BC Beerventure: Brews of the Great North

How did Memorial Day Weekend turn into a trip to BC?  A Mumford & Sons concert and six breweries to visit and there you have it: BC Beerventure 2013.  Here is my guide to the must try beer in Southern British Columbia.

Steamworks Brewery
Vancouver, BC
steamworks.com
Located within a block of the Waterfront Station, this brewery in downtown Vancouver has everything the wandering tourist needs: hockey on the flat screens, pool tables downstairs, and plenty of beer on tap.  I've been a fan of their Empress IPA for awhile.  However, I especially liked their Cascadia Cream Ale this visit.  It must have been the Cascade hops in this session ale that quenched my thirst just right after a traffic filled road trip up North. 



Central City Brewing Company
Surrey, BC
centralcitybrewing.com
Having an hour until Mumford & Sons took the stage at Holland Park, a quick beer stop was needed.  Right in the heart of everything, this brewery didn't seem like your run of the mill mall brewpub.  Their sampler was literally the best one I have ever had.  The Raspberry Wheat was light, crisp, and mildly fruity.  The Nitrogen Stout was flavorful throughout the sip, a difficult feat to accomplish.  The Pale and IPA were perfectly hoppy.  If there wasn't a sold out concert to attend, we would have spent many more hours at this exceptional brewery. 

Yaletown Brewing Company

Vancouver, BC
http://www.markjamesgroup.com/yaletown.html
Nothing says breakfast on a holiday weekend like an eight beer sampler and a Champions League playoff game.  Yaletown Brewing offers a comfortable atmosphere (picture leather couches and big screens) in a trendy part of Vancouver.  Easily accessible by the SkyTrain, YBC's' beers were solid across the board.  Be sure to try their Helmcken Black and Tan.


Parallel 49 Brewing Company
Vancouver, BC
parallel49brewing.com
A refreshing five kilometer walk took us from Yaletown to East Vancouver where we landed at our next brewery.  With unlimited tasters and a flat screen with a live feed into the brewhouse, we found our resting place at the bar while we dried off from the rain.  Plenty of hoppy options with a surprising palette discovery: I preferred Parallel's hoppy lagers to their ales.  Both the Black Hops Cascadian Black Lager and the Hoparazi India Pale Lager earned precious backpack real estate.

Granville Island Brewing Company

Vancouver, BC
gib.ca
With only thirty minutes in the parking meter, we quickly made our way down to Granville Island.  Saddling up to the only two seats available at the bar, we ordered six samples, three hoppy three not.  My favorites were the False Creek Raspberry Ale and the Ginja Ninja Ginger Beer.  While they didn't have their Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale on tap, we scored a few bottles from the gift shop.

Brewhouse: High Mountain Brewing Company
Whistler, BC
http://www.drinkfreshbeer.com/brewhouse.html
A full tank of gas and nowhere to be, the Sea to Sky Highway lead us up to Whistler Village.  Filled with mountain bikers, the village was bustling with tourists and thrill seekers alike.  At the Brewhouse, our first stop of course, I found an IPA that hit the spot.  So much so in fact, I had to get another sample just to make sure.  Brewhouse takes pride in being the only people to brew beer up at Whistler.  After some friendly service and a hearty Mac and Cheese, we were off to explore the sights.


Howe Sound Brewing Company
Squamish, BC
http://www.howesound.com/home.aspx
Not even on the list to hit, we made a "why not" stop in Squamish to try out some Howe Sound brews.  I had tried a few of theirs that have made it to the States, but definitely wasn't prepared for the repertoire of beer that greeted me.  A thirteen, yes thirteen, tap sampler platter was filled with every type of beer you could think of.  Of all the ones I tried, I grew quite found of the Goldtooth Berliner Weisse, Whitecap Wheat, Garibaldi Honey Pale, and the Super Jupiter Grapefruit IPA. 

What did my BC Beerventure teach me?  Well, for this hophead, it taught me to step out of the box.  Every place we went, I immediately ordered an IPA.  Sometimes impressed and other times disappointed, BC IPAs, in my opinion, are either stellar or lack luster, not much in between.  That being said, I was highly impressed by the seasonal offerings and less explored styles.  Our imported loot varied from fruit ales, to ginger beer, and even some lagers.  Great beers from the Great North, indeed.

App Review: Craft Beer Magazine

Rarely am I seen without my iPhone.  It's either in the pocket of my jeans or glued to my left hand.  More recently, I have been toting around my iPad everywhere from the beer bar to the coffee shop in order to stay connected.  With the plethora of apps available, I can research beer recipes, publish a blog post, and even read the latest magazines.  This is how I came across Craft Beer Magazine.
 
