903 replies to this topic

[Mr_E_Squirrel]

The Duke Saloon is the former evolution/rehab

 

http://vibrantvictor...street/?hl=duke

I'm thinking of the Drake Saloon coming to the former Rehab nightclub.

It's called Drake isn't? I dunno.

[Mike K.]

Ah, Duke, that's it. Thanks for clarifying.

[Holden West]

The Drake beer joint in Market Square will have a soft opening before August according to plans.

[Bingo]

In the good old days...

 

In September 1954 the Kings Beer parlour and the Westholme beer parlour opened on the same day, each becoming the second beer parlours to open in the city of Victoria. A few months earlier the Drake Hotel Beer Parlour opened on the corner of Store and Johnson Streets.

 

more:  http://artsvictoria....urce/23106/view
 

[amor de cosmos]

British Columbia’s craft-beer explosion has been a boon to the province’s wilting hops industry. But people have been growing the cones that give beer its bitterness, aroma and flavour for longer than you might think around here.

Here are some numbers about a key agribusiness that’s, well, hopping once again.

1940s
THE GOLDEN YEARS

(etc)

20
HOPS FARMS IN B.C. TODAY

Sorrento brewery began hops-farming revival

Crannog Ales in Sorrento has much to boast about. Canada’s first certified organic microbrewery is credited with being the first farm in B.C. to begin growing hops after the Chilliwack industry disappeared.

In 2001, Rebecca Kneen and Brian MacIsaac planted a half-acre of hops, which they then used to brew their beer. In 2007, they added another half-acre. They now grow 16 varieties and sell rhizomes to farms across Canada.

“The response has been great,” said Kneen. “People love what we’re doing here.”

These days, there are upwards of 20 large and small B.C. farms growing hops, ranging from the Fraser Valley to the Interior, Lillooet to the Sunshine Coast, Sorrento to Pemberton.

3
YEARS TO REACH MATURITY

80
BREWERIES IN B.C.

http://blogs.theprov...e-for-b-c-hops/

They didn't mention that Crannog found a new hop variety growing wild in their yard. So BC has its own indigeneous hops, called Sockeye.

[amor de cosmos]

Yes, Ben’s Beer Blog has obtained a document, labelled a “Connections Brief” and dated September 16, 2014, that actually lays bare the 2015 strategy to pass Shock Top off as craft beer and, while your inclination while reading the marketing-speak-riddled nonsense (Link to PDF below), might be to assume that this is a joke I created, I assure you it is not.

The brief discusses the plan for new advertising for Shock Top and explains that the increased marketing is because “Shock Top is Labatt’s big bet in the battle against Micro Craft.” And while I wish that “Micro Craft” were a bearded super villain hoping to take over the world one firkin at a time, it seems clear that this is the term that Labatt uses to discuss the scourge that is brewers making craft products in small batches–brewers who are incidentally (and awesomely!) “eroding Labatt’s share,” according to the document.

*snip*

There is no shortage of ridicule-worthy bullshit in this very short brief (probably most notably that it contains the nonsensical sentence “flavoursome taste to drive Shock Top penetration with Experience Maximizers in the ‘Reward Myself’ need state.” Holy **** that’s a mouthful of corporate garbage), but the short of it is this: Labatt is hoping to increase the production volume of Shock Top by 40% next year and is planning to spend $2.7 million dollars in 2015 to make people think that Shock Top is a craft beer.

First, I’ll give you a minute to address the wounds on your hand after you presumably put your fist through the nearest car window after reading that last insane sentence.

http://bensbeerblog....-for-shock-top/
http://www.huffingto..._n_5863912.html
 

VI Brewery wins 3 silvers

Vancouver Island Brewery has been handed three silver medals from the Tastings.com World Beer Championships in the U.S.

The brewery won the medals for its Beachcomber Summer Ale, in the weizen hefe category, Black Betty in the fruit beer category and Sabotage India Session Ale in the American-style IPA category.

“These are truly wonderful honours and we could not be more proud,” said general manager Murray Langdon. “To have all three entries receive awards is a remarkable feat, and to have both established beers and one of our new launches recognized shows that Vancouver Island Brewery’s history of innovation and creativity is alive and well.”

http://www.timescolo...h.iJijwjOM.dpuf

Another new craft brewery is popping up in Courtenay.

