Love Good Beer

Belmont Station in Portland

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 | Beer, Pubs | 4 Comments

I went to beer mecca Portland last weekend.  I’d never been there before and I was pretty impressed.  I’d liken the city to one big Commercial Drive, at least the places I saw.  What impressed me most about Portland was the constant selection of fantastic beer and food.  Everywhere we went we had an abundance of local craft selection sold at extremely low prices, as little as $3 per pint.  We went to a lot of cool places in Portland, but my favorite place we visited was Belmont Station.

Belmont Station is an epic beer store stocked with an enormous selection of amazing beers from around the world.  The closest comparable we have here is Brewery Creek, but our liquor laws and taxes prevent them from competing as well as they’d like to.  I was overwhelmed when I walked in to Belmont Station.  I wanted to buy everything, but was obviously limited as to what I could bring back across the border after a two day trip.  I picked up some Russian River brews I’d never seen anywhere else before.  I also bought Aphrodisiaque, a cocoa vanilla bean stout brewed by Quebec’s Dieu du Ciel.  I’d never seen this beer in BC before, which I find upsetting.  You’d think we’d be able to procure some of Canada’s finest?  Another notable purchase was Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager, which is made from Rogues home grown barley and hops.  There were others, but these were the notables of consumed and enjoyed so far.

If you can believe it, Belmont Station also has an attached beer bar with 22 taps of top notch beer.  We all ordered something different and all received something wonderful.  For me, it was my first chance to drink the legendary Pliny the Elder.  It stands up to it’s reputation as being one of the greatest beers in the world.  Erik and I were actually angry at how amazing and affordable Belmont Station is.  Why can’t we have something like that here?  Any future trips to Portland will involve a visit or two to Belmont Station.  If you love beer, you must go.

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: aphrodisiaque, beer bar, beer store, belmont station, brewery creek, Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager, commercial drive, dieu du ciel, oregon, pliny the elder, portland, russian river

Dragon Stout at The Reef

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 | Beer | 4 Comments

A few weeks back I went to The Reef restaurant on Commercial Drive a tasty Jamaican lunch.  A few of my remote coworkers were in town, so it was a special enough occasion to enjoy a midday beer.  I was surprised to find a beer I’d never heard of on the beer menu, Dragon Stout.  Obviously I had to order this strange brew, not learning of its history until later on.  It was robust at 7.5% ABV, also very roasty and chock full of malt sweetness.  I found it to be the perfect compliment to my spicy Jamaican lunch.  I later learned that Dragon Stout is an export stout, originally brewed by the British for export to warmer climates back in the colonial days.  Jamaica was one place that received export stout and the style obviously caught on if it is still being brewed there today.  I really enjoyed the export stout, which I found to be more flavorful than a regular dry Irish stout, but much less severe than a Russian Imperial Stout.  If you haven’t already, stop in at The Reef for a spicy lunch complimented by a Dragon Stout.

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: commercial drive, Desnoes & Geddes Limited, dragon stout, export stout, jamaica, the reef

My first visit to Stella’s Tap and Tapas Bar

Saturday, June 20th, 2009 | Beer | 2 Comments

Stella's is now BierCraft

People always tell me to go to Stella’s Tap and Tapas Bar on Commercial Drive in Vancouver (there is a new one on Cambie too).  They rave about the awesome beer selection, but I’d never considered Stella’s a destination worth seeking out.  I’d go to their website to check out their beer menu and not be particularly impressed.  What they have on tap is pretty solid, but not enticing enough to warrant a special trip. Turns out there is a whole other beer menu on the website under the Fresh Sheet tab that I’d been completely missing.

I finally made my first visit to Stella’s after work on Friday with some coworkers.  The Fresh Sheet beer menu at Stella’s is even more impressive than the one on their website.  I was delighted to find a six page menu listing many fine Belgian style beers.  There were so many that I had a hard time deciding what to have.  I ended up choosing Troublette, a witbeir from Brasserie Caracole, which was lovely.

I’d tried many of the sixty odd beers on Stella’s menu, but there were a few rare gems that I’ve never even seen available before.  I’ll definitely be making the pilgrimage to Stella’s a few more times now.  The appetizers we shared were delightful and where we sat on the patio offered entertaining views of Commercial Drive‘s funky residents.  I know most Vancouver beer enthusiasts already know and love Stella’s, but I highly recommend making the trip if you haven’t yet.

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: belgian, brasserie caracole, commercial drive, Stella's Tap & Tappas Bar, troublette, witbier