featuring sun-ripened peaches for a juicy stone-fruit-forward flavour profile.
Backcountry is releasing a style that is incredibly hard to find consistently here in BC: an English Mild.
Small Gods has a French IPA with big fruity hop flavours and a dry finish, inspired by Alsace.
Beacon Brewing’s new rotator beer is a Glazed Donut Brown Ale. And yes, donuts were actually used to brew this one, paired with a touch of vanilla and milk sugar. 🍩
North Point has juiced up its original Beermosa by conditioning it on Blood Oranges and flavoured with pounds of zested orange peel.
Foamers’ Folly has a new Hefeweizen made with yarrow, and it’s available across the province at liquor stores.
Parallel 49’s Pink Horizon is a classic hoppy American Pale Ale with a light and bready malt and a touch of caramel and biscuit flavour.
Backcountry’s latest IPA was hopped with Cryo Citra.
Old Yale’s second release of the week is a Pineapple Coconut Golden Ale designed for those warm sunny days that will show up eventually, right?
Moody Ales has a new Double IPA called Sundew, and it features a fruit-focused mix of Galaxy, Strata, and Rakau hops with notes of watermelon and papaya.
Superfux used Vic Secret and Mosaic hops for Mañana IPA, with notes of grapefruit, blueberry jam, earth, and overripe pineapples.
Superflux’s second IPA of the week is Experimental #41, brewed with Idaho 7 Cryo and Citra Cryo, adjusting the water chemistry to make this one “as plush as possible.”
Going three for three, Superflux has also released a Piña Colada version of its popular Fountainbier series, packed with coconut and pineapple juice.
Saisons, Sours, and Porters
Taylight’s limited release New York Sour is a strawberry raspberry sour layered on top of a Mango IPA. It looks enticing.
Field House’s latest sour is Key Lime Creamsicle.
And if you’re more into bananas, Field House also released a banana split smoothie sour.
BNA Brewing has a barrel-aged saison aged in red wine barrels.
îles Sauvage is testing a batch of Smoked Porter, brewed with malts that were smoked with beechwood.
BEER APPRECIATION
Last week we wanted your help prioritizing which beer appreciation course we should devote our energy and attention to producing. Here’s what you told us and what we’re doing about it:
How would you like to deepen your appreciation of beer?
I want to become a:
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ⬜️ (38%) 🖋️ A beer poet, capable of describing nuanced beer flavours.
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ⬜️ (38%) 🌿 Hop aficionado
⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (0%) 🪷 Sour zen master
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (23%) 📚️ Walking beer style encyclopedia
Based on that feedback, we won’t be launching a course on sour beers just yet! However, we have begun production on our very first beer appreciation course, and it is designed to bring you a whole new world of beer flavours.
New! Taste a Whole New World of Beer
We are planning to launch our first online beer appreciation course on May 15, 2023. If you reserve your spot before then, you get a massive discount.
You’ll unlock your ability to taste nuanced flavours and heighten your sensory experience every time you enjoy beer. We're designing this course to get you from beer lover to beer expert. In only 55 minutes, you will:
Access a world of new tastes and flavours from your favourite beers
Describe nuanced flavours in craft beer with vivid detail
Demystify craft beer so that you enjoy every sip with confidence
Fully appreciate beer's appearance, aroma, flavour, and mouthfeel
Unlock a heightened sensory experience every time you enjoy beer
You won't need to spend weeks combing through books and tasting sessions. You’ll only need 55 minutes and beer will never taste the same.
And by reserving your spot now, you’re getting an $85 value for $15 - an 83% discount.
For less than the price of a four-pack of craft beer, you’ll get access to the entire course, including videos, transcripts, and worksheets, as well as our 40+ page tasting guide and a bonus palate training lesson.
🧒 🐶 KIDS AND DOGS IN TAPROOMS
Courtney Iseman wrote about a recent experience in a tap room involving young toddlers and ways parents go wrong with kids and/or dogs in the taproom:
They think every single person is as obsessed with theirs as they are.
They treat the third place that is the taproom as a free range for their kids or dogs.
