beer column

my notes from yesterday’s beer column on cbc radio one’s on the coast with stephen quinn:

Because the holiday season is upon us, and everyone has a beer lover on their list, here are some gift ideas for everyone who didn’t purchase a beer advent calendar in time!

Beer tour gift certificates:
Vancouver Brewery Tours
www.vancouverbrewerytours.com
604-318-2280
Hop in the van and get squired around town!  Enjoy a three hour tour of three breweries.  The breweries on each tour vary, and include Deep Cove and Bridge Brewing in North Vancouver; Storm, Parallel 49 and Bomber Brewing in East Vancouver; and Sunday tours now include Brassneck Brewing.  $69 gets you a van ride, behind the scenes tours and beer samples at the three breweries, and a really nice souvenir pint glass.  Tours run year round Thurs-Sun at noon and Saturdays at 4:00 on select dates.  They also offer private tours for up to 14 people.
Aaaand, they have a DineOut tour on January 16 and 17 that includes a tour of two craft breweries and three artisan food stops.  You’ll visit the brand new Strange Fellows Brewing and Bomber Brewing plus Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, La Grotta del Formaggio, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria and East Side Beer Food (aka Pig on the Street).  All that for $71

The Original Vancouver Food Tour
www.vancouverfoodtour.com
778-228-7932
Craft Beer ‘n Bites Tour – runs year round. For $75 you get beer and food at three Gastown locations.  The tours run weekdays at 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Friday to Sunday at 4:00 – 7:00 pm.

Or how about a gift pack:

Steel & Oak in New Westminster has a gift pack containing two pilsner glasses, a toque and a $100 gift card, all for $100;

from the steel & oak facebook page

Four Winds in Ladner has a gift box containing a mixed 4-pack of beer, a 750ml Triplicity Belgian tripel, 2 snifters, a driftwood coaster set, spiced nuts and shortbread for $100;

 

from the four winds twitter feed

Or beer clothing:

How cool are these hop leggings??? Made in Montreal, sold via TheBrewHeads.com.  They do ship to Canada.  The leggings would be $44US plus $10 shipping.  Tshirts, caps, glassware, toques.  Fun, fun, fun!



from the brewheads.com website

www.brewershirts.comhas free shipping to Canadaif you spend $40 at the store.  I had that amount purchased in about 2 seconds flat!  Mostly tshirts, but also stickers, glassware, bar towels and openers, etc.

If you want to shop more locally, Phillips Brewing’s online store is now open at www.Phillipsbeer.com/shop. They’ve got beer steins, hoodies, tees and hats.  Shipping costs vary by order.

Or beer gear:

I am in love with the stainless steel products at innate.com. You can’t go wrong with one of their growlers or sleeves.

Steel & Oak also have spiffy red stainless growlers for sale.

from steel & oak’s facebook page

Then there’s always the go-to brewery gift certificates and growlers:

Most of the local breweries have gift certificates available for purchase, along with swag and growlers, and are a great place to stop in for a last minute gift purchase… while you get your own growler(s) filled!

I would like to send out big ‘thank you’s to the contributors to my Food Drive Gift Baskets:

Basket #1:

Stainless Steel Growler donated by Hunter Litigation Chambers
2 bottles of Ice Breaker winter ale and 2 beer glasses donated by Stanley Park Brewing
6-pack of Red Truck Ale and ball cap donated by Red Truck Brewing
1 650ml bottle of Moon Dance Mango Wheat and tshirt donated by Old Yale Brewing
2 650ml bottles of Cameron’s RPA and Sound Brewing Dubbel Entendre and HopGoblin tshirt donated by Craft Beer Importers
$50 gift certificate and beer glasses and Persephone Brewing ball cap donated by 12 Kings Pub
Tshirt donated by CAMRA Vancouver
(Estimated value, $225)

Basket #2:

