Six years ago, there were only two establishments in Vancouver offering cask-conditioned ale (AKA Real Ale) on a weekly basis – Dix BBQ & Brewery on Thursdays and The Whip Restaurant & Gallery on Sundays. Craft beer was still very much a sub-culture confined to brewpubs and the rare establishment where a manager or owner happened to know a thing or two about a good brew. To get the word out about offerings and activities, I began publishing the CAMRA Vancouver newsletter on a weekly basis.

It was at that time that I also read Garrett Oliver’s seminal book on beer and food pairing, The Brewmasters Table. Oliver inspired me to delve deeper into appreciating beer and food together. I began encouraging others with a culinary appetite to join me. More than anything, I felt cultivating a Flemish sensibility for beer and food would also resonate with women, offering a more cultivated dining experience that mass-market lager could never offer.

As beer friendly chefs, like Mike Carter (when at Dix) and Lee Humphries (of FigMint at the time), made successful forays into this fledgling frontier, it created a bit of a stir that began drawing in novelty seekers from outside the tight circle of Vancouver Real Ale aficionados. Morris Anh of The Whip was also interested in exploring the affinities of beer and food. So to highlight their weekly program of rotating cask ale supplied by R&B Brewing, I suggested they host a multi-course dinner featuring firkins from different brewers. Thus, the Feast of Five Firkins was born.

The Feast was actually a challenging step for The Whip to take. Normally, a chef can taste a beer and create a dish to go with it. But if a brewer creates a special, one-off cask-conditioned ale, it can’t be sampled ahead of time. It requires a close relationship between chef and brewer to consistently create successful pairings. The Whip was also new to serving multi-course meals to the entire restaurant.

To their credit, The Whip rose to these challenges and created an award-winning event that has become an annual tradition which sells out each time. For this year’s Feast of Five Firkins, Chef Andre Tremblay created the following menu:

^ Three Chili Glazed Perch, wild rice cake, citrus sun-dried cranberry sorbet.
Pairing: Tofino Brewing Tuff Session Dry-Hopped Pale Ale

^ Dry-Rubbed Rabbit Loin, blackberry reduction, sweet potato purée, charred lobster mushrooms.
Pairing: Yaletown Brewing Brick and Beam IPA

^ Heirloom Tomato and Watercress Caprese Salad, lemon poppy seed Muscovy duck breast, Gruyère.
Pairing: Cannery Brewing Wildfire Black IPA

^ Seared Wild Boar Medallion, shank confit demi-glâce, caramelized winter squash, root ragoût.
Pairing: Storm Brewing Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wee Heavy

^ Fubá and Papaya Custard Cake, framboise sweet cream, ancho chili ice cream.
Pairing: R&B Brewing Kumquat Cream Ale

Aside from the excitement of anticipating the pairings, what makes the Feast a grand occasion is the ritual involved in presenting each course. Before the food is served, the brewer explains the ale they created and then ceremoniously taps their firkin.

^ Yaletown Brewing brewmaster, Iain Hill, taps his cask of Brick & Beam IPA.

The live ale is served, unfiltered and unpasteurized, directly from the cask as the next course is presented to the diners. This happens five times.

^ The Whip’s Rose Weir with the 2012 Feast of Five Firkins brewers.

And at the end, when the brewers and staff have been congratulated by all on a fine meal, the firkins are free to be drained by those who still have room left to indulge (and, perhaps, the next day off from work).

~ RG

When I first became involved with Vancouver’s craft beer community, Belgium came to mind when thinking about the sort of beer culture I hoped we could cultivate here. Rather than attempt to transplant Flanders in the Lower Mainland, developing a Flemish-style appreciation for beer and food in local terms seemed more appropriate. It would have to include the Reinheitsgebot styles embraced by our pioneering craft brewers and the English traditions the Campaign for Real Ale advocates.

We’ve come a long way in the last five years. Previously, the average punter only saw draught industrial lager and fried food as natural partners, while the occasional brewmaster’s dinner was celebrated by beer geeks as Christmas come early. Now, more establishments are getting beyond the unappealing sleeve as the only glass to serve beer in. Chefs are also spilling more beer into their pots and liking the results.

