Love Good Beer

Where did the flavour go – take II

Saturday, March 14th, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Events, Food and Recipes, Homebrew, Pubs | No Comments

I have been battling a cold all week. For a person who loves food and beer, a cold is far more than a runny nose and a sore throat – a cold renders taste buds useless, clearly it is evil in its purest form. I have not been able to taste anything all week which has made for a somewhat mundane week. I was saddened to arrive at DIX Cask Thursday with a numbed pallet. The company at DIX was quite enjoyable, but both ales, which I am told were delicious, tasted only of bitterness. Now both Cask beers were quite hop heavy and bitterness is to be expected; however, I missed all of the subtleties and nuances that the brewer has intended for. Fortunately I am well on my way to recovery and should be in good drinking condition this Sunday for the cask at The Whip.

Prior to this cold destroying one of life’s greatest pleasures, I found a great ale house/beer bar in Everett, Washington last Sunday. This unintentional last hurrah for my taste buds took place at the poorly named Flying Pig Brewing Company. I have read that the Flying Pig was once a brewpub, but recently stopped brewing and now only serves local Northwest craft beer. Their selection of beer is quite impressive, but I do think a name change would be in good order.

After getting over the fact that no beer was brewed on site I ordered a pint of Hood Canal Oatmeal Stout. This stout has a delicious roasted malt flavour and a thick mouth feel. I had no choice but to order the pulled pork sandwich – my love for pulled pork is bordering on obsession. It wasn’t the greatest pulled pork, but nothing to complain about either. My wife order a pint of Alaskan Pale Ale, and from the sips I manage to steal, it was quite tasty. All in all it was a great place for a Sunday lunch.

I did manage to snap a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The Flying Pig Brewing Company

Hood Canal Oatmeal Stout

Holly with an Alaskan Pale Ale

Beer Selection

Pulled Pork - ignore the finger, I'm not a photographer

Erik

Tags: Alaskan Pale Ale, Cask, dix, Hood Canal Oatmeal Stout, The Flying Pig Brewing Company, the whip

A night at the Alibi Room

Thursday, February 26th, 2009 | Beer, Pubs | 2 Comments

Last night I went to the Alibi Room with my friends Peter, Dave and Gavin.  Erik was going to come, but he was busy roasting a chicken, it happens.  Our visit came about because of comment’s Rick Green left on Dave’s guest post, wondering what Dave might think of the Alibi Room in comparison to Original Joe’s.  It didn’t take much convincing to get a group out for beers after work, considering we are always up for some good merry making.  That aside, the Alibi Room has a fantastic beer selection to tempt any enthusiast.

The Alibi Room has 19 taps of fresh, relatively local draught beer, plus many more bottled options, as well as the odd cask, all of which are in constant rotation.  For a beer drinker, this is heaven.  Not only do they have the best beer selection in BC, but there is always something new.  In fact, the owner makes special trips to the island to pick up casks and kegs himself

I had a very hard time choosing what four beers to put into my “frat bat”.  I ended up going for the Swans Cask ESB, Longwood “Batch 1000″ Doppelbock, Dix Texan Brown, and Steamworks Roggenweizen.  I also sampled the Swans Extra IPA and ordered a pint of the Swans Cask ESB later on.  I think we all enjoyed the Cask ale the most, but I was also particularly impressed with the Longwood Doppelbock.  I didn’t care too much for the Roggenweizen (too spicy) or the Texan Brown, but neither are preferred styles of mine.

Peter and Dave with empty plates/glasses at the Alibi Room

We also had some very tasty, reasonably priced food.  After splitting some chicken wings and a cheese plate, we ordered two each of their roast beef sandwich special and their bison dip, which were both quite good.  I planned to take some pictures of our glorious spread of beer and food, but I completely forgot until we’d pretty much finished everything to the last crumb/drop.  Still, I have a picture of our empty plates and glasses, testament to the good times we shared with great food and beer at the Alibi Room.  I hope we end up making this a regular after work occurrence!

Cheers.