This 20 page bimonthly publication features articles across the board.  Recently launched in May, this info packed iPad only magazine contains just the right amount of pages for a tablet periodical.  With my hectic schedule, I like having something to read at my fingertips that isn't too lengthy.  The articles in their inaugural edition focused on the revolution of craft beer in America, a new Tweet-a-Beer service, and a delicious recipe for Beer Braised Beef Stew.  I keep going back to the article on the four health benefits of beer, as if I needed more reasons to imbibe.

As expected, the table of contents identified the articles within this edition. 

What I especially liked was the ability I had to skip ahead to an article by tapping the selection.  This tablet magazine also allowed for instant multimedia integration.  Whether it was a short video clip or a link within the article, more information about the topic was literally at my fingertips. 

Featuring a variety of beer writers, this app is the creation of Fredrik Aurdal.  While he doesn't consider himself too much of a beer geek, he, like most of us, appreciates a good quality beer brewed with passion.  Knowing that the craft beer community is filled with entrepreneurs and true beer lovers, Fredrik wanted to gather all that up and provide readers a place to go.  I look forward to seeing how this magazine continues to incorporate the vast craft beer culture by including regional features, veteran along with up and coming breweries, and reviews of seasonal brews. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/craft-beer-magazine/id643848007

Craft Beer Meets Beer Crafts

A picture on Facebook a few months back caught my eye.  A beautiful silver ring with a resin encased hop came across my newsfeed.  Immediately I clicked on the link and I was taken to Brewery Ferment's Etsy site (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BreweryFerment).  Perusing all the of the beer centered crafts, mainly hop jewelry, I became intrigued with this company.  A bit more clicking and searching, I found that Brewery Ferment was actually a brewery in Traverse City, Michigan (https://www.facebook.com/BreweryFerment).  Obviously intrigued and dreaming of a new location for a summer trip, I contacted BF to see which came first: the craft beer or the beer crafts.  Kirsten Jones, brewer's sister and craft designer was kind enough to fill me in.


TGB:  How long have you been brewing?  How did it all get started?
BF:  Dustin Jones is our head of fermentology.  He has been homebrewing for about six years now.  Always having a taste for quality beer, he decided to try making it himself.  It quickly became an obsession.  He held seasonal tasting parties and we were all hooked right away.  We realized we wanted to bring this amazing beer to the people.  Traverse City (hometown to Dustin and me) was rapidly becoming a microbrewery destination, so a move was made to make this dream come true.  The third partner is Carly, Dustin's long time girlfriend and friend of mine.

TGB:  When did the jewelry and beer crafts come into play?
BF:  The jewelry was actually always part of the dream.  Carly and I both have our degrees in Fashion Design.  I branched into jewelry and started hand making "beads" with resin so I could encase hops, pressed flowers, leaves, pictures, etc.  Dustin makes art in the form of beer, so Carly and I want to make the merchandise just as unique.  Because of these reasons, we also call ourselves a Boutique Brewery.

TGB:  What has been the response to both the brewing and the crafts?
BF:  This smaller town loves to support local businesses.  We have gotten a great response with both.  People love that we are a casual neighborhood brewery with great tasting beer.  They also love that the owners are almost always the ones working, so we get to know each other.  We try to create a fun atmosphere so people can enjoy the drinks and their time spent here.  We have a small display of merchandise at the brewery, which people really seem to enjoy.  They are fascinated by the fact that there are actual hops in the jewelry and that everything is handmade.  Social media has played a huge part in the online sales of the merchandise and we are constantly adding new things to our Etsy shop. 

TGB:  What is everyone's favorite style to drink right now?
BF:  Being in the beer industry, we are always excited to try a variety of beers in any style.  It's hard to pick a definite favorite.  For me, I am liking sour beers.  Carly is really into Belgians in general.  Dustin likes to drink anything that he hasn't tried before.  His favorite to brew right now are specialty IPAs using all local hops.  They are not only delicious but people tend to like them the best.  Plus, it helps support the local hop growers.

Speaking of hops, after I finally narrowed down the hop ring that I wanted, it was ordered and in no time, at my doorstep.  Perfectly packaged and ready to wear, this ring has become my new favorite piece of beer art.  Every time I wear it, seen here at a home brewer's dinner I was featured at, I get a ton of compliments.  Besides designing jewelry for Brewery Ferment, Kirsten also has her own company Kirsten Jones Designs (www.kirs10jones.com) where she focuses on handmade, recycled, wearable art with her Rockin' Wire Jewelry and Revamped Threads lines. 