For beer-forward businesses, this means taking it to the next level. Biercraft’s new Battle of the Belgians dinners offer a glimpse of what’s to come. Here’s what Chef Don Farion and his team offered last month at their “100 Points Quad Dinner” featuring five courses paired with Belgian quadrupels (amongst the world’s best beers, according to ratebeer.com) supplied by David Turnbull of Horizon Wines:

^ Mushroom cappuccino with spiced truffled cream.
Pairing: Trappistes Rochefort 10

^ Antipasti plate: applewood house-smoked oysters, caviar, Chimay à la Bière cheese, truffle chèvre, Wagyu beef rissoles, venison & blueberry sausage, fig & brandy jam, organic gold & red pickled beets.
Pairing: Chimay Grand Réserve

^ Spicy Asian beef tenderloin salad with bok choy, celeriac, roasted potatoes & yams, malt extract, and Cascade hops.
Pairing: Gouden Carolous Cuvée Van de Keizer Blauw

^ Yarrow Meadow Muscovy duck with beet tops, potato croquette, fig & sour cherry demi-glace.
Pairing: Westvleteren 12

^ Curried banana cannoli with salted caramel brittle.
Pairing: St. Bernardus Abt 12

There was a sixth “course”. At the end of the dinner, we were served tasting glasses of the five quadrupels and asked to rank them blind. The one-time best beer in the world, Westvleteren 12, garnered the top spot, followed by Rochefort 10 – both Trappist-made ales, which speaks to why there were high hopes for the Mont des Cats that I recently reviewed.

Without question, this was the best beer dinner I have attended to date. The fact that the extremely rare Westvleteren 12 was available, made it noteworthy alone. And for the quality that diners received, the $100 cost represented exceptional value. However, what truly elevated the experience was the creativity employed in offering excellent pairings that highlighted the synergy one can achieve with food and beer.

Biercraft’s next Battle of the Belgians will feature tripel ales.

~ RG

Abbaye Sainte Marie du Mont des Cats is a Trappist monastery located on a mountain outside the French village of Godewaersvelde, near the Belgian border. As with the likes of Chimay, Orval, and Rochefort today, Mont des Cats was once was highly regarded for its beer. However, during the Battle of the Lys in April 1918, an artillery bombardment destroyed the monastery and its brewery. Brewing ceased and the brewery was never rebuilt.

For those Trappist breweries that continue to brew, their stature has been such that commercial breweries have tried to take advantage of their reputation for marketing purposes. To protect the Trappist name, eight abbeys founded the International Trappist Association in 1997 and created a trademark for Trappist-produced goods. Similar to a denomination of origin, for a beer to be labeled Trappist, it must be brewed under the supervision of Trappist monks. The operation of the brewery must also be managed by the monks for the sustenance of the community, not for profit.

These strict guidelines have meant that, currently, only seven breweries can use the Authentic Trappist Product logo. Pessimists wondered if there ever will be another Trappist beer. Consequently, when the creation of Mont des Cats beer was announced last year on June 9, it naturally generated some excitement in the beer community. However, the abbey does not have a brewery, nor do the resident monks have any brewing expertise. Therefore, this beer is being produced by Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont, the brewers of Chimay.

Mont des Cats is a bottle-conditioned (on lees) amber ale that produces a large, creamy head when poured, leaving the signature Belgian lace on the inside of the glass. It has a mild aroma with some honey sweetness, giving way to a bready yeastiness. There is an initial biscuit sweetness on the palate that is quickly overtaken by a brisk dryness from a combination of active carbonation and hop bitterness that extends to the finish.

Mont des Cats lacks the depth and complexity one associates with fine Trappist ales. Let’s hope that this is a work in progress, and that by the time it reaches North America, they will have perfected the recipe.

Brewer: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont (Chimay)
ABV: 7.6%
Category: Belgian Strong Ale
Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 3/5
Flavour: 2.5/5
Mouthfeel: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Score: 15.5/25
Availability: currently, only at Auberge Mont des Cats

Beer courtesy of Don Farion, BierCraft.

~ RG

On a recent visit to Shanghai, I discovered the craft beer revolution is starting to make inroads into China. While Belgian imports are the most widely available, followed by Germans and the Brits, North American craft beer has only just arrived. These are thinly scattered amongst luxury hotels, Western restaurants, and more upscale supermarkets. But if you are a beer seeker, there are some diamonds in the rough you should target.

