B.C. Craft Brewers Expanding Production

With the brewery expansions that have taken place in the last few months, it looks like B.C.’s craft brewers are making some headway in the market. I’m hoping that people are discovering there is a lot more to beer than just lager and pale ale; that fresh beer is made here and it’s full of flavour.

Mt. Begbie moved into a new brewery over the winter. Bart and Tracey Larson were struggling in a space that couldn’t even accommodate a forklift. Now, with their new premises in downtown Revelstoke, they have enough space for a small retail area and a tasting bar.

Fernie Brewing’s sales have been growing rapidly since introducing their Rocky Mountain Genuine Lager and attending last year’s GCBF; Vancouver Island sales have quadrupled in 12 months. To keep up with demand, they moved into a brand new facility on the Crowsnest Highway, just north of Fernie. The brewhouse has tripled in size and they’ve added new fermenters, along with a state-of-the-art water filtration system. Don Moore set up the brewery and acted as head brewer until they hired Warren Smith, formerly of Calgary’s Wild Rose, in the spring. They, too, have a retail area and offer tours.

In Penticton, Cannery Brewing took over more space in the Cannery Trade Centre to add two new 40-hectolitre fermenters, doubling their capacity. They’ve also expanded their retail space where you can purchase shirts, t-shirts, vests, hats, posters, glasses, steins, and mustards & soaps made with Cannery beer. On August 8, owners Ron & Patt Dyck and brewer Terry Schoffer celebrated the brewing of their 500th batch with an open house — tours, appetizers, beer, and a cake (did it pair with the Naramata Nut Brown?).

As reported earlier, Howe Sound Brewing recently added more fermenters to increase their capacity. They will need it to supply exports to Arizona and Washington that are starting up this month. An additional demand will be experimenting with new styles that may be released in the future as seasonals or, depending on popularity, as part of the regular lineup.

Dead Frog moved into a brand new brewery in Aldergrove this spring with a larger capacity and a new bottling line. At that time, brewer Jorge Lussio left for other pursuits. To bring the new facility up to speed for the launch of their first bottled product, Dead Frog hired Tony Dewald from the Mark James Group to replace Lussio. On June 18 they released their bottled Lager, Pale Ale, and Nut Brown to cold beer & wine stores in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.

We should hear about two more B.C. brewery openings within the next two-three months. I think there’s more room, so long as they target a market that isn’t currently being served or is underserved. For example, there are slim pickings for good beer up north, as I discovered last year.

Upcoming GCBF Highlights

If you’re going to the GCBF and haven’t perused the brewers list on their Web site, you may want to make your way over there to plan ahead for what you definitely don’t want to miss out on.

For myself, I’m not interested so much in the exhibitors with bottles aka import agents and large producers. You can buy these in a liquor store. My first priority is breweries whose products I can’t get here. Of those, cask ale tops the list as they may be a one-off or at least of a regular style they brew but of unique character.

Non-B.C. breweries I’m looking forward to sample are Baron, Boundary Bay, Peaks, Silver City, Wild Rose, and Wildwood. Bushwakker from Regina, SK, is one coming the furthest to represent themselves and another I’ll be thoroughly evaluating. Paddock Wood from Saskatoon will be there too, but their products are available in Vancouver and they have exhibited only bottled product in the past.

Specific beers on my to do list: Anacortes IPA, Baron über-Weisse, Boundary Bay Imperial Oatmeal Stout & Scotch Ale, Peaks Dungeness Spit IPA, Pike IPA, Silver City Indianola Pale Ale & Imperial Stout, and Wild Rose Port-infused Oatmeal Stout

My second priority is B.C. brewers with a cask, a seasonal, or something new, followed by breweries whose beer I’ve never tried — Barley Mill Brewpub from Penticton and Hells Gate in Delta (I suspect this is the new Mark Anthony brewery).

