Tag Archives: surrey

Local Surrey Beer, no not that Surrey

The irony that I’ve moved from Surrey near Guildford in Canada to Surrey near Guildford in England (at least until we head up to London next week) isn’t lost on me.  This time I’m not talking about Central City, Russell Brewing, or Big Ridge, but Hogs Back Brewery.  Much to my surprise, I learned of Hogs Back Brewing through Google Buzz.  It was recommended to me by a friend of friend in Canada who originally comes from Surrey.  Without a car, I was trying to figure out how to get to Hogs Back when a random Google Buzz user let me know of a few pubs in Guildford that carry their brews.  Who knew people used Google Buzz? Anyway, I eventually found Hogs Back’s beers at a small beer and wine shop in Shalford.

I picked up TEA and OTT, which stand for Traditional English Ale and Old Tongham Tasty (Tongham is the town Hogs Back is based in); both are bottle conditioned.  I’ve only tried TEA so far and I quite liked it.  As the name says, it is a traditional bitter.  I found it to be pleasantly malty and full of flavor, if lacking in hops for my tastes.  So far I’ve found that English brewers tend to focus on malt and its subtleties, versus North American brewers who make much more use of hops to provide bold flavors and bite.  While both approaches have their merits, I’m currently enjoying the excellent session brews the British brewers are brewing (most bitters weigh in at 4% ABV).  I’ll definitely buy TEA again and I can’t wait to try the other interesting beers that Hogs Head has to offer.

Cheers,

Chris

Love Good Beer goes international

Jet lagged in Guildford two years ago

Jet lagged in Guildford two years ago

My wife and I moved to London, England last week.  We’ve been staying with my gracious great aunt in Guildford, Surrey, an accessible train ride from the city. We’ll hopefully be able to continue doing so until we find our own flat (British for apartment), which will hopefully be soon.  It is true that everyone here talks funny and drives on the wrong side of the road, but I suppose we should be thankful the British sent all of their smart, good looking people to Canada (and their dumb and ugly to the US) 400 or so years ago to improve upon their language and culture.  Even though Canada is eleven times better than the UK, we decided to come experience the old country and the rest of Europe before we became bored enough to try having babies.  In all seriousness now, it was time for a change in our commute heavy and not entirely fulfilling lives, so here we are.  I mean no offense to people who have babies (we’ll be them soon enough) and very little offense to the UK (come on, it isn’t perfect here).

What does this mean for LoveGoodBeer.com?  Not a whole heck of a lot really.  We’ll continue blogging, Erik from Vancouver and myself from here.  And while I’ll miss the burgeoning BC beer scene, there will be plenty of new beer experiences for me to have and write about.  I’ve already been to two British pubs (the Lamb and Flag and the Grantley Arms) and sipped real ale, but I also plan to visit Belgium, Oktoberfest, and more of the UK, including the GBBF, in the coming months.  Erik plans to visit twice too, meaning our entire staff of writers will be reunited, however briefly, across the pond.  Back to things that I’ll miss, I don’t know how I’m going to live without Brewery Creek and the Alibi Room, not to mention my friends and family, for however long we’re over here.  Hopefully the experiences will make up for any sense of loss, but I’ll just have to hope everything isn’t too different when I get back.  I will miss Vancouver and those close to me there dearly.

Cheers,

Chris

Bad BC Beer News

A couple of my favorite BC breweries are going through some turmoil. Old Yale Brewing from Chilliwack is a very small brewery that brews really good beer. Their beer is available direct from the brewery, in some BC Liquor stores, and in the better beer stores. Canadian Beer News is reporting that the brewery is up for sale. I’m hoping that whoever buys Old Yale preserves their recipes and quality standards. I imagine that anyone purchasing the brand would move the brewery from their tiny strip mall location and I can only hope that such changes wouldn’t tarnish the beer.  I can imagine why the two man team at Old Yale would want to sell; they are likely over worked and underpaid.  I really hope Old Yale stays alive.

Central City Brewing, my favorite local brewery from Surrey BC, is being sued by California’s Bear Republic Brewing for trademark infringement.  Bear Republic brews beers with the names Racer 5 and Red Rocket, which they claim are being confused with Central City’s Red Racer brand.  The dispute arose when Central City began distributing its highly acclaimed beer (for good reason, it is wonderful) in the USA.  Bear Republic likely views Central City as a threat now that they’ve moved into some of their markets, but Bear Republic can be purchased here and you don’t see Central City complaining (FYI Bear Republic, I won’t be buying your beer anymore).  Both breweries brew wonderful beers and it is a shame to see small time craft brewers like these fighting each other.  I hope the dispute is quickly and cheaply resolved, but I have a feeling that Central City will either have to re-brand or pull out of US markets.  To support Central City, start buying their delicious beer from BC Liquor Stores.  Not only are the Red Racer beers delicious, but they are one of BC’s cheapest beer options.  Both Canadian Beer News and BeerNews.org have more coverage of the lawsuit.

Cheers,

Chris

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:

Best (only) Brewpubs:

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, 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