- Story by Jane Zatlyny Photography by Don Denton

I like beer 乌鸦传媒� sometimes. When it comes to beverages, it乌鸦传媒檚 hard to beat the refreshing taste of an ice-cold ale alongside a dozen fresh-shucked oysters, or a dark, chocolate-brown stout with grilled baby back ribs. Still, my natural inclination when dining out has always been to reach for the wine list.

But lately, as I walk by the banks of fridges devoted to craft beer at my local liquor store, I can乌鸦传媒檛 help but wonder: am I missing something? For answers, I asked Joe Wiebe, author of Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider乌鸦传媒檚 Guide to BC Breweries and all-round BC beer enthusiast, to lead me through a beer tasting.

As we settle in at a back table at Victoria乌鸦传媒檚 , Joe orders a flight of beer for us to sample. We talk about how Victoria, with its long-established brewpubs like Spinnakers and Swans, has always been at the epicentre of the Canadian craft beer movement.

乌鸦传媒淚 like to say Victoria is the cradle of the revolution,乌鸦传媒� Joe says, noting that changes to liquor legislation in 2013 allowed breweries in BC to operate tasting rooms, much like wineries, further propelling the popularity of craft beer here.

Like alchemists, craft brewers today experiment with herbs, spices and fruits. They express themselves through the hops they use and through new interpretations of traditional brewing techniques.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e producing some incredibly exciting flavours,乌鸦传媒� says Joe. 乌鸦传媒淏eer has really evolved in the last decade or so. It乌鸦传媒檚 a tasting culture now.乌鸦传媒�

It乌鸦传媒檚 these more eclectic brews that I乌鸦传媒檓 most interested in tasting, beginning with our first beer, Strawberry Hibiscus Milkshake IPA from Vancouver乌鸦传媒檚 (6 per cent alcohol). The name is intriguing, but how good can a strawberry-flavoured, milky beer taste?

Surprisingly good, it turns out: this is no ordinary milkshake. 乌鸦传媒淢ilkshake乌鸦传媒� actually refers to the use of lactose by the brewer, an unfermentable sugar that retains sweetness in the beer. It乌鸦传媒檚 the perfect complement to the star ingredient: ripe strawberries. The first taste reminds me of spring乌鸦传媒檚 first strawberry, greedily plucked in the field, while Joe likens it to strawberry ice cream.

Next up? A Beets by Sinden sour beer from (5.5 per cent). Deep pink in colour, this beer is unusual for two reasons, says Joe. One, it乌鸦传媒檚 made with beets, and two, it乌鸦传媒檚 part of a category of beers known as sours.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檝e erupted in the last few years as their own category of beer,乌鸦传媒� he explains. Traditional sour beers have a three-year aging process, but modern craft brewers figured out how to accelerate the aging process by heating the beer in the brewing kettle. Sour beers then became more practical to produce and more affordable for consumers.

Sour beers are often the 乌鸦传媒済ateway乌鸦传媒� beer for people who don乌鸦传媒檛 think they like beer, says Joe: 乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e very sour, and there乌鸦传媒檚 a certain type of person who just loves them. They乌鸦传媒檒l taste one and say, 乌鸦传媒極h! I didn乌鸦传媒檛 know beer could taste like that!乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮�媒�

Raising the glass of peony-coloured beer to my nose, I really can smell the beets, or at least a very earthy suggestion of beets. The beer is sour, but pleasantly so and very refreshing. If I didn乌鸦传媒檛 know better, I would have said this was a cider.

乌鸦传媒淭his beer is proof of how far the craft beer industry has come,乌鸦传媒� laughs Joe as he drains his tiny glass. 乌鸦传媒淗ere I am, a big bearded guy in a flannel shirt, drinking a pink beer.乌鸦传媒�

The third beer in our flight was another sour 乌鸦传媒� the Corvus Lingonberry Lime Gose from in Abbotsford. Joe says that this salty sour beer won Gold at the World Beer Cup 乌鸦传媒� quite an honour for a fledgling BC brewery.

As I peer into the cloudy, pinkish glass of wheat beer, I can乌鸦传媒檛 really distinguish the smell of red lingonberries. But I can taste the tartness of lime and the salinity of the Himalayan salt in my first sip.

乌鸦传媒淭his beer would taste great with seafood or a big bowl of mussels,乌鸦传媒� I mention to Joe.

