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Ever heard of a Haskap berry?
It's a real thing. Plus lots of berry-inspired sours make the release list
Joseph Lavoie
April 28, 2023
Happy Friday!
Congrats to those of you who took advantage of our early bird pricing for our new beer appreciation course. If you want to join these incredibly smart people, scroll down for details. Or click here.
In today’s issue we:
Share 21 beers, including one brewed with caramelized bananas. 🍌
Get your strong views on children and dogs in tap rooms
Seek your views on the perfect patio beer
Recommend you enjoy smoked lagers, pizza, and BBQ in East Van
Enjoy the long weekend!
— Joseph Lavoie
☕️ If you like our work and want to give us an extra boost, you can fill up our coffee mugs. The boost keeps us energized to help you enjoy craft beer to the fullest. Supporters get exclusive benefits. Check ‘em out.
FEATURED NEW BEER RELEASE
Brewed with a berry you’ve never heard of
@smugglerstrail/Instagram
Smugglers Trail used Haskap berries from Salmon Arm, which “taste like the love child of a blueberry and a raspberry” to make ALLKAPS. You can see what these berries look like from the farm that supplied the berries.
The result is a creamy pinky purple hue, low bitterness and a slight spice to complement the jammy and tangy taste of the berries. The wheat beer profile lets the flavours shine so you can enjoy these unusual berries in all their glory.
Available: only at the brewery with extremely limited supply.
Lagers
BNA Brewing is welcoming the forecasted warm weather this weekend with a limited release of its new Rice Pilsner, featuring crisp and light floral and lime-citrus notes.
Bright Eye also used rice in its new Rice Lager, hopped with Cryo Citra.
Beachfire’s new seasonal beer is called Southern Passion Pilsner, and it’s a crisp Pilsner-style lager brewed with Southern Passion hops from South Africa for a fruity hop bitterness.
Bomber Brewing has a new Vienna Lager brewed with a smooth malt-forward character with a hint of noble hop aromas.
Superflux has gone ahead and created a new beer style it’s calling Mediterranean Lager, with lots of lemon, hay, and cracker best enjoyed with a can of canned fish.
Land and Sea’s new Italian Pilsner has soft floral, herbal and citrus aromas with a crisp and balanced flavour.
Ales and IPAs
Brewhall’s new double dry hopped IPA features two Cryo Hops for peach, pineapple, and fresh grapefruit aromas.
Farm Country has one keg of Big Bill’s Blonde Ale, named after a Canadian Snooker champion with one heck of a backstory!
Small Gods’ latest dessert beer is a classic German hefeweizen brewed with caramelized bananas and lactose sugar for a creamy patio beer. 🍌
Field House is hoping to quench your thirst with a new passion fruit hazy pale ale.
Parkside and Coast Mountain have collaborated on a Rye Beer available at both breweries.
Rewind and Brassneck have wrapped their latest collaboration beer with Scantron paper. No idea what’s inside though.
Callister has released the beer it made with the community on International Women’s Day. Hecate Hazy Pale Ale features notes of pineapple, mango with a touch of grass.
White Sails went Northwest with its new pale ale, featuring a light body and a moderate hop treatment for a bright hop forward profile with notes of citrus and pineapple.
Brassneck experimented with Jackfruit to make an IPA that is “unusual on the palate at first, we love how the tropical flavours take over.”
Sours
Field House leaned into tangerine, blueberries, and vanilla for its latest sour release.
Small Gods collaborated with Slackwater on a pavlova sour, loaded with passionfruit, orange, and strawberry purée with vanilla and lactose sugar for good measure.
Locality’s latest sour featured strawberries and blueberries for sweet and sour quality to it.
Strathcona used lemons, toasted coconut flakes, brown sugar and lactose to make a sour that “smells like a bakery, tastes like a cupcake” with a lemon finish.
Backcountry has a new fruit punch sour that may remind you of kool-aid mixers.
