quote of the day

“Microbrewing in B.C. has never been easy, but the makers of craft beer are enjoying a growing thirst for their product.  And not just beer nerds are sampling craft and cask beers at places like the Alibi Room.  Most of the events at the first Vancouver Craft Beer Week this spring sold old, as did last year’s Hopscotch whisky, scotch and beer festival in Vancouver.  Fifty-five hundred people attended Nando’s Canada Cup of Beer at the University of B.C. over two days in July where, organizers say, half the vendors were microbreweries.  And craft beer enthusiasts reportedly snapped up tickets to last weekend’s Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria in 10 minutes.”

Cheryl Rossi
Vancouver Courier
September 17, 2010

cask night in victoria

“Gareth, Mike and I were pleased to find an intriguing looking cask at the bar when we ventured into the Irish Times Pub on Tuesday afternoon.  I’ve been looking to the  Cask Nights ever since word got out that the Vic Pub Co. & Vancouver Island Brewery were collaborating to bring the worthy people of Victoria a taste of new craft beer! The Confessional Festbock is the second treat on the list of 5 brews that are planned to be showcased at the Bard & Banker and Irish Times pubs during October.
Drum roll please….”
for the full blog post, click here

vancouver island casks

Vancouver Island Brewery:

 These are our upcoming casks designed exclusively in extremely small batches by our Caskmaster Chris Graham!

October 5 – Bard and Banker Pub – “Cremation Scottish Ale”

October 12 – Irish Times Pub – “Confessional Festbock”

October 19 – Bard and Banker Pub – “Doppelbock”

October 26 – Irish Times Pub – “Hangman IPA”

October 30 – Irish Times Pub – “Puca Pumpkin Ale” (who is Puca?)

November 2 – The Strathcona Hotel – “Hermannator”

More to come at the Beagle Pub in December!

spinnakers

next up for a taste test is spinnaker’s mitchell’s esb

now i love me an extra special bitter

so i have high hopes!

crazy creamy head on the vigourous pour

expected more sediment in the bottle and in the glass from this live yeast product, but there really wasn’t much at all

dark caramel colour

not much of a hop nose

5.2%

not as hoppy as i tend to like my esbs

but the live yeast is not giving it a yeasty flavour, so i’m a fan

it won’t replace any of my favourite esbs in my regular rotation, but i’d certainly have it again (and again)

the bottle says:  “Brewed in honour of John Mitchell, first brewer & Publican of Spinnakers Brew Pub, Victoria, this beer is a classic English style Extra Special Bitter, brewed with English two row pale and crystal malts, balanced with English Northern Brewer and East Kent Golding hops.

Spinnakers beers are live real ales, are not filtered or pasteurized and contain no additives or preservatives.  Natural sedimentation may occur.  Pour carefully, in a single motion, leaving the last centimeter.”

the website says:

“Founding partner and brewer for the first six months. John’s name is still carried on an original beer, Mitchell’s ESB. The other beers bearing John’s distinctive mark include Mt. Tolmie Dark, and Empress Stout. In his 1988 New World Guide to Beer, British author Michael Jackson describes John’s ESB as “beautifully balanced, the Mt. Tolmie Dark as a classic strong mild, of which Britain should be envious and the Empress Stout as a model of the style.””

octoberfest

from Vancouver Island Brewery:

 Join Vancouver Island Brewery at Victoria own Octoberfest on October 8, 9 & 10th, 2010 at GR Pearkes Arena! There will be 12oz beers poured from VIB and other local craft breweries.

Added to this event are a multitude of other vendors ranging from an assortment of restaurants showcasing their specialty foods and other assorted types of… vendors with items for display and sale.

There will be entertainment all throughout Saturday and Sunday afternoon!

http://www.victoriaoctoberfest.com/ for more info.

phillips rifflandabrau

tried phillips rifflandabrau the other night at a party
i do love a pilsner!
and it was delicious
tried it right out of the bottle so i have no idea what it pours like!
and i’d already had a couple, so this review is not gonna be the best…

its the official beer of rifflandia music festival
and what pray tell is that, you may ask yourself, as i certainly did!
its a music festival in victoria, bc september 23 – 26
who knew?

the bottle says:  “From power trios to three-chord punk songs, three is a magical musical number.  For the third Rifflandia festival, we’ve jammed a tour van full of refreshing pilsner action into this small bottle.  Rifflandabrau might not stop the ringing in your ears, but it can take the scratch out of your throat after screaming along at the top of your lungs.”

the website says:  “Brewed especially for thirsty Rifflandia festival goers, this easy-drinking pilsner knows how to rock and roll.  This year’s batch of the Riff is three times tastier and triply refreshing.”

so there you have it!
drink it!