One of the most unusual spots I came across was Southern Barbarian, a restaurant specializing in Yunnan cuisine. Like a Southwest Chinese version of Fogg N’ Suds, their menu offers 99 imported beers and Tsingtao lager. Food-wise, I recommend ordering the Yunnanese specialties, such as Across-the-Bridge Noodles, chilli-tossed mint salad, fresh goat cheese, and sautéed pomegranate flowers. If, after a few high-test Belgians, you feel even more adventurous, consider their deep fried bamboo worms, honeybees, grasshoppers, or woodbugs. Insects make for good beer snacks.

Hiding in the middle of a tree-lined neighbourhood street, Jackie’s Beernest is as snug as it sounds. A wood-panelled room the size of a North American living room, it features a single picnic-like table in the centre. At the far end from the door, two glass-fronted fridges hold the Belgian-dominated chilled beer selection. On the right is a smaller fridge standing between two shelving units that contain replenishments and mementoes of Jackie’s notable beer tastings. Abutting the opposite wall, two small high top tables can accommodate small parties.

Jackie is a craft beer enthusiast who has taken on the herculean task of educating the public about beer, one palate at a time. He’s no mere opportunist. Jackie is also a homebrewer, so he knows his subject. On our visit, we gave him some BC craft beer to taste. To reciprocate, he offered us a sample of his housemade snake liquor, served directly from a transparent jar with its steeping ingredients clearly visible.

Cheers In is Shanghai’s equivalent to Brewery Creek, begun by two expat Frenchmen, Grégoire Prouvost & Cedric Bourlet. Their shop is even smaller than Jackie’s Beernest, but their selection is second to none; prices are comparable to what you would find here. An innovative, value-added service they offer is cold beer home delivery via electric scooter. Next year, they are opening a second location with triple the space. So if you have been suffering from skunky Chinese rice lager on your travels, an antidote can be delivered directly to your hotel with but a phone call.

Not all craft beer in Shanghai is imported. Fanchised brewpubs from the likes of Hofbräuhaus and Paulaner appeal to China’s German brewing roots. But if you imagine small Bavarian oases, what you actually discover is a bit of a mirage. For those with a North American craft beer palate, the two best destinations to satisfy your thirst are The Brew and Boxing Cat.

Located within the upscale Kerry Hotel (Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts) in Shanghai’s Pudong New District, The Brew immediately impresses upon entering. The striking, modern interior offers clean lines of glass, stainless, warm wood, and contrasting cream tabletops. The room’s centrepiece is a glassed-in brewhouse, fronted by a large pentagonal bar crowned with a three-tiered steel and glass chandelier that doubles as a glass rack.

Resident brewmaster, Leon Mickelson, joined us at our table to take us through his two lagers, four ales, and craft cider. His regulars consist of a Witbier, low-carb Lager, Pils, India Pale Ale, and a vanilla Stout. The MASH is a seasonal that, on our visit, happened to be a well-balanced roast pumpkin and pecan ale. Only open since February 2011, Leon’s already won medals at Beerfest Asia for his Skinny Green Lager and White Ant Wit. So, although it can be a bit of a trek getting out here if staying east of the Huangpu River, being located near a subway station means your cab fare will be better spent on fine-crafted beer.

Michael Jordan is not a basketball player. He’s the brewmaster at Boxing Cat Brewery who found his way from Portland’s Widmer Brothers to Shanghai via Bryggeriet S.C. Fuglsang in Denmark. We met with Michael one evening at Boxing Cat’s newest location, the swank Sinan Mansions, part of which is a pedestrian entertainment district redeveloped from the French Concession mansions of Shanghai’s early 20th century elite. There is no brewing done here. Rather, it’s a multifunctional space with a lounge on the ground floor, dining room above, and games room on top. The menu features authentic Southern cuisine with American-size portions.

In anticipation of our visit, Michael had chosen to release his Oaked Glasgow Kiss Scotch Ale aged on American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. While chatting about the Shanghai craft beer scene, we sampled his seasonal pumpkin ale, the special barrel-aged Scotch Ale, and his regular Helles, Pils, Pale Ale, and IPA. Although there were a handful of expats around us, it was gratifying to note that the majority of patrons were Chinese.

Like those in the craft beer industry here, Jackie, Leon, Michael, Cedric and Greg are passionate participants in the brewing renaissance. With others, they’ve been working together to host beer festivals and tasting events, opening new horizons in beer to the Shanghainese. As a result, finding good beer in China is becoming less difficult.

