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

^ NDP Fisheries and Oceans Critic, Fin Donnelly, launches shark fin import ban petition at C Restaurant. (L to r, Claudia Li, Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark, Fin Donnelly, Rob Stewart, Cécile Yuen, Robert Clark)

Sharks are sublime creatures. For 400 million years they have survived on Earth, evolving to become the oceans’ supreme hunters and shaping the evolution of other marine species. However, surging demand for their fins for use in shark fin soup and traditional medicine is decimating global shark populations.

With up to 73 million sharks slaughtered annually, we may see the total collapse of worldwide shark species within the decade. This will significantly disrupt ocean ecosystems that a large number of people depend on for much of their protein. Already in the last 15 years shark numbers in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean have plummeted by 90%, and by 75% in the northwestern Atlantic.

Despite the potentially grave ecological consequences, it will be challenging to end shark finning. Not only is it a multi-billion dollar industry in which organized crime is involved, people’s view of sharks is very different from that of elephants, rhinoceros, and even tigers. Media sensationalism has created a deep-seated anxiety in humans that is wildly out of proportion to the actual threat posed by sharks.

^ Wedding Campaigner, Cécile Yuen, as Harry the Shark Truth mascot.

While shark protection doesn’t have the same public appeal as panda conservation, measures are starting to be taken. Shark finning at sea has already been banned in jurisdictions such as the Bahamas, Chile, Ecuador, Guam, Hawai’i, Honduras, and the US West Coast. However, without a broad international ban on the practice, backed by an effective enforcement mechanism, the shark’s future looks grim.

What can you do to help stop shark finning?

• Don’t eat shark fin soup; adopt a substitute.
• Sign the National Shark Fin Import Ban petition.
• Call or write your Member of Parliament to tell them to support Bill C-380, Fin Donnelly’s Ban on Shark Fin Importation Act.
• Host a screening of Sharkwater.

For more information on shark finning, visit:

• Shark Truth
• Sharkwater

~ RG

^ Ecological Services Initiative launches at Granville Island.

A significant flaw in our economic system is how natural capital is not assigned any direct monetary value. This means, for example, that while a wetland produces clean water and controls flooding, the only economic value is seen in converting it to agricultural or industrial use. However, the total value of benefits provided by ecosystems is actually considerable. In Natural Capital in BC’s Lower Mainland, a study produced by the David Suzuki Foundation for the Pacific Parklands Foundation, the total value of all benefits provided by the area’s natural capital was estimated at $5.4 billion annually or $2,462 per person.

When natural processes are taken into account in the formal economy, decisions and outcomes can be quite different. A landmark agreement in New York City in 1997 saw 165 stream miles in the Catskill/Delaware watershed protected to improve the quality of the city’s drinking water. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was about to mandate the City build a water treatment plant at a cost of up to $8 billion, with $250 million in annual operating expenses. However, by investing $1.5 billion in watershed protection, including paying farmers to remove sensitive lands from production, they were able to keep drinking water at a sufficient quality to avoid the need for a filtration facility.

In contrast, the smaller neighbouring Croton watershed was given up for development. Consequently, the EPA and the New York State Department of Health decreed that the City must filter this water by May 2012. Originally estimated at $800 million, the cost of the Croton Water Treatment Plant has ballooned to $3.4 billion since construction began in 2004.

Thanks to a new research consortium of farmers, ranchers, academics and conservationists, incorporating the value of natural capital in land use decisions is now being tested in BC. The Ecological Services Initiative will provide producers with financial incentives to adopt management practices that maintain or enhance the production of natural services, such as clean air and water, while growing our food. Participants will be compensated according to the land area they set aside and the loss of agricultural productivity. This will be to a maximum of $2,000 for measures such as erecting livestock fencing around sensitive areas, increasing the buffer zone between waterways and crops, planting trees to shade salmon spawning streams, or replanting native plant species to sustain indigenous wildlife.

ESI is endorsed by the BC Agriculture Council and the BC Cattlemen’s Association. It is funded by the Agriculture Environment and Wildlife Fund, BC Ministry of Agriculture, Columbia Basin Trust, Ducks Unlimited Canada, East Kootenay Conservation Fund, Sustainable Prosperity, and the University of Alberta’s Institute for Land Use Innovation. Thirteen demonstration farms and ranches, spanning a variety of different commodities and regions, are being monitored for biological and economic results. The viability of the concept will then be evaluated to see if a broader program with longer term application can be developed as a part of provincial agricultural policy.