6-pack of Ice Breaker winter ale and 2 beer glasses donated by Stanley Park Brewing
6-pack of Red Truck Ale and ball cap donated by Red Truck Brewing
1 650ml bottle of West Coast IPA and tshirt donated by Old Yale Brewing
2 650ml bottles of Cameron’s RPA and Sound Brewing Trippel Entendre and Eggenberg women’s tshirt donated by Craft Beer Importers
Glass growler donated by CAMRA Vancouver
(Estimated value, $100)

Basket #3

6-pack of Ice Breaker winter ale and 2 beer glasses donated by Stanley Park Brewing
6-pack of Red Truck Ale and ball cap donated by Red Truck Brewing
1 650ml bottle of Knotty Blonde Ale beer and tshirt donated by Old Yale Brewing
2 650ml bottles of Cameron’s RPA and Sound Brewing Ursus Spaelaeus and Eggenberg women’s tshirt donated by Craft Beer Importers
Glass growler donated by CAMRA Vancouver
(Estimated value, $100)

Beer picks:

Whistler Brewing Uncommon lager – 650ml bottles at private and gov’t stores

Parallel 49 Toques of Hazzard white imperial ipa – available at the tasting room and bottles

Powell Street Brewery Ode to Citra pale ale – available at the tasting room and in 650ml bottles

on the coast

i’ll be on cbc radio one’s on the coast with stephen quinn today at 5:50 p.m.
talking about what to get the beer lover on your holiday shopping list
and thanking all the donors to my incentive give baskets for cbc’s food bank drive on friday

88.1 fm in vancouver
690 am

new releases

sorry, i was in vegas again this past weekend, so no link love this week
instead i bring you more new releases

Old Yale Brewing Company blazing new trails in time for their 15th anniversary

November 7th, 2014

(Chilliwack, BC) – Based in Chilliwack, BC, Old Yale Brewing Company’s founding brew master, Larry Caza, can be considered one of the pioneers of the Canadian Craft Beer Industry. After 15-years of craft brewing success (including the most recent Canadian Brewing “Beer of Year” win for

Sasquatch Stout), Old Yale Brewing Company is making some exciting announcements about their operation, including:

• The launch of two new products

• A significant increase in operational capacity and
• A new brand platform with striking new packaging creative for all of their products

New Products Launching   

Old Yale Brewing Company is excited to launch two new products:

  The West Coast IPA boasts huge hop flavour with a balanced drinkability. Described as
“Bold, hoppy goodness”, this IPA features over 50 pounds of the much sought after Citra
and Galaxy hops. “Beer drinkers from all corners of the spectrum will really love this
beer” explainsZach VanLeeuwen, Old Yale’s Operations Manager. “Balance and drinkability are at the core of what we do; our West Coast IPA has incredible hop flavour and aroma, along with a definite smooth and drinkable finish. The product has been receiving rave reviews”.

The Screaming Banshee Irish Cream Stout is described as “slow, sweet & soulwarming”. The beer is created from the brewery’s award-winning stout recipe with the addition of a touch of Irish Cream to give a smooth, defined sweetness.

Operational Capacity

On March 2014, Old Yale Brewing Company was purchased by 2Story Group Inc., a privately held

Canadian company which owns, manages and invests in like-minded and strategically-sound businesses throughout North America. Since the acquisition, the new ownership group has made

significant investments to improve the quality and consistency of the products, the efficiency of the operation, and to ensure product supply is available to meet increasing customer demand for their award-winning hand-crafted beers.

Same great taste, fresh new look!

 

The Old Yale Brewing Company’s products you have come to know and love will now be found in all new packaging shipping from the brewery as of today.  “Hitting the 15 year mark in craft brewing is no small feat”, continues VanLeeuwen. “2014 has been a huge year for us so far, and we are beyond excited to share our brand re-launch with our fans and to potential reach a whole host of new customers”.

