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OUR CONTRIBUTORS
TED CHILD
Ted is a recognized BJCP judge and an awardwinning homebrewer, cider and mead maker. Find his beer reviews at Beer Me BC.
ROB MANGELSDORF
Rob is an award-winning journalist, certified Cicerone and BJCP-certified beer judge currently based in Victoria, B.C.
NO Ë LLE PHILLIPS
Noëlle has a PhD in medieval literature, has passed the entrance exams for the Cicerone program and the Beer Judge Certification Program and continues her beer studies with the intent of progressing. Her most recent book, Brewmasters and Brewery Creek: A History of Craft Beer in Vancouver, will be published in Fall 2024.
MATT POIRIER
Matt is a certified Cicerone®, beer educator, consultant and columnist based in Victoria, BC. Find him at Matterofbeer.com
JORDAN ST. JOHN
Jordan St. John is the editor of The Growler Ontario, head of the Beer Certificate Program at Toronto's George Brown College, author of five books, podcaster, bon vivant, and man about town.
SANDRA THOMAS
Sandra is an award-winning journalist at the Coast Reporter newspaper on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, who can now add “beer aficionado” to her resumé.
JOE WIEBE
Based in Victoria, B.C., Joe is the author of Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider's Guide to BC Breweries. He is a co-founder of Victoria Beer Week and the BC Ale Trail, for which he is the content manager.
ELYSSA PADILLO
Our 2024 cover artist, Elyssa is a Torontobased multidisciplinary designer with a love for cozy corners, fresh colours, snacks, and florals. Her goal is to put some magic into the mundane. Follow her work at elyssapadillo.com.
THE GROWLIES
Check out the winners of The Growler’s 2024 Craft Beer and Cider Awards. by Joe Wiebe
40 YEARS OF CRAFT BEER
Craft beer has been continuously brewed in B.C. since 1984. by Joe Wiebe
WHEN IN ROME...
Discovering the Italian Pilsner. by Noelle Phillips
6th ann u a l * 2024
Craft Beer & Cider Awards
STYLE SNAPSHOT
A guide to the roasty, robust porter. by Jordan St. John
HAVE YOU SEEN THE SMOKE?
Smoked beer might be an acquired taste, but it's one that's growing in popularity. by Ted Child
THE GREAT CRAFT BEER RECKONING IS HERE
The honeymoon is over for the B.C. craft beer industry, but this could be great news for B.C. craft beer lovers. by Rob Mangelsdorf
FLAVOURS IN BEER: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Part 1: Malt. by Matt Poirier
R ECIPE: CARNITAS
SANDWICH
A spicy, citrusy pulled pork sandeich with all the fixings. by Sandra Thomas
A compreshensize listing of B.C. breweries and cideries to plan your next outing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Four fun B.C. beer facts to impress your friends. by Joe Wiebe
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Craft Beer & Cider Awards
THere are the winners of the 2024 Growler craft Beer & Cider
Awards growlie goes to... And The
he Growler Craft Beer & Cider Awards, affectionately known as the Growlies, represent an opportunity for the wider community of beer and cider lovers in British Columbia to share their passion for their favourite breweries, cideries and craft beverages. Earlier this summer, our diverse panel of beer and cider experts chose their nominations from all the thousands of beers and ciders produced in B.C. and narrowed them down to categories with no more than 10 in each. (Thanks to Matthew Poirier for coordinating this part of the process.)
And then we asked you, the general public, to let us know which ones are your favourites. Some favourites that usually win showed up where expected, but, as always, there were some great surprises amid the results. Take a look and see what catches your eye. And then maybe try a beer or cider you’ve never tried before.
Thank you for doing your part and voting for your favourites. And congratulations to all the winners! Cheers, —Joe Wiebe
SILVER
–
Best Brewery in B.C.
CANNERY BREWING CANNERY BREWING
BRONZE – Best Dark Ale // Naramata Nut Brown
Best Light Lager // Lakeboat Lager
Best Sour Ale // Sunblink Berry Sour
As a leader of the Okanagan beer scene since 2000, Cannery Brewing has always worked hard to elevate the entire brewing community and the community of Penticton as well. Businesses that do that often don’t get noticed when it comes to winning awards so I was very happy to see Cannery place in the Unsung Hero category last year.
But I am even more pleased to see Cannery move up the ladder to take second place in the overall Best Brewery category this year! Beyond the generous community involvement I’ve already mentioned, the brewery has a solid and exciting beer line-up that is always getting updated along
BEST BEER IN B.C.
| 1 | Abandoned Rail Brewing Co // Märzen
Bavarian Lager
| 2 | Superflux // Colour & Shape IPA
| T-3 | Driftwood Brewing // Fat Tug IPA
BEST BREWERY IN B.C.
| 1 | Container Brewing
| 2 | Cannery Brewing Co.
| 3 | Small Gods Brewing Co.
BEST NEW BREWERY
with one of the best tasting room/patio spaces anywhere in B.C.
You can try two of the award winners, Lakeboat Lager and Naramata Nut Brown Ale, along with two other great beers, Muse Pale Ale and Trellis West Coast IPA, in Cannery’s new Okanagan Adventure Pack 12-pack, available in liquor stores throughout B.C. —Joe Wiebe
| 1 | BEVA Brewing & Blending
| 2 | Connector Brewing
| 3 | WayBack Brewing
BEST LIGHT LAGER
| 2 | Four Winds Brewing // Hüftgold
| T-3 | Cannery Brewing // Lakeboat Lager
| T-3 | Hoyne Brewing // Pilsner
BEST LIGHT ALE
| 1 | Dageraad Brewing // Burnabarian
| 2 | Four Winds Brewing // Vélo Pale Ale
| 3 | Lillooet Brewing // Honey Ale
| T-3 | Container Brewing // Lynn’s Lite Lager
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(opened between June 1, 2023 and June 1, 2024)
| 1 | Small Gods Brewing // Neverending German Pilsner
BEST DARK LAGER
| 1 | Field House Brewing // Toasted Coconut Black Lager
| 2 | Camp Beer // Dark Lager
| 3 | Moon Under Water Brew Pub // Creepy Uncle Dunkel
BEST DARK ALE
| 1 | Hoyne Brewing // Dark Matter
| 2 | Crannóg Ales // Backhand of God Stout
| 3 | Cannery Brewing // Naramata Nut Brown Ale
BEST FRUIT BEER
| 1 | Twin Sails Brewing // Would Crush
| 2 | La Cerveceria Astilleros // El Valle Salada Salted Lime Lager
Cerveza (with Boomtown) BRONZE – Best Brewery in B.C. Unsung Hero of Craft Beer Best Branding/Packaging
| 1 | Container Brewing // Twice Forgotten
| 2 | Tofino Brewing Co. // Cosmic Wave IPA
Voted Best New Brewery last year, Small Gods Brewing is already finding itself placing in the overall Best Brewery and Unsung Hero categories.
Its home is the seaside town of Sidney, located near the top of the Saanich Peninsula north of Victoria, close to the ferry terminal and airport. For the longest time, Sidney was the rarest of rarities in BC: a town with no brewery of its own. Plan to stop there on your way to or from the ferry—or if you enjoy cycling like me, you can utilize the extensive Lochside-Galloping Goose Trail network.
| 3 | Backcountry Brewing // Are You Suggesting Coconuts Migrate Imperial Stout
BEST WEIRD BEER
| 1 | R&B Brewing // Pickle Gose
| 2 | Small Gods Brewing // Sea of Tranquility Smoked Dulse Stout
| T-3 | Strathcona Brewing & Dank Mart // White Freezie
Co-founders Chris Bjerrisgaard, well known from his time at Parallel 49 and Vancouver Island Brewing, and brewer Jonny Kostiuk, ensure the beer lineup is one of the freshest you will find anywhere. Indeed, the Neverending Pilsner is a must-try in person—be sure to order a slow pour. And then order one of their delicious deli sandwiches made to order on a fresh bun baked there that morning.
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—Joe Wiebe
| 1 | Camp Beer // Lite Lager
| 2 | Four Winds Brewing // Ultralite IPA
| 3 | Whistler Brewing // Hello Limoncello Radler
CIDERY OF THE YEAR
| 1 | The Bricker Cider Co.
| 2 | Homestead Cider Co.
| 3 | Lillooet Cider Co.
Small Gods Brewing photo
TWIN CITY BREWING TWIN CITY BREWING
GOLD – Unsung Hero of Craft Beer
SILVER – Best Food Program
BRONZE – Best Specialty IPA // Chromograph Cold IPA
By now you’ve no doubt at least heard of Twin City Brewing. Hopefully, you’ve also had the chance to enjoy some of their beers, but if you haven’t visited the brewery in person, I intend to make the case that you should plan a trip to Port Alberni at your earliest convenience.
Founded in 2017 by a local couple, Twin City has been earning accolades from the get-go: Best in Show at the 2018 BC Beer Awards; the BC Ale Trail’s Best Brewery Experience award in 2020; plus numerous individual awards on the provincial and national stage.