B.C. beers I’m excited to try: Central City Imperial IPA; Crannóg Bansidhe, Bogtrotter Brown, Insurrection Pale Ale, and Pooka Cherry Ale; Howe Sound Pothole Filler & Total Eclipse of the Hop; Longwood Imperial Stout, IPA, Märzenbier; Nelson Paddywack; Spinnakers Hefeweizen; Steamworks Great Pumpkin Ale & Grand Espresso Stout (conditioning since last winter); Swans Scotch Ale; Tree Hophead; and at the Yaletown booth, Alchemy, Dix IPA, and Whistler Brewhouse Heart of Darkness.

Central City Thor’s Hammer is another standout. Brewer Gary Lohin used to make this when at Sailor Hagar’s. Sailor Hagar’s still have some of it from ten years ago and had a keg on draft last December — incredible! Word is they have one left, so keep an eye out for it later this year. In the meantime, you can try Thor’s Hammer the Younger in Victoria. If you’ve had Thor’s Hammer the Elder, you will recognize the progeny. Hopefully, Gary will put some away in a cool, dark corner and sit on it for a few years. Otherwise, bottle it so we can do so.

We’ve been expecting a Dead Frog cask in Vancouver from Tony Dewald (formerly of Dix) for a while, but he did not participate in the Surrey Summer Cask Festival, nor Caskival 5 at Dix — much of whose success is because of him. Now it looks like he’ll have a cask of their Nut Brown, so I’m anxious to sample it.

Dave Woodward’s Heart of Darkness from Whistler Brewhouse won best beer at the Central City’s Surrey Summer Cask Festival. An Imperial Stout aged on bourbon-soaked oak, it is a delightful mouthful that ought to be a staple Après-ski winter warmer in the Village.

If you stop by the Crannóg booth, one sample you should try to get Brian make up for you is a blend of 1/3 Pooka Cherry and 2/3 Back Hand of God. It makes a wonderful cherry stout.

On a final note, don’t overlook the wonderful cider from Merridale. Their cask Cyser is a must. It’s very popular, though, so I would recommend sampling it early. It also makes sense to do it before the big-flavoured, high gravity ales so you can fully appreciate it.

Dead Frog Seeking Second Brewer

Dead Frog Brewery is looking for a second brewer for their fast-growing operation. The position pays $12/hour to start and increases to $15/hour after the three-month probation period. Must be hard working, conscientious, able to multi task, and have a passion for beer, as well as the brewing industry.

Please apply in person to:
Tony Dewald, Head Brewer
Dead Frog Brewery
#1 27272 Gloucester Way
Aldergrove, BC
(see the BC Beer Blog Map for location)

Real Ale Extravaganza at Dix Summer Caskival

Exterior of Vancouver brewpub, Dix BBQ & Brewery at Beatty & Smithe streets.

Tony Dewald’s (currently Dead Frog brewmaster) semi-annual cask festival tradition continues under the tutelage of Derrick Franche with the upcoming Summer Caskival at Dix BBQ & Brewery on August 9. With the support of CAMRA Vancouver, Caskival is a showcase of live, all-natural, preservative-free, unfiltered, unpasteurized cask ales from the creative talents of B.C.’s leading craft brewers.

This year, there will be approximately two dozen different beers to sample over the course of an afternoon. According to Franche, more brewers have gone experimental with their casks this time. Caskival seems to be evolving into a freestyle beer event that gives brewers an opportunity to experiment in a way that would otherwise be financially risky. Sometimes you may get a bum beer, but then there’s the extraordinary ale that more than makes up for the former. It’s exciting to be on B.C. beer’s cutting edge!

In addition to the regular food menu, there will be featured food specials — an entree ($12-$14), an appetizer, and Chef Zai Kitigawa’s special beef jerky.

Dix Summer Caskival
Saturday, August 9, 2008
noon-5:00pm
Dix BBQ & Brewing
871 Beatty Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 682-2739

Cost: $15 CAMRA members, $20 non-members for entry; 4oz samples $1.00 each; souvenir t-shirts $20.00. There are no tickets for pre-purchase.

I will post more information about the participating brewers and their beers as the information becomes available.