~ RG

Like wheat beers for summer, pumpkin ales seem to staking a claim to fall as the go to seasonal beer in BC. As with any beer style, once you’ve tried one pumpkin ale, you haven’t had them all. With a diversity of brewers now offering them, you find an equal diversity in the taste profiles of the various brands now available. They range from lightly spiced with a moderate pumpkin character to big and bold, like pumpkin pie in a glass – a good excuse to gather some friends together for a tasting.

Granville Island’s Pumpkin Ale is a good entry point for those who haven’t yet acquired a taste for spiced ales. Lying at the opposite end of the spectrum from Howe Sound’s Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale, it is a clean-tasting, medium-light amber ale with an earthy undertone and light dashes of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Served too cold, its maltiness will be suppressed and hop bitterness will come to the fore. Between 8-12°C, GIB’s Pumpkin Ale is nicely balanced and almost sessionable, save for the 6.0% alcohol that will creep up on you fairly quickly if you haven’t eaten.

Given the subtlety of pumpkin and spice character, Granville Island Pumpkin Ale could be paired with various pumpkin dishes, including pie, without overpowering the palate. Roasted poultry served with yams, carrots, turnips, or roasted butternut squash are well-complemented for an enjoyable feast to celebrate the harvest.

Brewer: Granville island Brewing
ABV: 6.0%
Category: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 3/5
Flavour: 3/5
Mouthfeel: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Score: 16/25
Availability: in 650 bottles for a limited time at GIB retail store and in select government & private liquor stores.

~ RG

In the mad dash up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler, Squamish is typically bypassed. However, it offers much in the way of outdoor activities and has equal draw to Whistler in terms of craft beer offerings. What you don’t get is the expense associated with a world class resort town. So if you are looking for a quiet, craft beer-worthy getaway to the great outdoors that is kind to the pocketbook, you’ll find it a 45-minute drive north of Vancouver.

Guest room at Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Company.

Conveniently, Howe Sound Brewing has its own 20-room inn with a pub, full-service restaurant, banquet and meeting facilities. So for the craft beer enthusiast, there is no better place in town for room and board. Even if you aren’t a beer geek, you will appreciate the quality of the food, Northwest ambiance, and relaxed atmosphere. They do serve wine, if you insist on not trying to find a beer you like.

A taster rack is always a good way to start off a brewpub visit.

If you’re here for the beer, then Howe Sound’s pub is the place to be. It offers a changing selection of at least eight beers, four of which are served from hand pumps and a minimum of one seasonal. I always like to get a sample rack on my first visit to determine where a brewer’s strength lies – no brewer makes all styles equally well. For places I have already been to, it helps to get reacquainted and then order a pint of what strikes your fancy. To get the true flavour of an ale, be sure to let it warm to the correct serving temperature.

Peace Country lamb burger with hand cut fries.

While it would be a stretch to say Howe Sound’s food is gourmet in the true sense of the word, their emphasis on local and seasonal products, and making everything but the ketchup and mustard in-house, means eating a burger is much more than a pedestrian experience. The menu is well-designed to offer something for everyone. Vegetarians will be happy to know they won’t have to subsist on fries and iceberg lettuce-heavy salad. You’ll also want to come with enough of an appetite to have dessert, even if just to share. Noteworthy are tiramisu made with oatmeal stout (Beeramisu) and beer ice cream.

Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Company's Firebread Restaurant.

Prefer a quiet meal or something family-friendly? The Firebread Restaurant offers that with seven of Howe Sound’s regular beers on draft and a shorter menu, sharing some dishes from the pub. Wood Stone oven pizzas with a Rail Ale crust are a popular item. And if you’re staying overnight, you’ll want to come here for brunch. Be sure to try their spent grain toast and house made preserves that burst with flavour.

The Squamish Spit is a favourite spot for wind and kite surfers because of consistent summer winds.

Oh, and if all this isn’t reason enough for you to convince others to join you in Squamish, there are activities and attractions, like hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, kite & wind surfing, white water rafting, bird watching, and the West Coast Railway Heritage Park.

Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company
37801 Cleveland Ave., Squamish
Tel: 1-800-919-ALES
hsibrew@howesound.com
www.howesound.com
Twitter: @howesoundbeer

~ RG

If you love beer, trips always seem to involve a beer bar, brewpub, brewery, or beer festival. Depending on your degree of obsession, the trip may completely revolve around beer or, at the very least, the destinations are chosen with good drinking in mind. Fortunately, the location of any of these establishments is not dependent, like a winery, on a location’s climate.