Beer is art.  Art is beer. 

The 35s Make Beer

Danel, Jessica, and me

What started off as an idea in Jessica's kitchen a little over a year ago has now turned into an adventure obsession.  We are the 35s: three friends from high school, reconnected through social media, with a common need to try 35 new things the year that we are 35 years old.  So far, we have tried Zorbing (think human hamster ball down a steep ramp into a field by a freeway), successfully sewed an apron, and even survived a Zombie infested night run.  While I brew once a month, Danel and Jessica still hadn't embarked on that adventure, until the first Sunday in May.
With our warm weather right around the corner, I knew that it was about time to use those ten pounds of blackberries in my freezer that dear friends of mine picked last year.  Pairing those berries with a lucky score of fresh rhubarb, we decided to make an adaptation of my Blackberry Wheat.  Going off my recipe from two years ago, we made some minor adjustments to make it an extract wheat beer with the addition of fresh rhubarb. 

Blackberry Rhubarb Wheat

Yield: 10 Gallons

Grains

3lbs Crystal 40L
2lbs Wheat
3lbs Crystal 10L

Mash at 152 degrees for 30 minutes

Sparge to 11.5 gallons
Bring to a rolling boil
Add 14lbs dry wheat extract

Boil Schedule
60 min: 1.5oz of Halletauer
30 min: 3.5lbs of chopped rhubarb
15 min: .75oz of Halletauer
             5lbs blackberries
             2tsp Irish Moss
             2lbs of honey

Yeast
3 Wyeast American Ale 1056

Conditioning keg additions
5lbs of berries for 5-10 days

Gravities

Original: 1.072

Final (target): 1.016 

Helpful Hints
*  When using dried malt extract, be sure to add it quickly and start stirring briskly in order to disperse the clumps.  Unlike liquid malt, dried malt won't sink to the bottom of your boil and potentially burn. As always, be careful of hot wort splashes.
*  I used frozen blackberries but fresh ones would work just as well.  After putting them in the boil, the wort cooled down quite a bit.  I let the boil go for an extra 15 minutes in order to bring the wort back up to temperature.

Brew Talk with GCG Brewing and Supplies

Due to the glory of the interweb, I have had the privilege of connecting with some great beer folks.  What might not have transpired without the social media phenom of Facebook is the connection that I made with Andrew Webster.  A home brewer for over a decade with a desire to share the beer love, Andrew reached out to me to sample some of his latest brews.  Knowing that beer is always better with people, a "Cinco de Drinko" get together with my favorite beer lovers was planned.

Back in 2001, Andrew received his first home brew kit, from what is now morebeer.com, while stationed in Frankfurt, Germany.  Being abroad is what got Andrew curious about brewing.  Tasting all the great beer there made him want to make his own.  Fascinated by the whole brewing process, Andrew was finally able to make his first batch later in 2001.  Some of his early batches were barely drinkable, except for this German Hefeweizen that he tells me was incredible.  Regardless, he wasn't discouraged.  Over the past eleven years, his passion for brewing has only gotten stronger.  Andrew and I sat down over some of his tasty brew to chat about his new venture: GCG Brewing and Supplies.

TGB:  What is your goal with starting GCG Brewing and Supplies?
AW:  My main goal is to help expand our hobby.  Brewing for me is just as much about the process, as it is about the final product.  I believe it is important that anyone attempting to brew for the first time should enjoy the process.  If they don't, it is very possible that they won't want to brew again.  Initially we will offer simple recipe kits for several main styles: Blonde, Pale Ale, IPA, and Porter.  As we test more recipes, like we are tonight, we will expand what we offer to include more beginner kits, as well as some that will be intended more for the intermediate and advanced brewer.  To me, expanding our hobby is not only about attracting new brewers, but also encouraging current brewers to try new styles.

TGB:  How do you plan to address the different styles and trends in craft beer with your kits?

AW:  In the craft beer industry, many breweries are not only competing with the large macro breweries, but also with each other.  To do so, they are adding different spices and flavorings to their beers.  By creating more and more beers that are far outside the realm of being mainstream, they seem to almost "out unique" each other.  Not only will you find the double/triple IPAs, Black IPAs, and Imperial Stouts, you will also come across beers with vanilla beans, mint leaves, cocoa, chili peppers, coffee, coconut, orange peel, strawberries, and apples.  I have even seen a beer with catnip in it.  While those beers can certainly be quite enjoyable, generally it's better that they be brewed by an intermediate or advanced brewer.  At GCG, we are mainly focused on the beginning brewer, by including detailed brewing instructions in our kits.  As we grow and expand, we will most certainly offer kits that reach out to both intermediate and advanced brewers alike.