As highlighted by its second-place award in this year’s Best Food Program category, Twin City makes amazing pizza and smoked meat sandwiches
alongside its stellar beer lineup, which features a mix of well-crafted classics and innovative boundary-pushing experiments.
—Joe Wiebe
And if you need any more incentive, there are two other great breweries in Port Alberni you can check out while you’re there, too. Other pluses include great weather, beautiful scenery and lots of local activities.
Craft Beer & Cider Awards
Twin City Brewing photo
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THE BARLEY MERCHANT THE BARLEY MERCHANT
GOLD – Best Craft Beer/Cider Bar
The Barley Merchant has won this category each year since it opened in 2021 so obviously they’re doing something (everything??) right!
Featuring 34 rotating beer taps and 8 cider taps, the Barley Merchant is on a quest to pour beer from every brewery in British Columbia. Beverage Director Josh McLaughlin curates the taplist and so far they have featured 156 different B.C. breweries and more than 1,800 unique beers. On the cider side, they’ve served cider from 30 different cider makers and offered more than 150 unique ciders.
Chef Hiran Perera operates a from-scratch kitchen with nearly everything prepared in-house.
The Barley Merchant also is well-liked in the gluten-free community thanks to its dedication to
| 1 | Homestead Cider
| 2 | Lillooet Cider
| 3 | Cherry Creek Cider
BEST NEW WORLD CIDER
| 1 | Lillooet Cider // Apricot Cider
| 2 | Brickers Cider // Original
BEST OLD WORLD CIDER
| 1 | Brickers Cider // Bittersweet Symphony
| 2 | Sea Cider // Kings and Spies
| 3 | Nomad // Original Semi-Dry
BEST SPECIALTY CIDER
| 1 | Brickers Cider // Earl Grey
BEST NEW CIDERY (opened between June 1, 2023 and June 1, 2024)
offering an inclusive menu for those with dietary restrictions.
In other words, if you’ve never checked it out, get yourself out to Langley to experience it for yourself.
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BEST BREWERY/CIDERY TASTING ROOM
| 1 | Camp Beer Co.
| 2 | Brickers Cider
| 3 | Container Brewing
BEST FOOD PROGRAM
| 1 | Rusted Rake Brewing Co.
| 2 | Twin City Brewing
—Joe Wiebe
| 3 | Fraser Valley Cider // Blueberry Limoncello
| 3 | Abandoned Rail Brewing Co.
BEST BRANDING/PACKAGING
| 1 | Backcountry Brewing
| 2 | Camp Beer Co.
| 3 | Small Gods Brewing Co.
BEST LOCAL HOMEBREWING STORE
| 1 | Barley’s Homebrewing Supplies
| 2 | Salt Spring Island Cider // Maple Bourbon Apricot
| 3 | Sea Cider // Wassail
UNSUNG HERO (brewery outside of Metro Vancouver/Victoria)
| 1 | Twin City Brewing, Port Alberni
| 2 | Abandoned Rail Brewing Co., Penticton
| T-3 | Rusted Rake Brewing, Nanoose Bay
| T-3 | Small Gods Brewing, Sidney
| 2 | That Homebrew Shop
| 3 | Bosagrape Winery & Brew Supplies
BEST CRAFT BEER/CIDER BAR
| 1 | The Barley Merchant
| 2 | The Magnet
| 3 | The Drake Eatery
Craft Beer & Cider Awards
The Barley Merchant photo
LILLOOET CIDER CO. LILLOOET CIDER CO.
GOLD – Best New World Cider // Apricot Cider SILVER – Best New Cidery BRONZE – Cidery of the Year
Lillooet Cider Co. has been heavily focused on being local, using 100% hand harvested Lillooet-grown fruit in their ciders. That focus, and the passion that owner and cidermaker Seth Jex puts into every bottle has managed to shine through.
With three awards this year, including 2nd for Best New Cidery and 3rd for Best Cidery of the Year, the upstart has some serious fans. Many of those votes clearly came from fans of the firstplace winner for Best New World Cider: their Apricot cider.
The blend of 90% apples, 10% apricots was co-fermented dry which leaves a fantastic tropical flavour and rich apricot notes with a balanced
finish from their oak aging. Lillooet Cider Co. makes vintage-style ciders, launching each April and usually selling out by November, so grab yours now through their website or in person at their home base at Fort Berens Estate Winery.
—Matt Poirier
Lillooet Cider Co. photo
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40 years of craft beer
Fby Joe Wiebe
orty years ago, the beer scene in British Columbia was vastly different from today. Neighbourhood pubs were scarce. Dingy basement beer parlours and hotel bar taps were dominated by the Big Three breweries of the day—Carling O’Keefe, Labatt and Molson— which all brewed similar light “lagers” with little character or distinction from each other. Thanks to the occasional import from the UK or Europe and the advent of home brewing, more and more people became curious about beer and began to seek variety and authenticity.
1984 – Spinnakers Brewpub opens in Victoria
The arrival of this British-style brewpub that served a wide range of styles alongside delicious food in a beautiful venue on Victoria’s Inner Harbour kicked off the microbrewing revolution in Canada and even inspired many of the early craft beer pioneers south of the border.
Craft beer has been continuously brewed in B.C. since 1984.
That same year, Granville Island Brewing opened in Vancouver with an initial focus on European-style premium lagers that set it apart from the mass market beer of the day — plus it was open for off sales on Sundays when the liquor stores were closed.
Paul Hadfield and Joe Wiebe enjoy a pint of Mitchell’s ESB at Spinnakers Brewpub. Joe Wiebe photo
OK Pale Ale & Shaftebury Cream Ale
Unless you were drinking beer here in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s you likely don’t realize just how important Okanagan Spring Brewing was. The few microbreweries that were open at this point were small operations that didn’t have the means to distribute very far beyond their local communities. But OK Spring was big and it worked hard to sell its beer everywhere in the province. The Vernon-based brewery eventually got bought out by Sapporo and lost its authentic beer cred, but not before teaching a lot of bar owners and customers that there were other brewed-in-B.C. options out there.
Also important during this time was Shaftebury, a Vancouver brewery that acted as a training ground for many future brewers, most notably Iain Hill, co-owner of Strange Fellows Brewing, who got his start there washing kegs and brewing on the night shift. Sadly, Shaftebury was also sold off and closed, and although you might see the brand in BC Liquor Stores today, it is nothing like the original.
Beer Festivals & Brewery Booms
By the mid-’90s there were about a dozen breweries in B.C. and growing interest among consumers—enough for Gerry Hieter and John Rowling to launch the Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria, an event that celebrated its 30th anniversary in September of this year.
The Autumn Brewmaster’s Festival also took place in Vancouver, featuring several local breweries plus a few others from elsewhere. This was a sign of the new brewery boom that was taking place in the city at the time, including places like Storm, R&B, Steamworks, and Yaletown. Although the festival didn’t survive, it was an opportunity for some of the beer community’s early leaders to connect, and contributed to much of the growth that followed.
CAMRA, Casks & IPAs
The first decade of the new millennium featured a gradual but steady expansion of new breweries all over B.C.—just not in Vancouver. However, several important trends were developing in the city, and they would create an engine for the huge boom that came next. And at some point in the 2000s, we all started calling it “craft beer” instead of microbrew.
CAMRA Vancouver played a major role in developing the city’s craft beer culture. This volunteer-run advocacy group regularly produced beer events that encouraged local brewers to experiment and improve. Much of this experimentation occurred through cask-conditioned beer. Popular weekly cask nights were held at restaurants and pubs, and CAMRA’s own cask festivals were hugely popular events.
This is also when early IPAs began to evolve into the hop-infused brews we know and love today. Brewers like Gary Lohin at Central City and Tony Dewald at Dix ushered in a whole new era of potently pungent hop bombs, culminating in the introduction of Driftwood’s Fat Tug IPA at the end of the decade.
Bottle Shops & Tap Houses
Private cold beer and wine stores began to branch out beyond the usual fare you could find in government stores. Some chose to specialize in craft beer, bringing in exciting products from the U.S. and Europe, and filling walls of fridges with 650ml “bomber” bottles, the popular format of the day that has since been mostly replaced with tall cans. Bottle Shops were very popular with beer nerds and brewers alike.
Tony Dewald, Iain Hill and James Walton at a Cask Night at Dix BBQ & Brewhouse in 2003. Brian K. Smith photo
When Nigel Springthorpe and his partners took over the Alibi Room in 2006, he was interested in beer but didn’t know much about it. Over the next few years, he created B.C.’s first true “tap house” with 50 taps and the best beer line-up in the province—probably all of Canada. Beer lovers attended in droves and brewers clamoured to get their beers served there. Eventually, he took that experience with him when he opened Brassneck Brewing with Conrad Gmoser. And who can forget the amazing centennial tap list celebrations with photocopied booklets featuring original cover art and “philosophical” essays by Nigel?