~ 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

^ Tales of the Cocktail team at Xi Shi cocktail lounge (L-R) Michelle Dunnick, Melissa Young, Ann Tuennerman, Neely Hannah, Christina Gaspari Sudderth.

On Tuesday, Tales of the Cocktail co-founder, Ann Tuennerman, and her New Orleans team kicked off the countdown to Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver 2012 at the Xi Shi cocktail lounge in the Shangri-La Hotel. In less than 90 days, the first international satellite event of the world’s premier cocktail and spirits festival returns for its second time and will become a permanent annual fixture in our city.

A component of TOTC is the Cocktail Apprentice Program where talented bartenders are given an opportunity to further develop their bartending skills with some of the world’s most influential mixologists. They also gain experience working on large-scale events, which they may not normally encounter in their daily work. The bartenders chosen for the new Vancouver apprentice class are Evelyn Chick (Uva Wine Bar), Taylor Corrigan (Origin Restaurant and Bar, Toronto), Rebecca Davis (CHARcut Roast House, Calgary), Justin Taylor (YEW), Michael Webster (The Drake Hotel, Toronto), and Donnie Wheeler (Cin Cin). Vancouver’s Trevor Kallies (Donnelly Group) and Jonathan Smolensky (Hawksworth Restaurant) return as Senior Cocktail Apprentices.

^ The Beaver, the Dragon and the Bulldog – an original punch made especially for the TOTC reception by the Shangri-La’s Lead Bartender, Jay Jones.

Each TOTC festival features an official cocktail chosen via competition. Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver 2012 will showcase punch, a drink brought to England from India by sailors and British East India Company employees in the early 17th century. Derived from panch, the Hindu word for five, punch was originally made from five ingredients: alcohol, sweetener, citrus juice, water, and tea or spices; wine or brandy was used as a base. However, when Jamaican rum came into use in the mid-1600s, the modern punch was born.

After sampling more than 50 submissions from working Canadian bartenders, the TOTC judges selected Roaming Buffalo Punch from Chambar’s Jacob Sweetapple as the Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Cocktail Competition winner. Runner’s up were Katie McDonald of Victoria’s Veneto Lounge with her Helen’s Punch and Hawksworth Restaurant’s Jonathan Smolensky with his Homesteader’s Punch.

^ Chambar’s Jacob Sweetapple explains the inspiration behind his winning punch.

Roaming Buffalo Punch

• 500ml Roasted Almond infused Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• 200ml Barrel Aged Cointreau
• 200ml Remy Martin VSOP
• 50ml Angostura Orange bitters
• 200ml House made Falernum syrup (using maple)
• 750ml Jamaican ginger beer
• 100ml Fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients into a large punch bowl also using a large block of ice. Garnish with dehydrated slice of orange and lemons, star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks

In addition to extending the festival by a day, Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver 2012 will introduce cocktail pairing dinners, more tasting rooms and seminars, and 14 American craft distillers whose products are not currently available in Canada. It offers a taste of what’s in store at the 10th Anniversary Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, July 25-29.

Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver 2012
February 12-15, 2012
TalesoftheCocktail.com

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

^ Heather Yau serves Xi Shi’s signature Iron Lotus cocktail.

The Shangri-La Hotel has relaunched its lobby lounge as a relaxed gathering spot where you can linger over exceptional comestibles or enjoy a casual meal. Named after Xi Shi, one of the legendary Four Beauties of ancient China, the Asian touches at Xi Shi Lounge are evident in the hand-tailored Shanghai qipao worn by servers, the floral and fruity emphasis in their original cocktails, and the rice cracker snacks.

^ Inspired by Shanghai in the 1920s, Xi Shi servers wear white qipao during the day, black in the evening.

^ Nori-wrapped rice cracker bar snacks, the Asian answer to peanuts and popcorn.

^ The Hastings Set. Live music entertains guests in the evening and during afternoon tea set on weekends.