Chris

Tags: alibi room, dix, doppelbock, ESB, IPA, longwood, original joes, rick green, roggenweizen, steamworks, swans, texan brown

Eastern Explorations Continued: Dieu Du Ciel

Monday, February 16th, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Pubs | 1 Comment

One of my coworkers moved back to Quebec this past summer, but still works with us remotely.  Our interactions are now mostly limited to instant messenger conversations, but lately we’ve been able to bond over our mutual interest in beer.  Jerome is lucky to live near Montreal, the Canadian hotbed of interesting craft beer.  One of the breweries we both enjoy is Dieu Du Ciel, who brew very interesting beers.

Jerome tempting me with imagery

One of the guys at Brewery Creek recommended them to me, so I bought one of each of the six brews available.  Dieu Du Ciel (God of the sky) also gives their beers sweet names, not that this has anything to do with the beer itself, but it’s a nice touch.  The six I tried are:

• Corne du diable (Horn of the devil): 6.5% American IPA that I enjoyed very much, pleasantly hoppy for an East coast beer.
  
• Dernière Volonté (Last will): 6.5% Belgian abbey style blonde, which I also enjoyed.
• Fumisterie (Smoke screen): 5.5% hemp ale, enjoyable, but smoked flavors aren’t my bag.
• Péché Mortel (Mortal Sin): 9.5% Imperial coffee stout, intense roasted coffee flavors, very interesting, but a bit too heavy for my liking.
• Rosée d’hibiscus (Pinkish Hibiscus): 5% hibiscus flower wit, quite possibly the girliest beer I’ve ever come across (besides Bud Light), but I really enjoyed this wit and look forward to sipping a few more this summer.
• Route des épices (Spice route): 5% peppercorn rye beer, tasted like a (good) pale ale with added pepper, too much pepper in my opinion.

You’ll notice that Dieu Du Ciel doesn’t brew your average beers.  Even though I found them hit or miss, I love what Dieu Du Ciel is doing with their beer.  They are going all out, you love it or you hate it, but the ones you love are masterpieces.  The beer menu at the brewpub can only be considered epic, check it out.  I’m hoping to make a trip out to Montreal in the not too distant future.  Care to join me for a beer Jerome?

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: corne du diable, derniere volonte, die du ciel, fumisterie, montreal, peche mortel, rosee d'hibiscus, route des epices

A good bit of spam from PubQuest

Friday, February 13th, 2009 | Breweries, Pubs | No Comments

I get SPAM emails and cold calls at work all the time and I really hate it.  No, I don’t want toner or for you to be our company accountant; thank you for interrupting my day unnecessarily.  As such, I was annoyed when the first piece of spam targeted at this blog made it through my filter.  I wasn’t annoyed for long though, turns out I was actually interested in the unsolicited email I received.  In response to Erik’s trip to Seattle, Julie Wartell let us know about PubQuest.com, a map based mashup of brewpubs and craft brewers in North America.

PubQuest’s locater is pretty cool.  You zero in on an area of interest and are then shown where tasty beer can be found within the bounds of the map.  I tested it out for Vancouver, Victoria, the Fraser Valley, and the Okanagan. I found the listings to be very complete, which earned them my trust.  I’ve made my own Google Beer Maps in the past, so I would for sure use PubQuest as a starting point for any future beer based road trips.  If you are looking for a brewpub or craft brewer in your neighbourhood or near a travel destination, check out PubQuest.com.

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: beer map, pubcrawl, pubquest, roadtrip, spam

Joe to the rescue

Thursday, February 12th, 2009 | Pubs | 5 Comments

A third guest post to LoveGoodBeer.com!  This time we welcome David Reith to the fold.  He is a good friend, a good writer, and an accomplished beer drinker.  I hope you enjoy his post about a favorite local pub of ours. ~ Chris

As I read Erik’s post about local pubs, I couldn’t help but twinge when he insinuated that the beer and food at your local pub don’t matter as long as you’re amongst friends.  It’s not that I don’t like a good time out with my buddies because I do.  However, I think that a good time out with friends is often ruined by the experience of the venue.  This includes most prominently the food and beverage, but also extends to the house staff and general atmosphere of the joint.  Too often we suffer through poor food, boring beers, inept staff and other nuisances that can ruin a night before we even realize it.