Forbidden Brew Corporation currently has an application to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for a brewery lounge endorsement to be located at 1590 Cliffe Avenue near the Westerly Hotel and Convention Centre.

Before it can endorse it, the LCLB requires Courtenay council to provide a resolution that must include input from nearby residents and businesses that may be affected by the development.

This is the second lounge endorsement application the City of Courtenay has received in recent months. A couple of weeks ago, city council delayed decision on Gladstone Brewery Company's application to allow the owners to find an adequate means of providing food to their patrons. The proponents wanted to use a food truck but a city bylaw does not allow food trucks to be stationed at one location for long periods of time.

Forbidden Brew, which the owners said would complement the Flying Canoe outlet, plans to create a lounge area within the brewery, with a seating capacity of 30 people. It plans to operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.

It doesn't have any plans for any outdoor patio or entertainment involving loud music. The addition of a lounge area, the owners say, will not have additional noise impact to residents and businesses nearby.

Craft brewing is surging in popularity in the beer industry. Its success can be seen in the City of Victoria, which now has one of the largest number of breweries per capita in BC. They are a boon to tourism and to local economies because they provide jobs and also a novel entertainment venue.

http://www.comoxvall...ement-1.1364267
http://beerontherock...en-in-courtney/
http://www.canadianb...s-comox-valley/

just released

http://beerontherock...released-today/

Edited by amor de cosmos, 23 September 2014 - 09:22 AM.

[VicHockeyFan]

Nothing like beer snobery.  Who cares what people like, or drink.

[amor de cosmos]

all-canadian hops

Spawning Sockeye Ale has been brewed using a previously unknown hop variety found growing on Crannóg’s farm, as described in the release announcement:

These wild hops were on Left Fields farm at Crannóg Ales when the brewery started, and after several years of propagation, were tested to see what variety they might be. It turns out that all of the likely varieties, and all those the hops could be related to, have different properties than this particular hop. It is with great excitement, then, that the brewers have finally named the hop and are bringing it to their beers. Named “Sockeye”, in honour of the Adams River Sockeye salmon run, this hop is richly spicy and slightly floral with a truly distinctive aroma. Lupulin is bright and plentiful, this hop is best used right away for peak aromas.

http://www.canadianb...e-this-weekend/

[pontcanna]

Nothing like beer snobery.  Who cares what people like, or drink.

Come back with me now to the halcyon years of the 70's. Labatt's Pilsner (only choice) and pickled eggs on a terry-cloth table at a smoky Colwood Inn/6 Mile/Kings/Beaver/Glen Lake/Ingy/whatever. Dives/peeler bars all over. I feel your pain.

[Mike K.]

I still drink Labatt Pilsner if it's available

[Coopershawk]

Same here Mike!

[Mike K.]

In case you may not know, Fiamo has a healthy dose in stock at all times

[amor de cosmos]

This author compares Victoria to Bend, Oregon. I take that as a compliment:
 
 

The IPAs taste like American versions did in about 1999. They are cuttingly bitter and buttressed very little by late-addition flavor and aroma hops. The first two or three places I went, I thought this might be exceptional, but it turned out not to be. These beers are not considered especially bitter and are brewed the way people expect. As I smacked and choked after sips of these IPAs, Victorians looked on placidly, as if their tongues weren't dissolving.

Amnesiac anyone? This writer must be used to hop-bursted IPAs, which have all their hops loaded into the last 10 minutes of the boil, rather than the traditional hop schedule which includes a fair amount of early additions. This is supposed to create a softer bitterness without sacrificing IPA-level IBUs but which also probably contributing to the current hop shortage in the US right now because so many US breweries are brewing like that.
 

In terms of beer, Victoria is blossoming. There's a lot of excitement about beer, and it's permeating the whole city. A few of the breweries are production-only, and when we visited (Sally was along for the ride), troops of growler-toting fans filed through. They were young and old, male and female--a cross-section of the city. The brewers are watching beer spike in popularity and are full of excitement about what comes next. Oh, and this is interesting, too: despite their proximity to Vancouver and Seattle, the town that seems to most inspire the breweries there is Portland. Rose City beers were far more common than Seattle beers, and the brewers regularly referenced Porltand as a model.

