The snow season is mercifully upon us and thank gawd! because I, like so many others, have been filled with the sort of nervous tension and anxiety that beer can suppress, but only snowboarding/skiing can truly alleviate.
Welcome to winter, everyone. Aaaaaaaah.
Because I’ve now grown accustomed to writing beer lists, and because Westender is publishing its annual mountain report this week, I figured it best to share with you, urban beer drinkers, some of the finer beers brewed in ski regions across BC.
Fact: I have tried some of these beers.
Fact: I have not tried all these beers.
Can you guess which I’ve tried and which I’ve not? Let’s play a game.*
Apex – Cannery Brewing
Pentincton’s Cannery Brewing has earned a solid reputation across BC, but their beers are unfortunately difficult to find in and around Vancouver. So if you’re taking a trip up to Apex, a visit to the brewery might be worth it to try their excellent Anarchist Amber Ale or Naramata Nut Brown Ale.
Or, if you’re not really into Okanagan winters, you can wait until the summer when their brand new, 12,000-square-foot brewery in downtown Penticton should be complete. They broke ground in October, and once complete the new facility will include a much larger tasting room with an expanded menu, growler fill station and gift shop.
Big White – Tree Brewing Co.
It’s tough to verify, but legend has it that when Kelowna’s Tree Brewing created the Hop Head IPA, it sparked the Hops Arms Race, an escalating (friendly) battle between BC brewers to out-hop one another, which resulted in some truly amazing BC beers and helped fashion the province’s craft beer scene to what it is today.
And yet, Tree’s never reached the pantheon of great BC breweries, which isn’t really fair. Their Madcap Belgian White IPA is delicious and ideal for summer drinking, and their Groove Session Ale is ideal for weaning pedestrian beer drinkers off Kokanee or Canadian.
Hemlock – Old Yale Brewing Co.
The problem with this list, I realize now, is that the breweries I’m writing about are located nowhere close to most of the ski resorts. Some of them are in the general vicinity, but if you’re looking for an easy après session with some quality, locally brewed draft beer, you’re basically S.O.L.
And yet, if you can hack it, it might be worth making the hour-and-twenty-minute drive down Hemlock to Old Yale Brewery, just outside Chilliwack. In July, their Sasquatch Stout was named Canada’s Beer of the Year by the Canadian Beer Awards, and people were packed around Old Yale’s tent at the Whistler Village Beer Festival two months later. I’ll admit, I haven’t tried any of their beers, but if they’re scoring major awards like this, they must be doing something right, hm?
Revelstoke – Mt. BegbieBrewing Co.
I have to say, Revelstoke’s Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. has some of the weakest label art this side of a Coors can, but, in the end, that’s the only shade I can throw their way. The Begbie Cream Ale is fruity and refreshing, and though I avoid cream ales, it’s been a standard in my fridge since the summer. I realize now I should have made a list of most refreshing après beers (and it’s too late for that!), because this one probably would have topped it.
Silver Star – Crannog Ales
OK this brewery is nowhere close to Silver Star, or even all that close to Kamloops, but the area is devoid of craft breweries at this time. Still, if you have the time, it’s worth taking the two-hour trip to Crannog Ales, located above Shushwap Lake, halfway between Kamloops and Salmon Arm.
Canada’s first and only certified organic brewery, most of the materials used in the beers are grown on the farm, including the hops. All spent grains are fed to the pigs. It’s easily the most unique brewery in BC, and any beer fan should check it out if they have the opportunity. If your ski schedule won’t allow for it, then just grab a 650ml bottle of the Back Hand of God Stout on your way back to the hotel and thank me later.
*Tweet me your answers, or just follow me, @stephensmys. Let’s chat.
