Events
Alibi Room Celebrates 100th beer list
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 | Beer, Events | 2 Comments
That’s right, 100th beer list, not beer, but beer list. I find that impressive and am planning on stopping by for the celebration, which is tomorrow, Thursday the 3rd of December at the Alibi Room. I’d heard rumors that an event of this sort might be taking place and the CAMRA newsletter confirms:
This Thursday will be the 100th rotation of the Alibi Room’s beer list. To mark the occasion owner Nigel Springthorpe will be replacing the regular lineup with a special selection featuring great current BC beers along with signature beers from many BC Brewers. Some kegs will be new, others may be kegs collected over the years and aged in the Alibi Room’s cellar. Highlights include a cask of Driftwood’s wet-hopped Sartori Harvest IPA, the last of Swan’s Legacy-Ale barleywine, and Steamworks’ Blitzen & Yaletown’s Le Nez Rouge Belgian-style tripels.
As if that wasn’t enough, The Alibi Room will be releasing the aged bottles they’ve collected and aged in their cellar.
I am pretty excited to give the fresh hopped Sartori Harvest IPA from Driftwood a try. I missed out on the bottled release when I was away in October, but the cask version promises to be even better. One friend of mine has gone on record as saying it is the best IPA he’s ever tasted and he’s a certified hophead. Should be good times, be sure to stop by if you can make it.
Cheers,
Chris
Washington Winter Beer Festival 2009
Thursday, November 12th, 2009 | Events | No Comments
The Washington Beer Commission is holding the 2009 edition of their Winter Beer festival this December 4th and 5th. I recently received an email containing the beer lineup and it looks to be a good one. I attended the Washington Cask Beer Festival last Spring and really enjoyed it, so I imagine the winter edition is similarly epic. Serious BC beer fans should consider heading down the I5 to take part in what promises to be a good festival. I really considered buying tickets, but am planning on attending the Dix Winter Caskival on December 5th instead. Both events will be good, but Dix is just so much closer to home!
Cheers,
Chris
Hopscotch Festival 2009
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | Events | No Comments
The annual Vancouver Hopscotch Festival is an event that showcases scotch, whiskey and beer. The 2009 edition starts this weekend, with the Grand Tasting Hall events taking place next Thursday and Friday, the 19th and 20th of November. Erik and I went to the Grand Tasting Hall last year and weren’t particularly impressed from a beer perspective. We don’t drink whiskey or scotch regularly enough to judge the quality of that aspect of the event, but the beers on hand were highly uninteresting. There were a few winter ales available that were good to try, but still nothing unavailable in stores. That being said, we are likely more knowledgeable about beer than the average person and someone who isn’t much into beer would likely enjoy trying the different styles on hand. For me, why would I pay for a ticket and wait in lines for tiny cups of beers I’ve already tried and can easily just buy off the shelf? The answer this year, I wouldn’t, so I’m not going. Hopscotch also provides attendees with the chance to get publicly drunk amongst a large crowd of people, which can be enticing (including to me, but not this time round).
An upcoming beer festival that I am excited about is the Dix Winter Caskival, which will feature upwards of twenty cask condition winter concoctions crafted by some of BC’s more adventurous (and talented) craft brewers. The summer Caskival was a blast, so I’m looking forward to December 5th. To get in, just line up outside of Dix at noon, no purchase of tickets beforehand required.
Cheers,
Chris
The Great Pig Roast
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 | Beer, Events | No Comments
The summer has recently drawn to a close and we are now welcoming the season of autumn. While pondering for quite some time over the best way to toast the summer goodnight and welcome in the chilly fall season, yes I actually ponder, I received a timely call from a good friend. After talking for a while it soon became apparent that the purpose of this call had a much higher level of significance than mere idle chit-chat – he was planning a pig roast. I can think of not better way of bidding summer farewell than feasting on a pig, slowly roasted over an open flame.
The more I thought about it, the more appropriate an early-fall pig roast became. A roasted pig, even a young suckling pig, is far more food than a crowd of less than 50 hungry eaters can consume, and I don’t know of anyone who has a house sized appropriate to house such a gathering. The late September air is just warm enough for a sizable crowd of 60 people to gather around a large fire without any great level of discomfort due to cold.
The end of September also means apple season is in full swing, and with an apple tree in my backyard heavily burdened with fresh apples, we made a massive apple crumble. Roasted pork, followed by a sweet apple crumble – a match made in heaven. Cabbage is also in season and we all know perfectly well that pork and coleslaw are very good friends. Yes, this event was made to be.
Of course any gathering of such a significant magnitude requires beer. Trying to go follow the seasonal and local theme that this event was creating for itself, I decided to pick up to two 19L kegs from Langley’s own Dead Frog Brewery. When I went to pick up the two kegs on a Friday afternoon, I found what I presumed to be Dead Frog’s management team sitting in the board room, drinking quality beer. As was expected, the beer was fantastic, although a bit foamy, and was enjoyed by many
So we bid summer farewell and welcomed in the fall with delicious feast of roasted pork – a definite contender for top five moments of 2009.
