Sea to Sky Vacation Adventure
The Hopbine: Spinnakers Opens 9 Days After Fire
Paul Hadfield doesn’t take no for an answer. When Victoria’s Spinnakers Brewpub caught fire on Wednesday, November 23, 2016, the insurance company told him that there was no way they could do an evaluation, settle the claim, and pay out…
Homebrew Happenin’s
Beers, Beaches & Breweries: Ten Hoppy Years
The Importance of Clean Lines
Fest Of Ale pocket guide: must-have and off-menu brews
We've been saying that the 2017 iteration of the Okanagan Fest Of Ale, BC's second-longest-running beer event, is looking particularly compelling. But now that we're in the final week countdown, we thought we'd run one last check on what we…
Let’s make CAMRA BC relevant again
Pictured above: Martin Williams, Paddy Treavor and Glen Stusek The Golden Age of Beer in British Columbia is alive and well. The craft beer industry in BC has exploded beyond the expectations of even the most optimistic beer lover. The industry…
Addressing macro beer apologetics: responses to a craft beer backlash
Recently, I had a pint with someone who used to work in a brewery in the 1980s. He told me how, at a certain time of day, their bottling line would stop. Labels would be switched, and then the bottling…
Insider tips for your Okanagan beer fest getaway, Part I
The weather in Southern BC may be stubbornly cold, but as I pointed out in our new issue of What's Brewing, festival season is warming up either way. Much of the anticipation is due to Spring season staples in one of our favourite parts…
Out and About: In the Community
Since the first issue of What’s Brewing, we have been out and about, looking for good beers, local restaurants and bars carrying the micro breweries of their time, giving rise to new employment and business opportunities in the local community.…
Tasting Panel Spring 2017: Warm Weather Pt I: Fruit Beers
Women In Beer: Diana McKenzie
I first met Diana McKenzie at the Central City Winter Cask Festival in January 2015. This was Callister Brewing’s first event, well before their opening, so there was plenty of excitement around their cask. When Diana and her partner Christopher…
The orchard cidery that grew out of ALR red tape
Ullage & Spillage: a decade of community service
Callister Brewing: the Community of One
In an issue of a magazine dedicated to the topic of Community, and featuring a battery of public-minded businesses who manage to stand out in an industry replete with community-oriented owners, there should be no simple way to single out…
Fest of Ale 2017: Behind the Scenes
I love beer festivals. They are an integral part of the craft beer culture that has captivated our province. And what better way to learn about beer than in an environment where you can rub shoulders with drinkers and brewers…
Golden ray of sun dawns in Yeast Van
A visit to the newly opened Andina Brewing Company is like walking into a friend’s house. The ambience is lively with music and conversation and you are welcomed with open arms, a passionfruit black IPA, and a snack of plantain…