More to come as I get into the specific breweries.

http://beervana.blog...e-folks-at.html

Edited by amor de cosmos, 14 October 2014 - 12:49 PM.

[Mr Cook Street]

This author compares Victoria to Bend, Oregon. I take that as a compliment:
 
 
Amnesiac anyone? This guy must be used to hop-bursted IPAs, which have all their hops loaded into the last 10 minutes of the boil, rather than the traditional hop schedule which includes a fair amount of early additions. This is supposed to create a softer bitterness without sacrificing IPA-level IBUs but which also probably contributing to the current hop shortage in the US right now because so many US breweries are brewing like that.
 

http://beervana.blog...e-folks-at.html

Interesting that Tourism Victoria paid for his trip. I think its great that Tourism Victoria is proactively doing this type of promotion.

[VicHockeyFan]

Went to Milestones for lunch on the weekend.

 

I was a little surprised by their lack of beer options, with this city being such a craft beer place.

 

I know, I know, they have a strategy that's chain-wide, but you'd think they might be open to some variation in this market.

 

Keith's, Shock Top and Honker's (brewed in Chicago) are Labatt products.  Stella belongs to one of the big ones, forget who.  Creemore is on Ontario brewer owned by Molson.  Muskoka is from Ontario.  Barking Squirrel is Ontario.

 

Oh, I think they had Blue Buck too.

 

[jonny]

Isn't Milestone's based in BC too?

[VicHockeyFan]

Isn't Milestone's based in BC too?

 

They seem to have the most stores in Ontario.

[jonny]

They seem to have the most stores in Ontario.

 

Huh. After visiting their website, I'd say they are based in Ontario.

[Holden West]

 

 

Oh, I think they had Blue Buck too.

 

 

 

Probably only to overwhelming demand. It's ridiculous. There's a huge range of beer from light pilsners to hearty stouts brewed practically in downtown Victoria and sold at reasonable prices. It's just as bad at the downtown Keg--only Molson beers on tap. It's just a money grab. The big breweries monopolize the draft lines in return for bigger margins for the bar owner.

[amor de cosmos]

that beer blogger from portland wrote a magazine article about his visit here:
 

One area that phenomenon is most evident is in the way beer culture is developing. It’s possible to think your hometown is in step with larger trends—IPAs are popular everywhere, saisons and barrel-aged beers are reliable beer geek bait. But all it takes is a little travel to upset this sense of sameness. A couple weeks back, I spent the weekend in Victoria, BC, which is roughly as far from my home in Portland as Boston is from New York. In the West, that counts as neighbors. I ended up visiting six breweries while I was there, and by stop number four, I felt like I’d gone through the looking-glass: I was definitely not in Oregon anymore.

*snip*

It turns out that Victorians love their IPAs bitter. In Oregon, our pursuit of hop perfection has led us away from bitterness and toward flavor and aroma. Breweries are hop bursting their beers and backing dump trucks full of hops up to their whirlpools and hop backs—but they’re no longer adding a lot at the front end of the boil. I thought I’d found an Oregon-style IPA at Driftwood, when my nose lingered over Fat Tug IPA. It was intensely juicy and citrusy to smell, but once I took a sip the bitter charge exploded and made my eyes water.

*snip*

Culture is most identifiable when it is invisible to locals. I kept asking people (brewers and regular drinkers) about my findings, and they looked at me with confusion. Bitter IPAs? You think so? They seem pretty normal to me. Lagers? I guess they’re popular. Saaz hops? I hadn’t really thought of it—that’s just what lagers are supposed to taste like. Cask ale? They’re great for a change of pace.

I had no success convincing anyone that these features were unusual—or at least why they were unusual through the eyes of a Portlander. It was just how beer was supposed to be. The example of Victoria is potent because it’s a city so near and so alike my own that the contrasts really stand out. But every city I’ve visited I’ve found culture at work.

The world may be getting smaller by the minute, but beer is local.

http://allaboutbeer.com/victoria-beer/
http://beervana.blog...nder-found.html

Edited by amor de cosmos, 22 October 2014 - 10:46 AM.