Crannóg Ales farmhouse brewery, Sorrento.

Culinary travel in BC is a developing segment in our tourism industry that is growing with the increasing appreciation for local food and drink. However, like fine dining, craft beer is under-represented. I will attempt to address that oversight through a series of posts featuring destinations or itineraries that will appeal to the craft beer curious and enthusiast.

Bart & Tracey Larson, owner/operators of Mt. Begbie Brewing Co., Revelstoke.

Frank Zappa said, “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” As craft beer is catching on in the province, that also seems to be true for places having a brewery. With new ones opening up in places like Tofino, Oliver, and Powell River, the good news is that there is a growing number of destinations that Lower Mainland residents can visit without having to bring their own supply.

~ RG

The tagline of the Mark James Group is “Drink Fresh Beer“. For the most part, this is what you should do. Go into a brewpub, where you find the freshest beer, and try a seasonal release when it first comes out. Sample it again three or four weeks later, and you may notice a considerable difference in taste, especially hoppy beers. The vibrant herbal freshness that was once at the forefront, will have lost some of its lustre. Malt and bitterness will have come out from behind the curtain to play a greater role.

There are, however, beers that actually improve with age. Barley wines, Belgian strong ales, bottle-conditioned ales, lambics, old ales, and Russian Imperial Stouts are some of the beer styles that, when stored properly, will grow in character and complexity. High alcohol beers, when young, will often have a noticeable booziness, particularly those that have been aged in barrels used in spirits production. Time will soften the edge and meld the flavours, resulting in a more refined beverage.

So how do you cellar beer? First, choose your beer. If you are new to this, play it safe by picking one that is above 8% ABV and low in hops (IBU). Many of these are released by breweries during the colder months of the year and are known as winter warmers. Key words to look for on the label are “barrel aged”, “bottle conditioned”, “Imperial”, “reserve”, or “vintage”. Realize that some beers, like Fuller’s Vintage Ale and Anchor’s Our Special Ale, have recipes that change from year to year. Therefore, if you want to do a vertical tasting of a particular beer to compare the differences that result from aging, you will have to choose one whose recipe is consistent from year to year, such as Vancouver Island Brewery’s Hermannator Ice Bock.

Innis & Gunn Scottish ale aged in rum barrels.

Next, buy at least two bottles – one to try right away, the other to keep for at least one year. If you want to really test a particular beer’s cellaring ability, the number of bottles to get will depend on the length of time and frequency of the sampling. For example, for a ten-year test, you could do it with 11 bottles. However, you may want to sample more frequently starting around the four year mark, therefore, you will need more.

Like wine, the enemies of beer are oxygen, light, and heat. So when cellaring a beer, you want to find a cool, dark place to store it – ideally, a spot in the basement where the temperature is fairly consistent throughout the year. Use your refrigerator only as a last resort. It is too cool of a temperature for strong ales, and the regular opening and closing of the door exposes the beer to light.

Unlike wine, it is recommended to store beer upright. This minimizes the surface area potentially exposed to oxygen and keeps any yeast or sediment at the bottom of the bottle for easier decanting when served. Be sure the bottle is marked with the year it was packaged. It is also a good idea to keep your ageing beer out of sight, so as to avoid the temptation to drink it.

2000 Thor's Hammer award-winning barley wine served after nine years of cellaring.

How long can you age a beer? In most cases, it’s hard to know for certain. A barley wine, like Central City Brewing’s Thor’s Hammer, can easily stand up to ten years; traditional lambic, even longer. Some breweries have enough of a history of producing beer meant for maturing that they can give you an idea of when the best time to consume it is. However, beer cellaring is still in its early stages as a hobby. The most common method for knowing when to pop the top is trial and error.

When you do decide to open a cellared beer, serve it at the same temperature it was stored at. If it was kept in your fridge, though, let it warm up to just under the proper serving temperature for the style. And if you’re taking more than a casual approach to beer cellaring, be sure to take tasting notes to help you determine the aging parameters of a particular beer. If you find one has started to go off part way through your trial period, open another bottle to see if that one may have just been an anomaly. If not, there’s no point in continuing to age the remaining bottles. The beer has reached its maturity and it’s time to drink.