Tasting Rooms
Early in 2013, the B.C. government changed liquor laws to allow breweries to obtain “lounge endorsements” on their manufacturing licences,
Springthorpe
opened in 2013. Submitted
Cover art for the Albi Room’s 100th and 400th tap list celebrations. Courtesy of Nigel Springthorpe
which created a new tasting room model for small breweries. This led to a huge boom—it’s safe to say that 99% of the 200 or so breweries that have opened since then have done so with a lounge as their main point of sale, even if they later grew to a model where bulk sales and distribution became more important to their bottom lines. This led to a “craft beer revolution” that has transformed the way beer is perceived and consumed by the community.
Post-Pandemic Plunge
The pandemic was terrible for the industry, forcing many breweries to spend money they didn’t have to buy canning lines and set up distribution networks so they could sell their products outside their tasting rooms. Even as the health restrictions eased, economic doldrums and negative news about alcohol consumption hit these small businesses hard as they were just starting to recover. Add higher costs for everything and a young generation that seems to prefer weed over beer, and today’s world is a very challenging landscape for many breweries.
Brighter Days Ahead
But let’s not dwell on the negatives! After all, beer has never tasted as good as it does now. There is so much skill and creativity evident in the wide range of beers brewed here, and B.C. breweries continue to win more than their fair share of awards at national and international competitions. You can do your part by spending money at your local brewery, helping to ensure they’ll be around a year from now, if not a decade or even longer. j
Nigel
at Brassneck Brewing shortly after it
photo
A guide to the roasty, robust
PORTER
by Jordan St. John
WHAT IS IT?
A style of dark ale initially brewed with brown malt in the 18th century, which has laterally become a robust malt-forward beverage with lots of toasted malt, coffee, and chocolate notes.
DANGER LEVEL
Might fall in the Thames or participate in a Knees Up.
STATS
ORIGIN STORY
Picture it! 18th century London! Cockney labourers dine on oysters and jellied eels when they’re not hoisting boxes of stuff around in the Thames dockyards! The government, knowing that gin is too strong to allow for such activity, lowers the taxes on beer in order to keep the porters upright. Demand for the refreshment that only brown malt and brettanomyces can provide leads to huge industrial breweries that only periodically result in neighbourhood-wide floods!
HEY, IS THERE CHOCOLATE OR COFFEE IN THIS?
Not usually. Here’s the wild thing about grain: The roasting process is basically the same as coffee and chocolate. It’s a seed going into an oven at a high temperature. What you’re tasting are Maillard by-products like pyrazine and melanoidins, which are also produced in the coffee and chocolate roasting processes. Yeah! Science!
SIX MUST-TRY B.C. PORTERS
1 3 5 2 4 6
Unagi don
Vancouver Island oysters Texas-style BBQ brisket
DRINK WITH
Have you seen the smoke?
Smoked beer might be an acquired taste, but it's one that's growing in popularity
by Ted Child
Have you ever had something grow on you? For example, maybe cilantro? How about the first time you tried an IPA or a sour? Did you love it?
Many beers are brewed with the goal to be approachable and widely enjoyed. Others, just like a challenging novel, might take a bit more effort. Being a reader of The Growler, I feel you might be up to the challenge.
When it comes to craft beer, brewers love to rediscover obscure or close to forgotten beer styles. This is particularly true of the highly regional-specific beer styles of Germany. Gose, Bock, Altbier, Helles, Kolsch, Vienna lager, Berliner Weiss—the list of German beer styles, which craft brewers have embraced, is substantial.
However, one style, or specifically one ingredient, hasn’t been embraced with quite so much gusto
as others—the smoked lagers of Bamberg. Called Rauchbier, these smoked lagers are brewed in a variety of styles, such as Marzen or Doppelbocks, with the added complexity of smoked malts.
Using smoked malts in beer is a very old tradition. In fact, before the invention of indirect kilning, all beers would have had a certain level of smokiness. Yet, despite being one of the oldest flavours in all of beer history, smoked beers, including Rauchbier, have rarely been brewed by B.C. breweries. So, why aren’t smoked beers more widely available in this neck of the woods?
“I think for a lot of people it’s very polarising,” says Connor Blanchard, lead brewer at Luppolo Brewing in Vancouver.
Comparing it to often-maligned cilantro, he notes for some, the initial impression of smoked beers can be shocking, but adds, just as your brain and
It’s not acrid. It’s not harsh at all.
—Clay Potter, Moon Under Water
palate have adjusted to the bitterness of IPAs or the tartness of a sour or the “freshness” of cilantro, smoked beer sometimes requires patience before you can fully appreciate it—and we craft beer fans love a challenge.
“I recommend anybody try it because I think it is a really unique experience and it does have a pretty significant part in the history of brewing in general.”
Blanchard, a lover of smoked beer since his first taste almost ten years ago, recently brewed a smoked helles, dubbed “Poco Fumo,” which coincided with a smoke-heavy 420 event at Luppolo fittingly called Smoke Show. Connor started with a lager the brewery had previously made and then incorporated oak and beechwood smoked malts to make it balanced and approachable. He sourced the malts directly from the classic German maltster Weyermann, based in Bamberg, Germany.
“It’s essential to use it. You really need to have that depth of grain character and some of those more biscuity, honey notes to get the balance you want,” he says, adding the response from the Luppolo faithful has been positive. “There’s just not that many people doing it. And we got a lot of good feedback from people who like smoked lagers.”
Over in Victoria, Clay Potter at Moon Under Water, was able to brew a smoked festbier in collaboration with Small Gods and Whistle Buoy, using the malts he smokes in his custom-made smokehouse. He built the smokehouse to smoke malts for Moon Under Water Distillery whiskies. Smoking the malts is a labour of love, requiring a very specific moisture level and regular checking throughout the night-long smoking process.
“Constant airflow, constant temperatures and try to get consistent temperature inside,” Potter says. “I hadn’t really even thought much about doing a smoke beer when I built the smokehouse.”
ABOVE: At Moon Under Water, brewer Clay Potter smokes malt in his custom-made smokehouse. Photo courtesy of Clay Potter
LEFT: Luppolo brewer Connor Blanchard incorporated oak and beechwood smoked malts in the Poco Fumo smoked helles lager. Grey Mercado photo
The “aha” moment came when he tasted a whiskey wash (similar to a mash in brewing) and realised the dialled-down smoke character would be better suited to a beer than a whiskey, noting, “it’s not acrid. It’s not harsh at all.”
While traditional German smoked malts are usually smoked with beech wood, Potter chose to use alder he had on his property, which dovetailed with his hyperlocal vision.
“It’s another way for us to create something super local as well. We’re using 100 per cent local malts [from Field Five Farming in Saanichton]. We’re trying to kind of find something that makes us unique. No one else can make anything with such a unique impact on the flavour. No one else can copy that.”
Blanchard also feels smoked beer is uniquely suited to the B.C. climate. “It’s very hearty and full-bodied warming and sort of comfortable like that.”
Blanchard has some advice for other brewers in doubt about brewing a smoked beer.
“I absolutely recommend giving it a try. I feel there is very much this stigma around certain styles of beer. Smoked beer is one of them. I would say you might be surprised how well some of these sorts of niche beer styles can move,” he says. “We’ve definitely had that experience.”
It’s true that in life and in beer, some great joys are not immediate, yet, for some of us at least, smoked beer has become one of our greatest. j
The Great Craft Beer Reckoning is Here
The honeymoon is over for the B.C. craft beer industry, but this could be great news for B.C. craft beer lovers
by Rob Mangelsdorf
It should come as a shock to absolutely no one at this point that B.C.’s craft beer industry is struggling. So far this year we’ve seen brewery closures all across the province: Callister and Andina in Vancouver, Riot Brewing in Chemainus, Studio Brewing in Burnaby, Port Coquitlam’s Boardwalk, New Tradition in Comox…
The list goes on, but you get the idea.
After more than a decade of unprecedented growth things have gotten real for many B.C. craft breweries. Real bad.
So, what the heck is happening, anyways?
The answer, it turns out, is many things. The current woes of the industry are legion, sadly, creating a perfect storm of conditions to make life difficult for B.C. breweries, especially those too stubborn to change. And for craft beer lovers like me and you, that’s not good.
The current crisis has the potential to change B.C. craft beer forever.
And believe it or not, it could be for the better, for beer lovers and beer makers alike.
So, what went wrong?
Business partners Ralf Rosenke and Aly Tomlin opened the doors to Riot Brewing in Chemainus, halfway between Victoria and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in 2016. The brewery, housed in a brand-new, purpose-built facility, spared no expense, and that commitment to making quality beer was evidenced by the many awards Riot’s beers garnered, including, notably, a gold medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup for their Working Class Hero Dark Mild.
But despite the brewery’s success at award shows and with B.C. craft beer fans, the brewery was struggling.
You’re grinding every day and trying to keep your head afloat. —Ralf Rosenke, Riot Brewing
As a production brewery in a small market, Riot struggled with shipping costs necessary to get its beers to market. Additionally, the lease on their brewery and debt taken on to get Riot up and running soon became an albatross around their necks. Despite repeated financial restructuring, Riot was in the red.
