Granville Island Brewing
I miss hops and hockey
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 | Beer | 4 Comments
Obviously I know that almost all beer has hops in it, but not necessarily the high levels you find in the pacific northwest. When I moved to London I thought I’d be moving to a beer mecca, cask beer everywhere! I actually feel like I’ve taken a step down beer-wise. While there is a thriving pub culture here that I very much enjoy, I can’t say as much about the quality of the average beer. The majority of cask ales have been open a bit too long and taste a bit stale. Even the freshest cask of English ale can only be described as a mild pale ale by west coast standards. We’re blessed in Vancouver to have been influenced by the hopheads of Oregon, Seattle, and Northern California and it tastes good.
Sweet, sweet Central City IPA
I didn’t realize quite how much I missed a 60 IBU West Coast IPA until I had a slew of visitors gift me fantastic bottles from the motherland. Amongst my blessings I counted Central City IPA, Granville Island Imperial IPA, and Deschutes Hop Trip. They were delicious, thanks for asking. Of course there are British exceptions, such as the brilliantly hoppy offerings from Brewdog in Scotland, but I can definitely say that UK brewing lacks the adventurous extremes of the North American west coast and Belgium. Lucky for me, I’m making a quick return to Vancouver next week. Canucks woooo!
I knew that I missed hockey, but (again) I didn’t realize how much until I was reminded of it’s absolute awesomeness. Game 4 of the Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks series was at noon pacific time, meaning it was on in London at 8PM. I seized my big chance to watch live hockey for the first time in over a year at the Maple Leaf pub in Covent Garden, as did every other hockey starved Vancouverite in London. I can honestly say it was one of the best atmospheres in which I’ve ever watched a hockey game. The place was packed out with fervent Canucks fans decked in blue and teal, complete with UK levels of alcohol consumption, which resulted in really good times. What choice do I have but to come home for the parade?
At the Maple Leaf for game 4
Hank didn't touch it, we're good
Cheers,
Chris
GIB Ginger Beer Seasonal Release
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 | Beer | 5 Comments
Granville Island Brewing recently released their latest seasonal special, ginger beer. I tried this beer last year and found it to be one of the better ginger beers. The ginger flavor is noticeable but not over the top and fiery. Here is the press release. Enjoy.
The Wait for the Warmth is Over – Granville Island Brewing Brings Back Limited Release Ginger Beer
Vancouver, BC – We know every season offers something unique in Vancouver, and Granville Island Brewing’s latest limited release is no exception. On June 4, 2010, it is time to heat things up as we roll out Ginger Beer.
“GIB’s version of a traditional ginger beer is the perfect combination of spicy Caribbean warmth and refreshing taste, making it the ideal summer refreshment,” says Vern Lambourne, Brew Master, Granville Island Brewing.
“This specialty brew has all the elements of a craft brew – including ginger chopped by hand!”
Ginger Beer combines water, malt, hops and yeast with fresh hand chopped ginger root to create that perfect taste. GIB recommends this premium beer with spicy Jamaican Jerk, or milder foods like sushi for a less adventurous palette. The incredible aroma of ginger and spice emulates a beach day in the Caribbean.
Ginger Beer is available in individual bottles for 6 weeks only, in select liquor and beer stores across Vancouver and in our retail store on Granville Island. Vancouver – stock up on this great tasting brew while you can.
About Granville Island Brewing (GIB)
Established is 1984, Granville Island Brewing (GIB) is Canada’s first microbrewery offering a variety of award-winning beers which are brewed and sold here in BC. GIB is dedicated to handcrafting only the finest premium beers that are 100 per cent all-natural and brewed in small batches to provide consumers with the ultimate tasting experience. In celebration of their West Coast heritage GIB names each beer after iconic Vancouver locations that embody the local lifestyle. From the original Island Lager and English Bay Pale Ale, to Cypress Honey Lager, and now their latest innovation; Brockton IPA, GIB continues to produce a diverse portfolio of beers inspired by life on the West Coast. For more information, visit www.gib.ca.