Under the direction of Lead Bartender, Jay Jones, cocktails take pride of place in Xi Shi Lounge’s beverage offerings. From the radiant and evocative signature Iron Lotus, to classics like the Aviation and Singapore Sling, all palates are accommodated. You can also find here one of the best hotel beer selections in the city with Driftwood Farmhand Ale, Red Racer IPA, Red Truck Lager, and a rotating beer on draught. Wine enthusiasts will appreciate the fine selection from the lounge’s Enomatic.

^ Paris, a Xi Shi original with Grey Goose La Poire vodka, green Chartreuse VEP, crème de cacao,  crème de violette, absinthe, orgeat.

^ Jay Jones, the Shangri-La Hotel’s Lead Bartender.

^ Gancho Rojo with Cazadores reposado tequila, Punt E Mes, maraschino liqueur, orange bitters.

For those with an appetite, the more than dozen food menu items represent a variety of culinary influences from Asia to Europe to the Americas. There are vegetarian options and three desserts for sweet tooths. Traditional afternoon tea with live classical piano is served on Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am – 5:00pm.

Xi Shi has been described as “equally charming in both heavy and light makeup” and “as appealing when she frowns as when she smiles”. But with Xi Shi Lounge, it’s more than just the space that appeals. The potential connections you make with visitors from other parts of the world is a notable virtue that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Xi Shi Lounge
Lobby Level, Shangri-La Hotel
Web | Twitter | Facebook
Hours: 11:30am – 1:00am

~ RG

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/2/tOp4eH – Media promotional party

As part of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association’s August Summer Love promotion, MARKET by Jean-Georges has been featuring a weekly cocktail tasting every Thursday at 9:00pm. For $25, guests received an appetizer and five tasting-size cocktails created by lead bartender, Jay Jones.

I learned that for MARKET’s last Summer Love Cocktail Tasting, Jones was showcasing tequila. Given my recent agave spirits education, I thought this offered a good opportunity to explore some of its capabilities in mixed drinks. Here is what he came up with…

El Mariachi
Cazadores Blanco | Campari | Mirabelle plum | fresh lime juice| sparkling wine

Carolina
Cazadores Reposado | Maraschino liqueur | Liquore Strega | fresh lemon juice | peach bitters

Jalisco Sour
Herradura Reposado | red bell pepper | Taboo absinthe | agave syrup | fresh lemon juice | egg white

Machete
Cazadores Anejo | green chartreuse | chili pepper | fresh lemon juice | lemon zest

Anticuado
Aha Toro Anejo | Vanille de Madagascar | brown sugar | Aztec chocolate bitters | lemon & orange zest

I really like seeing this concept being applied to cocktails in Vancouver. Curious by nature, I’m an avid explorer, be it travel, food, or drink. Tapas, thali, izakaya, wine flights, beer samplers – all offer the individual a better opportunity to survey a beverage or cuisine than normally possible with full-size servings.

Of course, there are greater logistics involved with cocktails since it requires much more than opening three, or so, bottles and pouring the contents into separate glasses. You can’t help but be impressed with The Refinery’s Cocktail Kitchen Series when, on top of that, they were changing the bartender weekly and the three-course menu monthly. Unsurprisingly, MARKET’s August tasting series has proven to be popular. Jones said they intend to have similar offerings in the future, perhaps putting more emphasis on the food.

After sampling all five tequila cocktails, guests were asked to vote for their favourite via twitter. The recipe of the most popular drink will be published in Vancity Buzz on August 29. Oh, and if you want to win a dream date valued up to $1,500, you have until August 31 to enter the DVBIA’s Summer Love Contest; date not included.

~ RG

Our experience of tequila in BC is like a Mexican all-inclusive resort — you play in an isolated stretch of beach while the rest of the country is out of sight, out of mind. Like me, your first experience of Mexico’s national spirit was probably the lick, sip, and suck of a tequila cruda, a series of which were intended to delver a masochistic blow to the head. Then, one day, someone gives you a taste of Don Julio or Patron, and you realize that shooting tequila is muy primitivo. Instead, you wake up the next morning feeling refreshed instead of thrashed. The education begins.

When learning about a new subject, it helps to be guided by someone schooled in the discipline. Recently, I sat down to a tasting with Eric P. Lorenz, a Vancouver-based ambassador and importer of tequila. Not only does Eric hold a Distintivo T diploma from the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council), he has a respectable personal tequila collection from which to sample. We spent an afternoon discussing the finer points of agave spirits — their history, production, and appreciation — but could easily have gone on much longer.