Then bad luck started to plague the brewery. In December 2018, a freak windstorm knocked out power for almost four days during what would have been some of the busiest days of the year for the brewery, with thousands of dollars of product being lost due to the lack of refrigeration.
That led to cash flow issues resulting in Riot significantly scaling back operations in 2019 until new investors were brought on board to give the brewery a much-needed cash injection.
Then came COVID.
Tasting room sales dried up. Shelf space at retail liquor stores became harder to come by as every other brewery pivoted to packaged product.
Riot took out Canada Emergency Business Account Loans, but was ultimately unable to pay them back. The brewery got behind on its rent and the landlord sent bailiffs to seize assets, resulting in Riot closing its doors permanently this past January.
“Since coming out of COVID, it’s been really tough,” Rosenke told 89.7 SUN FM after the brewery closed its doors for good. “You’re grinding every day and trying to keep your head afloat. People can’t afford groceries. Craft beer is a luxury item, so we started seeing a decline in wholesale sales.
“I have a feeling there’s many people in our position, or soon to be in our position.”
A closer look
Riot’s story is far from unique. In recent years, many breweries that found themselves struggling to stay afloat prior to the economic turmoil of
Business partners Aly Tomlin and Ralf Rosenke opened Riot in a purpose-built facility in Chemainus, but despite their success at award shows and with craft beer fans, they struggled financially and eventually closed in January 2024. Growler file photo
COVID are now sinking in its wake.
Skyrocketing commercial lease rates and production costs have resulted in tighter margins for craft breweries, as have labour costs as employers struggle to provide anything close to a living wage for employees.
Interest rates have more than doubled in the past five years, resulting in significant increases in debt financing costs for breweries that hold debt in the form of business loans and mortgages.
And while costs have risen significantly, on the other side of the ledger, sales have decreased sharply.
Ballooning housing costs and inflation have played a significant role in the decline of craft beer sales. When your customer base is paying double the rent they were paying five years ago, but their pay has increased by just a mere fraction of that, if at all, then there’s not a lot of money left over at the end of the month for $20 four-packs of Hazy Milkshake Triple IPA.
As noted earlier, there is also increased competition amongst craft breweries. COVID saw B.C. craft breweries pivoting to retail sales and
Jackknife Brewing leans in hard to its heavy-metal-suburban-basement-rec-room-dive-bar aesthetic and live music events featuring ear-blistering heavy metal and punk bands—and those who love it, love it a lot. JackknifeBrewing photo
investing in packaged product. But with close to 250 craft breweries across the province, and only so much shelf space to go around, the market is now saturated.
It all adds up to what could be a pretty bleak outlook for B.C. craft breweries. According to the B.C. Craft Beer Guild, between 10 and 15 per cent of B.C. craft breweries could close permanently this year unless something is done.
But despite all of this, some breweries are thriving and growing.
And what they’re doing is good news for craft beer lovers.
Back to basics… kinda…
While craft beer has been around for more than 40 years in B.C., it didn’t really take off until provincial liquor laws changed in 2013 to allow for craft brewery tasting rooms to be a thing.
For beer lovers, tasting rooms offered an approachable, low-key environment to drink delicious beer in and socialize close to home.
For breweries, they offered the ability to sell their beer on their own terms, to control the experience consumers have when drinking their beer, and to sell their beer at the highest margin possible with the lowest overheads.
What resulted, at least initially, was a massive growth of craft beer, with new breweries opening seemingly monthly. And they took chances! They experimented! They swung for the fences, and while sure, there were some strikeouts, there were just as many home runs.
But 12 years later, all across the province, there has sadly been a proliferation of banal, cookie-cutter tasting rooms offering the same boring beers in the same sterile environment. The same polished concrete floors and uncomfortable stools. The same pepperoni sticks and potato chips. The same pale ale, IPA, stout, and fruited sour. Yawn.
The problem is that many craft brewery tasting rooms and the beers they serve are just plain boring.
There, I said it.
It’s not the Cactus Club experience, it’s a bit of a dungeon, but we’re leaning into our total vision for Jackknife. You have stick to your guns.
—Brad Tomlinson, Jackknife Brewing
Instead of swinging for the fences, many breweries are content to bunt.
So, is it any wonder that many breweries are seeing their tasting room sales falter?
It seems like when every B.C. craft brewery simultaneously pivoted towards retail sales during COVID, they neglected their tasting room in the process.
Many also stopped innovating. Brewing beer for retail means larger batches, lower margins, and way more work. As a result, craft breweries have far less freedom to get weird and creative and experimental with their beer when the bottom line is so tight. So, they play it safe.
Again: boring.
For craft beer to survive, craft beer needs to rediscover its creative streak. And the place for that to happen, is the tasting room.
What’s working and why
While many B.C. craft breweries have struggled over the past four years, many have also seen success. Jackknife Brewing in Kelowna is one such brewery that has seen modest year-overyear growth over that span. Instead of buying an expensive canning line during COVID, Jackknife expanded its patio and recently added more washrooms in order to increase its capacity. Instead of selling $20 four-packs of tall cans next to all the other $20 four-packs, they kept prices low and offered customers value where they could: in their tasting room.
“Our bread and butter is tasting room sales,” says owner Brad Tomlinson. “Our building is 4,000 square feet, so we’re trying to maximize that.
Now, the Jackknife tasting room isn’t for everyone, what with its heavy-metal-suburban-basementrec-room-dive-bar aesthetic, its rather esoteric Norwegian-inspired kveik-based beers, and live music events featuring ear-blistering heavy metal and punk bands.
But the people it is for, love it. Like, a lot.
For Tomlinson, staying true to his vision for Jackknife and being genuine with everything he and his team does has been key to ensuring his customers continue to connect with Jackknife. It's all about authenticity.
“People want everything all the time, so if you go against that, you can run the risk of alienating people,” says Tomlinson. “It’s not the Cactus Club experience, it’s a bit of a dungeon, but we’re leaning into our total vision for Jackknife. And that’s reflected in the beer and the merch and the food and the events we put on. We want to elicit emotion when you come into this place. And we try to do that by being deliberate and trying to keep it true to what we’re doing.
“You have stick to your guns.”
The way forward
Ken Beattie, executive director for the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild, isn’t surprised that Jackknife has been able to grow its business, given its approach. And they’re far from alone, from what he’s seen.
“The breweries that seem to be doing well are the ones spending time and resources on their tasting rooms more,” he says. “The tasting room is still key. That’s your brand identity. The heartbeat of the brand is the tasting room experience. From what I have seen, the people who have done that are doing very well.”
Food and entertainment offerings that are unique and very well done are key, Beattie has observed. Pepperoni sticks and potato chips don’t cut it anymore.
“If you don’t have food in your tasting room, you’re not going to have an easy time,” Beattie notes. “And you need entertainment.”
Ultimately, craft breweries are going to have to work harder to weather the current storm they are facing. Unlike 10 years ago, their simple existence is no longer a guarantee of success. And where they put in that work is just as critical, says Beattie.
B.C. Craft Brewers Guild Executive Director Ken Beattie believes that the tasting room is at the heart of a brewery's brand identity, and that it's important to invest in the in-person experience. Supplied photo
Many brewery owners are working harder than they ever have in order to keep labour costs down and stay above water, Beattie has observed. However, that can create another problem: they spend so much time working for the business, they don’t have any time left to work on the business.
Another key component to the long-term success of the B.C. craft beer industry is the tax structure it operates under.
Beattie was part of a federal initiative working with the Canadian Craft Brewers’ Association to review how craft beer is taxed, to better allow smaller breweries the ability to turn a profit.
The B.C. Craft Brewers Guild is currently calling for the federal excise tax to be reduced by 50% on the first 15,000 hL of beer every brewery produces. That would amount to little more than $80,000 in savings annually: a drop in the bucket for macrobrewers like MolsonCoors or AB InBev, but it could be a life-or-death difference for a struggling craft brewery.
We’re meeting with government to ask for them to look at the tax structure. It’s not aligned with where the industry is at today.
—Ken Beattie, B.C. Craft Brewers Guild
Additionally, the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild is in talks with the B.C provincial government to have them review how the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch determines its mark-up on alcohol.
“It’s been a decade since we’ve looked at the provincial mark-up,” says Beattie. “Everything has changed, the pandemic has come, economic turmoil has come, so we’re meeting with government to ask for them to look at the tax structure. It’s not aligned with where the industry is at today.”
Beattie says the Guild has received positive feedback so far, and is cautiously optimistic.
“[The provincial] government is very supportive. Look at what they’ve done for the wine industry. They understand the impact this industry has on the economy. The economic spinoffs [of craft beer] impact farmers, tourism, trucking companies, retailers.
“I feel we have a strong case.”
The bottom line
Finding success in a crowded market rarely entails doing the exact same thing as everyone else. More often than not, the opposite is true.
