Vern Lambourne

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

Tags: gib, ginger beer, Granville Island Brewing, seasonal release, vern lambourne

The Brockton IPA Launch

Saturday, April 25th, 2009 | Beer | 2 Comments

Erik and I attended the launch of Granville Island’s Brockton IPA at the GI Taproom last night. For us, because we’ve both written about Brockton IPA before (Erik did a group taste test and I posted some general impressions last week), the night was less about the beer itself and more about having a good time. But if you did want to know, we find Brockton IPA to be a decent beer, although somewhat lacking in balance and merely resembling a hoppy version of their pale ale. It isn’t killer IPA, but it will definitely draw more Vancouverites to craft beer, and for that we are thankful.

When we arrived at the busy Taproom, we were asked whether we were with the press or from the liquor board. We were press! I suppose I should be less excited about that, but I had never been referred to as press before. If press are commonly treated as well as we were last night, I wouldn’t mind being with the press more often. We were given three pints of IPA, an excellent spread of food provided by a nearby culinary school, and a complimentary cab ride home. Also, Almira of Jive Communications, who invited us, recognized Erik right away (not hard, he is a behemoth of a man and extremely good looking) and gave us a thorough welcome.

We were also lucky to meet Vern Lambourne, the brewer at Granville Island. Vern perfects Granville Island’s recipes before sending them up North to Kelowna for production. More importantly, Vern brews all of Granville Island’s seasonal beers on Granville Island. I especially enjoyed his Porter and eagerly await next week’s release of GI Bitter. Last month’s Ginger beer, although not to my tastes, was very popular and sold out fast. Vern let us into the brewery for a quick peek and a picture, and also invited us back for a tour another day. It is always awesome to meet brewers, not only because they make the delicious beverage we enjoy, but because they are always such nice, humble guys. Cheers Vern, thanks for showing us around.

We also ran into the honorable Rick Green, who is always a pleasure to chat with. Rick is the king of BC beer and always has the inside scoop. He introduced us to Crystal Henrickson of Yelp, who is their sole Vancouver employee. She is trying to build a Yelp Community in Vancouver and I hope she succeeds. Yelp is a great site when it is well populated with reviews. I’ve found it really helpful when visiting US cities, but Vancouver is still catching up on volume. Crystal convinced me to go beyond consuming other people’s reviews and make some of my own. I’ve now signed up and rated a few of my favorite places.

The launch of Brockton IPA was surely an experience, one which I enjoyed. If any other breweries, or even restaurants, would like to wine and dine us press at future launch parties, we’d be more than happy to oblige.