So what is tequila? It is the spirit distilled from the cooked and fermented juice of the heart of a perennial desert succulent related to yucca. Like the mestizo culture of modern Mexico, tequila is a product of both the Aztecs and the Spanish. When the conquistadors ran out of a reliable brandy supply, they tried distilling indigenous alcoholic beverages. After an initial failure with an Aztec drink made from fermented agave sap (octli/pulque), they found success in distilling a “mezcal beer” fermented from roasted agave piñas. This vino mezcal de Tequila was North America’s first indigenous spirit.

^ Harvested agave piñas

By Mexican law, only the spirit produced from agave grown in the state of Jalisco and some municipalities of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas can be called tequila. This area is a denomination of origin registered with the UN World Intellectual Property Organization. The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT), which controls production, has certified over 110 distilleries in the tequila region, producing more than 1,400 brands. They fall into two categories: 100% agave and mixto. The former can only be made exclusively with sugar from the Agave tequilana, Weber Blue variety. The latter must be made with a minimum of 51% agave sugars, but the balance need not even come from agave.

Tequila is distilled at least twice, may be aged in barrels, and is bottled at 35-55% alcohol (70–110 proof). Most tequilas are 80 proof, but producers of inferior products may cut corners by distilling to 100 proof, then diluting with water. Tequila can be divided into five different classes:

• Blanco/Plata (Silver): un-aged, clear tequila
• Joven/Oro (Gold): mixture of blanco and reposado of the mixto variety
• Reposado: aged 2-12 months
• Añejo: aged 1-3 years
• Extra Añejo: aged at least 3 years

The flavour profile of tequila is affected by terroir — there being distinct differences between the soils and climate of the Jalisco highlands and lowlands — and aging, which will lend additional characteristics from the type of barrels used, as well as colour. American and French white oak barrels are preferred. Reposados may be aged in new barrels as large as 20,000 litres, or in ones previously used to produce wine, whiskey, or scotch. The wood may be charred to bestow a smokey flavour, but smokiness is more typical of mezcal. Añejos cannot be aged in barrels larger than 600 litres. These may be used reposado barrels. Bourbon and whiskey barrels are also popular. After a year of aging on wood, they can be transferred to stainless steel tanks to reduce evaporation.

To appreciate a fine, 100% blue agave tequila, don’t shoot it; swirl, sniff, and sip. The traditional glass used for tequila is called a caballito. However, a snifter or the CRT’s official Ouverture Tequila glass by Riedel would be more appropriate. Serve at room temperature to enjoy the tequila’s full flavour. If you are encouraged to consume a neat tequila chilled, it is likely an inferior product.

Like any cocktail, those made with tequila are best when using high quality ingredients and fresh juices. Try this one, perfect for the current weather:

Fresh Margarita
by Eric Lorenz

• 2 parts t1 Tequila Blanco Ultra Fino (or any 100% blue agave blanco)
• 1 part Giffard Premium Curaçao Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz Wholesome Organic Raw Blue Agave Nectar
• juice of 1 whole lime
• flaked kosher salt

Rim a chilled margarita tumbler with a wedge of lime and the salt. Add remaining ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice; shake “until it hurts”. Strain into tumbler and serve. Salud!

With the growing interest in spirits and cocktails in BC, we’re starting to see more variety in the types and brands of tequila available. However, with the astronomical government markup, it may take some time for the market to further develop. Perhaps, that’s why tourism to Jalisco is growing.

^ Eric Lorenz of Lorenz Agave Spirits

Want to learn more about tequila? These upcoming events that may be of interest:

An Afternoon with Agave Spirits: Tequila
Saturday, October 1 @ 3:00pm
Latitude on Main
3250 Main Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $45
Info & Reservations: nick[at]thecascade[dot]ca

Tequila Tasting and Appreciation Class
October 4-25, Tuesdays @ 6:00pm
UBC AMS Minischool
Registration (starts Sept. 6) & info: AMS Minischool

To arrange your own tequila tasting, seminar, or dinner,  contact:

Lorenz Agave Spirits
Cell: (604) 836-4319
www.agavespirits.ca
Twitter: @agavespirits

~ 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

This year, FarmFolkCityFolk’s annual Feast of Fields fundraiser is being hosted at Krause Berry Farms in Langley. The four-hour gourmet wandering harvest festival celebrates the very best from local chefs, brewers, vintners, distillers, farmers, fishers, ranchers, and food artisans. By highlighting the connections between producers and chefs, producers and consumers, farm folk and city folk, Feast of Fields aims to increased the awareness of, and appreciation for, local food and agriculture in order to build a sustainable, local food system.