🎧️ PODCAST
Abandoning the Dream
In the final episode of the first season of The Beer Talks, I share what drove me to abandon my dream of launching a brewery in the Fraser Valley:
What inspired my creative vision
How that same creative vision proved challenging
And how money ultimately influenced my decision
You can listen and subscribe here. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
KIDS AND DOGS IN TAPROOMS
Last week, we explored the role of breweries as community hubs, and the degree to which children and dogs should be welcomed in alcohol manufacturing facilities. We wanted your take, and you had a lot to say!
The brewery taproom is…
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ⬜️ (67%) 👪️ A third-space for community gathering, including kids and dogs
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (33%) 🪢 A third-space for community gathering, best left to adults
⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (0%) 🤷♀️ An alcohol manufacturing facility
SE: 👪️ “But, owners/care providers should 100% take responsibility for their pet/child’s action and should keep dogs on a lead at ALL times 🙂“
AG: 👪️ “Just look at Old Yale's new space in Abbotsford, has a dedicated play place for kids. Many breweries also actively invite dogs. Where some people go wrong is letting the kids/dogs roam free or cause a ruckus. They need to respect other people's enjoyment of the space and beer as well by maintaining control over said kids and dogs.”
AM: 👪️ “So frustrating, annoying, unsafe when kids are left to free-range a taproom. Worse, when parents are asked to keep their kids in control, they get all butt-hurt about it. I've seen plants destroyed, felt/crayons on walls and tables, standing on chairs/stools, food debris fields a mile wide, bathroom debaucles... 90% of parents do a great job in supervising their kids, but the ones that don't border on being negligent and make it staff's and other patrons problem. Ma'am/Sir - This is not a Boston Pizza!”
VE: 🪢 “Dogs yes, kids no.”
🏖️ PATIO SEASON
The sun is coming hot this weekend, and many breweries have freshened up their patios to welcome you this weekend. Which has us wondering…
BEER APPRECIATION
Taste a whole new world of beer flavour
Taste a Whole New World of Beer
We are planning to launch our first online beer appreciation course on May 15, 2023. 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
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.
If you only do one thing this weekend
@luppolo_brewing/Instagram
Luppolo is marking the release of its new Smoked Helles Lager with The Smoke Show tomorrow, featuring DJ Lux. The event kicks off at 12pm and runs to 11pm. The brewery will also launch a couple more smoked beers and feature a pizza collaboration with Mordimi and Aftermath BBQ for lots of smokey pizzas and snacks. The event is part of Vancouver Brewers fest.
Also happening this weekend
🎪 Vancouver Brewers Fest continues this weekend, running through to Sunday with 25 participating Vancouver breweries. Some events are ticketed. You can get the full event list here.
🦊 33 Acres is launching its latest collaboration with Osteria Savio Volpe tonight, featuring drink pairings and the release of Fox Got Your Tongue.
🎚️ Beats, beers, burritos…it’s Frequency Fridays at Russell Brewing, 7-9pm.
🎸 Red Truck has live music Friday and Saturday from 730-9pm.
NEW! 🥳 Old Yale is celebrating the opening of its new location in Abbotsford with a party, 11am-midnight. Food, games, live music.
🎶 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.
Upcoming Events
😂 Farm Country is hosting Brewhaha, a night of comedy on April 16th. Tickets $15.
🎤 Karaoke Night makes its return at HUBCo brewing in Mission, on April 22.
🎪 Victoria Beer Week runs from May 5-13th at various venues across Greater Victoria. Tickets are on sale now.
NEW! 😜 You’re encouraged to pucker up at Tinhouse’s All Things Sour festival. Six sour beers on tap, including guest taps. May 5.
🎪 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.
🎸 Starting on May 21, Container Brewing is kicking off its summer concert series. Eight events throughout the summer months.
NEW! 🪕 Russell and Roots takes place July 29th and August 12th at Softball City in Surrey.
🤯 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.
Container hosts game night on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
🏃♀️ 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.
Four Winds Italian Pilsner
As served at the Barley Merchant in Langley
This beer came to my table incredibly clear and light gold in colour. I got a wonderful malt sweetness on first contact, with a hint of light honey. The entire flavour profile is rounded with a slight softness. Bitterness is present without being overly jppy. Incredibly approachable and delicious, I could have had several pints of this one.
FUN
Top marks to Old Yale for this Wes Anderson-inspired video:
FROM THE ARCHIVES
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