TGB:  What is your favorite beer to brew?  Do you brew Extract or All Grain?  What will your kits include?

AW:  I am quite partial to dark beers.  Porters and Stouts are definitely my favorites.  Personally, I prefer to brew All Grain.  It takes longer and there are more variables to consider.  However, I feel you have better control over the final product.  GCG Brewing and Supplies will be offering extract kits which will include Dried Malt Extract.  We feel that DME will stay fresh longer and will be much cheaper and easier to ship to our customers.

Let's get back to the beer tasting.  Andrew brought us everything that he had brewed with the his GCG kits.  First to taste was the Blonde Ale.  Light, crisp, and incredibly refreshing, everyone thought this ale was perfect for the unseasonably hot afternoon.  Next up was the Pale Ale.  I really liked this one as it was much hoppier than I expected.  Andrew mentioned that he might back off the hops on this one next time.  I begged him not to.  When it came to his IPAs, Andrew once again impressed all.  Mind you, everyone drinking and critiquing were home brewers themselves.  He brought us two to try: one dry hopped with Centennials and the other with an extra addition of Cascades.  I don't want to go into too much detail on how great these were, I can already sense your beer envy.

Weeks prior, Andrew told me that he would be bringing three different Porters, all with varying coffee bean additions.  The first group would just be the Porter, bottled as intended.  The next group of Porters had one coffee bean in the bottle.  The last group?  You guessed it, two coffee beans per bottle.  My favorite of the three was the Porter with one coffee bean.  Don't get me wrong, I love my coffee the same, if not more, than I love my beer.  For me, the one bean provided more coffee flavor than the Porter with two.  By the end of the tasting, Andrew had not only met some new friends, but fans of his beers too.  All of us hovered over the extra bottles, eyeing the ones we wanted to take as souvenirs.  In this home brewer's opinion, Andrew Webster and GCG Brewing and Supplies are on to something great. 

www.gcgbrewing.com

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/GCG-Brewing-and-Supplies/312668565503517?fref=ts

San Diego Beerventure: Day Three

During an amply sufficient breakfast of In-N-Out cheeseburgers, we charted our course for the last day of our beerventure in San Diego.  While I was a bit intrigued with all the secret menu choices that everybody seemed to know but me, the sight that caught my attention was when an order of fries came out "animal style."  Unable to identify all the ooey gooey toppings, I diligently loaded up knowing that a full day of exploring would fill our day up until boarding our 8:45pm flight.

San Diego Brewing Company
www.sandiegobrewing.com
The rich history of this brew pub's namesake prompted it to be our first stop.  Originally opening nearly 120 years ago, the brewing company became the largest manufacturing business in the country.   Replaced by the Pacific Fleet base in 1942, today's SDBC resides by Qualcomm Stadium.  With forty some taps, nine of which were their own, the decision of what to try was a bit difficult.  Going with SDBC's own, ten hefty samples soon arrived.  The most notable of these were the Callahan's Blueberry Wheat and Lakshmi Imperial Red.  The Blueberry Wheat was clear and crisp, with sweet yet tart blueberry flavors.  A welcomed refreshing and thirst quenching sip on a warm SoCal afternoon.  The hophead in me gravitated towards the Imperial Red.  Hoppy in all the right places, I preferred this to their house IPA.

Societe Brewing Company
societebrewing.com
The empty patio outside of this brewery was calling my name to bask in its sunshine before I could even make it out of the car.  Simple yet exquisite, this 16,000 square foot space features a large tasting room area that is right in the middle of the action.  Opening just a year ago with some distinguished Russian River Brewing Company and The Bruery alums, Societe seemed to be off to a solid start.  Getting quick sips of their IPAs, I chose a pint of The Pugilist.  This Dry Stout was a surprisingly good pairing with that aforementioned patio basking.

Stone Brewing Company
www.stonebrewing.com
With the availability of Stone beers back home, we hadn't planned on visiting this brewery.  It seemed out of the way and with so many to try within the city limits, we figured that this could be one to skip.  Disappointed and thirsty at a nearby brewery, we decided to make the five minute drive to Escondido.  Highly recommended by every beer lover privy to our adventure, we pulled into what seemed to be a fancy multi story office building.  Walking through the doors proved to be a different scene.  A gorgeous 360 degree bar sat in the middle of their World Bistro and Gardens.  

