Tag Archives: Brewpub

Where’s the great beer in the Fraser Valley?

We received an email today from a gentleman who just moved to Langley seeking our advice on where to find good beer in the Fraser Valley. His email inspired me to write a brief guide to good beer in the Fraser Valley. Sadly, the choices are few and far between, but there are options nonetheless.

Best Liquor Stores:

BC Signature Liquor Store in Langley
Central City Liquor Store in Surrey

Best (only) Brewpubs:

Big Ridge in Surrey
Central City in Surrey
Mission Springs in Mission

Note: These brewpubs will let you fill up a 2L growler at the bar for a very reasonable price. Big Ridge fills a growler for $7 on Tuesdays, has cask beer available at noon the last Friday of every month, and hosts the occasional brewmaster’s dinner.

Other options:

Old Yale Brewing in Chilliwack

Old Yale, and possibly other valley breweries, will let you buy direct from them. This is likely the best way to acquire fresh beer affordably.

Have I missed anything?

Cheers,

Chris

The Pub

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

A beer tour of Victoria BC

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

Central City Brewing

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.