bc beer awards
Vancouver Beer Happenings
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 | Beer | 4 Comments
I’ve been keeping a list of things to blog about, but I’ve been taking my sweet time and most of the things no longer warrant their own post. So here’s a collection of blurbs about things I meant to post about last month:
- Dix is closed. I wrote about how Dix was going to close, but now it actually is closed. I will miss Caskival and pre-sporting event eating and drinking. It still bothers me that I still can’t comprehend why MJG would do this to me.
- Big Ridge is reopening. Big Ridge moved across the street to a new location because of parking disputes with the YMCA (really YMCA?). My former local brewpub closed down last winter and is now opening in their new location with a revamped beer menu (an IPA replaces the Clover ale). I can’t wait to check it out when I get back.
- BC Beer Awards Awarded. The first annual BC Beer Awards were doled out during VCBW (a rousing success from what I’ve heard). The winners were selected via a blind tasting panel at the Alibi Room. I can’t say they are who I would have picked, but then I’m biased by things like seeing. Canadian Beer News has the list of winners here.
- Dead Frog Pepper Lime Lager. Dead Frog is from small town Langley, where I grew up, and so I’ve long been fond of them. My pride has been replaced with disappointment with Dead Frog’s launch of their bandwagon Pepper Lime Lager. I haven’t tasted it yet, but I can’t imagine it’s any good, although BC Beer gives it a decent review. It is my opinion that lime and beer should only be involved when dropping a fresh wedge of lime into a bad beer like Corona. All other marriages are abominations.
- Phillips is rad. Phillips is brewing CAMRA BC homebrew competition winner Gary Giesbrecht’s Oatmeal Stout and including it in their Showcase mix pack. How’s that for audience participation?
- Berlin. I’m going to Berlin tomorrow morning to meet Erik and drink German beer, woooo!
Cheers,
Chris
Vancouver Craft Beer Week Events and Tickets
Friday, April 23rd, 2010 | Events | 4 Comments
Vancouver Craft Beer Week is shaping up with many tantalizing events announced recently. If you haven’t heard, VCBW is a week long celebration of local beer taking place around Vancouver May 10-16. There will be many events at many different venues, for the full list click here. I’ve just learned that tickets to two of the most exciting looking events have just come on sale and aren’t expected to last long.
Hoppapalooza at the Alibi Room on Monday, May 10 is looking like the pick of the litter so far. Apparently Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will be on hand to kick off this event, which marks the beginning of VCBW. For $50, your ticket gets you a taste of over 25 hop forward beers, a dish of bison chili, and the enjoyment of local blues musician Rich Hope. Buy tickets here.
The BC Beer Awards Tasting Event brought to you by Brewery Creek will be held Friday, May 14 at Heritage Hall on Main street. At this event, $30 for your ticket lets you taste the winning beers from the first annual BC Beer Awards. The winners haven’t been announced yet, so that will be part of the fun too. Buy tickets here.
There are many other beer dinners and pubcrawls to choose from, so make sure to check out the other events. Also, take a look at this video released for VCBW:
I am a Canadian Craft Brewer from VancouverCBW on Vimeo.
Sadly, I’m not going to be able to go to any of the VCBW events, what with moving to another continent and all. I have consoled myself, if only a little, by buying tickets to the Great British Beer Festival coming up in August.
Cheers,
Chris
First Ever BC Beer Awards by Brewery Creek
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 | Beer | 1 Comment
Brewery Creek, Vancouver’s finest beer store, is putting on the first ever BC Beer Awards as part of Vancouver Craft Beer week. I’m told that 35 of BC’s breweries and brewpubs (almost all of them) will be entering over 190 beers (almost all of them) in ten categories. I don’t know what the categories are yet, but will let you know when I find out.
In the past I’ve expressed concerns about beer awards because I feel like they aren’t true selectors of good beer. Awards should be fairly and honestly given, especially when considering beer companies tend to use the awards they win extensively in their marketing. I’ve heard that winning some awards can be as simple as entering a beer into one of thirty or more style categories. That’s ninety medalists right there, and then we aren’t told who actually entered what beers into what categories. I’ve got it on good authority that almost every beer in BC will be entered into these awards and that the list of competing beers will be disclosed. When you consider that this blind taste test will be judged by beer, wine, and food writers with considerable palates, I’m encouraged to think we have ourselves a true competition that will select BC’s finest brews.
The blind tasting will take place next Monday at an undisclosed (super secret) location and the winners will be announced during Vancouver Craft beer week. All the pertinent details are in the following press release:
The Vancouver Craft Beer Week organizing committee is proud to announce the first ever BC Beer Awards by Brewery Creek. On Monday, March 22nd, an expert judging panel will review over 150 beers from all across British Columbia at [a location I'm supposed to keep secret]. Media are invited to join judges and volunteers at 9:00am to witness the judging process, as well as learn about the intricacies of craft beer and to find out more about the upcoming Vancouver Craft Beer Week.
The only blind judged beer competition in British Columbia, the BC Beer Awards judging panel boasts such beer experts as:
• Don Tse – A BJCP Certified beer judge, freelance beer writer and consultant, Don has been writing professionally about beer for seven years. His articles have appeared in beer publications such as All About Beer, Ale Street News and Beers of the World.
• Abram Goldman-Armstrong – A beer writer in Portland, Oregon, Abram has been a BJCP National Rank Judge since the age of 21, judging at competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival, the Okanagan Fest-of-Ales, and Portland’s Spring Beer and Wine Fest. He co-organizes the North American Organic Brewers Festival, the world’s largest organic beer festival.
• Megan Flynn – The publisher of Beer Northwest, a quarterly magazine covering beer, food, and lifestyle in the Pacific Northwest, Megan travels North America in search of the best beer and beer personalities, continuing to develop her pallet into one of the most diverse on the continent.
• James Nevison – Columnist for The Province newspaper, where his “Wine Guy” column appears weekly each Thursday. He is the co-author of five bestselling wine books, the latest is Had a Glass: Top 100 Wines for 2010 under $20, $25, and $30. Recently James was named a “Top 40 Foodie Under 40” by Western Living magazine.
Winners will be announced at the BC Beer Awards by Brewery Creek award show on Friday, May 14th, one of Vancouver Craft Beer Week’s signature events. For further information please contact:
http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com
http://twitter.com/vcbw
Cheers,
Chris
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