R&B Brewing is a Vancouver brewery with a lot of history.
Originally founded in 1997 by Barry Benson and Rick Dellow, R&B Brewing was a pioneer production brewery that helped lead the trend of cask-conditioned beers in the 2000s, which engaged many of the city’s restaurants and pubs into hosting popular cask nights where craft beer lovers gathered. Once the tasting room model was established, however, R&B’s approach became less trendy, and in 2015, the brewery was bought by Squamish-based Howe Sound Brewing. Rick moved on but Barry stayed on as a sales rep. The new owners kept the name but updated the brewery into the R&B Pizza and Ale House, which continues to be a popular destination today. Check out our blog about R&B winning the Best Brewery Experience Award for more background information.
Past & Present
On the first full day of summer, several past and present R&B brewers re-united to brew a collab beer in North Vancouver at Beva Brewing & Blending. Attending brewers were Allan Cukier (Ucluelet Brewing), Carly Hase (Strange Fellows Brewing), Elijah Stone (Wildeye Brewing), Octavio Ray Pauley (Beva Brewing & Blending), and the current R&B brewers, Justine Ellis and Aaron Kaputin.
Joining this group of master brewers were special guests Rick Dellow and Barry Benson, the “OG” R&B team. The “A” Team (Elijah, Allan, Carly and Octavio) worked with Howe Sound Brewing and brewer Patrick Moore to revitalize R&B Brewing back in 2015. This involved creating the new core recipes and opening the Ale and Pizza House. For all of the team members, this was their first brewery experience — and it would lead them to where they are today as head brewers elsewhere.
Allan (Ucluelet Brewing ) remembers those early days of removing original brew tanks and putting in new fermenters and equipment. Rick and Barry helped with the transition and got the new team on their feet.
(photo: Brian K. Smith)
Carly (Strange Fellows Brewing) remembers her first days working in the brewery:
“They really put me through the wringer. I remember sitting on the curb after work, after wrestling those grain bins in the alley — it really humbled me and made me the brewer I am today! I made some amazing friends along the way. I can say I have worked with some great teams — this was the dream team.”
Elijah (Wildeye Brewing) started by cleaning kegs and filling 650ml bottles with the original equipment at R&B. He says he learned to fix things that don’t normally need fixing.
Octavio (Beva, the host brewery) adds, “R&B was my first brewing job. Probably the best first brewing job you could have. I learned so much and it prepared me for what was to come in the industry. We had a lot of really passionate people at that time — it was really awesome! We all worked super hard.”
Allan adds: “Octavio was an annoyingly good brewer! The first time he submitted two beers — there was a pilsner and a Brett Saison. We thought, ‘Those are big beers for a brewer.’ We tried them and they were perfect representations of the styles. We went, OK, this guy is hired for sure! Now you have your own brewery!”
Rick Dellow (the “R” in R&B) recalls the very early beginnings:
“Barry and I were carpooling from Vancouver to Abbotsford [where they worked at Newlands Systems, a brewing equipment manufacturer] and on the days when the Canucks were playing, it would take us three hours to commute back home to East Vancouver. We realized that we each wanted to start a brewery. Barry and I had been setting up breweries for the past five years ourselves, so we figured we could do it.”
Barry (“B” in R&B) adds:
“It makes me feel really good to see that the community still interacts with each other — to see something like this happen — and it happens with other breweries also. How far the brewers from the initial transition have come! We should all look forward to engaging with each other in the future.”
Here are the details of the collab beer:
Goombah – Italian Soda IPA
ABV: 6.9%
Tasting Notes: Citrus, Fruity, Creamy
Description: This Italian soda-inspired IPA is the result of an epic collaboration between a group of former co-workers who all got their start in the brewing industry together. Conditioning on whole Madagascar vanilla beans and the addition of lactose lend a smooth, indulgent mouthfeel that perfectly complements the bright fruity hop profile.
What about Endings?
Rick Dellow announced that after moving to Kamloops to be Head Brewing and Operations Manager at a regional brewery, he has decided to retire and enjoy lake fishing whenever he wants. Not to be outdone by his original partner, Barry Benson announced that he would also retire in July.
R&B Brewing threw Barry a special retirement party on July 15.
Congrats on a fine career, Barry!
(photo: Brian K. Smith)
