No Fun City Bureaucracy Stands in the Way of Beer Lounges
It appears the City of Vancouver is, once again, living up to its reputation of being No Fun City. Despite the provincial government’s announcement on February 8 that BC breweries and distilleries will now be allowed to apply to have on-site lounges, special events areas (SEA), picnic areas and tour areas, it appears Vancouver’s restrictive zoning regulations and liquor laws will make it very difficult for breweries to take advantage of the changes.
This change to the law, which the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) states in LCLB Policy Directive No 13-02, is “designed to support the growing craft brewing and distilling industries by introducing another means for licensees to showcase their products,” allows breweries and distilleries “to apply for endorsement areas at their manufacturing site where patrons may consume liquor manufactured under the licence.” Currently, breweries can apply to have tasting rooms where they can either offer the general public free samples and/or sell up to 375ml (12oz) per person, per day to be consumed in the tasting room.
The new regulations would allow breweries be able to sell their own beer on-site in amounts more than 375ml per person, per day. I had this clarified by a LCLB spokesperson who, via e-mail, wrote, “the process for breweries and distilleries to apply for on-site lounges and special event areas will be the same as it is for wineries, in that it will be treated as an endorsement on the manufacturer licence, rather than a separate liquor primary licence.” This is the part the City of Vancouver’s Liquor License Department (CVLLD) does not seem to understand.
Why Does the Colour of Your Beer Bottle Matter?
If you’re a brewmaster making beer for the enjoyment of others, the ingredients and process you use are paramount. Quality control is one of the main concerns for beer drinkers who desire consistency with every pint. Regardless if you like Budweiser or not, no one debates that they have quality control mastered, as you always know how your beer will taste. One of the key factors in this consistency is the colour of their bottles.
The two biggest issues to affect your beer once bottled are light and temperature. Either of these can significantly affect the flavour of your beer, especially the former. This is why you see beer nerds cringe when they watch a beer commercial that shows open beer in the sun. Two seconds of direct sunlight will “burn” or “lightstruck” the beer, making it taste off. This is because light, especially ultra-violet (UV) light, causes an instant reaction, changing the iso-α-acid to 3-methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol. If this sounds nasty, it is! The “thiol” change means sulphur. And even the smallest amount of sulphur, like one part per billion, will make your beer taste skunky.
This is why beer bottles are typically brown. They’re created specifically as a UV filter to protect your beer. Regular brown beer bottles don’t fully protect your beer, so you should still try to keep even a UV bottle our of the light.
Is the BC Beer Market About to Become the Wild West?
If the rumours I have been hearing the past few weeks are true, the BC beer market may resemble the Wild West by the middle of January. I have been informed from two completely different sources that the BC Liberals will finally be making an announcement about tied houses and trade practices. This comes two years after the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch put out a consultation paper requesting industry input on proposed changes to the relevant provincial regulations.
If the information I am getting is correct, and I do believe it to be so, tied house laws and trade practices will be completely deregulated, leaving the BC market wide open for the highest bidders to lock down pubs, restaurants and liquor stores. There will be no government restrictions on buying these outlets or offering large amounts of cash and other inducements for exclusivity rights (bars/restaurants) or preferential shelf placement (liquor stores).
Vancouver Island Craft Beer News, November 8th, 2012
Curious as to what’s new and happening on Vancouver Island in Craft Beer? There is special dinner and tasting events planned, A charitable vote, new releases from Vancouver Island Breweries, and new days to test your trivial knowledge. Read on to learn more.
Swans Brewmaster Dinner

Saturday November 10th at 630pm Swans is having a special Brewmasters Dinner. The five course meal will be paired with six Swans beers. Price is $49.95 and tickets are available at Swans: 250 361 3310 | www.swansbrewpub.com
Check my leapbeer blog later in the month for a breakdown of the nights nosh.
Winterbrau @ Canoe Brewpub

Canoe Brewpub has a special event planned for you on November the 17th. Starting at 1pm in the afternoon join them for a seasonal beer tasting and food sampling event. Your $45 (Advance ticket price) will gain you access to the event featuring beers from Phillips, Driftwood, Central City, Coal Harbour, Hoyne, Saltspring, Lighthouse, Moon Under Water, Spinnakers, Tofino, Craig Street, Howe Sound, Longwood, Wolf and Vancouver Island Breweries.
Advance tickets available at this site
Vancouver Licensees Beware the Pint Police
A sleeve is not a pint, or even close to one, so don’t call it one! In Canada, a pint = 20oz, nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t know about you, but I am getting fed up with being misled, whether intentionally or not, by bars and restaurants who advertise pints but serve sleeves.
Twice in the last few weeks, I have seen restaurants on Commercial Drive advertising “pint” specials when they were serving sleeves, which are 20-40% less in volume, depending on which version of the hated glassware is being employed. This pisses me off to no end, as it is misleading at best and downright dishonest if the misrepresentation is knowingly advertised.
A few Mondays ago, I notice Falconetti’s tweeting about an all-day “pint” special. I tweeted back a few times, asking if they were, in fact, serving 20oz pours. I was met with silence. Later in the day, I walked past the restaurant on my way to the park with my kid, and noticed a “pint” special advertised on their sidewalk chalkboard. Curious, I stuck my head in the door, and there was not a pint glass to be seen. Just to be sure, I called to enquire, and was told “pints” were a part of the Monday special. When I asked if it was actually a 20oz pour or a sleeve, the response was, “Technically, I guess you are right. We serve 16oz sleeves.”
Technically? Really?