You can learn more about beer cellaring during Vancouver Craft Beer Week at the following VCBW Signature event:

Legacy Liquor Store Cellaring Seminar
May 10, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
1633 Manitoba Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 331-7900
Details: vcbw.ca

The primary grain used to make beer is malted barley. Today, most industrial brewers may replace up to 40% with rice or corn which serves to reduce body and maltiness for a lighter, crisper beer with the added bonus to them of reducing cost. However, there are some traditional beer styles that have used other grains, such as wheat in Hefeweizen, oats in stout, and rye in sahti.

Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale is part of the Signature Series of Rogue Ales made for Iron Chef, Masaharu Morimoto, that won Gold for Specialty Beer in the 2008 World Beer Cup. In addition to four types of barley malt (Harrington, Metcalfe, Munich, C-15), they use roasted buckwheat (soba) groats to create this refreshing ale. Like most Rogue products, the bottle is a fount of useful information for the beer-savvy consumer to make a more informed purchasing decision:

• 12° Plato original gravity
• 75% apparent attenuation
• 30 international bitterness units
• 14º Lovibond

As one would expect from the above, Morimoto Soba is a lighter-bodied golden ale, slightly hazy, with a tight white head that emerges from soft, moderate carbonation. Crystal hops, which were bred from German Hallertau to create a US version of this noble hop, were the only variety used. They add a floral note and some spice to an aroma of honey, biscuits, and nuts.

Morimoto Soba begins with a lemon citrus taste that transforms into pineapple, toasted bread, and nuts. It finishes dry with a light bitterness of fairly short duration. Recommended pairings on the bottle suggest poultry and seafood. Tempura soba, tanuki soba, or mori soba would be obvious candidates. This would also be a welcome replacement to the generic Japanese lagers to have with chicken karaage, ebi sushi/tempura, and yakitori.

Brewer: Rogue Ales
ABV: 4.8%
Category: Specialty Beer
Appearance: 3.5
Aroma: 4
Flavour: 4
Mouthfeel: 3.5
Overall: 3.5
Score: 18.5/25

~ RG

Beer supplied by Brewery Creek Liquor Store.

Given the growing popularity of Witbier (bière blanche/white beer) here, it may come as a surprise that the style almost became extinct when the last brewery producing it in Hoegaarden closed in 1957. The Belgian village in Flemish Brabant synonymous with the name of the Witbier that most people are familiar with, had been brewing the style since at least 1455. Fortunately, Hoegaardier, Peter Celis, revived the brewing of Wit in 1966 and is largely credited for bringing it back from the brink.

Witbier, to my mind, is quite simply the beer of summer. In terms of refreshment, cold will only take you so far. A Wit offers a briskness on the tongue that parries the lethargy borne of a heavy heat. Citrus, spice, and a tart dryness combine to offer the ultimate in refreshment. Wit is also the perfect accompaniment to the lighter fare we naturally gravitate to in the hottest months – e.g. salads, shellfish – and is always good with sushi, which is why Japanese craft brewers have readily adopted the style. Drink it in winter? Admiring its bright light colour is a foreshadow of the sunshine we long for on a gloomy, drizzling Vancouver day.

Dominus Vobiscum Blanche won Gold at the 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards for the Wheat Beer – Belgian Style White/Wit category, so you can be confident that this is a well-crafted brew. The brewery recommends serving it from 4 – 6°C in a goblet, but a tumbler is also commonly used. Some further statistics from the label for beer geeks:

• 12° Plato original gravity
• 75% apparent attenuation
• 7 international bitterness units
• 5 Lovibond

Dominus Vobiscum Blanche pours a bright straw yellow with medium carbonation and a large, dense white head. This medium-bodied beer has a trademark milkiness from the yeast in the bottle (bottle conditioned, aka Real Ale) and proteins from the unmalted wheat used. This is a desired trait, not a sign of the beer going off. The aroma is moderately sweet and perfumy with notes of citrus and pepper. In flavour, it begins with a honey sweetness, giving way to citrus, then finishing dry and tart with chamomile and spice. (Note: adding lemon or orange will probably mask the chamomile.) There will be no discernible hop bitterness for the average drinker (i.e. 7 IBU).

Wit is a fragile beer that does not age well. It is best consumed as fresh as possible. The beer I sampled was bottled on June 2, 2010.