Cheers,
Erik
GIB / Fullers Beer Exchange
Sunday, January 24th, 2010 | Events | No Comments
Granville Island Brewing let us know last week that they will be taking part in an international beer exchange with London’s Fullers. From January 25th to February 5th, Fullers London Pride will be available at the GIB Taproom and Lions Winter Ale will be available at the Iron Duke in London. GIB will also be hosting a Taproom for the UK event, which is open to all comers, this Wednesday, January 27th at 6PM at the Taproom. While I think this exchange is a cool idea, I have a feeling it has more to do with marketing than beer. Consider the timing of the event and the participation by breweries in the next two Olympic cities. Notwithstanding that neither London Pride nor Lions Winter Ale can truly be considered world class beers, so we can’t say either brewery is really putting their best foot forward. And while Fullers is a major international brewer and their beers are readily available in BC, I wonder if anyone in the UK has ever heard of GIB? That isn’t a slight to GIB who are widely considered BC’s favorite brewery among non beer enthusiasts.
My biggest concern with the event is the quality of the beer itself. While both Fullers London Pride and GIB Lions Winter Ale are both good beers at the best of times, the international travel these beers will undertake won’t favor the quality of the beer. Consider that beer is best served fresh and, save for high alcohol beers stored under the right conditions, will only deteriorate over time. Now consider that these beers were brewed 4708 miles away from each other. The beers must each travel across a continent by truck or train), across an ocean by boat, and then be stored at a liquor distribution center until the appropriate paper work has been filed. I’d guess the age of these beers to be at least three months since packaging, which means that they are probably starting to go stale. I’ve experienced stale Fullers London Pride often, but, considering that I bought this beer at a BC Liquor Store, it could have been up to a year old.
I hope beyond hope that both beers were shipped expediently after they were brewed, stored in optimal conditions, and are both tasting great. What would be even better is if the beers were casked and conditioned (under optimal conditions) on the way, but that might be too hopeful. Best of luck to both GIB and Fullers in this endeavor. However, I’d suggest keeping future international exchanges local in the interest of freshness. Washington and Oregon aren’t too far away.
Cheers,
Chris
Beer Wars Screening in Vancouver
Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Beer | 2 Comments
For those of you who don’t know, Beer Wars is a movie about the struggles of craft brewers to stay competitive in a beer market dominated by giant corporations like AB InBev and Molson-Coors. The movie itself has gained substantial attention, praise, and scrutiny from beer enthusiasts North America wide. It hasn’t made its way to here yet, but CAMRA Vancouver has organized an upcoming screening for us. The screening was originally supposed to be last night, but unexplained complications resulted in the event being pushed back to Sunday, January 31st at 4PM. To make up for the delay, CAMRA has recruited some of our local brewers to be on hand to serve beer, those being Steamworks, Yaletown Brewing, Granville Island with their new limited release Chocolate Stout, and Red Truck with their Limited Release Porter. Since District 319 is a licensed and private venue, patrons will be able to have a few beers while watching the movie, something many of us haven’t legally ever been able to do. To get tickets, head to the CAMRA event page and purchase away.
I’ve also heard a rumor that there might be an epic beer announcement made at the screening. Considering that Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of the legendary Stone Brewing Company, is said to be attending, I wonder what this rumored epic beer announcement could be? I’ve already guessed at it and have been sworn to secrecy, but I’m hoping our clever readers will be able to guess at my suspicions.
Cheers,
Chris
Pumpkin Ale Season in BC
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | Beer | 1 Comment
It is almost Halloween, which most significantly means that it’s pumpkin ale season again. For those of you who aren’t familiar with pumpkin ales they are generally similar to amber ales, but are brewed with pumpkin added in some form. Many pumpkin ales also include the spices one would commonly find in pumpkin pie such as ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. In fact, I’d say most people find that pumpkin ales taste like pumpkin pie. It’s a taste that some don’t enjoy, but I for one am a bigger fan of pumpkin pie in a glass than on a plate.
