Unless you’ve been hiding from your computer screen or news feed, you’ll know it’s Craft Beer Week in Vancouver. This is excellent news for craft beer fans and insignificant ballyhoo for people who aren’t at all fussy about the beer they drink.
For those Keystone/Bud Light/Kokanee fans we say phooey! British Columbia is producing some of the finest craft beer in North America and new breweries are cropping up in and around the Lower Mainland every year. There are so many to choose from now it’s tough to keep track of which are good, which are great, which are all hype and which are really just a cup full of hops passing as beer.
Well, fret no more. Here, just in time for patio season, is a guide to the nine finest craft brews produced in B.C. (we couldn't decide on a 10th).
Parallel 49 Gypsy Tears
If this isn't Parallel 49's flagship brew, it should. Enough hops to keep the hopheads pleased but light enough not alienate sensitive palates. It’s a great brew in punishing summer heat and frigid winters (and the rain, but all beer is good in the rain). Photo courtesy of Parallel 49.
Phillips Bottle Rocket ISA
A perfect summer beer that would be ideal for the beach if such things were allowed in this province. As it stands, you'll need to savour this slightly hoppy, graprefruit-tinged Indian session ale in the comforts of your back yard or licensed establishment... but if we’re to catch you sipping one on at Third Beach, we'll keep mum. Photo courtesy of Dennis the Foodie.
Brassneck Ale
One of the latest additions to Vancouver’s brewery scene. Brassneck’s beer is currently only available on tap at their Main Street Brewery. so if you want to take it home you’ll need to buy a growler (which can be used at any brewery in town). A strong, if slightly bitter, pale ale with robust flavour that’ll curb those ale cravings. Photo courtesy of This Sandwich, That Beer.
Phillips Blue Buck
The Sgt. Pepper’s of B.C. craft brew. The one beer that could go international. If you’re an ale fan and haven’t tried it yet, get on it immediately. There’s nothing left to say. Photo courtesy of Broke Bites.
Mt. Begbie Cream Ale
Fruity with the slightest hop edge to give it some kick, this is a great cream ale from Revelstoke’s premier brewery. It’s like if you captured that feeling of floating down a canal in an inner tube in the summer, bottled it and drank it down, it would taste like...well, sweat and sunscreen, we suppose. But this cream ale is a perfect canal-floating beverage. Photo courtesy of Barley for Drinks.
Hoyne Off the Grid
The latest addition to Hoyne’s lineup, Off the Grid is a smooth – some might say creamy – red lager that’s absolutely perfect for your trip into the back woods. A 650 ml of this bad boy (or two) will keep you sittin’ pretty aroud the campfire. Photo courtesy of TheBeerRater.com
Parallel 49 Hoparazzi
Not quite as intense as the name might suggest, Hoparazzi is a tasty introduction for people who think hops are for pretentious goofballs. A pale gold lager is as refreshing as it is tasty. And when the bottle sweats after sitting in the fridge? And you pop that top off? And sip it down? And it’s cold enough to hurt your teeth? You’ll be in hop heaven. Photo by Rob Newell / Glacier Media
Bridge Brewing North Shore Pale
A refreshing but hoppy brew fresh from the North Shore, perfect summertime boozing that won’t take your taste buds out of commission, even after four…or six…or nine. Photo courtesy of The Bitter Beer Guide.
Four Winds India Pale Ale
This is one's for the connoisseurs. Local breweries favour the hops and this IPA goes all out. Still, hints of citrus make for a refreshing patio drink. Likely not everyone’s cup of, uh, tea (?) but it’s certainly one of the most creative brews from this region. Photo courtesy of http://www.beermebc.com