The average local pub in the Fraser Valley usually falls woefully short when it comes to a selection of truly great beers.  Even without getting into the selective world of cask ales and seasonal releases, there are more than enough craft and micro-breweries for pubs to choose from.  Unfortunately, too many cater to the tasteless beer drinker or are forced to carry generic beer brands because of their chosen distributors.  Erik is right in wanting more adventurous choices, and he is not alone.

To add to the shortcomings in brew selection, most local taverns forget that beer often leads to food and some thought should be given to the latter.  As tasty as hot wings and nachos are (and believe me, I do love me some hot wings), they shouldn’t be the be all and end all of the pub menu.  Along with thinking outside the box with their beer, pubs need to get adventurous with their menus.

With all this in mind, I want to commend a local watering hole on its achievements.   Original Joe’s Restaurant and Bar is a Western Canadian chain of pubs from Saskatchewan to BC.  Much like Tom Cruise in Cocktail, they sought to franchise the look and feel of the friendly neighbourhood tavern and I think they have succeeded.  Admittedly, I have only visited one of their two BC locations (Coquitlam), but I have been a few times now and always enjoyed myself.  When it comes to beer, I have not seen a better selection of craft brews outside of operating brew pubs.  Their tap selection includes:

• Original Joe’s Red Ale, Honey Brown Ale, and Blonde Lager
• Okanagan Springs Brewing 1516 Bavarian Lager, Black Lager, and Pale Ale
• Russell Cream Ale
• Dead Frog Nut Brown Ale and Pale Ale
• Big Rock Traditional Ale, and Grasshopper Ale
• Whistler Black Tusk Ale, Import Lager, and Weissbeer

Their house brand, Original Joe’s, is brewed by Big Rock Brewing Co. in Alberta, but they venture outside of its boundaries to include some other interesting offerings, including local contributions from Dead Frog Brewing and Russell Brewing.  To add to my enjoyment, they offer a different selection from the taps each day for just $4.75 for a big boy pint.

In addition to a great selection of beers, they also offer a diverse and exciting menu that truly entices.  Pulled pork sandwiches, European sausages and handmade hamburgers all make appearances, as do some creative sides such as honey slaw, fries and homemade gravy, and mango pasta salad.  And yes, for the stubborn or the un-brave they do have excellent wings and nachos, but my guess is that they kick the pants off the local frozen-to-fried fare served up at most local pubs.   Plus, they have lunch and dinner specials that are actually that: special dishes at special prices (Note to restaurants: picking an item off your menu and printing it on a new page at the same price is NOT a special).

But the best part about Original Joe’s may not be the beers and it may not be the food.  It’s got that X-factor.  With portraits of local landmarks strewn about its red-brick walls and easily seen, but not overbearing TVs, O.J.’s provides just the right atmosphere for a good time with friends.  The staff is friendly and recognizes you on repeat visits.  So keep the faith beer-lovers!  Great pubs are out there and they are waiting for you to find them.  So grab some friends and venture out there.  Cheers.

Dave Reith

Tags: big rock brewing, local pubs, original joes, Pubs

The Pub

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 | Beer, Pubs | 2 Comments

Samz Neighbourhood Pub

Pubs in concept are great – providing a warm friendly environment with good beer and affordable hearty fare.  But I think I like the idea of a pub more than I actually like being at a pub – this is a problem.  To be honest I have never felt very at home in a pub, unless I am accompanied by a large group of friends.   I wish I could say I was that guy who  pulls up a bar stool and becomes instant friends with his fellow beer drinkers , but I’m not that guy.  I am more of the quite guy in the corner swirling and sniffing his beer, slowly savoring it’s flavour as if it were wine.

Please note, I consider brewpubs and pubs significantly different from each other.  I love Brewpubs, but consider them to me more of a restaurant with  a focus on beer than a pub.  This is not a criticism of either pubs or brewpubs, it is merely an observation.