Cheers,
Erik
A couple of events
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 | Events | 5 Comments
There are some cool beer events happening in the lower mainland in the near future. I found out about them via the CAMRA Vancouver email list and the CAMRA Vancouver Facebook group. If you want to know the latest cool beer goings on, I suggest you join both the list and the group. However, I wouldn’t stop there; I’d consider becoming a full fledged CAMRA member. The $25 fee will quickly be recouped in savings and other perks, trust me, do it, join. Now for the events:
- Big Ridge in Surrey is hosting a Brewmaster’s Dinner on Tuesday the 28th at 7PM. The dinner costs $40 and features four delicious courses, each paired with a tasty big ridge brew. Learn more.
- It is once again time for the annual Dix Summer Caskival, where many brewers bring a cask or two of their creations for us to enjoy in one spot. The Caskival is August 8th from 12PM to 5PM and costs a mere $20. I have not attended a Dix Caskival yet, but plan to make this my first. Check out the beer lineup and other info here.
Cheers,
Chris
Nice little weekend
Sunday, June 21st, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Events | 2 Comments
Dave, Tristen, and I enjoying too many free cocktails at The Vancouver Club
This past weekend was a good one for my friends. On Friday, my friend Dave had a party to celebrate earning his Masters degree. Master Simington lives in Chilliwack near Old Yale Brewing and treated his guests to a 19L keg of Old Yale Pale Ale. Old Yale is not a very well known brewery in these parts, but is definitely one of my favorites. It was cool to catch up with old friends and celebrate with a keg of tasty, affordable, local craft beer.
On Saturday, I attended Adam and Lesley’s wedding at the Vancouver Club. I’d previously posted about the Vancouver Club, wondering what their beer selection might be like. I guess Adam and Lesley read the post because they both asked me if I approved of the beer. I didn’t really, but the wedding was awesome! The venue, the food, and the company were all wonderful. The Vancouver Club is a great place for a wedding, shoddy beer menu aside. All the best to Adam and Lesley, thank you for inviting us to enjoy your special day! We had planned to stop off at The Railway Club before the reception, but didn’t quite make it. There was a cocktail hour before the reception featuring drinks and tasty food, and who am I to pass up graciously provided sustenance? And if you were wondering, the beers available were Molson Canadian, Stella Artois, Heineken, and Becks, four generic lagers.
Also at the wedding on Saturday, I received the most surprising text message of my life to date. As we were sitting down for dinner, Peter, of guest post fame, announced the birth of his first child, wooooo! Baby Aaliyah Chandler arrived 18 days early, but healthy and with minimal fuss. We visited the newly formed Chandler family this morning and can attest to the cuteness of said family, thanks in large part to the most recent addition. To tie this event into beer, I’ve heard that stout is supposed to help in breast milk production. This may or may not be true, but I’ve also heard that drinking stout is good times, so who really cares? The Chandlers can expect some stout from me in the near future.
Congrats to my friends on their major life achievements! If you are up for further celebration, I’m up for a few beers.
Cheers,
Chris
A wedding at The Vancouver Club
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 | Beer, Events | 4 Comments
I am going to The Vancouver Club for a wedding this weekend. I’ve walked by the building before and it looks quite nice, a lovely place for a wedding reception. I’ve never been to The Vancouver Club and most of what I’ve heard of it comes from rich, old men I’ve met through work. From what I gather, it is an elitest place where business people go to talk about how great the are. Seriously, if the general clientele mirrors the few members I’ve met, then this place is snob central. The dress code posted on their website seems to validate my conclusion. Anyway, I’m wondering if this place is going to have any good beer? I’m sure they’ll have wine and spirits that cost a lot, but will they display good taste or will the ‘premium import beer’ on the menu be Stella Artois? I’ll find out and report back.
In any case, I have a backup plan to get myself some tasty craft beer on Saturday. Conveniently, The Railway Club is located equidistant from the ceremony and reception venues. I’m planning on popping in for a pint of their Railway Boxcar Bitter, brewed exclusively for The Railway Club by Phillips Brewing. They also have some other fine beers on the menu, Central City ESB being one. A few pints before the reception might improve the quality of the speeches later on, who can tell these things?
Cheers,
Chris
First Annual Whistler Brewhouse Beer Festival
Friday, May 29th, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Events, Pubs | 2 Comments
The Whistler Brewhouse is an establishment that I love. I’ve been going there for many years, long before I’d even fully discovered my love of beer. Some friends and I stumbled upon it during a ski trip one winter and have been going back ever since. We found the fresh beer and food to be excellent and the atmosphere to be delightfully cozy after a day on the slopes. The Whistler Brewhouse was also where I first enjoyed many lesser known beer styles, including a cherry ale, barley wine, and dunkelweizen that I can recall. When I found out that the Whistler Brewhouse would be hosting a beer festival this year, my interest was piqued.
