If you have been motivated to visit the BC Ale Trail blog, you probably fall into one of two camps: a dedicated craft beer fan or a newcomer to the scene, looking to learn. On Valentine’s Day, we found a Vancouver Island couple that represented those ends of the spectrum and asked how they balance … Continued
The best travel experiences are often self-guided explorations that offer the greatest opportunity for unexpected discoveries. Let the BC Ale Trail be your guide as Gina Bégin explores the Kootenay Rockies East Ale Trail.
It takes a lot of hard work, determination and sweat equity to build a new brewery. That’s why it’s been so exciting to watch over the past several years as beer-loving entrepreneurs have opened their own breweries in communities all throughout British Columbia. Since 2014, the industry has grown at a rate of about 20 … Continued
The best travel experiences are often self-guided explorations that offer the greatest opportunity for unexpected discoveries. In this Tasting Notes features, Chantal Ireland explores the Sunshine Coast Ale Trail.
Winter is often regarded as the time for strong, warming beer but there are other, equally delicious alternatives that will still keep the chills at bay. With the weather turning colder and the holiday season fast approaching, many of us are eagerly anticipating beers that are custom made to stave off the winter chill. Traditionally, … Continued
In this second feature in the Hops Among Friends series, we talk to a leader and early builder of BC’s dynamic craft beer industry. Paul Hadfield is the owner/publican of Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouses in Victoria, Canada’s oldest existing microbrewery and brewpub, which opened in 1984. Spinnakers now also has an artisan vinegar brewery, … Continued
From advent calendar-style beer boxes to special seasonal creations, BC’s craft breweries celebrate winter with a variety of interesting seasonal mixed packs. Advent calendars are a popular and fun holiday gift that many of us enjoyed as children. Do you remember the excitement of opening the little paper windows each day in December leading up … Continued
Vancouver, the newest member of the BC Ale Trail, is about to host the 21st annual Eastside Culture Crawl. This four-day visual-arts festival, running Nov. 16-19 and featuring more than 500 artists across 80 buildings in Vancouver’s Eastside, is not to be missed if you’re in town and a fan of both the arts and craft … Continued
This summer, The 101 Brewhouse and Distillery, opened in Gibsons — the third brewery to do so. That means that the Sunshine Coast town, population 4,605, almost certainly has the most breweries per capita in B.C. And although three breweries seems like a lot for such a small town, each operation — The 101, Persephone Brewing Company and Gibsons … Continued
The newly expanded BC Beer Awards and Festival took place in Vancouver on Saturday, with six-month-old Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company of Parksville taking the inaugural Brewery of the Year prize. The other big winner in the eighth annual BC Beer Awards ceremony — a highlight of the province’s annual beer calendar and the showpiece event of BC Craft … Continued
