Tag Archives: DIX Brewery

CAMRA Vancouver Summer Beer Festival, the new Caskival?

It was a sad day for all Vancouver beer lovers when Dix Brewery closed down.  I knew I’d be able to find another before hockey game spot for a burger and beer, but what about Dix Caskivals?  Dix hosted both winter and summer cask beer festivals that were rather awesome.  I thought a part of Vancouver beer culture might die, but it sounds like CAMRA Vancouver has stepped up to the plate with a new Summer Beer Festival to replace the beloved Caskival.

The first ever CAMRA Vancouver Summer Beer Festival is happening Saturday, August 14th at St. Augustine’s in Vancouver.  I believe the event is geared towards CAMRA members, but the Evite I received indicates there are general tickets available.  A ticket costs $25 and includes three tastes and a commemorative tasting glass, at past Caskivals extra tastes were available for $1.  Past Caskivals also featured stellar beer lineups and I’m almost certain this festival will be no different.  Here’s hoping this event becomes widely successful and remains for me to attend when I return to Vancouver.

Cheers,

Chris

Dix Brewery Closing Down?

I just heard via an invite to the Four Beers and a Funeral Brewpub Crawl, a VCBW event, that Dix Brewery is closing down permanently.  Can anyone confirm if this is true and why?  As far as I can tell, Dix does booming good business so I doubt the reasons are financial (just try getting a table before a Canucks game).

If Dix is indeed closing down permanently in a few weeks time, this is sad news to say the least.  Dix Cask Thursdays, Dix Caskival events, and pre-sporting event beer drinking will all be sorely missed.  I spent a good part of the Olympics at Dix and I can’t imagine it not being there when I return to Vancouver.  At least I’ll always have the memories of the good times.

Anyway, apparently the pub crawl will feature a march from Steamworks to Dix where a Dix Funeral will be held, then onto Yaletown and Dockside.  Tickets are $65 and include beer and food.  If Dix was special to you, now’s your chance to say goodbye with a rip roaring good party.

Cheers.

Chris

Where to drink beer in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics?

Question:  Where are the best places to drink beer in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics?

Answer: The same places as always! Dix, Steamworks, Yaletown Brewing, and the Alibi Room.

Since the Olympics started last weekend I’ve been downtown quite a bit and I’ve had a lot of fun waiting in lines and not getting into stuff.  I never thought Vancouver could get this crazy and I didn’t think the Olympics would be this exciting.  I also never thought I’d feel as proud to be Canadian as I do right now; turns out we throw a good party.  I’m going to have a huge Olympic hangover come March for more reasons than one.

German Fan Fest Vancouver 2010 Olympics

German Fan Fest Vancouver 2010 Olympics

I’ve tried to get into both the Irish House and the German Fan Fest, two of the most popular temporary pavilions setup for the Olympics.  I opted not to wait in line for hours and hours for $10 beer night and I don’t regret my decision.  The atmosphere downtown is crazy enough (just walk Granville or Robson streets) and there are plenty of other reasonably priced places to visit. While I may try German Fan Fest one more time for their Köstritzer Schwarzbier, I’ve had much better luck at my usual haunts.  Both Dix and Steamworks have provided me with the Olympic atmosphere, TV’s to watch the events, tasty beer at reasonable prices, and, most importantly, a seat.  I’ve also heard that the Alibi Room has abandoned their no TV policy, bringing in some tubes to watch the events on downstairs.  I walked by Yaletown Brewing and it was packed out with a line forming outside.  If you are looking for a beer downtown in the next week or so, try the regular places for quality beer.

Good times at Quebec House

Other Olympic venues I’ve visited include LiveCity Yaletown and Downtown, neither of which serve beer, not even $10 cans of Canadian!  I found them a bit boring and, unless you are really into the musical performance going on, not really worth waiting in line for.  Quebec House was pretty cool.  I was excited to hear they had Quebec microbrews, but then disappointed to find it was Archibald Microbrasserie.  I hadn’t actually heard of them (neither had my French Canadian coworker), it was that the beer didn’t taste very good, especially not for $10.  What made Quebec House worth visiting was the 7 Fingers, who were like a little Cirque du Soleil.  I also got a kick out of Saskatchewan Pavillion, which appeared to me to be a big tent full of bored/drunk looking people dressed in Rider green.  The $8 Pilsner didn’t float my boat either.  Once place I’d really like to check out is Atlantic Canada House, who I hear have brought in top notch maritime brews by Propeller and Garrison.  I hear it’s a good time there too.

Skunky Pilsner and Rider Pride at Saskatchewan Pavillion

I hope to be able to provide further insight after another weekend of engaging in Olympicosity.  Go Canada go!

Cheers,

Chris

Washington Winter Beer Festival 2009

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!

Washington Winter Beer Festival 2009

 

Cheers,

Chris

Hopscotch Festival 2009

Hopscotch Festival 2009The 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