I heard about the festival via the CAMRA Vancouver email newsletter, but haven’t been able to find very many details online besides the image included in this post and a Facebook event. The festival is said to be happening on Saturday June 27th from 12PM to 6PM and over twenty unknown microbreweries will be on hand. Tickets are $25 ($20 for CAMRA members) and are on sale at the Brewhouse and at Dix in Vancouver. Despite the lack of official details, the mere mention of a beer festival at the Whistler Brewhouse is enough for me. Erirk and I will be heading to Whistler that weekend for the wives for what will surely be an excellent time. To all my friends who expressed interest in previous beer festivals and were less than impressed when I didn’t invite them, please feel encouraged to join us at this one. It is going to be fun.
Cheers,
Chris
EAT Vancouver
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 | Beer, Events | No Comments
Eat Vancouver, an annual food and cooking show held at BC Place, took place weekend – I attended. The show consisted of a large number of trade booths selling or promoting food or food related products, cooking demonstrations, a beer, wine and spirits tasting area, and a smattering of restaurants, many being South Asian inspired, offering a small tasting menu.
The trade show floor was similar to last year and just not all that impressive – how many ready-made frozen curries does the world really need? But there were a few really interesting booths, including Sweet Tree Canadian Birch Syrup. If you haven’t tried birch syrup, do. Finally a natural tree syrup that West Coast Canadians can proudly boast about – move so than maple syrup. Similar to the trade show floor, the beer, wine and spirits tasting area was not overly impressive – too many distributors an not enough brewers, vintners and distillers. However, there were a few great breweries represented, Rogue, Brooklyn Brewery, R&B and Dead Frog to name a few.
The real draw this weekend was not the trade show booths or the food samples, it was the cooking demonstrations and food and beer seminars. Chefs ranging from Food Network Canada hosts to accomplished local and international kitchen veterans teach eager home cooks how to prepare their favourite dishes. The fine people at Just Here for The Beer hosted a series of seminars on beer – I was only able to attend the food and beer pairing session.
The food and beer pairings chosen for the seminar were:
- Vancouver Island Brewing Pilsner with a strong cheddar
- Russell Cream Ale with smoked salmon
- Dead Frog Nut Brown with a nut cluster
- Sapporo Dark Lager with dark(ish) chocolate
- Efes Dark Lager was also thrown in at the end to pair with the chocolate
The pairings all worked well, but I was hoping for a more creative selection- Belgian Ale, the king of food and beer parings, was nowhere to be found. That aside, Just Here for The Beer did a good job promoting beer and proved to many happy beer drinkers that wine is not the only drink that can enhance a great meal.
Cheers,
Erik
Washington Cask Beer Festival
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 | Beer, Events | 2 Comments
As a follow up to Erik’s last post, I thought I’d chip in with my impressions and some pictures of the Washington Cask Beer Festival. It was definitely a very good time and a very impressive festival. Vancouver has nothing to rival this event, which hosted almost forty craft brewers and sixty cask conditioned beers. I was surprised at how crowded it was; even knowing that this was the second of two sessions to sell out.
As for the beer itself, it was good. I can’t say much more than that, mostly because I don’t remember. I recall liking some more than others and, like Erik, I recall a particular fondness for Port Townsend and their Hop Diggidy IPA. We did manage to soldier through and taste each of the sixty beers on offer, although we were sharing tastes by the end. Those who opted out of the sharing duly suffered, up was chucked….
We definitely drank too much. Next time (oh yes, we’ll be back), we won’t hit up a German restaurant with a solid beer selection beforehand. It definitely didn’t help that the majority of the beer was 50% to 100% stronger than normal. Highlights of the evening include my wife stealing a wet floor sign, silly walking across the festival floor, and talking to Chris Martin of Coldplay (not even a good facsimile). It was also cool to see pregnant Darci having a great time taking down our tasting notes. She proved that you can have fun without drinking, which scientists had previously thought impossible. It was also really fun to read the tasting notes the next day, one from Peter read “tastes like dry erase marker, but I like it.”
As for the pictures, you can clearly see how our night progressed:
We begin, a nice normal picture
An hour later, not quite as subdued
Only a corner of the festival floor, it was big and well attended
And the fun begins
Cool tasting glasses. Erik and I smashed ours for not being made of glass. How dare they?
Erik's face, why not?
The wives, not as happy the next morning, still married to us.
After a while, nobody wanted to share with me anymore.
Still going strong...
Wooooooooooo!
Action sip.
Why not a group hug?
Hands in...
From there we went and took ridiculous pictures with the Space Needle, which I will spare you from viewing. Then the night sort of feel apart, but we ended up having a good time the next day. More to follow.
Cheers,
Chris
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