Our BC brewers aren’t letting us down this year and are offering some tasty pumpkin ales. I’ve managed to collect the following four:
- Central City Red Racer Pumpkin Ale
- Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale
- Swans Pumpkin Ale
- Granville Island Brewing Pumpkin Ale
It seems that pumpkin ales are getting rather popular in BC because most of the above proved rather hard to find. Staking out Brewery Creek proved most effective, but I had to use the BC Liquor Store product finder to track down the Granville Island offering. I haven’t had any of the pumpkin ales I’ve procured just yet because I plan to compare them all side by side come Halloween, but I’ll be sure to post my findings.
There are a few other pumpkin ales out and about. Howe Sound released a small amount of their Pumpkineater Imperial Ale in bottles, but it sold out fast. However, I did notice it on tap at the Alibi Room earlier in the week. Steamworks also has their version of pumpkin ale on tap at their brewpub. Even if you don’t think you’ll like pumpkin ale, scare yourself this Halloween and give it a try.
Cheers,
Chris
Granville Island Brewing sold to Creemore Springs
Monday, October 19th, 2009 | Breweries | No Comments
I just got this press release from Granville Island Brewing, looks they got themselves bought:
GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING AND CREEMORE SPRINGS BREWERY ANNOUNCE INTENTION TO JOIN FORCES
VANCOUVER: October 19, 2009 – Granville Island Brewing and Ontario-based Creemore Springs Brewery will be joining forces, to continue bringing Canadians superior craft and specialty beers.
Creemore announced today its intention to acquire Granville Island Brewing from Andrew Peller Limited. These two leading Canadian craft brewers, each with specialty product portfolios that complement existing offerings across Canada, will be able to offer their wide range of brands to more markets in Canada, while continuing to maintain their distinct positions in BC and Ontario.
Celebrating its 25 year anniversary, Granville Island Brewing has built a strong reputation as a brewer with super-premium and select small batch beers. Granville Island Brewing is a natural addition to Creemore, which has demonstrated leadership in its home market of Ontario as a leader in craft brewing for since August 1987.
“The Granville Island Brewing brand portfolio compliments Creemore’s portfolio and will strongly position us for growth in the craft and specialty segment, providing beer drinkers an enviable selection of the finest craft beers,” said Jason Moore, President and CEO, Creemore Springs Brewery. “Granville Island Brewing brands, when added to our Creemore Springs brand portfolio, will bring a wider range of selection in taste and profile for discerning beer drinkers. Creemore’s intention is for Granville Island Brewing to continue operating as a distinct organization benefiting from its own people, knowledge, recipes and marketing methods, in much the same way that Creemore operates in Ontario,” added Moore.
The Granville Island Brewing brand image and brewing operations will remain unchanged. The acquisition presents Creemore with a strong potential to enhance product sales, and expand to new markets. Creemore will work with the organization to evaluate expansion opportunities to other parts of Canada, as well as increasing Granville Island Brewing’s awareness through increased investment in marketing, which will remain truthful to the brand identity.
“Creemore understands and appreciates what is special about the Granville Island Brewing brands, much like their Creemore brands in Ontario,” Moore added. “These brands are true authentic craft beers, and with 25 years in the market delighting consumers with a West Coast affinity and award winning quality, Granville Island Brewing is a clearly tremendous asset and we welcome it to the Creemore family.”
“We’re pleased to be joining forces with another of the great craft brewers in Canada,” said Walter Cosman, Director of Marketing and Sales for Granville Island Brewing. “Creemore is committed to keeping the unique formula that has made Granville Island Brewing what it is today – finest quality ingredients, unpasteurized product, dedicated people and brewed locally in British Columbia, while leveraging their abilities to enable more and more people to enjoy our west coast inspired craft brews”.
