The Beer Brief is a round-up of all the local beer 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!

BEER + SAKE | This Thursday marks a very atypical collaboration between two Richmond neighbours, Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks and YK3 Sake. Hou No Shizuku is a smooth, low ABV (11%) dry-hopped yuzu sake made with Australian Enigma hops. Intrigued? You can taste it on tap at the brewery during the tasting and/or skip around the corner and buy a full bottle from YK3. Find out more.

YELLOW DOG | Yellow Dog is turning five years old and they’re throwing a party this Sunday to celebrate. In honour of a half-decade of brewing, the Brewers Row OGs are inviting you to join them for a day of live music, food trucks, ice cream, balloon art and caricature drawings…plus – we assume – the implied beer and dogs (of indiscriminate colours). Find out more.

FRUIT BEER FEST | If you haven’t already blown your summer beer budget, consider bringing the season to a justifiably gluttonous conclusion by throwing what you’ve got left into a ticket to the inaugural Fruit Beer Festival on August 24th. Live musical entertainment and free-flowing fresh and fruity beers are all included; plus Big Day and DownLow will pulling out all the stops to create a BBQ spread with all the fixings. Head over here for over 40 more reasons not to miss out on this event, then get on board by grabbing your tickets here before they sell out.

GET SPORTY | If you miss out on the Fruit Beer Fest, then head on over to Strange Fellows for their Strange Sports Day patio party, also happening on August 24th. No actual athleticism is required is enjoy this day of games, tacos, face-painting, beer and general fun. And while you’re there, give your beanbag-tossing beer-drinking muscles a rest to work your peepers by checking out the new exhibit by Corey Robinson, currently hanging in the Charles Clark Gallery.

SO LONG SUMMER | Fast forward to the final weekend of August – the unofficial last weekend of summer – and say “Ciao!” properly by heading over to Luppolo for their End of Summer party on August 31st. Summertime staples Big Day BBQ will be serving up the necessary grub for the event, while local accordionist and ‘chanteuse’ Ana Bon Bon will be providing the live and lively background tunes.

VICTORIA | The Great Canadian Beer Festival is taking over our nation’s capital for the 27th year this September. Of course, BC reps big time with over 72 local breweries and 2 cideries participating in the 2019 festival. However, the total line-up adds up to almost a hundred breweries representing eight provinces, many of which normally don’t usually cross over into our borders. So unless you’re planning a trek to Nokomis (Saskatchewan), Winnipeg (Manitoba) or Tatamagouche (Nova Scotia) you might not get another opportunity to taste some of these beers…Do your patriotic duty and get your tickets here.

WHISTLER | The Whistler Village Beer Festival is coming up in less than a month. If you don’t have your tickets yet, are a bit broke from your summer celebrations and/or you’re up for a bit of a gamble, then there are a few ways to enjoy the festivities without shelling out upwards of $60 and maybe even hooking yourself up with some free tickets to the Main Event in the process…For instance, the ‘Bingo, Beats and Beers’ event in the Living Room at the Pangea Pod Hotel sounds pretty great. Howe Sound Brewing is taking over the taps in the back with some good ol’ fashioned music and bingo in the front and, if you’re lucky, your $2 ticket might just extend your fun through the weekend since entry to the Main Event is listed as one of the many prizes up for grabs.

ZWANZE DAY | This year’s annual international lambic-style celebration is making its West Coast world tour stop in the Fraserhood on September 28th. The seriously beer-y pseudo sports bar Bells and Whistles is one of only three Canadian establishments – out of less than a total of 100 worldwide – that will be hosting the 9th annual event, organized by the famous Belgian brewery Brasserie-Brouwerij Cantillon. The official 2019 Zwanze Day beer – a blend of classic pilsner malt and smoked malt – began its slow and natural journey to the fest way back in March 2016. Although the process is long, both the beer – just a single keg – and patiences will be limited come the big day…So set your alarm and don’t literally sleep on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

ICYMI | Been to Port Moody lately? If not, then you probably haven’t had a chance to taste the slew of intriguing new beers coming out of the Brewers Row’s most recent addition, The Bakery. We recently chatted with manager Nick Andersen and brewer Sho Ogawa to find out more about the story behind the experimental small batch brewery. Read the interview here and then get out there already!