Dozens upon dozens of tables sat in the sunshine outside on their patio, which happened to be at the very edge of their gardens.  Enjoying an Enjoy By 5-17-13 Imperial IPA and freshly made hummus, our eyes ventured out to see just how far that lush landscape stretched.  Refilling our pints, we embarked on a walk around the grounds.  Adirondack chairs made from old barrels were found in every nook of the property, by the stream filled with turtles and tucked away among the shrubs.  What started off as a five minute walk turned into a two hour garden respite.  Stone not only exceeded our expectations beer wise, the ambiance of their lush gardens made this a must visit to anyone that ventures down to Southern California for beer.  

San Diego Beerventure: Day Two

Mission Brewery

missionbrewery.com

Perfectly located across the parking lot from Petco Park, this brewery was hoppin' full of Padres' fans hoping for a sweep against the World Champion San Francisco Giants.  Housed in the historic Wonder Bread building, Mission Brewery's open industrial space allowed for beer lovers to enjoy their pint while watching all the action that takes place in the brewery.  On this sunny Sunday afternoon game day, there were only two beertenders.  This proved to be the only downside to the place.  While the beer was tasty, the amount of time we had to wait to get served, by no means the fault of the two hard working ladies there, led us to head into Petco Park early to take in the sights.

Petco Park

sandiego.padres.mlb.com

For this beer lover, the only thing better than a beerventure is a beerventure with baseball.  The smell and feel of a baseball park on a sunny day is truly unlike any other.  Upon entering through the gates, we headed to get a beer.  Fresh local beer was being served all over the ballpark.  Being from Seattle and knowing first hand about the great beer served at Safeco Field, I was in awe of how many different local beers were available.  Strategically placed individual brewery kiosks were abundant.  If you couldn't find a favorite, all you had to do was head to the Craft Beers of San Diego bottle shop and you had your choice of over 50 beers.  Besides being impressed with the selection, the Big Gulp sized craft beers for a reasonable price (under $10) were a welcomed sight on a hot afternoon.  Oh, and as for the baseball game, Padres won and swept the series right out from under those Giants.

San Diego Beerventure: Day One

Escaping the Northwest gloom for a sunny weekend in San Diego, California seemed delightful.  Throw in some exclusive brewery tours along with a Padres' game and well, this girl was in heaven.  A beer destination known across the nation, San Diego is home to several distinguished breweries, many of which make some pretty badass IPAs.  Sunshine and hops?  Yes please!

Green Flash Brewing Company
www.greenflashbrew.com
A few short hours after landing in SD, we made our way to Green Flash Brewing.  I have wanted to come visit this brewery ever since my lips touched a pint of their West Coast IPA years ago.  With some time to spare prior to a private tour, we grabbed a few pints and headed out to their sun filled beer garden.  Nothing was more relaxing than enjoying Green Flash's hoppy treats while basking in the SoCal rays.  The staff provided among the best customer service I have ever experienced at a busy brewery.  Every question and need was attended to, no matter how big or small.  Even though we could have spent the rest of the day there, we finished up our tasters and headed out to White Labs.

White Labs Tasting Room
www.whitelabs.com/white-labs-tasting-room
What intrigued me most about a visit to White Labs was that a yeast producer would have a tasting room open to the public.  I was anxious to see what I could learn about how different strains affected the same beer.  Walking in and seeing the wall behind the bar lined with taps, I instantly chose a vertical tasting of their Extra Pale Ale made with four different yeast strands.  Before I knew it, another private tour was hatched, safety glasses and all.  White Labs provided nearly 75% of the yeast for the beers that won awards at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado last year.  While I have only used their yeast for my hard ciders, I walked away convinced to try them out on my next brew.

Ballast Point Brewing Company
www.ballastpoint.com
Barely finding a parking spot in this well populated industrial park brewery, we walked into what seemed like a company party.  Food trucks, tour buses, and a bar surrounded by thirsty people greeted us.  Scoring a table in the sun with a self proclaimed regular, a couple of IPAs found their way to our hands.  Big Eye IPA and Sculpin IPA hit the spot in our busy first day.  John, a BP regular and our current table mate, brought us some of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Black Marlin Porter.  Simply amazing.  Staying only for a pint, we made our way back to the beach to chase the sunset.

Pizza Port Solana Beach
www.pizzaport.com
Last year at Great American Beer Festival, I was blown away by how many Pizza Port breweries won awards for their beers.  I knew that this SD beerventure needed to end up at at least one of them.  Two of their hoppy reds, one an imperial, accompanied a caramelized onion filled bbq chicken pizza.  Scarfing down our grub and grog with just enough time to see the sun set among the Pacific Ocean waves provided the perfect ending to our first day.