In an attempt to change my attitude, my wife and I made a point of  visiting the different pubs in the Langley/Surrey area.  I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew, this new pub challenge is a classic example of that and we only made it out to two different pubs; The Fox and Hound and the Murrayville  Town Pub.  But after sitting idle for over a year this challenge has  been revived and with more passion and vigor then ever.  Last Sunday my wife and I were far to lazy to make lunch – after deciding that generic chain restaurants were not going to satisfy our hunger  we ended up at Samz Neighbourhood Pub just outside of Lanlgey’s downtown core.  I cannot say that Samz was anything special nor was it terrible, it was just a pleasantly simple pub.

I truly believe that I am missing out on what could be a great pub culture in Langley.  Sure the beer at most of Langley’s pubs may be bland and the food is often boring, but I don’t think that is the point.  A pub is at its best when  filled with friends – I hate to say this, but beer and food are not the focal point of a good pub – its the people.  A pub filled with cask’s of rare hand pumped ale and platters of slowly barbecued pulled pork is nothing without good friends.  This is not excusing pubs that serve low quality food and drink – who wants to spend an evening with friends over bad tasting food and bland beer.  Good people deserve good food, it is as simple as that.

I am going to be making a point of grabbing lunch, dinner or just an afternoon beer at Pubs in the Langley/Surrey area.  But unlike my previous failed attempt, I am going to do my best to get a whole group of people to join me, or at least try to.  I am hoping to find some hidden gems in the Fraser Valley and will try to plan a pub night within the next two weeks.  I am hoping that If we get enough people out on a semi regular basis we may be able to encourage local pub owners to slowly replace the some of their standard macro brew with a growing number of micro brewed beer.  Expect an invite shortly.  If anyone has any pubs they would like to recommend please post the name and location in the comments section.

Erik

Tags: Brewpub, Fox and Hound, Murrayville Town Pub, Pub, Samz Neighbourhood Pub

Great Beer Moments of 2009

Friday, January 23rd, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Pubs | 2 Comments

Spending yesterday afternoon in search of great beer was a pleasant reminder to me about why I love beer.  Now I know we are only 23 days into this year, but I strongly believe yesterday will easily finish in my top five beer moments of 2009.  There was no one particular beer that made yesterday so memorable; it was the combination of great beer, great places, great food and great company that made yesterday shine through the dreariness of BC’s foggy start to 2009.

The afternoon started by meeting my good friend Brad in Burnaby, on route to Brewery Creek.  For those of us who live in the Fraser Valley, a trip out to Brewery Creek is not a weekly occurrence and is a noteworthy event.  Until yesterday Brad was a Brewery Creek virgin – I was excited to show him the bounty that is Brewery Creek, and he was excited to spend his entire beer budget in one fell swoop.  With grins on our faces we perused through the shelves slowly filling our carts with beer.  For those who haven’t been, Brewery Creek is like a candy store for adults, only the candy doesn’t cost 5 cents.  Brad loaded up on barley wine and I rounded out my collection with beer from Oregon, Washington, BC and Belgium. Had the day ended here it would have already been great – but it continued on.

We still had plenty of time in the afternoon and I had not yet satisfied my desire for new beer, so we decided to head to Firefly.  This was my first visit to Firefly, and with a parking spot left open beside the store it was meant to be.  Firefly has an impressive beer and wine selection, but I can’t say standing in a fridge while shopping for beer is ideal.  Nonetheless, I added a few more bottles to my collection and headed on out; Brad had already overspent his budget and had to go without.  I will be updating The Cellar shortly with my most recent additions, although most of my purchases will end up in my belly before they make it to the cellar.

By this time it was quarter to five and hunger was setting in.  Yesterday was Thursday, and DIX Brewery has cask ale on Thursdays – good news!  We headed over to DIX for an early dinner and to enjoy this week’s cask ale – a Rye IPA better know as Jack the RIPA.  The cask ale was fantastic, with hints of spice from the rye, a warming malt flavour, and a great hop kick.  One was all it took yesterday – sometimes simplicity and moderation (I can’t believe I am writing this) is a good thing.  The food at DIX was equally impressive, I ordered the BBQ Brisket Sandwich and Brad decided on a burger.  DIX was the perfect way to end an afternoon beer hunt.

