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Is it a Wit or is it an IPA?
Ten new beers, and what it means to be a White IPA
Joseph Lavoie
August 30, 2022
Good morning!
It took everything in me, but I resisted the urge to get a face tattoo at House of Funk’s End of Summer party. Thankfully, the pilsner was so good, I had no regrets.
The new beer releases keep on coming this week, with 10 new beers hitting the market since we last popped into your inbox on Friday, including a White IPA. Which has us wondering, what exactly is a White IPA? Scroll down to find out.
– Joseph Lavoie
NEW BEER RELEASE
Pineapple Cheesecake
Who needs dessert when you can have cheesecake in a beer?
Superflux brewed The Creamery with pineapple purée, vanilla, graham crumb, cheesecake and milk sugar. In case the pineapple wasn’t enough, this beer also features Idaho 7 Cryo for even more pineapple flavor. It comes in at an easygoing 5.5% ABV.
Available in four-packs at the brewery and online.
Location: 505 Clark Dr., Vancouver| Map
Blood Orange and Bourbon Sour
This is what’s called “burying the lede”...the real interesting part of this new beer? Bricklayer Brewing made it with an 11-year old sourdough starter. That means the yeast gave this beer a naturally sour and lemony note. Toss in some blood orange and bourbon and you have an interesting beer that gives you an excuse to make your way to Chilliwack.
Available: On tap and in to-go cans at the brewery
Location: 46126 Yale Rd., #101, Chilliwack | Map
High Cascades Citra Pale Ale
North Point Brewing is going back to a classic style with the release of their High Cascades Citra Pale Ale. As you can probably tell, this one was made with Citra and Cascade hops, two hop varieties that defined this beer style with their citrus and pine notes. At an easy-going 4.5%, it’s more sessionable than some of the classic American pale ales.
Available: on tap and in four-packs at the brewery
Location: 266 1st St. E, North Vancouver| Map
White IPA
Here’s a beer style we don’t see all too often. Studio Brewing has released this White IPA which promises an explosion of tropical fruit, derived from El Dorado, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops. You can expect a bouquet of pineapple and passionfruit.
Available: on tap and in cans to go at the brewery
Location: 5792 Beresford St., Burnaby | Map
Tropical Sour
This first of two weekend releases put out by Backcountry Brewing is a collaboration with Field House Brewing. It was made with tangerine, passionfruit, and cherry. It comes in at a gentle 5.5%, to have you coming back for more. Given how little time we have left to enjoy summer, I may just take my time with this one…
Available: Sept. 1, at the brewery and shipping province-wide in the days and weeks to come
Location: 405-1201 Commercial Way, Squamish | Map
MORE BEER RELEASES
Land and Sea has a new farmhouse ale with a snappy spice, balanced floral hops and a brisk finish.
Beachfire Brewing is marking the turn of the season with the return of its Flower Power sour ale.
Beacon Brewing’s latest rotator is a 4.3% vanilla blonde on nitro.
Coast Mountain has brought us a juicy, sparkling pop sour made with Mosaic and Galaxy hops.
Backcountry also has a new Helles Lager perfect for those of us in need of something crisp and refreshing.
IN THE NEWS
Deals, announcements, re-releases, and other news from your favourite breweries
The shuffleboard is back at Parkside Brewery.
Shoreline Brewing Co has a $500 giveaway to mark the end of summer.
Superflux continues to offer a hot dog happy hour, Monday through Friday, 1pm to 4pm.
Here’s a variation on a theme: 3 Dogs Brewing is hosting a hot dog eating contest on Sept. 10.
33 Acres is bringing back Thursday Night Mezcal and Tacos, from 5 pm to 9 pm.
Your other Thursday night option is cocktails and vinyl at Steel & Oak.
Farm Country has a new-look dessert, featuring a Skor dip.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
What is a White IPA?
With a fresh White IPA coming out this week, we found ourselves digging through the history books to explore how this beer style came to be. White IPA is actually a hybrid of two styles and the name gives us a clue as to what we should expect:
White, or “wit,” as in Belgian Wit, tells us to expect the refreshing and spicy characteristics of that famous wheat ale.
IPA, as in American IPA, tells us to expect a highly hopped character.
As with so many new IPA styles that have emerged in the last decade, White IPA was originally invented in the US, apparently born of a collaboration between Deschutes Brewery in Oregon, and the Belgian-born brewmaster at Boulevard Brewing.
Did you know? In beer years, White IPA is a new style, having been first brewed in 2010.
Food pairings: White IPA loves to be paired with cheese, fish and chicken.
Ever thought of making your own? Here are some pro tips on making a homebrew version.
JOB BOARD
Farm Country is in need of front-of-house staff.
Smuggler’s Trail is looking to hire a chef.
Moody Ales could use your number crunching skills if you’re looking for an accountant job.
Red Truck Brewing is on the hunt for a territory manager.
Red Bird is hiring for full-/part-time kitchen staff.
Central City needs your perfectionism as a quality control specialist or as a microbiologist.
Central City is also looking for an accountant and a category manager.
Old Yale Brewing is still on the hunt for a marketing coordinator.
Steamworks is in urgent need of a maintenance technician.
JUST BECAUSE
It’s been too long since we posted a cute dog/beer photo, so we were thankful that La Cerveceria Astilleros posted this one.
BEER LOOP PICKS
News, fun reads, deep dives and other distractions.
Have you ever wondered where to get the best pint of Guinness? Here are the best five pints, if you’re prepared to travel to Dublin. [Dublin By Pub]
Long read: Here’s a deep exploration of beer halls in Munich and Bavaria. [Washington Post]
Does the beer flavour wheel need a refresh to account for tasting notes from a wider set of regions and cultures? [Good Beer Hunting]
Toronto’s booming craft beer scene - an insider’s guide barely touches the surface of the amazing options available in this city. Add Godspeed and Left Field to this list to make it more complete. [Financial Times]
BREWERYGUESSER
This week's brewery logo uses two basic colours. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Can you guess which brewery it is?
Include your name with the correct answer and we'll include it in the next newsletter.
SURVEY
Share New Beer Releases
Do you work at a BC brewery? We want to feature more local beers in our beer release list. But sometimes we miss them.
We've created a form where you can submit your upcoming releases. Beers submitted through this form will have a better chance of featuring in our newsletter.
Here's the form. Fill it out anytime you have a new beer release.