old yale pale ale
Nice little weekend
Sunday, June 21st, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Events | 2 Comments
Dave, Tristen, and I enjoying too many free cocktails at The Vancouver Club
This past weekend was a good one for my friends. On Friday, my friend Dave had a party to celebrate earning his Masters degree. Master Simington lives in Chilliwack near Old Yale Brewing and treated his guests to a 19L keg of Old Yale Pale Ale. Old Yale is not a very well known brewery in these parts, but is definitely one of my favorites. It was cool to catch up with old friends and celebrate with a keg of tasty, affordable, local craft beer.
On Saturday, I attended Adam and Lesley’s wedding at the Vancouver Club. I’d previously posted about the Vancouver Club, wondering what their beer selection might be like. I guess Adam and Lesley read the post because they both asked me if I approved of the beer. I didn’t really, but the wedding was awesome! The venue, the food, and the company were all wonderful. The Vancouver Club is a great place for a wedding, shoddy beer menu aside. All the best to Adam and Lesley, thank you for inviting us to enjoy your special day! We had planned to stop off at The Railway Club before the reception, but didn’t quite make it. There was a cocktail hour before the reception featuring drinks and tasty food, and who am I to pass up graciously provided sustenance? And if you were wondering, the beers available were Molson Canadian, Stella Artois, Heineken, and Becks, four generic lagers.
Also at the wedding on Saturday, I received the most surprising text message of my life to date. As we were sitting down for dinner, Peter, of guest post fame, announced the birth of his first child, wooooo! Baby Aaliyah Chandler arrived 18 days early, but healthy and with minimal fuss. We visited the newly formed Chandler family this morning and can attest to the cuteness of said family, thanks in large part to the most recent addition. To tie this event into beer, I’ve heard that stout is supposed to help in breast milk production. This may or may not be true, but I’ve also heard that drinking stout is good times, so who really cares? The Chandlers can expect some stout from me in the near future.
Congrats to my friends on their major life achievements! If you are up for further celebration, I’m up for a few beers.
Cheers,
Chris
Bud Light Lime is an abomination
Monday, June 15th, 2009 | Beer | 33 Comments
Recently added to the list of things that decrease my faith in humanity, a list that includes America’s Next Top Model, Paris Hilton, Gary Bettman, the US Republican Party, Hummers, and most rap music, is Bud Light Lime. I mean really, if you want some lime flavor with your watery beverage, why not drink vodka water with a splash of lime? Why pretend that this is even beer at all?
Bud Light Lime also comes in a clear bottle, perfect for soaking up some summer skunkiness. What compelling reason would somebody have to drink this beer, other than it is probably really cheap? I can’t think of any besides marketing. It really bothers me that a giant corporation can just repackage crap, hire an agency to rattle off a marketing blitz, and have a winner, especially when there are many small time brewers pouring their hearts and souls into superior products.
I understand the need for a cold, light refreshing beer in the hot hot heat of summer, but there are plenty of non crappy ones out there. If it is a bit of citrus you’re after, why not drop a lemon wedge into a German Hefeweizen or a Belgian Wit? I should note that the act of adding a lemon or lime wedge to a beer was popularized in North American to mask two things, one being bad tasting beer and the other being our own general beer wussiness. If you find a wheat beer to flavorful for you, there are many fine local lagers out there too. I have assembled a list of wonderful, light summer beers that most anyone would enjoy:
- Mt. Begbie High Country Kolsch
- Swans Old Towne Lager
- Old Yale Pale Ale
- Red Canoe Lager
- Central City Springboard Lager
- Howe Sound Garibaldi Honey Pale Ale
- Mission Springs Brewery Bombshell Blonde Ale
- Phillips Phoenix Gold Lager
- Granville Island Belgian Wit
- Driftwood Farmhand Ale
- Tin Whistle Peach Cream Ale
Every time I see somebody drinnking a Bud Light Lime I die a little bit on the inside. When you reach for a cold one this summer, why not grab something from the list above?
Cheers,
Chris
What is your favorite beer?
Saturday, March 28th, 2009 | Beer, Favorites | No Comments
When people find out we are into beer we inevitably get asked one question, that being “what’s your favorite beer?” The trouble is, we never know what to say. It’s a tall task to pick one favorite from all of the great beers out there.
I have a really hard time picking favorites. I worry that I’ll be judged harshly for picking one beer above all others. I never want a friend to buy a beer I recommend and be put off, because everybody has their own tastes. There are many factors that go into choosing the right beer for an occasion and so many styles to choose from, how do I pick just one?
If anyone ventures to take our tastes seriously, I’ve created a new Favorites page where we’ll periodically list some of our favorite beers. This may come in handy when purchasing gifts for us, which you should feel free to do at any time.
Just this past week I drank the Old Yale Pale Ale I picked up when I stopped by Old Yale in Chilliwack earlier this month. It is one of the best pale ales I’ve ever had and has made its way onto my favorite list. Old Yale is a small brewery that I find is largely ignored, but I feel like BC beer drinkers should be giving it a lot more attention.
If you have a favorite beer that you think we should try, please let us know. We’d love to try it.
Cheers,
Chris
A trip to Old Yale Brewing
Sunday, March 8th, 2009 | Breweries | 3 Comments
I attended a wedding in Chilliwack yesterday. We had a substantial break between the ceremony and the reception, so the wife and I decided to check out Old Yale Brewing. We arrived to find that the brewery itself is tiny. There was little differentiation between the brewery, the beer store, and their office, which were all in one big room. We were greeted by the brewer Brian (very friendly) and his young assistant, who were busily cleaning out the mash tun. I chatted with Brian for a bit, he let me know that besides him and his assistant, Old Yale has only one other employee (the owner). Brian also let me know that most of their beer is sold to Vancouver “because Chilliwack is full of hicks who love their bud.” Haha!
After inquiring about beer sales, I had my purchase rung through right beside the grain mill. It was really cool to see such a small brewery in action, run by friendly folk producing highly regarded beer. Old Yale brews four beers and I left with one each of their Cultus Lake Pilsner, Old Yale Pale Ale, Seargent’s IPA, and Sasquatch Stout. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but I’m sure I’ll get find an opportunity soon enough. Old Yale also sells party pigs (8.5L) and 20L or 60L kegs of their beer at very reasonable prices. If you are ever out near the ‘wack and you need a wack of beer, consider stopping by.
Some pictures of the brewery:
The brewery in its entirety
The brewing vessels
The fermenters
The fridge containing bottles and conditioning tanks
The end of the line: bottling and kegging
Cheers,
Chris