Craft beer began as an iconoclastic reaction to the ubiquity of tasteless industrial macro beers. It offered people something different, something exciting and creative, yet still accessible.
But by refusing to take risks and trying to play it safe by appealing to all the people, all the time, craft beer runs the risk of becoming every bit as homogenous as the macro beers it initially rose up against.
For craft beer to survive and thrive, craft breweries need to get back to basics, focus on their tasting rooms, and just get weird with it, man.
And for the love of God, don’t be boring. j
When in Rome
Discovering the Italian Pilsner
by Noëlle Phillips
If you’re like most craft beer lovers, you’ll turn to an IPA when you’re looking for hops. But if you haven’t tried an Italian Pilsner, you’re missing out. Giulio Gori of the Archea Brewery in Florence told me the Italian Pils “enhances the aromatic profile and complexity of pilsners,” and Bryan Jansing of Rome’s Italy Craft Tours enthused about its “effervescence, creamy head, hoppy smell, pilsner taste.” The first Italian Pilsner, made back in the mid ‘90s, transformed Italians’ view of what beer could be.
BEER IN ITALY: A SHORT HISTORY
Italy has long been a mix of cultures and tastes. However, in general, Italians have not enjoyed beer as much as wine. Brewing first became an industry due to the country’s 19th-century occupation by Austria. Italian brewing came to emulate German, Austrian, and Belgian styles. But, according to Jansing, beer wasn’t really part of family meals or food pairings.
The growth of the craft beer in Italy in the 1990s slowly allowed beer to be appreciated by the dis-
criminating Italian palate. And one of the important moments in this process was the accidental invention of the Italian Pilsner.
THE ITALIAN PILSNER IN ITALY
One of the first craft brewers in Italy, Agostino Arioli, opened his Birrificio Italiano near Milan in 1996. Arioli had a passion for beer and wanted to create a niche within wine country: “I was brewing beer for beer lovers…I just wanted to give a new chance to beer drinkers to simply drink beer.”
To make Italian beer, well, Arioli wanted to avoid simply replicating German or Belgian beer. Italian beer needed to be its own thing. So when he brewed his pilsner, he took the English practice of dry-hopping and applied it to a German beer style. “I had the chance to brew whatever I wanted,” he said. “No respect for any rules because we don’t have any rules [about brewing] in Italy.”
This mishmash of techniques produced an oddball pilsner that Arioli called Tipopils, which means
Italian Pilsners are bittered with Noble hops, with additional hops added at the end or dry-hopped. iStock/Getty Images Plus/maurese photo
ITALIAN PILS IN B.C.
I recently returned from five weeks in Italy, where I experienced the gustatory delights of Italian beer and wine, but you don’t have to travel that far for an Italian Pilsner. There are several B.C. breweries that can give you a taste of Italy here at home.
LUPPOLO BREWING // LA PIAZZA
Luppolo is where you can find Italian-style beer in Vancouver. Brewmaster Ryan Parfitt laughs while he explains that their regular Pilsner was first called “Italian Pilsner” just because some of their owners were Italian.
But then they noticed that U.S. breweries, beginning with Firestone Walker, were making this style. They discovered Arioli’s Tipopils. By 2020, they were dry-hopping their pilsner and it became La Piazza. “The dry-hopping with noble hops is a key component of Italian Pilsners,” says Parfitt. “But it can’t be in your face – it’s more balanced.” They mix up their grain bill a bit, trying to use local barley as much as possible, but the hops are the key element.
“a kind of pilsner.” Tipopils was immediately popular, with other breweries making their own versions, like Del Ducato’s Via Emilia, Grado Plato’s Sveva, Altavia’s Badani, and Lambrate’s Magute. American brewer Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker first encountered Tipopils at the World Beer Cup in Germany, and he was impressed. By 2013 he unveiled his own version of the Italian Pilsner: Pivo Pils, a beer that brought Italian Pilsners to North American tastebuds.
WHAT IS IT?
Italian Pilsners, often just called “Pils” in Italy, have become a truly Italian beer style. Italians are very creative with traditional styles, according to Jansing. Marco Valeriani, an award-winning Italian brewer, explained the range of lagers made at his Alder Brewery: German, Franconian and Czech, with both Bavarian and Franconian lager yeasts. When you add hops, the possibilities for lagers become endless. His Italian Pilsner is yet another twist on the conventional lager.
Italian Pilsner is now being made all over Italy and North America. To be considered an Italian Pilsner, noble hops should be used in the bittering, with additional noble hops added at the end or dry-hopped. The combination of the rich, biscuity pilsner base is complemented by the floral or fruity qualities of the late hops.
La Piazza has biscuit, graham cracker, and honey in the malt, an earthy and floral hop character, and a clean crisp finish. It’s a refreshing and well-balanced beer that takes me back to Italy.
HOYNE BREWING // CHE BELLO
Hoyne’s head brewer Antoine Foukal created their Che Bello Italian Pilsner. Seeing how so many breweries in Italy were trying to emulate North American beer styles, Foukal instead wanted to adapt a classic Italian beer and present it to the
ABOVE: Luppolo's La Piazza Italian Pilsner. Facebook. com/LuppoloBrewingCo photo BELOW: Hoyne Brewing's Che Bello Italian Pilsner. Facebook.com/Hoyne Brewing photo
LEFT: Field House Brewing's Italian Pilsner. FieldHouseBrewing.com photo CENTRE: Twisted Tradions' Noble Libation Italian Pilnser. Instagram.com/TwistedTraditionsBrewing photo RIGHT: Red Truck Beer's La Strada Italian Pilsner. Facebook.com/RedTruckBeer photo
BC market. Inspired both by the popularity of Tipopils and Hoyne’s own focus on traditional beers, Foukal set to work on making a pilsner that would be European in style and yet distinct from the Hoyne Pilsner.
The result was Che Bello, an Italian Pilsner brewed from Eraclea (an Italian barley), bittered with Spalter Select, and dry-hopped with Saphir. While smelling and sipping, I noted sweet cut grass, melon, lemon, and honey – all from the hops. “A pilsner is such a good canvas to showcase high quality hops!” Foukal explains. I recommend trying Che Bello to see what he means!
FIELD HOUSE BREWING // ITALIAN PILS
Field House’s Italian Pilsner was created because Field House loves putting modern twists on traditional styles, according to brewer Parker Reid. Their version combines Italian malt with German hops (Tettnang and Magnum). “It’s a more floral and fruitier version of a pilsner, a little softer – not like a Czech Pils,” says Reid when I asked how he’d describe this beer to customers. “It really embodies Italy.”
Their most recent batch of Italian Pilsner was brewed to supply Amici, a new Italian restaurant in Abbotsford. Make sure you stop by for some pasta and a pint!
TWISTED TRADITIONS // NOBLE LIBATION
Twisted Traditions Brewing doesn’t currently have their own brewery, but they are still putting out
some innovative and delicious beers. They call their Noble Libation Italian Pilsner a “new-age Italian pilsner” that blends “new and Old World elements.” Lemongrass and berry notes give this beer its own unique character.
RED TRUCK BEER COMPANY // LA STRADA
Red Truck is known for producing beers that are both affordable and approachable. If you’re not sure whether this new pilsner style is for you, La Strada might be a good entry point. There is very light fruit sweetness on the nose but nothing strong. The subtle hop and malt character might be a perfect way to convert someone to more hop-forward brews. La Strada is a tasty, crushable beer – perfect for a B.C. summer! j
SOURCES AND RECOMMENDED READING:
Beer Country: The Story of Italian Craft Beer, by Bryan Jansing and Paul Vismara.
“Turning Passion into Profession,” from Gastronomica Vol. 17, No. 2, by Matteo Fastigi and Jillian R. Cavanaugh
“What is an Italian Pilsner?” from Hopculture.com, by Grace Lee-Weitz
“The Only Mission is to Follow Your Own Senses – Tracing the Journey of Italian Pilsner” from GoodBeerHunting.com, by Mark Dredge
good bad ugly FLAVOURS IN BEER : THE THE & THE good bad ugly PART 1: Malt
by Matt Poirier
In the last issue, I discussed the need for more beer knowledge in the industry, so instead of just talking the talk, it makes sense to walk the walk and put in some share of the work. So, what better place to start than discussing some of the most important aspects of beer—flavour.
With the combination of ingredients in beer, the complexity of flavours becomes almost exponential. Sweetness, caramel, roastiness from the malt, bitter, floral, fruity hops, and the variety of yeast-imparted qualities all play together with the mineral content of the water to create a symphony of taste we all get to enjoy with every sip.
With so many choices, and the compounds that create them, sometimes we get flavours we want, sometimes we notice others that seem a little odd, and on occasion, we run into some of the dreaded off-putting notes in a beer, which can be the difference between just not buying that beer again and the disastrous drain-pour.
To make it easier to understand, and to avoid overwhelming anyone, malt will be the starting point this time around.