 

VANCOUVER’S BOMBER BREWING and SAN DIEGO’S STONE BREWING
	JOIN FORCES TO GET BLOOD FROM A STONE
BLOOD FROM A STONE Red Rye IPA: Their’s may seem like an unlikely collaboration
since distance, borders, and an undeniable contrast of stature separate Bomber Brewing
and Stone Brewing. That gap is bridged with hops and yeast cultivated and propogated in
America and malted barley and rye from the fields of Canada. The addition of Australian
hops and German and Belgian malts impart further international flavours to this rich
rich Red Rye IPA.
About Blood from a Stone:
Appearance: Reddish orange with soft white head.
Aroma: Tropical notes from the Calypso and Ella in the kettle, and the latter as dry hops.
Flavour: The Canadian Rye and German CaraRed malts give a smooth spiciness and
clean hop finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry but with creamy body.
ABV = 6.8%
Original Gravity = 1.067
Bitterness = 50 IBU
Colour = 13 SRM
Blood from a Stone is available now in kegs, 650ml bottles,
and on tap in the Bomber Brewing tasting room.

link love

wine tasting room etiquette
which translates pretty exactly into beer tasting room etiquette

beer tripping – planning a beer vacation

trails and ales in vancouver, washington on march 26th

old yale brewery changes hands

decoding flavour

bellingham to get two new breweries this year

the most expensive beer on earth
collaboration brewed by tenaya creek and brewdog

an anti-craft beer article in the drinks business takes aim at beer labels

did-we-really-vote-for-him pm harper names the two beers he would have sent to the president if canada had (gasp!) lost at olympic hockey

beer tasting

i have been preparing all week for a beer tasting that goes at 4:30 today
(wish me luck!)
my office is holding it as a kick-off to the annual united way fundraising campaign
and i gotta say, when planning a beer tasting, it’s great to have minions!
all i had to do for the tasting was pick the beers and do a presentation about them
benton brothers did all the cheese and charcuterie pairings for me, the committee ordered the beer, the tables, the food and sent out the invitations
leaving me to focus on the beers and coming up with tasting notes and information about each

i am doing a very basic guided tasting of five beers, paired with cheese and charcuterie
followed by a self-led tasting (with provided tasting notes) rounding out the evening

for the guided tasting i am aiming to do a basic introduction to beer styles
the method of tasting beer (appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel)
and the basics of pairing food with these beers
i have chosen to go with five basic beer styles: lager, pale ale, amber ale, stout and ipa
and have gone with five local b.c. beers that are solidly within the bjcp style guidelines

for the second half of the evening i chose some more interesting beers
several different styles, and several interesting twists on styles we’re covering in the guided tour
(anchor christmas ale, anchor steam, chimay grande reserve blue, dab original, deschutes chasin’ freshies, howe sound king heffy, lindemans kriek, moon under water year one red wheat, parallel 49 crane kick sorachi ace lager, whistler chief chipotle red ale)

 

for the guided tasting i am beginning with granville island lager
which benton bros. has paired with Mont Jacob (Semi firm, washed rind) & Czech Beer Salami
followed by bridge brewing pale ale
paired with Red Leicestershire (Aged & Sweet) & Elk & Juniper Salami
then cannery’s anarchist amber
paired with Idiazabal (Smoked hard sheep) & Chorizo Rioja
then old yale’s sasquatch stout
paired with Bleu Benedictin & Duck Rillettes
and rounding out the guided portion will be driftwood’s fat tug
paired with 4 yr Artisan Gouda& Saucisson Sec

harrison beer fest and oktoberfest

yesterday’s beer fest was fun
it’s not the biggest beer festival around
and there were not many beers being offered that i hadn’t had before
but it’s a well-run festival and a great introduction to beer festivals for a newbie
or a relaxing beer festival for an old hand

caveat:  tourism harrison paid for me to stay two nights at the lovely harrison beach hotel, and entry for me and my guest to all three beer fest events.  i’m not going to lie to you about my impressions of the festival, but i may have had rose-coloured glasses on due to the sheer joy of a mostly-free weekend away at a beer festival in adorable harrison.

