The Beer Brief is a new round-up of all the local beer-related news and events we think you should know about. Got news brewing? Send it to thalia [at] scoutmagazine.ca and we’ll do our best to include it!
NOW OPEN | The old Steel Toad brewpub in Olympic Village has finally reopened as Brewhall. The revamped space – touted as “A Brew Concept by Tap & Barrel” – includes a collaborative brewery that boasts a direct “tank to tap” system. Currently, the beer list consists of three core and quaffable-sounding beers, thirteen BC guest taps and five collaborations involving a dozen local breweries. Of note is the Brewery Creek Brewer’s IPA, which is the brainchild of seven of the neighbourhood’s brewers, and begs the genuine question: how many is “too many” brewers in the brewery? (Disclosure: As of publication I have only walked by Brewhall on Saturday night, opening weekend… but wasn’t prepared to wait in a long queue of weekends warriors to have my first impression.) Check out the full line-up here.
BEER-MAS IN JULY | Krampus is being released at Strange Fellows for the month of July. This particular beast is a delicious Belgian Dubbel Ale. Drinkers who want to cope with the summer heat by partaking in a bit of “Christmas in July” will definitely want to do so with caution though, because at 8.5% this brew still has some bite! Krampus will be available on the Vintage Bottle List in the brewery only.
BACKYARD BEERS | Victoria’s Phillips Brewing is hosting their annual summertime outdoor music festival next weekend. At this year’s Backyard Weekender over 20 bands and deejays will be helming two stages over the course of three days. Of course the Phillips beer will be flowing, as well as their Maltworks’ spirits and Merridale Cider. Food trucks will also be on hand to deliciously soak up some of that alcohol while you’re soaking in the sun, sights and sounds. Find out more.
ABBOTSFORD EPIC | If Abbotsford isn’t yet on your beer-dar, it really should be! There’s a hot ticket sour beer and music festival going down at Field House on August 11th that you don’t want to miss out on. This year’s Field House Fest will be featuring seven local breweries plus six musical acts to put a smile on your face while lounging on the brewery’s “Magical Beer Lawn”. The Canteen Kitchen and Taco Stand will also be churning out their usual tasty seasonal eats to keep your belly happily in tune with your eyes and ears. Get your tickets here now.
SURREY | The BC Ale Trail Craft Beer Cook Off is going off at Central City Brewers + Distillers in Surrey this upcoming weekend. Serving up their brew-styles are the usual BC Ale Trail crews from Delta (Four Winds), Surrey (Red Racer) and New West (Steel & Oak) plus a few newbies from Richmond (Britannia Brewing Company & Britannia Steveston, Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks, and Monkey 9 Brewing Co.). Games and live music will also be on the menu, not to mention an actual menu of beer-infused eats. Bonus: the peeps involved are making it especially easy to make the trek out to the ‘burbs for this event by providing a free shuttle service to and from Scott Road Skytrain Station. Find out more.
TACOMA TAP TAKEOVER | Tacoma Washington’s first ever craft brewery (since 1995!) Engine House No. 9 is chugging across the border to take over the taps at both Darby’s locations on July 27th. Along for the ride will be seven beers: Amitie Tart Farmhouse Ale, Du Vieux Monde Saison, Eve’s Lament American Wild Ale, French Lop Saison, Funky Farmer Ralph Saison, Nefelibata Wild Ale, and Petite Belle Grisette. Attendance at this takeover is a no-brainer but the truly difficult decision is whether to partake by hitting up the Kits rooftop patio or meet the E9 crew in Gastown…
RUN FOR YOUR BEER | Alternatively, if you want to get sweaty and literally hit the trail, take note that the 10K Growler Run goes down at the end of the month. The North Van 10K circuit kicks off and winds down at Bridge Brewing, and the registration fee includes a self-congratulatory beer at the finish line, of course. The real kicker? In order to qualify for the grand prize — a cool $150 Bridge Brewing beer hook-up — you must complete the run while toting two 64 ounce growlers (and no, they don’t need to be filled with beer)…Find out more.
NEW WEST | Feel like changing up your Friday night beers? Take the train to New West for Fridays on Front, a summer-long outdoor market that kicked off on July 6th and runs until August 24th. Local brewery Steel & Oak is the official beer supplier and each Friday they’ll also be inviting a different brewery to join them for the evening. Central City is scheduled for the 20th with Twin Sails to follow on the 27th. Find out more.
VICTORIA | If you’re planning on winding down the month of July on the Island, you should probably be in the know about The Thirsty Chef IV. The day-long beer and food pairing event is coinciding with the 4th anniversary of Victoria local, Drake Eatery. It all goes down at the Market Square, and features a slew of brews from near (i.e. Swans, Hoyne, Category 12 and Phillips) and far-ish (Dunham, pFriem, Breakside, Sierra Nevada, Modern Times and Stone, to name a handful). Drinker beware: the ticket price includes entry plus a spread of food prepared by some of Victoria’s best chefs…but not beer tokens. However, at an affordable $30, the extra cost of beer seems a reasonable add-on. Especially if you take into account that the whole shindig is in support of a rad local charity that’s working to fund and connect local farmers with chefs, the Island Chefs Collaborative. Get your tickets here.
EAST VAN VINYL | Attention beer-swilling audiophiles: if you haven’t already heard, there’s a weekly BYO-Vinyl night called Pops & Scratches going down Wednesdays in the East Vancouver Brewing Company tasting room. Consider dusting off your record collection and zipping over to the brewery for what sounds like a cool social and musical interlude to the week. Oh, and a great accompaniment to the requisite hump-day beers.