THE GOOD
Sweet: In most beers, the only sweetness comes from the malt. When malting barley, it converts starches into sugars, which are then steeped out of the grain in the wort. It’s like making a sugar water tea and straining off the grain. Darker malts contain less sugar and, as they’re roasted, they become complex sugars, which helps break down the yeast, leaving more sweetness in those beers using caramel malts.
Graininess: An important characteristic of lighter beers, this note of crackers or biscuits is your first hello from the malt. The second most prevalent ingredient in beer, it would make sense that its impact is immediately noticed, both on the nose and in that first glorious sip.
Malt imparts sweet, caramel and roasty flavours to beer. iStock/Getty Images Plus/Grigorenko photo
THE BAD
Metallic: This one isn’t always bad, except in increased quantities. Many darker roasted malts give off a metallic taste or an iron-like note. This means some darker beers like stouts and porters can have metallic notes associated with them, especially if there isn’t as much complexity to the beer. So, while you may not notice this in those big imperial stouts, your dry Irish stout might give you this flavour.
Musty: This one is quite rare but typically involves how the malt was stored. Just like flour for bread, it’s best to keep it dry until you are using it, so any level of moisture over time can spoil the malt, leading to flavours of must, mould, and mildew. Beer is a perishable product, as are the ingredients that go into it, so keeping things fresh will prevent this issue.
Caramel: Roasting malts a little more than base malts will begin to caramelize the sugars in the grain. This imparts notes of toffee, caramel, toast and added sweetness from sugars which, as mentioned earlier, are more difficult to break down. Think of an amber or red ale, or a märzen, and the maltiness and sweetness that come with the added body and experience.
Chocolate: If you leave the malt to roast even longer, you get notes of chocolate, with more time leading to more notes of cocoa, just like the fancy chocolate bars in the store showing the percentage of cocoa in them. From dunkelweizens to chocolate porters, the beers with these notes tend to lean into the cooler months.
Coffee: Roasting beyond the chocolate point leads to a note many of us know too well: The scent and taste of roasted black coffee. Used to give that rich deep flavour associated with stouts and porters, this has even led to the belief by some that there is coffee in well-known stouts like Guinness.
Roasted: Patent malt, typically the darkest roast imparts notes of acidity, bitterness, and sometimes astringency. It can also add acidity to a brew, similar to those coffee notes from above.
Dark fruits: This is where things can get interesting. Those darker roasts used in certain ways can create notes of black currant, raisin, plum, prunes, and cherry. Think of a barleywine, old ale, or a winter warmer. These fruity notes come from a combination of processes and ingredients, but malts play a huge role in creating those flavour notes.
THE UGLY
Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS): This is the ultimate malt-based off-flavour, and while it’s been some time since it’s been a major issue to worry about, the rise of smaller maltsters has increased the possibility of this showing up in your beer. DMS starts as a compound in paler malts called S-methylmethionine (SMM), which can then be boiled off in the brewing process, as long as it’s done vigorously, for long enough, with proper venting. This can be experienced as everything from flavours of corn to tomato soup to cabbage, all the way up to oysters and sauerkraut. Some beers are okay with having small amounts, but watch out for this.
Now that you know what to expect with malt, keep an eye out for the next issue where we will touch on the flavours of hops. j
Understanding how malt influences the flavour of beer can enhance your appreciation for it and also identify what has gone wrong when your beer tastes a bit off. iStock/Getty Images Plus/Click_and_Photo photo
The length of time that malt is roasted can affect a beer's colour and flavour. iStock/Getty Images Plus/billdoss photo
GIBSONS TAPWORKS'
CARNITAS SANDWICH
paired with Tapworks Brewing's One Sailing Wait IPA
Aco-owner of Tapworks Brewing Company in Gibsons, B.C., says the concept for the brewery was inspired by the beachside concessions he grew up with.
“I grew up on the North Shore and had very fond memories of the beach and the concession at Ambleside [Park],” says Geoff Gornall. “I think the reason that it stuck out to me is, the food was simple, but because of the experience, because it was always in such a beautiful location and such a great day, the food always tasted that much better.”
Gornall says he and business partners Neil Bergman and Warren Gregory, wanted to combine
those nostalgic food experiences with a brewery where everyone could gather, including kids and dogs. Canine companions are welcome in Tapworks backyard, which also has a fire table and several picnic tables.
“We wanted to do for food, what craft beer had done to beer, elevate it using quality ingredients and adding some fun twists here and there,” says Gornall. “And that comes out, not only in in the menu and the design of the menu, but in the space overall.”
He notes Tapworks makes an effort to use local ingredients when possible and creates a lot of items from scratch. He says those extra efforts send a
message to the community that they matter, from the food to the events to the way they treat people. Gornall says all three friends/business partners have deep roots in the Sunshine Coast with family members who already lived on the Coast and others who have made the move since Tapworks opened eight years ago. The men also all have young families growing up on the Coast so, for now at least, have no plans to expand the brewery to another location.
Instead, they plan to continue to invest in their chosen community. When it comes to giving back to the community, Tapworks not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk, with fundraising events and sponsorships, including hosting beer gardens at the Night Markets and Gibsons Public Market.
“In order to be a community hub, you really have to make sure that you have something that's welcoming for all different segments of their community, and I think we've done a really good job of that,” says Gornall. “We have a core group of customers who come consistently for trivia nights or for music nights and the various other events we have. We also often have people coming in after their soccer practice or after going for a mountain bike ride. And, runners coming in with their trail running groups.”
The brewery’s beach-inspired menu not only includes classics such as tacos and burgers, but also salads and some Asian-inspired dishes, including bao sandwiches and noodle bowls. One of Tapworks most popular menu items is the Carnitas
INGREDIENTS
• 3kg pork butt
• Enough pork fat or neutral cooking oil to cover pork
• 8 pieces of garlic, smashed
• 4 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
• 3 limes, juiced
• 500g orange juice
• 30g oregano
• 15g cumin
• 50g salt
• 2 bottles Jarritos Mexican cola
Add-ons for sandwich
(Tapworks makes their own and you can too, but each if these ingredients can be bought pre-made to save time)
• Mayonnaise, guacamole, coleslaw and pickled onions
ABOVE: Tapworks Brewing's One sailing Wait IPA has notes of grapefruit, overripe pienapple and pine—flavours that stand up well to spicy food.
LEFT: The Carnitas Sandwich is a popular menu item at Tapworks. Photos courtesy of Tapworks
sandwich, featuring citrus braised pork and housemade guacamole.
Gornall recommends paring it with One Sailing Wait IPA for that perfect bite. He says this West Coast IPA with notes of grapefruit, overripe pineapple and some pine is bold enough to stand up well to the spice/heat of the carnitas and its citrus-forward notes cut the fattiness of the pork.
—Sandra Thomas
METHOD
1. Add pork fat or oil into metal pot and place in pre-heated 400ºF oven. Cut pork into chunks and add to pot. Place back in oven and flip after 15 minutes
2. Lower oven temperature to 270ºF. Add the rest of the ingredients, including lime rinds. Cover and return to the oven for 3.5 hours
3. Remove pork from oven, cool and shred. Strain and reserve liquid, add to shredded pork.
Preparation for one sandwich
4. Toast a potato bun. Heat pork on a flat top or pan. Place mayo on the bottom half of the bun, guacamole on the top. Add coleslaw to the bottom bun. Place pork on top. Top with pickled red onion. j
COWDOG BREWING CO.
1338 Franklin St. | CowDogBrewCompany.ca
Located in the East Van building previously used by Callister, CowDog is the first BC brewery owned by a veteran of the Canadian Navy.
GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING
1441 Cartwright St. | GranvilleIslandBrewing.ca
This iconic Vancouver brewery celebrated its 40th birthday this year by renovating and refurbishing its tasting room. Be sure to drop by to check it out.
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Seasonal
Availability: Year-round
OFF THE RAIL BREWING
1351 Adanac St. | OffTheRailBrewing.com
STRATHCONA
BEER CO. 895 E. Hastings St. | StrathconaBeer.com
Cheers to a decade of amazing beer, community and good vibes at Off the Rail Brewing. Watch for 10th anniversary plans in February, 2025.
Check out Strathcona’s second location in Lonsdale Quay Market in North Van, serving the same great beers in an exciting new space.
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Seasonal
VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER
33 ACRES BREWING CO.
15 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver 33AcresBrewing.com
33 BREWING EXPERIMENT
25 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver 33BrewingExp.com
BOMBER BREWING CO.
1488 Adanac St., Vancouver BomberBrewing.com
BRASSNECK BREWERY
2148 Main St., Vancouver Brassneck.ca
BREWHALL BEER CO.
97 E. 2nd Ave., Vancouver Brewhall.com
BREWING AUGUST
1614 W. 3rd Ave. BrewingAugust.com
CONTAINER BREWING
1216 Franklin St., Vancouver CBrew.ca
COWDOG BREWING CO.
