Vancouver BC’s The Georgia Straight just launched it’s Beer Issue. So. Much. Craft. Beer! Joe Wiebe is a regionally recognized figure in the craft beer world. We’ve told you manytimes about the amazing craft beer available from BC. There is absolutely no reason to not visit BC for a craft beer trip of your own.
(Vancouver; six-packs of 355-millilitre cans at private liquor stores or the brewery, and on tap)
This refreshing, passion-fruit infused blond ale hits the perfect amount of crisp tartness to make it the ideal patio beer. At 4.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), it’s a session beer—meaning you can have a couple without getting lost between the bases on the softball field or ending up too woozy to ride your bike home from the beach. And if the name seems to encourage consumption in public green spaces, well, that’s not legal, of course, but it is pretty awesome.
(Victoria; four-packs of 473-millilitre cans at private liquor stores, and on select taps)
Here’s another ideal session beer, this one in gorgeously illustrated tall cans from Victoria’s Moon Under Water Brewery & Pub. It’s an unfiltered craft lager brewed with rice malts and sweet orange peel for a dry, refreshing finish—so light at 4.2 percent ABV that it’s virtually weightless but still very flavourful.
(Fernie; six-packs of 355-millilitre cans at private and B.C. Liquor stores, and on tap)
Fernie Brewing has been exploring a wide range of “Bucket List IPAs” over the past year or so, and this “little brother” might just be the best of the bunch, even if it’s not officially part of the series. It’s surprisingly full-bodied for a 4.5 percent ABV beer, and the blend of Australian Galaxy and American Mosaic hops (at 45 international bittering units
[IBU]) gives it a fruity and citrus-y hop aroma and flavour.
(Victoria; 650-millilitre bottles at private liquor stores, and on select taps)
This latest seasonal release from Victoria’s newest brewery is a tasty Belgian wheat ale with a zesty, grapefruit flavour and subtle hints of cardamom that augment the yeast’s fruity and spicy character.
(Penticton; 650-millilitre bottles at private liquor stores)
In Germany, maibocks are traditionally brewed in May as a transition from the darker bock beers of winter to lighter summer lagers. Cannery’s version is dry-hopped, which gives this malt-forward beer a refreshingly dry finish.
(Victoria; 650-millilitre bottles at private liquor stores, and on tap)
Gose is a German style of wheat beer with a unique combination of sour fermentation and added salt. This summer, Driftwood is using locally produced salt from Vancouver Island Salt Co. in its beer. The result is a refreshingly tart and slightly salty mix that works perfectly on hot days.