About Granville Island Brewing (GIB)
Established is 1984, Granville Island Brewing (GIB) is Canada’s first microbrewery offering a variety of award-winning beers which are brewed and sold here in BC. GIB is dedicated to handcrafting only the finest premium beers that are 100 per cent all-natural and brewed in small batches to provide consumers with the ultimate tasting experience. In celebration of their West Coast heritage GIB names each beer after iconic Vancouver locations that embody the local lifestyle. From the original Island Lager and English Bay Pale Ale, to Cypress Honey Lager, and now their latest innovation; Brockton IPA, GIB continues to produce a diverse portfolio of beers inspired by life on the West Coast. For more information, visit www.gib.ca.
About Creemore Springs Brewery
Creemore was established in 1987. Its direct fire brewing process uses only pure spring water, from the Creemore Springs, the finest malt barley, imported hops and select yeast to make its unique amber lager. Each batch is crafted by a team dedicated to producing the perfect beer. Creemore employs approximately 75 people in Ontario and its craft brews enjoy a great reputation among beer connoisseurs. Creemore is part of Molson Coors Canada. www.creemoresprings.com
My initial thought is that this is not necessarily a good thing, but I’ll post more about this later on once I’ve given it some more time to consider.
Cheers,
Chris
An Interesting Coincidence
Thursday, June 11th, 2009 | Beer | No Comments
A couple of months ago I went to the launch of the Granville Island Brewing’s then new Brockton IPA. There I met Crystal Henrickson, Yelp‘s only Vancouver based employee. I told her that I liked Yelp for its reviews, but really didn’t contribute any myself. Crystal is Yelp’s community manager in Vancouver, meaning her job is to get Vancouverites using Yelp. To get me to use Yelp, she took the unexpected approach of chastising me for consuming other people’s opinions without contributing any of my own. In case you are getting the wrong idea, she did this in a friendly way that I appreciated. I hadn’t really thought of it that way and, swayed by guilt, I signed up for Yelp to review a few of my favorite places.
Tonight, had I the choice of beer drinking venues to situate myself, I likely would have been at Dix tenth anniversary celebration that featured five casks of IPA from each of the Mark James Group brewpubs. Instead, I went to the Alibi Room for a business meeting, which is never a bad place to find yourself. It turns out that the Alibi Room is one of the first places I reviewed on Yelp. Loving it so, I gave it five stars for their friendly service and commitment to providing excellent local craft beer and delicious food. After I ordered today, I was surprised when Nigel, the owner of the Alibi Room, thanked me for my review on Yelp! First off, I had no idea that he knew who I was. Secondly, I should be thanking him for all the hard work he’s put into providing an excellent establishment for me to enjoy. Later on, I ordered a pint of Spinnakers Oatmeal Stout from Nigel. He kindly let me know that he thought his remaining stock of this beer might not be up to snuff and suggested I order a Pike Extra Stout instead. I took his advice and not only did I greatly enjoy the recommended Pike Extra Stout, but Nigel also brought me a taste of the beer I’d originally ordered. He was right, the Spinnakers Oatmeal Stout had gone off, a problem we’ve noted in Spinnakers packaged products in the past. What service! This is a great example of why the Alibi Room is a stand up joint. Also, don’t get the wrong impression about Spinnakers in general. It is a great pub to go visit, but I’d avoid ordering their products anywhere else.
Thank you Crystal for getting me onto Yelp. I’m glad that one little review that took a few minutes of my time to write could be noticed by, and possibly help, one of my favorite establishments. If anyone out there is interested, this is my Yelp page. I’ve not been keeping up with my reviews and could use some encouragement.
Cheers,
Chris
A taste of Wild Rose IPA
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 | Beer | 2 Comments
Craig, a friend of mine, returned to his native Calgary recently and graciously brought back some Wild Rose IPA for Erik and I. We traded him a delicious Old Yale Sergeant’s IPA, which I though was pretty fair. Craig, despite being from Calgary and being a flames fan, is a good man. He is a fellow beer enthusiast and married to Alex, one of my oldest friends from way back to elementary school. Craig hadn’t heard of Wild Rose Brewery before, but I’d recently read about them in Taps magazine and so tipped him off. Wild Rose is one of the more celebrated craft breweries from Alberta and so I was rather excited to give them a try.