1338 Franklin St., Vancouver CowDogBrewCompany.ca
DOGWOOD BREWING
8284 Sherbrooke St., Vancouver DogwoodBrew.com
EAST VAN BREWING CO.
1675 Venables St., Vancouver EastVanBrewing.com
ELECTRIC BICYCLE BREWING CO.
20 E. 4th Ave., Vancouver ElectricBicycleBrewing.com
FACULTY BREWING CO.
1830 Ontario St., Vancouver FacultyBrewing.com
LUPPOLO BREWING CO.
1123 Venables St., Vancouver LuppoloBrewing.ca
MAIN STREET BREWING CO.
261 E. 7th Ave., Vancouver MainStreetBeer.ca
PARALLEL 49 BREWING CO.
1950 Triumph St., Vancouver Parallel49Brewing.com
POWELL BREWERY
1357 Powell St., Vancouver PowellBeer.com
R & B BREWING CO.
54 E. 4th Ave., Vancouver RAndBBrewing.com
RED TRUCK BEER CO.
295 E. 1st Ave., Vancouver RedTruckBeer.com
SLOW HAND BEER COMPANY
1830 Powell St., Vancouver SlowHandBeer.com
STANLEY PARK BREWING
RESTAURANT & BREWPUB
8901 Stanley Park Dr., StanleyParkBrewing.com
STEAMWORKS BREW PUB
375 Water St., Vancouver Steamworks.com/Brew-Pub
STORM BREWING
310 Commercial Dr., Vancouver StormBrewing.com
STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING
1345 Clark Dr., Vancouver StrangeFellowsBrewing.com
SUPERFLUX BEER CO.
505 Clark Dr., Vancouver SuperfluxBeer.com
YALETOWN BREWING CO.
1111 Mainland St., Vancouver MJG.ca/Yaletown
lower mainland
North Shore
KPU BREW LAB
20901 Langley Bypass | KPU.ca/Brew
FRI 1-6PM
EST. 2014
KPU offers B.C.’s only Brewing Diploma program which is designed to give students a comprehensive overview of the science, practical and management skills that are in demand by the industry. Students learn how to design, brew, analyze, package, market and sell their beer at KPU’s award-winning teaching brewery.
ODYSSEY (ALUMNI COLLAB)
PALE ALE
Availability: Seasonal
This West Coast-inspired, fresh hop pale ale is a collab beer brewed by KPU alumni in celebration of KPU Brewing’s 10th anniversary.
JUICE YOU UP
SESSION HAZY PALE ALE
Availability: Seasonal
A collab with Topp’s Hops, this refreshing beer features 100% Citra hops. Bursting with bright citrus and tropical fruits, with mild bitterness.
BIRRA ROSSA
AMERICAN AMBER ALE
Availability: Seasonal
A multiple award winner, this malt-forward American amber ale is made with New World hops.
DAS FEST
PALE GERMAN LAGER
Availability: Seasonal
This traditional German-style Festbier will have you dancing the polka and singing “Ein Prosit” before you can say “Eins, zwei, drei!”
KPU BREWING TURNS 10!
This Fall, Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) Brewing and Brewery Operations Diploma program celebrates a decade of exceptional education, instructors, students and alumni. To commemorate KPU Brewing’s 10th anniversary, an alumni collaboration beer — Odyssey Pale Ale — will be released during BC Craft Beer Month at various events and venues. Learn more at kpu.ca/brew.
With Langley’s largest south-facing beer garden and all-season patio, Camp loves to host live music on Thursdays and Sundays. Watch for Fall Camp/Hoptoberfest on October 12 as well as Camptoberfest (date TBA). LAGERKOLLER
Seasonal
A 2023 Gold Medal Canadian Brewing Award winner, brewed with premium imported German malt and hops.
A new school pale beer brewed with west coast hops, giving it citrus notes of tangerine, lemon and grapefruit.
DAGERAAD BREWING
114-3191 Thunderbird Cres. | DageraadBrewing.com
Dageraad celebrated its 10th birthday by expanding its patio and doubling its tasting room capacity, which means even more Belgian beer lovers can satisfy their cravings.
FIVE ROADS BREWING
6263 202nd St., Langley | FiveRoadsBrewing.com
Five Roads’ Langley location hosts comedy shows, drag shows, trivia nights, live music and more. Also, check out their Steveston taproom open Thursday-Sunday. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BELGIAN QUAD
LOWER MAINLAND
3
DOGS BREWING
15181 Thrift Ave., White Rock 3DogsBrewing.com
ANOTHER BEER CO.
#11-30 Capilano Way, New Westminster AnotherBeerCo.com
BARNSIDE BREWING CO.
6655 60 Ave., Delta BarnsideBrewing.ca
BEERE BREWING COMPANY
312 E. Esplanade, North Vancouver BeereBrewing.com
BEVA BREWING AND BLENDING
1405 Pemberton Ave., North Vancouver BevaBrewing.ca
BLACK KETTLE BREWING
106-720 Copping St., North Vancouver BlackKettleBrewing.com
BRAGGOT BREWING
102-370 E. Esplanade, North Vancouver Braggottery.com
BRAVE BREWING
2617 Murray St., Port Moody Brave.beer
BRIDGE BREWING CO.
1448 Charlotte Rd., North Vancouver BridgeBrewing.com
BROOKSWOOD BREWING CO.
102-4061 200 St., Langley BrookswoodBrewing.com
DEAD FROG BREWERY
105-8860 201 St., Langley DeadFrog.ca
FARM COUNTRY BREWING
20555 56 Ave #5, Langley FarmCountryBrewing.com
FOAMERS’ FOLLY BREWING CO.
19221 122A Ave., Pitt Meadows FoamersFolly.ca
FOUR WINDS BEACH HOUSE AND BREWERY
6350 Market Ave., Delta FourWindsBrewing.ca
FOUR WINDS BREWING CO.
4-7355 72nd St., Delta FourWindsBrewing.ca
FUGGLES
103-11220 Horseshoe Way, Richmond FugglesBeer.com
GALAXIE CRAFT BREWHOUSE
1122 Vidal St., White Rock GalaxieCraftBeer.com
HOUSE OF FUNK BREWING CO.
350 E. Esplanade, North Vancouver HouseOfFunkBrewing.com
LA CERVECERIA ASTILLEROS
226 E. Esplanade, North Vancouver Cerveceria-Astilleros.com
LOCALITY BREWING
7111 252nd St., Langley LocalityBrewing.ca
MARINER BREWING
1100 Lansdowne Dr., Coquitlam MarinerBrewing.ca
MOODY ALES & CO.
2601 Murray St., Port Moody MoodyAles.com
NORTH POINT BREWING CO.
266 E. 1st St., North Vancouver NorthPointBrewing.com
NORTHPAW BREW CO.
2150-570 Sherling Pl., Port Coquitlam NorthpawBrewCo.com
PARKSIDE BREWERY
2731 Murray St., Port Moody TheParksideBrewery.com
PATINA BREWING CO.
2332 Marpole Ave., Port Coquitlam PatinaBrewing.com
POCO BROTHERS BREWING
1979 Brown St., Port Coquitlam PoCoBrothersBrewing.com
The In Good Time eight-pack features four different lagers, each one brewed with authentic ingredients and properly conditioned according to Sean Hoyne’s exacting standards.
PILSNER
761 Enterprise Cres. | VCaledonian.com
Located at the Macaloney Island Distillery just north of Victoria, Twa Dogs has a great tasting room and patio, and provides entertaining and informative tours.
Visiting this brewery based in a converted barn on a rustic property at the base of a mountain is a quintessential Salt Spring experience.
MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY
350B Bay St. | MoonUnderWater.ca
The Moon recently brewed PickleBall, the first ever true Electrolyte Lager. (Disclaimer: there are no health benefits to drinking this beer!) They also brew (NA) beer for dogs.
Relax in the lounge or patio and choose from 20 taps of rotating craft beer plus cocktails and mocktails along with a full food menu featuring delicious rotating specials.
DON PEDRO LITE
MEXICAN-STYLE LAGER
Availability: Year-round
COLD CREEK IPA COLD IPA
Availability: Year-round
A lighter version of the brewery’s regular Mexican lager that is even more sessionable. is new style has a magni cent hop aroma with an assertive bitterness and a crisp, clean nish.
Offering 20 craft beer and cider taps plus cocktails and mocktails
Indulge in our full food menu with rotating specials
Join us in the lounge or on the dog-friendly patio
MOUNT ARROWSMITH BREWING
CO.
109-425 East Stanford Ave. | ArrowsmithBrewing.com
Arrowsmith Smokehouse is open 7 days a week, slow smoking Southern BBQ favourites: brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, chorizo, and more! Pizza & beer also available.
RIDGELINE
IPA
LONGWOOD BREWERY
101A-2046 Boxwood Rd., Nanaimo LongwoodBeer.com
RUSTED RAKE BREWING
3106 Northwest Bay Rd. | RustedRakeBrewing.ca
Longwood partners with many local farmers, resulting in an obsessively local product. In fact, most of the barley and hops it uses is sourced within B.C.