i brought a newbie with me to the festival
so while i spent my time pouring over the list for beers that i needed to cross off my “drank it” list
i was also looking for beers i thought she would want to try
for those who follow me, you’ll know that i have one hold-out on full conversion to craft beer
well, no longer!
bringing her to the beer fest moved her from macro lager lover into craft beer appreciator
will she never drink a rainier again?  don’t make me laugh!
but, she drank brown ales and nut brown ales and stouts and porters all afternoon and loved them
she even wrote down her favourites so she can find them at the liquor store

the set up of the beer fest was pretty much what you find at all beer festivals

booths set up around the room for breweries

seating in the middle

water / rinsing stations smattered around

but at harrison beer fest you get arm chairs and table cloths and blue skirts on the beer tables

it’s a classy affair!

the wack pack was back in full force

the winners of the people’s choice awards went to some very different beers than usually lead the pack in vancouver or victoria:

honourable mentions: mission springs, old yale and mill street

3rd place: phillips

2nd place: parallel 49

1st place: vancouver island brewing

then there was a two hour break in the proceedings

(during which i had a nap – no, really! beer festivalling is exhausting)

and the hall turned from beer hall into oktoberfest beer hall

with beer steins and leiderhosen and pretzels, oh my!

and the dancing!  chicken dance anyone?

i even got to meet sasquatch

the festivities wound down at 11
so civilized, just like the rest of the festival

did i enjoy the festival?  yes i did
would i come again next year?  i might
it wouldn’t be top of my list of beer festivals to attend, but it was very enjoyable
i’m a beer geek, there are so many festivals i haven’t been to yet and so many beers i haven’t had the opportunity to try yet, that re-visiting a smaller festival would not take priority in my beer calendar
that said, i think it’s important for places outside metropolitan areas to hold beer festivals and introduce people to the craft beers being brewed in their back-yards and local bigger cities
bringing beer to the people is a worthwhile endeavour and this festival certainly did that – i talked to quite a few people who admitted to being new to craft beer, and to a one they all said how much they were enjoying trying all the beers on offer
i do wish the licensed establishments in harrison would take note though – there is still not a craft beer to be found in harrison outside of the beer fest
if there had been, i would have been tempted to stay out longer after friday night’s cask fest and to actually go out after oktoberfest

harrison cask night

let me just begin by saying that harrison beer fest is adorable!
harrison is a lovely little place
and its beer festival is an equally lovely little thing

caveat:  tourism harrison paid for my hotel for two nights and entry for me and my guest to all three harrison beer fest events.  i’m not gonna lie to you about my impressions of the fest, but i may be mildly swayed by the sheer joy of getting away for a mostly-free beer weekend!

traffic was fairly kind to us, but we still didn’t hit town until around 7 p.m.
so we were at st. alice hall about an hour after the casks had been tapped and the night was in full swing
the event was sold out because they wisely kept the numbers low to ensure that attendees got their beer’s worth; the hall was full but by no means packed

my first impression was that this is a very different festival than i’m used to
people were sitting down, the noise level was fairly low and no one was drunk
and that impression lasted for about another half an hour
then people began to mingle and get louder

seriously, people sat down
there were lots of tables and chairs in the hall, and people were occupying them
they got up, got a beer, spoke to the brewery rep about said beer and then sat back down to drink it
so civilized… but so foreign to my cask festival experiences before now

people sat

the second thing that struck me about this festival over others i have been to – there were only six casks and they were all lined up right next to each other.
i thought this would make it hard to get to them
but you know what?  the crowd was small enough and polite enough that that just wasn’t an issue
and the camaraderie of the beer pourers was all the more obvious with them hanging out right next to each other

six casks

now, if you’re getting the impression that it was just a polite beer sipping sort of event, you’d be mistaken
it was a fun night
the casks were good, people were happy, the piano guy providing the live music was amusing and picked some great songs
and where there’s beer flowing, there are always good times right alongside
especially for the “wack pack” who came out for their buddy’s birthday and wore matching shirts with beery puns on the backs
(it was hard getting them to stand still!)