I found the Wild Rose IPA (100% Wild by Volume) to be rather similar to the Granville Island Brockton IPA we’ve recently been writing about. It was good, but not outstanding (kind of like the Flames). The Wild Rose IPA was pleasantly hoppy, less so than Brockton, and also better balanced. The malt flavor was more detectable in the Wild Rose IPA, which I enjoyed. I would have loved to try more of Wild Rose’s brews, but consider myself lucky that Craig thought of us at all. If I end up in Calgary in the future, I’ll definitely stop by to try more of their lineup, and hopefully a seasonal too. I find that a brewery’s seasonal brew is usually where they shine brightest. Thanks Craig.
Cheers,
Chris
More Brockton IPA Launch Pictures
Monday, April 27th, 2009 | Beer | No Comments
Further to my last post, the honourable Rick Green sent me a few more pictures he took at the Granville Island Brockton IPA launch party. He has a real camera and his pictures are way better than mine, so I figured I’d post them. Plus, who doesn’t want to get a look at the sweet, sweet Brockton IPA keychain that doubles as a bottle opener.
Erik and I conversing
Me and my sweet Brockton IPA bottle opener/keychain
Cheers,
Chris
Ozarks Famous BBQ
Sunday, April 26th, 2009 | Beer | 6 Comments
A new southern BBQ restaurant name Ozarks Famous BBQ recently opened in Langley. This is the first authentic BBQ restaurant in Langley, although Boonies BBQ & Soul Food sits right next door in the neighboring Cloverdale area. After waiting a few weeks for the restaurant to get past the typical problems that most restaurants experience in the first few weeks of operation, I decided to stop buy and give it a try.
I am a huge fan of real BBQ cooking and am happy to see that people are finally beginning to realize the difference between high heat grilling and low heat barbecuing. Ozarks is a true BBQ restaurant following the time honoured traditions of slowly smoking inexpensive, tough-yet-flavourful cuts of meat until they become delicious and tender. BBQ also happens to pair excellently with a number of beer styles from IPA to robust porter. This should come as no surprise seeing that many local brewpubs serve BBQ influenced dishes.
Ozarks is a locally owned family business with a number of years experience in BBQ. Prior to opening this restaurant, the owners mastered the art of southern BBQ by offering an award winning selection of BBQ meat and sauces at Ozarks Country Meats in White Rock. There years spent perfecting slow smoked BBQ cookery is very apparent. Every piece of meat I tasted, including pork riblets, BBQ chicken and beef brisket were all barbecued to perfection. Nothing was overly sauced nor was it too dry – it was moist and tender with a noticeable but not overpowering hardwood smoke flavour.
The BBQ was great- no complaints about the food, but the selection of beer was clearly not well thought out. Only one of the beers available even has a chance of standing up to the bold flavours of southern BBQ. The restaurant’s draught beer selection is exclusively Granville Island Brewing – including two light lagers, a mild pale ale and the newly release Brockton IPA. The IPA fared relatively well alongside BBQ pork riblets, but did nothing to complement the other dishes we ordered. The two light lagers and the one pale ale are far too mild to match the restaurants southern food. Porters, Southern Brown Ales, Smoked Ale and other full flavored beer would complement the food much more than light lager. Such a great opportunity to match great food with great beer and again the opportunity was missed – such a tragedy.
I would like to encourage all the craft breweries with BBQ appropriate beers to contact Ozarks Famous BBQ. Perhaps all the restaurant needs is a nudge in the right direction.
Overall, Ozarks’ food is good and it is without a doubt worth a visit. If more appropriate beer was made available I would certainly become a regular customer.
Cheers,
Erik
Search
Categories
Archive
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008