This brewery is located on a beautiful 18-acre working farm that produces blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb, garlic, peppers, and eight acres of barley.
Congrats to Jackknife for winning a silver medal in the Historical Beer category at the World Beer Cup 2024 for its Nordic juniper lager, Hunting Lodge.
CANNERY BREWING
198 Ellis St. | CanneryBrewing.com
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Seasonal
A great time to check out Cannery is during Penticton Beer Week (Oct. 4-14, 2024). Also, check out Cannery’s new Okanagan Adventure 12-pack.
Availability: Year-round
RIP ABI MOORE (1980-2024)
The B.C. craft beer community suffered a huge loss in July 2024 when Abi Moore, longtime Marketing Manager at Fernie Brewing, died suddenly in a car accident. Abi was a dedicated, loving and kind person with a great sense of humour. She will be missed by many.
CRANNÓG ALES
706 Elson Rd., Sorrento CrannogAles.com
Canada’s first organic, on-farm brewery, Crannóg grows its own hops in a sustainable, ecological, and justice-oriented environment. HALF-CROWN MILD ALE MILD
45261 Ootsa Lake Rd. E., Burns Lake UrsaMinorBrewing.ca
WHEELHOUSE BREWING CO.
380 Bill Murray Dr., Prince Rupert WheelhouseBrewing.com
TAVES ESTATE CIDERY
333 Gladwin Rd. TavesFamilyFarms.com/Hard-Cider
Sure, this farm-based cidery offers a plethora of delicious bevvies, a family- and pet-friendly patio, and plenty of live events. The highlight, though? Goat cuddling.
Availability: Year-round
Availability: Seasonal
SUMMERLAND HERITAGE CIDER CO. 3113 Johnson St. | SummerlandCider.com
This Okanagan cidery specializes in alljuice ciders made from European cider apple varietals grown in their picturesque apple orchard, reulsting in complex, tannic ciders.
Before making the jump to the Sunshine Coast, Sunday Cider was established in East Van in 2014, making them the city’s first proper cidery.
TWICE IS NICE SYRAH CIDER
CO-FERMENTED W/ OKANAGAN SYRAH
Availability: Year-round
BAIE NOIR WILD FRUIT CIDER
Availability: Seasonal
6.9%
FRASER VALLEY CIDER CO.
22128-16th Ave., Langley FraserValleyCider.ca
With over 25 varieties of English and French cider apples grown on the property, Fraser Valley Cider produces high quality traditional cider from 100% pressed apples. Events held year-round.
ROSY RASPBERRY APPLE CIDER
MANGO MINT MANGO MINT CIDER
Availability: Year-round Availability: Year-round
CAMBIUM CIDER CO.
4667 E. Vernon Rd., Vernon CambiumCider.com
100% of the apples used in Cambium’s cider come from their own certified organic orchard which surrounds their cidery and restaurant.
APRICOT GINGER FRUIT-INFUSED CIDER
Availability: Year-round
MODERN DRY APPLE CIDER
Availability: Year-round
VERNON
BANDITRY CIDER
538 Pratt Rd., Gibsons | BanditryCider.com
BIG BANG CIDER
1235 Nanaimo Lakes Rd., Nanaimo; BigBangCider.com
BOWEN CIDER HOUSE
1125 Grafton Rd., Bowen Island BowenCiderHouse.ca
THE BRICKER CIDER COMPANY
6642 Norwest Bay Rd., Sechelt BrickersCider.com
BURTON CITY CIDER
5470 BC-6 , Burton BurtonCityCider.ca
CEDAR CIDER
828 Kennedy Rd., Agassiz CedarCider.ca
CIDERWORKS
529 Fulford-Ganges Rd., Salt Spring Island SaltSpringAppleCompany.com/Ciderworks
CLIFFSIDE CIDER
1679 Foreman Rd., Prince George ColdFrontCider.com
COLD FRONT CIDER
103-37760 2 Ave., Squamish CliffsideCider.com
CREEK & GULLY CIDER
1053 Poplar Grove Rd., Penticton CreekAndGully.com
DEAD END CIDER
620 Sumac Rd., Cawston ForbiddenFruitWine.com
DOMINION CIDER CO.
10216 Gould Ave., Summerland DominionCider.com
FARMSTRONG CIDER CO.
4305 Maw Rd., Armstrong FarmstrongCider.com
FOSSIL BEACH FARM
750 Savoie Rd., Hornby Island FossilBeachFarm.com
GABBIE’S PREMIUM CIDER
1120 Coats Dr., Gabriola Island GabbiesCider.com
GEO CIDER CO.
318-1201 Commercial Way, Squamish GeoCider.com
HOMESTEAD CIDER
6046 Kamp Rd., Agassiz HomesteadCider.ca
HOWLING MOON CRAFT CIDER
7952 BC-97, Oliver HowlingMoon.ca
JUNCTION ORCHARD & CIDERY
273 Prospect Lake Rd., Victoria JunctionVictoria.com
151 Sharp Rd., Salt Spring Island SaltSpringWildCider.com
SCENIC ROAD CIDER CO.
770 Packinghouse Rd., Kelowna ScenicRoadCider.com
SEA CIDER FARM & CIDERHOUSE
2487 Mt. St. Michael Rd., Saanichton SeaCider.ca
SHUSWAP CIDER CO.
#100-2090 10 Ave. SW, Salmon Arm | ShuswapCider.com
SOMA CRAFT CIDERY
4485 Sallows Rd., Kelowna SomaCidery.com
TONY’S CRAFT CIDERY
6167 Hwy. 6, Coldstream TonysCraftCidery.com
TRUCK 59 CIDER HOUSE
3887 Brown Rd., West Kelowna Truck59Cider.com
TWIN ISLAND CIDER
5601 Lupin Rd., Pender Island TwinIslandCider.com
TWISTED HILLS CRAFT CIDER
2080 Ritchie Dr., Cawston TwistedHills.ca
UNTANGLED CRAFT CIDER
725 Mackenzie Rd., Cawston UntangledCider.ca
UPSIDE CIDERY
2555 Gale Rd., Kelowna UpsideCider.com
VALLEY CIDER COMPANY
7661 Mays Rd., Duncan ValleyCider.com
VICTORIA CIDER CO.
9635 W. Saanich Rd., North Saanich VictoriaCiderCo.ca
WARDS CIDER
2287 Ward Rd., Kelowna WardsHardCider.com
WINDFALL CIDER
250 Esplanade E., North Vancouver WindfallCider.ca
WOODWARD CIDER CO.
5505 Westsyde Rd., Kamloops WoodwardCiderCo.ca
DID YOU KNOW?
FOUR FUN B.C. BEER FACTS TO IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS
by Joe Wiebe
BEASTLY BREWERIES
There are 19 breweries in B.C. featuring 13 unique animals in their names:
3 Dogs, Angry Hen, Bad Dog, Barn Owl, Buffalo Rouge, CowDog, Dead Frog, Dog Mountain, Fisher Peak, Fox Mountain, Grey Fox, Noble Pig, Ravens, Red Bird, Swans, Swift, Twa Dogs, Wolf, Yellow Dog.
Close calls: Hatching Post, Ursa Minor, Red Collar, and Unleashed.
Closed: Monkey 9.
ICONIC IPA
Driftwood Brewery’s Fat Tug IPA is one of the most famous and ubiquitous beers in B.C., but did you know that Driftwood actually launched with two Belgian beers and a pale ale when it opened in 2008? Fat Tug wasn’t even the first IPA they brewed! The brewery released Sartori Harvest IPA, B.C.’s first wethopped IPA, in 2009, and then launched Fat Tug IPA on a year-round basis in 2010.
VANCOUVER CREAM ALE
B.C. has a unique beer style all of its own: the Vancouver Cream Ale. What makes it unique is the fact that it is not actually a Cream Ale stylistically, but rather a Dark Mild. The story goes that when Shaftebury opened in 1987, its founders Tim Wittig and Paul Beaton
got John Mitchell (co-founder of Horseshoe Bay Brewing and Spinnakers Brewpub) to help design their beers, but they thought they would have trouble selling a beer with “dark” in the name, so they called it a cream ale instead. Several other early breweries followed suit and you can still drink Vancouver-style cream ales from R&B and Russell today.
TRUE COLLABORATION
Collaboration brews are common among breweries in B.C., but they typically aren’t truly collaborative since the beer is brewed at one brewery with some other brewers meeting up on the brew day to drink beer and symbolically toss in some ingredients. But there has been at least one true collaborative brew in B.C.: The Rock Bay Mash Up. Back in 2014, then neighbours Driftwood Brewery and Hoyne Brewing each brewed the same Baltic Porter recipe with one difference—Driftwood used an ale yeast and Hoyne used a lager strain— and then they linked more than 60 metres of hoses together and pumped Hoyne’s batch into a bigger tank at Driftwood. The resulting blend was released by both breweries as the Rock Bay Mash Up (8% ABV) and it was delicious! j
