Time for refreshing ale!
While theres plenty to do during Vancouver Craft Beer Week, running May 31 to June 8, what if youre a wine fan and a little lost when it comes to an ale that suits you?
I did some VERY DIFFICULT RESEARCH this week, saddling up at the Alibi Room in Gastown, Vancouvers craft beer Mecca, to sleuth out the options. Guiding me was one of my best pals, Alibi Room bartender Alex Wilson.
Alex not only has a little International Sommelier Guild certification under his belt, but his craft beer passion has been propelled by working at Main Streets Brewery Creek Liquor Store and constant trips around the Pacific Northwest.
This week, with Alexs help, I offer the best beer styles for wine lovers. Find many of them in stores like Brewery Creek or West Vancouvers 16th Street Liquor Store.
Alex didnt hesitate in recommending the wheat beer, or witbier, route for those who like that mineral-driven, citrusy character that many Alsatian varieties provide. Vancouver Islands Driftwood Brewing White Bark Wheat Ale or Oregons Logsdon Farmhouse Brewery Kili Wit Organic Witbierare indeed brewed with a little citrus peel and often times with coriander or African spices which do well at mimicking Riesling-esque minerality.
Sure, theres a breadth of styles with Chardonnay, from crisp, steely versions to oaky, tropical fruit-laden lushness. Brighter beers like Surreys Red Racer Pilsner err towards the former style, where fruit-forward types like Powell Rivers Townsite Brewing Zunga Golden Blonde Ale will speak to those who like a bolder style.
We got a little more literal here. Dry rosés rule the summer, and as we see many local and global versions appear on shelves, they share seasonal popularity with fresh and lively ales that are brewed with local berries. Both Phillips Brewing Raspberry Wheat Ale and Granville Island Brewings False Creek Raspberry Ale are refreshing and dry, perfect for seafood and patios.
If you like those funkier, earthy Burgundian versions of Pinot Noir, then you can really geek out here. That style typically offers a little truffle or mushroom-y character, something youll find in beers that have been brewed with a little brettanomyces. When appearing in wine, the genus of yeast can make Pinots a little too funky for some, but it offers a pretty cool dimension to fuller-flavoured brews that might offer a little Pinot-esque plum or dark fruit, too. Try Oregons Logsdon Farmhouse Brewerys Seizon Bretta for a good dose of that style, or Belgiums Orval Abbey for something a little more subtle.
Wanting something a little more structured, with a complexity that may include dark fruit, espresso, herbs and spice? Just like big, red wines- youll want to go darker here; plus Cascadian hops help provide the structure that a good dose of tannins can lend. Parallel 49 Black Hops Cascadian Dark Lager or Granville Islands Cloak & Dagger Cascadian Dark Ale will have you heading in the right direction.
Find out more at KurtisKolt.com.