I love beer because it is more than just nourishment to our bodies and a means for drunkenness.  Good beer, like good food, becomes exponentially better when enjoyed with good friends, and yesterday’s beer tasted pretty fantastic.

Erik

Tags: Beer, brewery creek, Cask Ale, DIX Brewery, firefly, IPA, Jack the RIPA, Rye

Big Ridge Brewing Company

Friday, January 23rd, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Pubs, Review | 9 Comments

A second guest post in two days! This latest contribution to the Love Good Beer fold is written by Peter Chandler, a good friend of mine and a stellar human being.  A technical writer by trade and a seasoned beer traveler, he spins a good yarn. ~ Chris

Mats Sundin’s debut with the Canucks earlier this month was a special occasion for all Vancouverites. Like many of the team’s supporters, I decided that this night was a momentous enough occasion–either that or it was just a good enough excuse for my wife–to trek out to my local Big Ridge Brewing Company to enjoy the game with a few friends and a few pints.

For starters, I ordered their seasonal offering, an Espresso Stout, which sounded like it would be awesome, with a side of poutine (that turned out to be the best poutine west of the Rockies). Unfortunately, to me the seasonal tasted like a melted 7-Eleven Slurpuccino filtered through a dirty ashtray. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh; the pint probably wasn’t that bad. After all, I was able to finish it, though I certainly didn’t order another one. For seconds, I grabbed a Black and Tan, which was more suited to my palate and more flavourful than the bottle of Bud that the guy beside me was drinking. The Black and Tan blended fairly quickly, tasted very smooth, and quickly cleansed my memory of the previous pint. I guess that is why I love Big Ridge. Within their small selection of microbrews there is enough flavour and variety for everyone–everyone except for that dude who was drinking a bottle of Bud–to find something to their liking. It is that process, the quest for the perfect pint, which I enjoy the most.

By the way, I love Big Ridge, so much so that I went there on my wedding day. Chris (a key member of my wedding party) showcased his usual creative frugality, proclaiming, “This guy is getting married”, while pointing at me, “do we get any free stuff?” The waitress, preparing to make a quick escape from our table, raised her right eyebrow, tilted her head and replied without giving Chris an answer, “This is the saddest stag I have ever seen”.

Fair enough, if that really was my bachelor party, I, too, would have been underwhelmed. Incidentally, my stag was a legendary affair. Sun-soaked Osoyoos, bathwater-soaked hotel room, golf, wine touring and the epic Sage pub. But this is not a tale of debauchery and hooliganism, this is a story about fresh, delicious beer, pleasant surroundings, and good times. I’ll leave that story for another time.

Peter

Tags: big ridge brewing, black and tan, espresso stout, mats sundin

A beer tour of Victoria BC

Saturday, January 17th, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Events, Pubs | 1 Comment

Last September, Erik and I went on a beer tour of Victoria with our fathers.  Sadly, it was the weekend after the Great Canadaian Beer Festival.  We were busy on GCBF weekend, but will definitely be attending next year.  Nonetheless, we still had a great time in Victoria.  We stayed in one of the guest houses at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub.  I would definitely stay there again, but not with a group of dudes.  We found the guesthouses to be a bit on the romantic side.  Spinnakers has everything going for it.  In additon to a brewpub and guesthouses, Spinnakers also boasts on an onsite restaurant and bakery, plus scenic views of Victoria harbor from its oceanside plot.  We awoke every morning at Spinnakers to fresh baked goods dropped off for breakfast, which was a tasty treat indeed.

Us guys at Canoe Brewpub

Our itinerary consisted of first popping into the brewpub at Spinnakers for a late dinner on Friday night.  We found the food, atmosphere, and, above all, the beer to be quite satisfying.  Upon learning the 11PM closing time was fast approaching, we hastened to sample as many of their beers as possible before being cutoff.  Consequently drunk, we abandoned our plans for bed and decided to wander around Victoria until the wee hours of the morning.  We somehow ended up at Swans Brewpub across town, enjoying further libations.  Now, I can’t say I recall too much about the beer at either Spinnakers or Swans from that night, but I do recall it being rather tasty.

