Springtime vibes

Happy Friday!

I was in Miami last weekend scoping out some breweries. If you want my recommendations, hit me up with a reply. It felt like winter when I left, and it feels like spring as I return. The weather is warming up, and BC’s breweries have a bunch of new lagers and spring-inspired beers for us to enjoy this week.

In today’s issue we:

• 🎧️ Drop the latest episode of the pod

• Share 20 new beers including a bunch of lagers

• Tally your votes on an upcoming beer tax hike

• Ask how you much you love beer merch

• Encourage you to drink bad beer (seriously)

Enjoy the weekend!

— Joseph Lavoie

FEATURED NEW BEER RELEASE

Brunch Beermosas

With the days getting longer and the sun rising earlier, we’re inching closer to patio season, and with that, sunny brunches. By definition, brunch must include a mimosa. Or this enticing beermosa from Coast Mountain. This is a clean and crisp pale ale with some stone fruit character and the addition of orange juice. It weighs in at a breezy 5.5% ABV and gives you the permission you need to enjoy a beer before 12pm.

Available: At the brewery and shipping throughout the Sea to Sky over the next week.

Springtime cherry blossoms

Faculty is celebrating the arrival of spring with 257 Sakura Saison, a low ABV cherry blossom saison. Brewed with jasmine green tea and a touch of rosewater, this saison has notes of honey with a highly floral bouquet.

Available: at the brewery.

Lagers

• Bomber Brewing has an Italian Pilsner called Furio.

• Old Yale is dropping a new Czech Style Pilsner this week.

• Small Gods has an interesting hybrid lager - one part Helles Lager, and one part American Premium Lager featuring 100% European Pilsner malt grown in Canada.

• East Van has changed the recipe for its Rice Lager, now available in the tasting room.

• Bomber Brewing also released a rice lager this week, promising a light cracker body and spicy herbal finish.

• Beacon Brewing’s seasonal pilsner was fermented on grape pomace.

• Luppolo’s New Zealand Pilsner has aromas of fresh citrus zest, gooseberries, tropical fruit, and flavours of honey, graham cracker and subtle notes of wine.

Ales and IPAs

• Backcountry dropped a new Simcoe Pale Ale with another incredibly long name.

• House of Funk’s new West Coast IPA, LOKI, has a couplex spicy malt backbone with fruity dank notes of blueberries, orange, pine and dark grape.

• Farm Country and Five Roads have collaborated on a “British-ish” IPA featuring flavours of melon, tropical fruit, and berry. There’s only one keg, available at Farm Country.

• Backcountry is resurrecting an old core beer, Dead of Night Galaxy IPA, for a limited time.

• Parkside is releasing a Cold IPA today at noon.

• Superflux’s DIBBS is a new Kölsch-style ale with light malt notes and a crispy dry finish.

• Brewhall collaborated with Toronto’s Henderson Brewing to make a peach pale ale, brewed with peach purée and hopped with Amarillo and Cashmere hops

Stouts and Sours

• R&B Brewing’s latest brew is a mocha stout brewed in collaboration with Elysian Coffee.

• Bayview Brewing has a Tiramisu Imperial Stout aged on coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla and ladyfingers.

• Container’s mango and pineapple sour is back. Hey Dreamer is a light 4.5% tropical treat.

• Dead Frog has a new pink lemonade sour in its upcoming Juice Box Sour Mixer. Loads of strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, and lemon.

🎧️ PODCAST

Beer and Order

The latest episode of Beer Loop Talks is out, and this week I share a conversation I had with Michael Poznanski, a lawyer at BTM Lawyers LLP in Port Moody.

As I was wrapping up my business plan for the brewery, I realized I still needed clarity on how I would finance the dream. I needed help unpacking the difference between equity financing, debt financing and even something as basic as choosing a name that wouldn’t cause me legal heartburn.

You don’t need to be a brewer to enjoy this episode. Our favourite breweries usually have 2-3 years of work to do before we get to taste their first beer. A lot goes into something as basic as the name, the brand, and even the name of your favourite beer. This will give you a whole other appreciation for the journey the brewery took to get you that beer.

Michael covers:

• The challenges in choosing a legally-appropriate name

• Financing options and their legal implications

• Lessons he’s learned by helping a dozen breweries in BC

You can listen and subscribe here. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Episode four drops in two weeks.

BEER TAX HIKE

Last week we asked you how you plan to cope with the April 1st 6.3% hike of the federal excise tax on alcohol. No surprise, we want to support our breweries!

How are you going to cope with higher beer prices?

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (13%) 📉 Drink 6% less beer

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ⬜️ (40%) 📈 Drink 6% more beer to support our brewers

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 (47%) 💰️ Find savings elsewhere

Your perspective:

• K.X.N: “The increase on the tax works out to about 1 cent ($0.01) per 355 ml of beer.”

BREWING MERCH

Not a week goes by without a BC brewery announcing new or fresh merchandise for sale. I used to collect t-shirts from breweries I visited around the world, but eventually stopped because the shirts began to pile up. Then I switched to ball caps. Had to stop that too…but it’s been years since I bought merchandise. You?

If you only do one thing this weekend

If you want to take your beer appreciation to a whole new level, I highly recommend taking an off-flavour tasting course. While the idea might sound unappealing — who wants to taste bad beer? — you’ll get a whole new understanding of beer. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

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.

🎚️ Brookswood is hosting DJ Mateo from 7pm-close

Upcoming Events

 🎸 Nashville Nights makes its return to Farm Country on March 30th, featuring live music in the tasting room and proceeds from ticket sales going directly to the artists.

🌭 KPU Langley Campus is hosting Food Truck Wars, with 45+ Food Trucks, a beer garden, and live entertainment from March 31-April 2.

🤣 Five Roads Brewing is hosting comedian Ed Hill on April 15. Tickets $23.

🎪 Kelowna Beer Fest will feature 30+ breweries on May 13, 1-7pm.

🎪 Brewhalla is back in Fort Langley on Saturday, May 20th for the 6th annual craft beer and music festival.

🤯 Trivia Nights

• Every Monday at Smuggler's Trail in Langley

• 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.

• 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.

GAMES

Our Wordle returns this week. An ale from this English town has made its way to Mission.

HUBCo Brewing Burton Ale

I found myself in HubCo’s tasting room in early March, using the tastefully designed tap room as a remote office. It was worth the drive to Mission, as I took home a fresh batch of this English-style ale.

It pours a dark amber colour with red hues when held to the light. The nose is filled with sweet caramel and fruity esters. Malty goodness up front makes way for a delicate roast malt note and a balanced hop bitterness. With some dark biscuit in the sweet finish, you’ll picture yourself at a small pub in England.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Beer Loops you may have missed

• This beer was conditioned on potatoes - read more

• A whole bunch of new IPAs were released earlier this month - read more

• Pucker up with this wave of sour beers - read more

• The Mix-Pack: Cole Staughton’s curated 4-pack of BC Beer - read more