Brewer: MicroBrasserie Charlevoix
ABV: 5%
Category: Witbier
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 4
Flavour: 4
Mouthfeel: 4
Overall: 4
Score: 20/25
Availability: in 500ml bottles exclusively at Viti Wine & Lager for $7.60

~ RG

We normally think of Canada as a single country. However, when it comes to alcohol, inter-provincial sales restrictions make us more like ten countries. Until just recently, the craft beer produced in other parts of Canada has been something of a mystery that cost a few pints and an airline ticket to unravel. Now, thanks to some intrepid import agents and liquor store managers, we are seeing a trickle from east of the Rockies with the likes of Paddock Wood, Half Pints, Mill Street, Dieu du Ciel, and Propeller showing up on LRS shelves.

A recent addition to these expats is MicroBrasserie Charlevoix, who just won a Gold at the 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards. Their La Vache Folle (Mad Cow) is an extra special bitter whose 6% ABV comes in at the top end of the style range. You can learn a number of other things about this beer before tasting it just by reading the bottle’s back label:

• 14.5° Plato original gravity
• 74% apparent attenuation
• 30 international bitterness units
• 15 Lovibond

When you do get around to popping the cap, the label also tells you to drink La Vache Folle in a pint glass at between 6°C and 10°C. It pours a murky, reddish amber with a full, off-white head and moderate carbonation. Compared to a citrusy West Coast ESB, like Central City’s Red Racer (60 IBU), this is more English in its hopping, adding a floral note to a sweet, fruity nose. The initial sweetness on the palate seems more Belgian candy sugar than malty, though. This is not surprising, given that four of the six beers Charlevoix brews are Belgian styles. However, taste does give way to a dry bitter finish one expects from an ESB.

Pair with a medium cheddar or ham baked with a coating of marmalade.

Brewer: MicroBrasserie Charlevoix
ABV: 6%
Category: Extra Special/Strong Bitter
Appearance: 3.5
Aroma: 4
Flavour: 3.5
Mouthfeel: 4
Overall: 4
Score: 19/25
Availability: in 500ml bottles exclusively at Viti Wine & Lager as part of a mixed 4-pack for $28.60

~ RG

Although there was no official declaration, 2010 looks like it was the year of the beer dinner in the Lower Mainland. While we can expect these regularly from brewpubs, we’ve only seen the occasional dabble from other establishments within the last couple of years, such as The Whip, Cru, Balilicious, FigMint, and Diva at The Met.

With Vancouver Craft Beer Week in May, however, a variety of venues took advantage of the craft beer buzz to get in on the latest trend. Given how most events were completely sold out, and the popularity of The Irish Heather’s Long Table Series, I think it’s fair to say we’ll be seeing more opportunities to explore pairing beer with food.

This encourages brewpubs to explore new avenues in order to distinguish their beer dinners from the others, which is a challenge Central City has fully taken on. Executive chef, Carl Sawatsky, is a dedicated proponent of local eating. In August, he featured a vegetarian beer dinner made with ingredients sourced exclusively from a nearby farmers market. Last week he offered an innovation for carnivores that featured offal.

Offal is something that many here find, well, awful. An animal’s nasty bits are something that we think of as only being fit for pet food, whereas, many other cultures have found ways for people to consume all parts of the animal. Prepared properly, offal can be a downright pleasure to savour. Sawatsky proved this with the following four-course menu:

^ Fried veal tongue rillettes studded with black truffle on brioche, pale ale jelly, lemon truffle pea shoot salad. Pairing: Red Racer Pale Ale.

^ Crispy sweet breads (cow pancreas), BC morel mushrooms, asparagus, morel demi-glace. Pairing: Red Racer White Ale.

^ Phở with tripe, “offaly good” meatballs (calf’s heart & liver), and crispy pig’s ear garnish. Pairing: Red Racer Märzen.

^ Lemon Meringue Surprise (bone gelatine). Pairing: Red Racer Tripel.

As you can see, this was not a Fear Factor experience but more like a meal Anthony Bourdain would appreciate. And how sophisticated are we as diners if, unlike most other parts of the world, we recoil at the thought of eating anything other than the finest cuts of meat? Sawatsky would love to host a nose-to-tail dinner, but that’s likely too ambitious for now.

Note: the offal used in this dinner came from non-medicated, hormone-free, locally raised animals, and was supplied by Heritage Meats in Langley.

~ RG

Once a year, a beer comes along and reminds us of what we are striving to create here in BC: a high-quality, local and sustainable brewing industry that draws its identity from the land around us; from farm to bottle if you will. By being one of the few truly ‘made in BC’ beers, Driftwood Brewing’s Sartori Harvest IPA does just that. Using fresh ‘wet-hops’ of the Centennial variety grown locally just south of Chilliwack at Sartori Cedar Ranch, this beer can only be made in limited quantities and only at harvest time.