On Saturday, we woke up rather late and worse for wear.  We had a leisurely morning enjoying our baked goods from the Spinnakers bakery before setting off for the Canoe Brewpub.  I recall Canoe being the plushest and most modern of the establishments we visited.  I also recall the Braised Beef Short Rib & Blue Cheese Burger I ordered as being the greatest burger I have eaten in my entire life (surely the healthiest too).  The beer there was also tasty, but the rest of the days events seemed to have wiped my memory of particular details.  We then ventured to Vancouver Island Brewing for a tour.  The tour usually costs $5, but they waived our fee for enthusiastically showing up far too early.  Had we paid the fee, it would have been well worth it for the tour and the five glasses of each VI brew we were poured.  At this point in the early afternoon, we were roundly drunk, but ventured on to Hugos.

Hugos brewhouse was largely a disappointment.  The beer we ordered was all well and good, but there was something off about the place.  We felt as though we were sitting in a dark, empty nightclub, not the atmosphere one would expect of a brewpub on a Saturday.  I was not surprised to learn later that Hugo’s was largely known as a nightclub in its last days and was closed down weeks after our visit. We then ventured to the Stickey Wicket, tired and unenthusiastic.  The pub itself is very cool, convivial, busy, and featuring three floors (the top floor features an open air volleyball court).  We weren’t there long as we had hit the wall.  We ventured back to Spinnakers for a solid nap (the longest walk of my life, I swear).  After our nap, we returned to the Spinnakers brewpub for dinner where two of us couldn’t even contemplate ordering another beer.  The night ended shortly after an unrousing game of darts, when we retired rather early.

On Sunday, we awoke refreshed to more Spinnakers baked goods.  I had the delivery girl drop our basket off outside “because of the no pants and whatnot”.  Erik was none too pleased with my saying “whatnot”, wondering what the poor girl may have inferred.  We then gathered ourselves and headed to Swans once more, to give it a fair chance in an uninebriated state.  We enjoyed the beer there very much, although I again can’t recall any details.  We then ventured back to the mainland, laiden with bottles, after a two day trip where we consumed beer aplenty.

Us guys at Swans Brewpub

We had an awesome time in Victoria and it is a tour we’d definitely do again.  It was very cool to be able to do this with our fathers before they lose mobility.  Just kidding, our Dads are on the young side and much fitter than we are.  We learned a lot from this beer tour though, foremost that it is best to pace yourself to get the most out of the day.  It was also a shame we didn’t get to visit any of Victoria’s other microbreweries. Before we ventured on our trip, we had planned to visit both Philips and Lighthouse Brewing.  I called both breweries and asked if they did tours.  They did not, but both said they would accommodate us if we stopped by, which I though was pretty cool.  Sadly, our weekend trip did not coincide with the hours of operation of these two breweries.  I imagine that new Victoria brewery Driftwood operates similary.  I hope to visit all three the next time I’m in Victoria on a weekday.

My next trip to Victoria is already planned and we will be staying at Swans, a more suitable venue for a bachelor party, due to its lively atmosphere, than Spinnakers.  It is indeed my good friend Dave’s bachelor party.  This time the focus will be more on debauchery than beer.  That being said, I hope to visit Spinnakers and Canoe again, and we’ll possibly do a brewery tour.  This time I’m going to organize a golf game at nearby Gorge Vale on Saturday morning, to ensure we don’t hit the wall to early.

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: bc, Beer, beer tour, brewery, Brewpub, canoe, driftwood, gorge vale, hugo's, lighthouse, philips, spinnakers, swans, vancouver island, victoria

Central City Brewing

Monday, December 15th, 2008 | Beer, Pubs | 1 Comment

We pushed through the snow this weekend and visited Central City Brewing in the classy city of Surrey, and it was good.