People, what are we doing here? A place that serves alcohol, a place where hard edges abound and glass is literally everywhere, this is not a place anyone should run free, let alone our uninhibited, carefree, and naive children and dogs. This endangers staff, it endangers other patrons, and, hello, if none of that moves you, it endangers your own children and dogs.
Courtney argues that there is indeed a place for kids and dogs at breweries—that breweries are community gathering places, and welcoming people with kids and dogs is a huge, vital component of being fully inclusive. But she also thinks its patrons’ responsibility to be aware and considerate. What do you think?
🎧️ PODCAST
In the latest episode of Beer Loop Talks, I meet up with one of Eastbound Brewing Company’s founders, Dave Watson and talk about:
How a previous failure didn't deter him from launching his own business
The art of pitching investors and why a business plan matters
The surreal experience of opening day
You can listen and subscribe here. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Episode five drops next week.
If you only do one thing this weekend
Vancouver Brewers Fest kicks off today and runs through April 30. We’re talking ten days of beer-filled events with 25 breweries. The list of events is impressive. Multiple events/day at multiple breweries. You can get the full event list here. While many of the events are free or open to walk-ins, some are ticketed, so spend some time on the festival website picking what’s right for you.
Also happening this weekend
🎚️ Beats, beers, burritos…it’s Frequency Fridays at Russell Brewing, 7-9pm.
🎸 Red Truck has live music Friday and Saturday from 730-9pm.
🎶 Deadfrog has live music every Sunday from 230-6pm.
🪕 Smuggler’s Trail also has live music this Sunday, 3-6pm.
🎤 Open Mic Sundays at Container Brewing. Grab a beer, get on the mic, bring your fans. Sign-up is at 6pm, mic opens at 7pm.
🎤 Karaoke Night makes its return at HUBCo brewing in Mission, on April 22.
🛍️ Sip and Shop at Old Yale on Sunday, 2-6pm. The brewery is bringing the community together with local artisans at its Chilliwack location.
Upcoming Events
⛺️ Another Beer Co. is organizing a massive flea market on April 23.
NEW! 🦊 33 Acres is launching its latest collaboration with Osteria Savio Volpe on April 28, featuring drink pairings and the release of Fox Got Your Tongue.
🔥 Luppolo is marking the release of its new Smoked Helles Lager with The Smoke Show on April 29, featuring DJ Lux.
NEW!🎪 Victoria Beer Week runs from May 5-13th at various venues across Greater Victoria. Tickets are on sale now.
🎪 Langley Craft Beverage Week kicks off May 12 for 9 days of festivities.
🎪 Kelowna Beer Fest will feature 30+ breweries on May 13, 1-7pm.
🤠 Farm Country is hosting a Honky Tonk Showdown on May 18th, 6-10pm.
🎪 Brewhalla is back in Fort Langley on Saturday, May 20th for the 6th annual craft beer and music festival.
NEW! 🎸 Starting on May 21, Container Brewing is kicking off its summer concert series. Eight events throughout the summer months.
🤯 Trivia Nights
Every Monday at Smuggler's Trail in Langley
Every Monday at Mariner in Coquitlam
Every Tuesday at Old Yale in Chilliwack
Every Tuesday at Farm Country in Langley
Every Wednesday at Moody Ales in Port Moody
Every Thursday at 3 Dogs Brewing in White Rock, it’s music trivia.
Every Thursday at Small Gods is full deck games night.
Every Thursday at Persephone in Gibsons.
🏃♀️ Run Clubs
Steel & Oak hosts a run club every Wednesday night. Run 3km or 5km to earn that beer!
Small Gods invites you to join the Small Gods Production Team every Tuesday evening. Meet at the brewery at 6pm, run around Sidney and return at 7pm to enjoy $1 off the latest beer release.
Tinhouse hosts a run club every Tuesday at 630pm.
Strath Lager
Strath Lager in its natural environment
Brewery: Strathcona
Location: Vancouver
Tasting Notes:
It was dark and rainy outside on a Sunday evening and this light lager brightened my mood. It’s a Japanese Rice Lager that pours crystal clear and light yellow. The nose welcomes you in with sweet light malt aromas. The light cereal sweetness carries through the flavour in a balanced way. Super light, super quenchable, and a wonderful treatment of the style. Drink this on a hot summer’s day with smoked BBQ and you’ll be happy.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
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