the wack pack

six breweries sent a cask
the first to have their cask drained was declared the winner of the evening
for the second year in a row, it was parallel 49 who claimed the honour
organizers joked that they would have to weigh their cask next year

dead frog brought their fearless ipa – the only hoppy beer in the bunch was a cask version of the bottled beer, brought down to about 70 ibus, and it worked

old yale brought a hazelnut stout – deep, dark and nuttily delicious.  they found the right amount of hazelnut to nut it up without overwhelming the rich dark malts

cannery brought a spiced knucklehead pumpkin – spicier than the bottled version, this one featured fresh pumpkin, nutmeg and all-spice.  not at all sweet, it was just like a pumpkin ale should be

parallel 49 brought old boy – a cask version of the bottled beer it was obviously a crowd pleaser as it was gone quite quickly

pacific western brought a barleywine – weighing in at 9% you’d think this one would have been boozey, but it wasn’t at all.  light coloured and light flavoured, this was my least favourite of the night

mission springs brought a cherry bomb belgian – the saison yeast’s pepperiness worked well with the soft cherry flavours to create a really drinkable beer

the night was pretty much wound up by 9:30
which after a long week at work was just about the right time to be winding down for this old lady
gotta make sure i’m rested up to kick up my heels at oktoberfest tonight!

press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CRAFT BEER TAKES ON CHILLIWACK

CHILLIWACK, BC— The arts and crafts programs at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre are about to get a big boost. A much needed fundraiser has been launched by the Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society Board of Directors, entitled the Fraser Valley CULTURE & CRAFT BEER Festival, debuting Saturday, November 30, 2013. A unique focus on craft beer will highlight the event, alongside local cuisine and Chilliwack rockers, The Lounge Hounds, sure to create a ridiculously good time.

For the past 50 years, beers in the hands of the average Canadian have been put there by mega corporations with the wrong focus. Concentrating on how much they’re selling instead of what they are selling. Over the last several years, craft brewing has become the fastest growing beer segment in Canada. Craft brewing is innovative, full of curiousity, collaboration, and tradition. Craft brewers make their community a better place. For the first time, craft brewers will come together in Chilliwack and showcase beers that don’t follow trends, but rather create them.

Featuring the finest microbreweries in BC, the event line-up includes Coal Harbour Brewing, Cannery Brewing, Howe Sound Brewing Company, Pacific Western Brewing Company, Parallel 49 Brewing Company, Steamworks Brewery, Driftwood Brewery, Dead Frog Brewery, Vancouver Island Brewery, Beverage Concepts, and Chilliwack’s own, Old Yale Brewery.

Foodies will find pure pleasure with our complimentary appetizers to go alongside the beer. The freshest and highest quality samplings will be offered by local gems including Verard Farms, Hofstede’s Country Barn, Frankie’s Italian Kitchen, Birdie’s Bakery, Smits & Co Cheeses, Vallee Sausage, Bill’s Beef Jerky, Decades Coffee Club, Fraser Valley Meats, Happy Days Dairy, Holland Shopping Centre, Original Joe’s, and True North Kettle Corn. Who can resist deep fried bitterballen and croquettes by Holland Shopping Centre, or Fraser Valley Meat’s sizzling skewers hot off the grill?

The Society has been thrilled by the community’s support thus far, with sponsors coming on board and auction items donated. Gold sponsor, Brad Stuart of the District Public House is proud to throw his support behind the festival, “Our vision for the festival is to show everyone in Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley the incredible variety and quality of craft beer here in BC. We will also be able to showcase the new Cultural Centre and the Downtown Core to visitors outside of Chilliwack. We imagine it will be a sold out event.”

Tickets are limited to 400 and sure to go fast. Call the Centre Box Office today to secure your $35 entry to Chilliwack’s monumental craft beer event. Contact the Centre Box Office at 604.391.SHOW (7469), visit www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca, or in person at 9201 Corbould Street.

Fraser Valley CULTURE & CRAFT BEER Festival is generously sponsored by the District Public House, Murray Honda, The Chilliwack Progress, Chilliwack Rotary, Tourism Chilliwack and 89.5 The Drive.

legacy

new beers at legacy liquor store in vancouver:

Deschutes Brewery – Class of ’88 Barley Wine – $12.55

25 years ago a beer renaissance occurred across the country and a passion for craft beer ignited. In honour of those 25 years of delicious beer, Deschutes, in collaboration with North Coast and Rogue, have opened a door to the past. Deep orange in colour with notes of caramel, pine and citrus on the nose, this brew offers more caramel, pine and citrus on the palate. A tasty treat from ’88.