Upon opening, followed by a slow flat pour in a proper beer glass, the floral hop aromas of pine and citrus begin to emerge. The golden yellow liquid produces a robust and creamy off-white head. The first sip hits strong with a pronounced upfront hop bitterness (the IBU’s clock in at 66) with a slight alcohol burn that nicely smooths out into a sweet and earthy malt finish.

I was fortunate enough to try both the cask conditioned and bottled versions of this year’s release, which are sure to disappear fast, and enjoyed them both very much. A tip of the hat to Driftwood Brewing for their continuing creative leadership.

I look forward to trying Salt Spring Island Ales limited-release, fresh whole-cone hopped versions of their Golden Ale and Whale Tail Ale coming this fall to compare. Luckily for all the craft drinkers out there, the bar has been set very high.

Brewer: Driftwood Brewery
ABV: 7%
Category: West Coast IPA
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 4
Flavour: 4
Mouthfeel: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
Score: 21/25

Beer Supplied by Brewery Creek Liquor Store

~ PK

When you think of a typical testosterone sports bar, you imagine a place with raucous guys drinking pitchers of a heavily advertised beer, attacking plates of nachos, chicken wings, or pork bites in between fist waving and shouting at televisions. Chances are, people are not there for the quality of the food or drink. But why should those who enjoy watching sports, not be able to get a good craft brew and some tasty nosh? With Red Card, you can, and then some.

Combine a stylish modern bar with a trattoria, add 18 high-definition televisions, and you have Red Card. It’s a place where you can have just beer and a pizza, but they will be far from ordinary – as is the Italian-inspired menu that would not be done justice by calling it “pub grub.”

The red brick marana forni oven that takes pride of place in the centre of the room, turns out masterful pies that stop you dead in your tracks with the first bite. You may find yourself distracted just a bit from the on-screen action while your mouth competes with your eyes for the cerebral cortex’s attention. The remainder of the menu has something to satisfy everyone, be they of light or hearty appetite, omnivore or vegetarian. Three desserts act as a fluttering flag on a distant green.

For beer options, there are 16 taps offering an international mixture of micros, macros, and Strongbow cider. Draft Lost Coast Indica IPA, Pike IPA, and Rogue Dead Guy will appeal to those looking for something to invigorate the palate. Over 40 bottled beers will leave you further spoiled for choice, although the US craft beer selection is where the strength of the menu lies – not a single dud amongst them.

Red Card could have rested its laurels there and already upped the game in town. Instead, they are running a Summer Beer Series until September 10 where, every Friday, a feature beer is paired with a specialty pizza created by Executive Chef, Andreas Wechselberger. Pairing beer and food is an idea that has yet to take serious hold in Vancouver. But with places like Red Card starting to explore this frontier, it’s only a matter of time before beer drinking gastronomes will have better options when dining out.

~ RG

With patio season finally upon us, many search for the best venue in the province to sip a fine craft beer while enjoying sun and scenery. Those who have made their way to Spinnakers Brewpub in that quest will wax poetic about the gorgeous harbour views, ocean sounds, and classic BC craft beer flavours. That said, anyone living outside of Victoria will not be able to experience this feeling on a regular basis, and instead must settle for bottled versions of their classic in-house offerings. Of these beers from the quarter century old brewpub, Blue Bridge Double Pale Ale is easily the pick of the litter when it comes to patio partners.

A tilted pour reveals a light amber coloured liquid with a medium white head. Aromas of bread, grass, and earth match the patio setting perfectly. The flavour follows suit filling your mouth with the taste of biscuit and malt, while adding a subtle hint of earthy hops and grass on the back end. A high alcohol percentage makes this bottle dangerous, but much like summer sun, it is best shared with friends. Drink with moderation and you should be able to enjoy this one right through till sunset.

Brewer: Spinnakers Brewpub
ABV: 8.2%
Category: Imperial Pale Ale / Double Pale Ale
Appearance: 3
Aroma: 4
Flavour: 5
Mouthfeel: 3
Overall: 5
Score: 20/25
Availability: Brewery Creek Liquor Store, Firefly Fine Wines and Ales, Viti Wine and Lager

~ Chris Bjerrisgaard