Tag Archives: Whistler Brewing

Kamloops

I am in Kamloops this weekend for a friend’s wedding. Prior to making the trip up, I did a fair amount of research online to find the best places to visit for food and beer in Kamloops. From what I have seen so far, Kamloops is not a great city for beer – nor is information readily available online about restaurants, pubs and breweries in the Kamloops area. Urbanspoon and Yelp were of little help – both have an almost nonexistent online-presence in Kamloops.

Unlike most large cities in British Columbia’s Thompson-Okanagon region, Kamloops is not home to a brewpub, and the only brewery in town, KB/Whistler Brewing/Bowen Island Brewing, is confusing, mediocre and therefore somewhat unsatisfying. This lone craft brewer was once name Kamloops Brewing prior to a series of corporate mergers that eventually ended up with the decline of KB beer – Whistler Brewing is now this brewery’s flagship beer. This misleading beer is brewed using glacial water trucked in over the long mountainous roads from Whistler – ridiculous. I am in Kamloops right now and the water tastes great, but why use local water when “ultra-premium” water can be shipped in – climate change is a myth.

We did manage to find a local pub named Duffy’s Pub within walking distance of our hotel that offers KB Black Bear Ale on draught. Black Bear is still brewed using local Kamloops water and has a delicate roasted malt flavor with a pleasing aroma that is distinct to the Kamloops area and their local water supply. The food was typical Canadian pub fare – pizza, burgers, pasta, steak and other simple dishes; the beer selection was made up of light lager and a few other darker ales. According to the limited number of reviews on urbanspoon, Duffy’s Pub is one of Kamloops’ top 10.

In doing some research I did come across Rethink Beer – a herb infused lager brewed at KB Brewing. I have no idea if this gimmicky product is still in production or if this brand ever achieved success. According to Rethink’s website their beer is not available in Kamloops. But lets be serious for a minute here, no amount of ginseng, ginko or tribulus will make beer any healthier or tastier. Beer is a naturally nutritious beverage that does not need to rely on herbal additions to attain a healthy status – red wine is not the only healthy drink option.

Local breweries play a big role in the development of a city’s beer culture. Vancouver Island for example, is a destination for beer enthusiasts, largely because of the number of small craft breweries that support and encourage a growing regional beer scene. Unfortunately, the only brewery in Kamloops no longer focuses on servicing it’s surrounding area and instead has opted to pursue flashier export markets with the internationally recognized brand Whistler Brewing.

Cheers,

Erik

Update: Bowen Island Brewing, KB Brewing and Whistler Brewing

I received a response from the NorthAm Group just a few hours ago with a great explanation of their three brands. It is true that all three brands (Bowen Island, KB, and Whistler) are brewed in Kamloops; however, they are in the process of moving Whistler Brewing to Whistler. As Chris pointed out in a previous comment, 40,000 liters of Whistler water is trucked into Kamloops every week, which must be expensive, not to mention harmful to the environment. This move makes a great deal of sense and brings more honesty to the Whistler Brewing brand.

KB Pale Ale is no longer in production – Bowen Island Extra Pale Ale is a slightly reworked version of the original KB Pale Ale. If you were a fan of KB Pale Ale I’m sure you will like Bowen Island Pale Ale. The Bowen Island brand was revived a few years ago to fill the demand for value priced BC craft beer, a niche that was missing in BC until recently.

Bowen Island Brewing goes to prove that price and quality do not go hand in hand. It may not be the most creative beer ever made, do not expect a Belgian Saison anytime soon, but a quality session beer will always be appreciated. Instead of serving generic macro lager at this year’s Super Bowl party, why not try Bowen Island Brewing – it is cheaper and far tastier.

Erik 

Review: Bowen Island Brewing

I am on round number two in my search for BC’s best value priced beer. I picked up a six pack of Bowen Island Brewing Extra Pale Ale at the liquor store for $8.45 earlier this week. With help from Chris and my lovely wife I am now down to the last can, which I am nearly finished with at this very moment.

I bought this beer assuming it was brewed on Bowen Island, which I think is a fair assumption, but it is not. Bowen Island Brewing started out as a small cottage brewery off the coast of Vancouver on Bowen Island. The brewery changed hands multiple times in the late nineties eventually to become a brand owned by the NorthAm Group. The NorthAm Group is one of BC’s fastest growing brewing companies owning three popular BC beer brands; Bowen Island Brewing, KB, and Whistler Brewing all brewed in Kamloops at the KB Brewery.

The good people at the NorthAm Group are playing a sneaky game by selling beer, all of which is brewed in the same facility, under three separate brands with different pricing. I am intrigued by the similar reviews that KB, Bowen and Whistler Pale Ales share on Beer Advocate and Ratebeer.com. If all three brands are brewed at the same facility and under the supervision of the same brewmaster how can they be dramatically different from one another? Bowen Island, KB and Whistler all offer a Pale Ale – but are they different?  Does Whistler beer use more expensive higher quality ingredients? Beer drinkers have a right to know this pertinent information.

I tried to get to the heart of the matter by sending an email to Bowen Island and KB Brewing – none have replied as of yet. Perhaps there is a perfectly good explanation and each brand is brewed with completely different recipes or my sources are incorrect and all three brands are completely unrelated, but without a response from the brewery I have no way of knowing. This unimpressive display of customer service is not making their beer taste any better. I have no desire to drink beer brewed by a company that is not honest with their customers. Over the next week I am hoping to solve this puzzle – I will post any new information as soon as possible. In the meantime, I have put together a breakdown of the three NorthAm brands:

Bowen Island Brewing – local value priced beer

KB Brewing – quality BC craft beer

Whistler Brewing – premium craft beer, leveraging Whistler’s international reputation

By now, the last glass of Pale Ale has vanished and I am feeling all the better for it – time to review. Bowen Island Brewing Extra Pale Ale is a surprisingly impressive beer for its price. It is a rich, copper coloured English Style Pale Ale with good head retention. Upon pouring, the beer releases a powerful aroma with sweet caramel leading the way followed by earthiness and a mild floral note. Similar to the aroma, caramel flavours are quite dominant but are somewhat balanced a medium hop finish. I would prefer this beer to be hoppier, but I tend to like hoppier beer. It was a bit thin, lacking any significant body. It is nice to find a pale ale from the Pacific Northwest that does not have a strong citrus flavour, not that I don’t like citrusy hops, it is just nice to change it up now and again.

This is a great session beer that is well suited for students, the unemployed (like me) or people who are just plain cheap. However, until I get to the bottom of NorthAm’s game of smoke and mirrors I do not feel comfortable recommending the beer to anyone.

Erik