Of all the places to drink beer, I think that a brewpub is one of the best. To me a good brewpub is all about their beer – the menu, atmosphere and, of course, the drinks should all be based around their own beer. A good brewpub takes pride in their beer and all of their beer should carry a signature flavor of the brewery and brewmaster. The Stout should taste radically different from the Pale Ale, yet still carry a signature style that is unique the brewery.

At most modern pubs, the beer that is served is shipped in from all around the world and the beer lacks a local flavor. Historically, every city or town large enough would have its own brewery and sometimes a signature style of beer. A Kölsch, brewed in Köln, is one of my favorite German ales and is a perfect example of a beer with a local flavor. A true Kölsch comes from Köln and will have a flavor that can only be reproduced in Köln (Many brewers outside of Köln are brewing great Kölsch style beers). I love brewpubs because they serve good beer that is unique and with a local flavor.

Central City

Central City Brewing serves great beer – their lineup during our visit included:

Light Lager
Bock
Red Ale
Pale Ale
India Pale Ale
Stout
Wheat Ale
Raspberry Wheat Ale
Winter Ale (Seasonal)
Barley Wine (Sailor Hagar’s Thor’s Hammer)

Sadly I was the driver and did not have a chance to taste all of their beer. Chris, a passenger, had a sample of each beer available and, if asked nicely, I’m sure he will gladly share his opinions. I was fortunate enough to be with friends who let me taste their beers. All of their beer was good and nothing disappointing, but a few didn’t blow me away.

Central City’s Bock and IPA were the two standout beers (excluding the barley wine) – even though I did not have a chance to have full pint of either. The Bock, with a medium malt flavor and somewhat spicy hop finish, is a great first step into the world of beer for that friend we all have who only drinks lager. The IPA is fantastically hopped with the distinct citrus flavor and aroma of west coast hops, this is a beer for beer lovers. Overall, their beer is straight forward – no need to reinvent the wheel, with enough creativity to create a flavor unique to Central City Brewing.

The menu was good, serving a range of classic Canadian pub dishes. The Chef incorporated Central City’s beer into the menu perfectly, using beer as a braising liquid, in batters, cakes and more. I don’t think anyone was disappointed with their food.

The service was the only disappointment of the evening. I don’t like to be overly critical of servers; working in the service industry must be tough, seeing as the world has more than its fair share of jerks. Our server clearly didn’t have a passion for beer, describing their winter ale as “bitter” in a less than confident tone. After ordering their winter ale I can tell you that it is not very bitter and has a nice malty flavor. Everyone, even servers, are allowed to have off-days, I am going to assume this was an off-day for our server.

Barley Wine

The real highlight of my evening was Sailor Hagar’s Thor’s Hammer barley wine. Barley wine is a real treat for me – it is served so rarely and is hard to find at most liquor stores in the Fraser Valley. This beer, brewed at Sailor Hagar’s in North Vancouver, strays from my concept of what makes a good brewpub. However, this beer was still brewed locally at the now non-brewpub, Sailor Hagar’s, and is so distinct from everything else available at Central City that I feel serving this beer is more than acceptable. Additionally, Central City’s brewmaster, Gary Lohin, is the original creator of this beer and the former brewmaster at Sailor Hagar’s. This particular brew was aged for 18 month and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Typical of most barley wines, it is complex with a strong toffee flavor and a more subtle roasted coffee and chocolate flavour. Rumor has it that Sailor Hagar’s in North Vancouver is currently serving an 8 year old Thor’s Hammer barley wine. Needless to say, I will be making my way out to North Vancouver to give it a try.

Central City Brewing is a great place for good beer and good food. It is the perfect place to take your friends that like beer, but don’t necessarily love beer. None of their beer is overly complicated, excluding the barley wine, and will not intimidate those we are not familiar with micro-brewed beer. The Fraser Valley has very few pubs and restaurants with a good selection of microbrew – it is good to have Central City so close by.

Erik

Tags: Barley Wine, Beer, bock, Brewpub, Central City Brewing, empire ipa, gary lohin, sailor hagar