Category: summer

link love

evil twin’s bikini beer session ipa weighs in at a mere 2.7%

best sours for summer – gose and berliner weisse

bill tieleman thinks that minimum beer prices won’t stop abuse

is the u.s. beer market overcrowded?
sam calagione thinks there’s a bloodbath coming

brewdog wants to make you a beer expert in five easy steps

beer expert debunks some myths
(and perpetuates one about women)

hop union’s aroma wheel

link love

5 must try beers from vcbw
i second the storm basil ipa nomination!

the history of bottle openers

best nor-cal breweries

jan zeschky’s take on this year’s vcbw

5 cardinal sins of beer service

chicago women say there is no such thing as “girly” beer
and how much longer are articles like this going to be written?
when can it just be a beverage most people enjoy?

summer beer picks of san diego beer experts
most of which aren’t available in yvr, but hey, maybe you’re travelling this summer and can pick some up (and if you do, bring one back for me!)

when good beer goes bad
or, when it is okay to send your beer back

hops canary’s must do list for portland

ready for some beer trivia?
actually, it’s more like a ‘how well do you know beer’ quiz

a beer drinker’s guide to the world cup
maybe a bit too much on the macro side, but still interesting

port moody gets two new craft breweries

link love

what’s link love without a top ten list?
or a top 100 list?

10 great summer beers
and dagnabbit, i haven’t tried a single one of these

100 american beers you have to drink
part 1 – 100 – 81
i’m doing much better on this list!

an interview with chris bjerrisgaard of vancouver craft beer week

beer cocktails, a lovely summer drink

beer soaked grilled cheese sandwich recipe

brewdog beer and food pairing

the georgia strait on the evolving beer industry in bc
quoting none other than camra vancouver’s adam chatburn
plus reps from granville island and central city

more on the health benefits of drinking beer

the canadian brewing awards schedule

the strait says to try these beers

vancouver international tequila expo
oooh, i do love me some tequila!
too bad it overlaps with vcbw

vancouver brewery map – updated to today
but likely out of date again by tomorrow!

all me all the time

in case you just can’t get enough of me
(and beer!)

re-listen to last week’s beer column on cbc radio’s on the coast  – follow the link, click on the june 25th show and fast-forward to the end
i am on about 10 minutes before the end of the show, at the 2:18:30 mark

talking about summer beers
and blowing stephen quinn’s mind with the stiegl radler
 
now available – the inaugural issue of the bc craft beer news
check out the fabulous columns by bc craft beer lovers
including me!
available at your favourite craft beer location

beer column

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

The weather may not bear witness to the fact, but it is summer.
That means a whole new season of beers is upon us. 
 
In general terms, summer is the season of the lager. There are many fabulous summer ales available, but summer is the season in which lagers shine. Much maligned in recent history as flavour-less yellow fizzy beer, there are some wonderful craft brewed lagers available to quench your summer thirst. Cold is not a flavour so I would suggest avoiding a beer that advertises that it is. Instead I’d head for a beer that says it is crisp and refreshing and full of flavour. Also synonymous with summer are wheat ales and fruit beers. Lower alcohol percentages are also often found in a summer beer. When its hot out it is less enjoyable to quaff a 9% ale. A nice light low-alcohol lager just hits the spot so much more.
A reminder about the difference between an ale and a lager:  In one word, the difference is the yeast. Ales use a yeast that ferments at higher temperatures in less time than lager yeast which ferments more slowly at lower temperatures. Ale yeast remains at the top of the wort to do its work, lager yeasts do their work at the bottom. That’s pretty much the difference! Some creative brewers have used lager yeasts in their ales just to confuse the otherwise hard and fast rule, but all beers are either ales or lagers and it is the yeast that differentiates them. 
 
Beers should be enjoyed at temperatures relating to the temperatures they were brewed at.  Ales tend to release their flavours and aromas best at temperatures between 10 and 15 C, while lagers are best served a little cooler at between 5 and 10 C.  Which is another reason to enjoy a lager on a hot day!
 

Wheat beers come under several names. Anything that has the word “wit” or “weisse” or “weizen” in it is a wheat beer. Hefeweizens are one of the more well-known wheat beers. And less well known is a Berliner Weisse, a sour wheat beer. Wit means white in dutch and in german weisse is white, weizen is wheat and hefe is yeast. Keeping with those brewing traditions, North Americans often name their wheat beers in a similar manner. So a hefeweizen is a German-style yeasty wheat ale, as you can see from its cloudy constitution. Often a hefeweizen tastes banana-y.  Witbier is a wheat beer brewed mainly in Belgium and the Netherlands. It gets its name due to suspended yeast and wheat proteins which cause the beer to look hazy, or white, when cold. It often tastes of coriander and orange.

There are some really great craft beer patios in Vancouver. Tap and Barrel at Olympic Village has the most idyllic patio, and its a big one too. Yaletown Brewpub has their Cassiopeia Wit beer on tap right now, and they have quite a nice little patio on the pub side and a bigger one on the restaurant side. Steamworks has a Saison on tap right now, and a patio right in the action of Gastown to drink it on. Dockside Brewing on Granville Island has a beautiful patio, divided into three sections including one very fancy schmancy waterfront one, and a line up of lagers to quench your thirst. Local in Kitsilano has a large patio and a rotating beer list.

Sample Beer:
Stiegl Radler – this is half grapefruit juice, half lager and it is 100% delicious and refreshing. And weighs in at a mere 2.5% abv and only 25 calories per 100 mls if you’re keeping track of that sort of thing (or 125 for the whole can).
Their press release states:
“Stiegl Grapefruit Radler is the perfect summer beer, it’s light-bodied, clean, crisp and refreshing.”
Radler, which means “cyclist” in German, is a beer style invented by Bavarian cyclists.
Seeking a great tasting, low alcoholic beverage they could take on bike rides and picnics, Bavarian cyclists blended a 50/50 mixture of Bavarian lager and fruit juice. The refreshing result is now known as the Radler.
Stiegl Grapefruit Radler has a distinct tart flavour, citrusy aroma, lively effervescence and natural cloudiness, making it a perfect summer thirst-quencher.
The refreshing flavours of Stiegl Grapefruit Radler are best accentuated by serving in its signature curved, glass.
Brewed in Salzburg Austria at the privately owned and operated Stiegl Brewery
50 per cent Stiegl Goldbräu, a Bavarian Purity Law lager, made only with barley malt, hops and water
Pure spring water from the Alps
Whole flower hops from Hallertau and Saaz
Pure grapefruit juice
All natural ingredients – no additives, preservatives or adjuncts
Currently available at Biercraft and at private liquor stores around the city.

 
Beer picks –
Besides the Cassiopeia Wit at Yaletown and the Stiegl Radler that we talked about, I also recommend:
 
Red Racer Raspberry Wheat Ale
Driftwood White Bark Witbier
Vancouver Island Brewing Beachcomber Summer Ale