The West Kootenays are a stunning region of eastern British Columbia, cloaked in dense forests, hemmed in by majestic peaks, and ribboned by the dazzling water of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers. Travelers on the BC Ale Trail get to enjoy all of that …along with a few pints of tasty locally-brewed ales and lagers, too. Coming in from the … Continued
September marks the beginning of the new school year, and also the graduation of freshly harvested hops into popular fresh-hopped beers. The craft beer community in British Columbia is ravenous for these beers. While most beers are traditionally brewed with dried hops, some breweries will prepare a beer during the late-summer hop harvest that involves … Continued
Abbotsford is in the heart of the Fraser Valley and an easy day trip from Vancouver. What started out as a Sunday drive in search of berry farms and lunch with my mom ended up being a foray into exploring part of the Ale Trail, with brewery hopping and feasting on locally sourced fare. All … Continued
Day two began how all days should begin: with fried chicken. River Market in New West is a destination all on it’s own. Fresh bread, craft coffee, homemade soap, produce, and restaurants. It’s a lovely place to get lost in. I impatiently waited outside the doors of Freebird Chicken Shack to get my hands on some of the … Continued
The annual Great Canadian Beer Festival is returning to Victoria for the 25th time Sept. 8-9, 2017. Canada’s longest running craft beer festival was first held indoors at the Victoria Conference Centre in 1993, with 2,000 people attending. After 10 years, organizers moved it outdoors to Royal Athletic Park, which plays host to 9,000 thirsty beer … Continued
BC beer won yet more accolades last week, when the World Beer Awards 2017 style winners were announced in London. White Sails Brewing of Nanaimo earned the title of world’s best black IPA for its Snake Island CDA, while Mt. Begbie Brewing of Revelstoke recorded another big win for its highly decorated High Country Kolsch, … Continued
There’s the beer. Great craft beer. And the breweries. Amazing breweries all around this province working together to grow the craft beer scene. Plus there are fantastic craft beer and cask events where we go and try an incredible selection of these beers. But behind all of these breweries and events are the inspiring, passionate … Continued
I started to fall in love when I saw they’d named their fermenters after the Golden Girls. Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sofia stood in the corner of Steel & Oak Brewing Co., protecting the beer as the yeast began to work it’s magic. The beer, most of which are traditional German lagers, is fantastic. It … Continued
If you know anyone who lives on Vancouver Island – or if you’re an Islander yourself – you’ll be familiar with the term “up island.” This can mean anything from a half-hour’s drive north of Victoria over the Malahat to the five-and-a-half hour long haul up to Port Hardy. And there’s a whole lot to … Continued
The sun shone, a gentle breeze blew off the Salish Sea and a wealth of world-class wild ales and saisons were savoured at Farmhouse Fest 2017. Upward of 1,200 people gathered at the UBC Farm on Saturday for the third annual rendition of what is arguably the most distinctive beer festival in the province. Set … Continued