乌鸦传媒淏eer works really well with food in general,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 much more versatile than wine, and the carbonation is great for cleaning the palate between courses.乌鸦传媒�

Interesting point. I乌鸦传媒檇 never thought of that.

Leaving sours behind for now, Joe introduces me to another sub-category of beer 乌鸦传媒� the very popular hazy IPA. The Humans IPA from in Port Moody (6.3 per cent) is like lemon meringue pie in a glass: it乌鸦传媒檚 golden-coloured with a pleasant froth and a sweet, lemon-drop scent.

乌鸦传媒淏rewers have started to experiment with adding hops later in the process, so you get more of the fruity sweet characteristics of the hops and less of the bitterness,乌鸦传媒� Joe explains. 乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 what gives us that huge burst of lemon aroma.乌鸦传媒� The beer乌鸦传媒檚 flavour is just as fruity but not sugary. It reminds me of tropical mango, pineapple and peach.

It乌鸦传媒檚 time for our second flight (I should mention at this juncture that neither of us are driving and we乌鸦传媒檙e sharing six-ounce glasses). This time, we乌鸦传媒檙e turning to nut brown, dark and stout beers, beginning with the Silk Road Chai Nut Brown Ale (5.2 per cent) from in Victoria. You乌鸦传媒檇 have to like the scent and flavour of chai tea spices to enjoy this amber-coloured brew, a classic nut brown ale made with loose tea from Victoria乌鸦传媒檚 Silk Road Tea. Fortunately, I do.

乌鸦传媒淗ere you have something with definite spices,乌鸦传媒� says Joe. 乌鸦传媒淚t reminds me of some sort of baked Christmas treat.乌鸦传媒�

I agree: 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a molasses flavour coming through, like the sticky goodness of a fruit cake on the bottom of the pan.乌鸦传媒� Again, I can imagine a great food pairing, perhaps a cr猫me br没l茅e.

Coriander, cloves, orange zest, Belgian candi sugar and local plums flavour our next beer, Saison Noel (6 per cent) from in North Saanich.

乌鸦传媒淭his small brewery produces some incredible craft beers,乌鸦传媒� says Joe. 乌鸦传媒淭hey make the candi sugar themselves in the brew kettle.乌鸦传媒�

The Belgian-style dark beer tastes well-rounded, sweet, but not cloyingly so, with a slight tannin aftertaste. Don乌鸦传媒檛 tell Joe, but for this wine lover, Saison Noel is reminiscent of a rich Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our last beer is a stout, and it does not disappoint. The Mole Stout (6 per cent) from in North Vancouver is crafted in the style of the famous Oaxacan dish, and brewed with poblano and jalapeno spices. Like a true mole, its flavour profile is complex. 乌鸦传媒淪ome beers with peppers are incredibly hot,乌鸦传媒� says Joe. This stout is not. The peppers add depth without the searing heat; cocoa nibs, chocolate malt and fresh Mexican spices balance the full, rich flavour of this delicious stout.

As we finished our last drops of beer, I admit to Joe that I was truly surprised at what I乌鸦传媒檇 just experienced 乌鸦传媒� so much so that I may no longer automatically reach for the wine list. Joe nods. He乌鸦传媒檚 heard all of this before.

乌鸦传媒淲hether you乌鸦传媒檙e a high-level beer geek or someone who doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know a lot about beer, order a flight of beers, and you乌鸦传媒檙e sure to find something there you like,乌鸦传媒� he says.

INFO

7th Annual Victoria Beer Week, March 6-14

Learn more about BC craft beers at the 7th annual Victoria Beer Week.

Check out these events to try some new and unique brews:

乌鸦传媒� Lift Off! The opening night event will feature all-new beers from a variety of BC breweries

乌鸦传媒� Pucker Up Sample all of the sour beers on tap at the Garrick乌鸦传媒檚 Head & Churchill Pubs

乌鸦传媒� Saturday Night Casks More than 20 cask-conditioned beers showcase brewmakers乌鸦传媒� creativity, often using highly unusual ingredients

/schedule

Make craft breweries a highlight of your next B.C. staycation by checking out this province-wide ale trail. bcaletrail.ca

Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider乌鸦传媒檚 Guide to BC Breweries

Paperback, 2nd edition, by .

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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