Tag: Vancouver

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Sister City Brewery # 2 – Strange Fellows Brewing

The next Sister City of Los Angeles is Vancouver, Canada and the brewery I chose is Strange Fellows Brewing.

Time to check out some more Canadian beer…

Beldame Old World Pilsner – “Crossing paths with a crone is believed unlucky by some. Stooped and toothless, she’s a frightful specter of mortality. Those who can meet her gaze and see wisdom there have nothing to fear, but beware to those who scorn or overlook her. As Mother of Creation, she can wield her power in wicked ways, by nightmare, illness or a failed harvest. So next time you happen upon an old woman, pour her a glass of this bright and refreshing beer, look her in the eye, and toast to her good health.”

Rei’s Dark Lager – “This dark Lager balances the use of roasted malts and premium German pilsner malt. It delivers a clean character of a lager and offers a complex grain bill that blends aromas of chocolate, roast and has a crisp and clean lager finish.  “

Blackmail Northwest Stout – “Originally advertised as a nutritional supplement for new mothers, milk stouts contain Lactose sugar which gives this beer a rich round and slightly sweet character. Blackmail is only 4.5%abv and has a soft roast and chocolate character.”

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PDX 2022 – Report 1

I have not touched the ground in Portland since 2020. How would the city feel after a long time away? Would it be different post-covid or pre-post covid for the more cautious among us.

Well, I landed hard with popular Portland breweries.

Ruse Brewing at the Crust Collective across the Columbia in Vancouver on the Waterfront walk.

I had two IPAs with Star Senders a mix of Citra and Strata being the winner.

Before that a late night beer at Migration Brewing where I had a Fuji to Hood Cold IPA which was so-so to me. The pilsner my Mom had was good and they must be doing something right because they are up to four locations now.

After Ruse, was the Portland outpost of Chuckanut the excellently named P-Nut where I had the first of three, yes three, Grodziskie lagers. Lightly smoked and rarely brewed but I found two on draft and one canned version.

The P-Nut was a lovely little space near Division and a few other beer spots in the area including Baerlic Brewing. I had the Threshold “Grod” which was noticeably different from Chuckanut. Way lighter in color and smoke but interesting.

Next was Amelia from Steeplejack. The church location is really great but their Grod was way less smoky and more lemony.

I also got a Canadian lager which was a little weird whereas the Osler a DDH IPA which had a wonderful lemon chiffon flavor to it.

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Canadian Brewery Tour # 1 – Strathcona Beer Co.


We head to one of the oldest neighborhoods in Vancouver, Strathcona to see what beers are on offer from Brewmaster Michael “Fezz” Nazarec

Vienna Lager
“Vienna-style lager, amber in colour with a subtle caramel and toasted quality. Subtle hop presence with a crisp, malt finish. An easy drinking, mildly carbonated, premium lager.”

British IPA
“This is first and foremost a classic, English IPA. This style is recognized for a flavouring more balanced between hops and malt as opposed to the more hop-forward IPAs of the Pacific Northwest. This is also reflected by the low hop aroma. The light hop flavouring comes from the traditional English hops Fuggles and UK Goldings. This light gold coloured beer has a moderate citrus flavour, low fruityness and a dry finish.”

RYE ESB
“Our Rye English Special Bitter has an abundance of well-rounded malts, a crisp bitter finish, and a hop character that is moderate and balanced with a touch of dark caramel flavours.”

Belgian Gold 40
“A pale, complex, effervescent, strong Belgian-style ale that is highly attenuated and features fruity and hoppy notes, with a complex aroma, significant fruity esters, moderate spiciness and low to moderate alcohol and hop notes.”

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Vancouver Brewery # 3 – Heathen Brewing

Any place that calls it’s tap room a Feral Public House wins points in my book.  Se let’s take a look at Heathen Brewing, our last stop in Vancouver, Washington.

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Let’s go really hoppy and check out the bitter descriptions of Heathen Brewing.

Vantucky Pale Ale – “Pours a light orange color with a vague coppery hue. Subtle grapefruit, tangerine, and grassy tones assault the nose, while malty-grainy-ness eases up from the rear. This beer is firmly planted in that gray area between Pale Ale and IPA.”

Carnage Double IPA – “This golden straw-color Imperial IPA has a big bright hop flavor without harsh bitterness. Moderate clarity due to the slaughtering amount of dry hops, this low maltiness beer leaves your hop head wanting more.”

Malice Triple IPA – “Papa Malice has finally come to join the Malicious IPA family here at Heathen. We took inspiration from his son, Son of Malice, and combined even more hops, time, and evil into making this huge triple IPA.”

Son of Malice Imperial IPA – “A full bodied malt backbone dangerously balances the 95 IBUs until the bitter finish kicks in and leaves a hoppy residue that you can scrape off with your teeth. This IIPA has a sinister agenda that is best served at 50 degrees with malevolence.”

Oh and check out their Cedar-Aged Seins Belgian Tripel too.

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Vancouver Brewery # 1 – Loowit Brewing Company

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Portland may get all the Beervana Buzz but there is a city right over the river that could use some exploring.  And I am telling myself that more than you because I find it hard to pass by Portland and head to Washington State.  So today we head to Loowit Brewing Company to see what we could put into a taster tray.

Let’s start with…

Gaiabolical Organic Pale Ale
“A refreshingly light, yet full-bodied pale ale accompanied with wonderfully balanced hops. Gaiabolical is made with all organic malts.”

Silver Star Saison
“A generously hopped northwest-style Saison exhibiting the subtle spice of rye malt and the citrusy esters that are the hallmark of the Saison style.”

Shadow Ninja IPA
“Swift and silent, full of flavor. This skilled, shadowy master of IPAs will take you by surprise yet honorably leave your palate intact. Aggressive late hop additions tempered with a stealthy, fleeting bitterness make Shadow Ninja IPA a formidable and respectable beer.”

Storm Shadow Imperial IPA
“Weak and uninspiring beers fall before this imperial master. Striding forth with intense hops and full malt body deftly intertwined in a deadly dance. Disciplined, unwavering and focused.”

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Buck-it Tuesday

Vancouver Washington is not known for beer. It has Portland across the river and it’s namesake in Canada has a nice little scene too.

But there is a gem that needs visiting. It is on my Beer List and my next trip north I am going to By The Bottle. And there is one cool reason why. (As if the great bottle selection is not enough of a draw).

They have a relatively new tap room! And on Tuesdays, they “…plug in the electronic ice BUCKet and sample a beer for a BUCK. This is a cool and economic way to try a brand or style you’ve been eying. Why experiment with the whole bottle when you can BUCK-it!?”

And speaking of the tap room, here is a recent list of beers on tap:
Deschutes HOP IN THE DARK CASCADIAN DARK ALE (CDA
Lagunitas Bre wing Co LITTLE SUMPIN’ SUMPIN’ ALE
Iron Horse Brewing IMPERIAL IPA
Elysian Brewing Co MEN’S ROOM RED
Dortmunder DAB ORIGINAL LAGERSouthern Tier PUMKING IMPERIAL PUMPKING ALE-
Bosteels TRIPEL KARMELIET BELGIAN-STYLE TRIPLE
Russian River DAMNATION BELGIAN-STYLE STRONG GOLDEN ALE