Conor Marshall | Beer Department | Legacy Liquor Store

Old Yale Brewing – D. O. Ale – $7.55

In tribute to the Vancouver punk band D.O.A., this collaboration with CBC music and Old Yale Brewing Co. hits all the right notes (insert rimshot here). Pouring a deep brown in colour with sweet caramel, molasses and toasted malts on the nose, it follows up with honey, brown sugar and nut on the palate, with a little bit of smoke playing backup. Enjoy with your favourite D.O.A album.

Jordan Cran | Floor Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store

Phillips Brewing – Monkey Drummer & the Incomplete Octave (12^th Anniversary Ale) – $7.65

Happy anniversary, Phillips! Twelve years of great beers right from our own backyard. Celebrate with a delectable IPA that delivers a hop bomb you’ll never forget. Full-bodied and a golden straw yellow, this beer offers massive notes of pine and citrus that repeat on the palate, in addition to a faint earthy presence, leaving you wanting more. Get your fill, because 12^th anniversaries only happen once.

Evan Doan | Beer Department | Legacy Liquor Store

beer column

my notes from yesterday’s beer column on cbc radio’s on the coast with stephen quinn:

CBC Radio Three’s Grant Lawrence set the twitterverse on fire when he challenged listeners to use puns of Canadian bands to name fictious beers. Under the hashtag #CDNBandbeer his listeners responded. So much so that four breweries took up the challenge and have produced beer homages to local bands.  

 

Grant Lawrence of CBC Music came up with the idea last Fall, tweeted it, got a great response and it grew from there. A CBC designer took eight of the suggested beer names and made mock-up labels for them, which were posted on the CBC website. Then Jeremy Sibley of Old Yale Brewing decided he wanted to brew the beers. He recruited three other breweries and the Canadian Band Beer series was created.

Old Yale (Chilliwack) has brewed a brown ale called “D.O.Ale”, an homage to the legendary Vancouver punk band D.O.A. – This medium-bodied, classic brown ale balances its hop and malt flavours with subtle hints of chocolate. The slightly malty, lightly hopped finish has a touch of bitterness from the smooth Goldings hops. At 5 per cent ABV, it makes for a great session beer.

 

R&B Brewing (Vancouver) brewed a rye ipa called “You Say Barley! We Say Rye!”, a nod to You Say Party – This delicious IPA offers a hearty, complex flavour and aroma that is both aggressive and well balanced, reminiscent of rye or pumpernickel bread. Brewed with a generous amount of specialty malts, including U.K. pale malt and malted rye, and rounded out with a lavish quantity of hops.

 

“Said the Ale” from Townsite Brewing (Powell River) named after Said the Whale, is a belgian pale ale – This Belgian-style pale ale is brewed on the Sunshine Coast along the shores of the Salish Sea. At 5.8 per cent ABV, it’s an easy spring sipper. The low hop aroma and slightly bitter finish complement a complex background loaded with the fruity flavours of pear and orange.

 

Cannery Brewing (Penticton) made a german lager called Pink Mountainhops, named for Pink Mountainhops – This strong, dry-hopped maibock is a full-bodied, German-style lager. Created with classic German malts and noble hops, it is a malt-forward beer with a surprising hop complexity.

All four beers come in bombers (650ml) and were delivered right from the breweries to the government warehouse.  Government stores get first dibs on them and then private liquor stores.  A very limited quantity of these band beers were brewed, so call your local store to make sure they carry it!

 

The D.O.Ale was released on May 17th, the You Say Barley on May 24th, Said the Ale comes out this Friday, which also coincides with the beginning of Vancouver Craft Beer Week, and the fourth beer, Pink Mountainhops will be released on June 7th.  But you can get a sneak peek at the Pink Mountainhops at St. Augustine’s where this amazingly tasty maibock is on tap.  But hurry, I may just drink it all up!