Krause Berry Farms began in 1974 when the Krause brothers planted one acre of strawberries. Today, 165 acres are under cultivation, producing a variety of fruits and vegetables that are harvested commercially and by U-pick. To keep the soils healthy and productive, Krause employs multiple year crop rotations, enriches the soil with natural compost, utilizes the latest techniques of Integrated Pest Management to reduce chemical use, practices no-till farming for certain crops, and performs many farming activities by hand to minimize external inputs.

Here’s an amuse bouche of what to expect at this year’s Feast…

Feast venue at Krause Berry Farms.

One Love Farms heirloom squash stuffed with Glorious Organics celebration salad by Seasonal 56 Restaurant.

House made charcuterie, compote, and rye bread by Seasonal 56 Restaurant.

For a list of participants, visit the Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields Web site. And don’t forget to stop by the Krause Berry Farms Market after the Feast to take home some fresh produce and food products.

Krause Berry Farms Market.

Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields
September 11, 1-5 pm
Krause Berry Farms
6179 248th Street, Langley
Tickets: $85; purchase info
Sponsorship: contact Dana at mvfeast@farmfolkcityfolk.ca
Twitter: @MVFeast

Other Feast of Field celebrations will be held on August 21 at Van Westen Vineyards and Orchards in Naramata and on September 18 at Marley Farm in Saanichton.

Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields artwork created by Jennifer Stamper.

~ 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

Walking down Bui Vien Street in search of a place to eat some good, authentic Vietnamese food, we were struck by the number of restaurants that offered anything but. Who in the hell would come to a culinary mecca, like Vietnam, and want to eat Indian food or approximations of Mexican and Italian? It was only then that we realized we had landed in the middle of Saigon’s backpacker area.

A rather mediocre dinner on our first night had left us a bit dejected. Anthony Bourdain swooning over the food in Vietnam and Vancouver’s own solid offerings had created expectations. However, Brian and I had not arrived with anything more than a general idea of what we were going to do. Being guided by a plan based on a synthesis of other people’s experiences was not what our trip was about. We were there to create our own adventures. Some missteps were to be expected.

Ironically, it was in our haste for a quick bite that we discovered our salvation right in front of our hotel – banh mi, that sublime marriage of French and Vietnamese cuisine which has become the quintessential street food here. Not only is it cheap – less than $1 – you don’t need to know the local language to order. All the ingredients are typically laid out in the open, so you just point to the fillings you want for your sandwich to be made.

The typical components of banh mi are baguettes, pâté, and mayonnaise from the French, salad ingredients, herbs, chilis, fish sauce, and pickled carrot/daikon from the Vietnamese. The classic version is made with the addition of some type of pork cold cut, such as ham, headcheese, or sliced pork roll. If you want to experience a vendor’s own special recipe, order a banh mi dac biet, which they all have.

With a variety of different fillings to be found, it’s easy to get drawn into a quest for the best banh mi. Other options include barbecued, grilled, or roasted pork, shredded pork skin, pork meatballs or patties, grilled beef or chicken, and vegetarian offerings with tofu or wheat gluten. There’s even a breakfast banh mi with fried egg. Our banh mi trung chien featured processed cheese, tomatoes, and fresh herbs with a sprinkling of Maggi sauce. One really wasn’t enough, or was it so good that it gave me cravings for more?

Our banh mi experience in Saigon had Brian wondering where you can find some good examples in Vancouver. For actual street food, try Bun Me Baguette at the corner of Robson and Hornby, which offers a choice of chicken or tofu fillings. At the moment, the only other options are indoors. Three well-regarded establishments are:

Au Petit Café
4851 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5V 3R9
Tel: (604) 873-3328
www.aupetitcafe.com

Ba Le
#21, 701 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5T 3K6
Tel: (604) 875-6322

Tung Hing Bakery
1198 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5V 3C8
Tel: (604) 875-3394
tunghingbakery.ca

Bon apetit!

~ RG