 

These are not the first beers to be named after a band or a song.  There are several beers on the market named for songs, like 21st Amendment’s Back in Black and Brewdog’s How to Disappear Completely. And beers named after musicians, like Dogfish Head’s Johnny Cask and NorthCoast’s Brother Thelonious. And there are bands who have come out with their own beers – like the Hanson Bros. with mmmmmhop, Iron Maiden’s Trooper, Pearl Jam’s Faithfull Ale, and for some Canadian flavour, the BareNakedLadies announced their upcoming beer last Fall – which I understand is what started Grant Lawrence on this game turned project in the first place. The Imperial Chocolate Stout was brewed by Flying Monkeys brewery for a limited run of 750 ml bottles, and got quite good reviews upon its release. The band was also involved in the brewing process and designed the artwork.

 

This is not the first series of musically inspired beers either. Every month in 2012, California’s Lost Abbey debuted a different beer inspired by a rock anthem. For example, Track 3 was a pale, oak-aged sour ale based on AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells,” while Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” was the muse for the potent, bourbon barrel-aged Track 8, which was spiced with cinnamon sticks and dried chiles. At year’s end, every track was collected in a limited-edition box set. And from across the pond, several British music marketers partnered with a brewer to found Signature Brew, which collaborates with musicians to create a craft beer tailored to their tastes. To date, releases have included Mammoth IPA from English folk-rockers Dry the River; the citrusy Clear Heart from the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn; and a refreshing witbier from folk-punk artist Frank Artist.

Some of the names that were suggested by Grant Lawrence’s listeners, but haven’t yet made it into bottles are:  Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Pilsner, The Weakercans, the Beer Good Tanyas, Nickelbock…

It seems like there are enough to do a series every year.

For more details and to see all of the labels, visit the Canadian Band Beer page on CBC Music.

Because the CBC Band Beers are my beer picks this week, I’ll close out with some of the Vancouver Craft Beer Week events that still have tickets for sale:

THE SCIENCE OF BREWING MEETS THE ART OF THE COCKTAIL

6:00pm–9:00pm $80 Saturday June 1st

We would like to explore the relationship between beer and spirits and invite you to join us for a night of beer mixology and creativity. Exclusively for VCBW we’ll feature a Deschutes Mirror Pond and Hendricks Gin cocktail as well as a Chimay Rouge cocktail that brings a twist to the ordinary Americano. Savour one of the two craft beer cocktails and enjoy a tasting plate consisting of exceptional charcuterie and artisan cheeses. Since mixology is all about creativity and because we believe there is no better place than Raw Canvas to live it up, we’ll provide you with a ‘raw canvas’ that night as well. Convey your vision and creativity, exude emotion and passion, and take home your piece of art.

CANADIAN COMFORTS

7:00pm–11:00pm $69 Sunday June 2nd

Edible Canada is proud to feature a collection of Vancouver Island’s tastiest breweries Phillips, Spinnakers, Hoyne, Driftwood, and Vancouver Island Brewing to celebrate VCBW! An evening of high comfort foods, unique craft beers, live music by Casa Rosa, brewmasters and pure Canadian indulgence. Your ticket includes an array of delectable fare including duck fat donuts, fresh spot prawns, Fiore Farms pork and more, for an evening that will have your taste buds dancing!

BIERCRAFT BELGIAN SHOWCASE

6:30pm-11:00pm $75 Monday June 3rd

We’re pouring over 50 Belgian and Belgian-style beers for you to sample to your heart’s content. Along with such legends as Rochefort, St. Bernardus, and Delirium Tremens you can also sample some of the best examples of Belgian styles created by both local and US craft breweries such as Commons, Logsdon and Driftwood. There will be glassware and prize giveaways, poutine, frikandel and croquettes. One lucky winner will go home with a Westvleteren XII gift pack! This event is ALL INCLUSIVE! (Some of the food offered will be vegetarian friendly)