Written by Abram on 21 March 2010
Brewsville-Vancouver, British Columbia
In preparation for Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 10-16th) Brewery Creek Beer Store has organized the BC Beer Awards Judges for the beer awards were selected primarily from the beer media, with judges traveling from Alberta and Oregon. 188 entries from across British Columbia were submitted in 10 categories.
Beer writer John Rowling of Victoria judges wheat beers
I was honored to be asked to judge at the event, which was held March 22 at the Alibi Room. The Alibi has quickly become Vancouver’s top craft beer bar, with 24 taps dedicated to BC craft beers, one rotating Rogue tap, and three handpumps. The Albi has a reclaimed industrial feel to it, with high ceilings, and arched leaded glass windows that face on the railroad tracks. The light airy space made the perfect setting for a day of judging.
The Alibi also boasts a large collection of movie scripts, which may be perused while drinking. The Alibi offers a broad menu with a focus on hearty new world twists on European cuisine. The menu lists the local farmers and ranchers who grow and raise the food.
I can’t talk too much about the judging, lest I let slip any clues about who won, but I can tell you the best of show round to pick the overall champion beers was really tough. The beers were all so great, that judges were hard pressed to come to a decision on which three would be awards medals.
The judging was organized by Gerry Erith, owner of Brewery Creek, and Chester Carey, Canada’s first certified Cicerone, who undertook the monumental task of collecting and organizing entries from 36 breweries from across BC.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony May 14th during Vancouver Craft Beer Week. The Craft Beer Week phenomena is spreading, with San Francisco recently completing its inaugural CBW.
It all started with Oregon Craft Beer Week in 2005, which soon blossomed into Oregon Craft Beer Month. Philadelphia launched its Craft Beer Week in 2008, and has been a model for other cities, from Seattle to New York, to Charlotte, with at least 20 Beer Weeks scheduled this year according to an article on beernews.org
Tags: Alibi Room, awards, BC, Brewery Creek, competition, judging, Oregon Craft Beer Month, Vancouver BC, Vancouver Craft Beer Week
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Written by Abram on 09 March 2010
Every February I visit Timmy Brown, Brewmaster at Mission Spring’s brewpub in Mission, BC with a chef, and we do a beer dinner at his house. This year the chef was my friend Izaak Butler, (formerly of Green Dragon and Roots), and we did a 5 course pairing dinner which was fantastic. Chef Izaak perused the Granville Island Marketplace for produce and meat, while we delivered Northwest Brewing News in an Olympics-besieged Vancouver. With some road closures already in effect navigating the city was mental, and we got out as quickly as we could, with a quick stop for a sanity-restoring pint at the Alibi Room. The Alibi’s 18 taps are all BC craft beers, with the exception of one Rogue handle. The three handpumps serve a rotating selection of local casks. Owner Nigel, who hails from Middlesboro, England, has revolutionized the BC beer scene in the last two years. The food at the Alibi is excellent too, and tends toward the rich and filling.
Chef Izaak Butler
Chef Izaak and I visited Brewery Creek beer shop on Main to get some of the beers for the dinner, and brought some of the others from Oregon. Sometimes when envisioning how the flavors of each food and beer will interact you get it right, other times you miss the mark, and sometimes its pure magic. (At 2009’s beer dinner at Timmy’s chef Jesika Starr Rowley and I paired Central City’s Springboard Lager with scallops wrapped in bacon and pan seared. It was one of the best flavor combinations ever). Each course in this year’s meal and its beer pairing is listed, and the pairing is rated and explained.
NAILED=wonderful perfect, no better flavor match, HIT=Worked as envisioned, DINGED=OK but it wasn’t quite as expected. MISSED=Did not work, train wreck in the mouth.
Course 1
The Farmhouse cheddar, from Agassiz, BC with kiwi salsa and locally made Que Pasa organic blue chips. BEER: Widmer Drifter Pale Ale 5.7% abv, 32 IBUs. DINGED The tropical fruit flavors of the Nelson Sauvin hops in the Drifter worked well with the fruitiness of the kiwi and sweetness of the yellow bell pepper in the salsa. I had expected this interplay to be more pronounced than it was. The mild cheddar flavors paired well with the beer as well.
Course 2
A salad of cauliflower, fennel, radicchio, Niciose olives, topped with a sardine with Mission Springs IPA dressing. BEER: Mission Springs IPA, 5.6% abv 45 IBUs NAILED Mission Springs IPA is brewed with NZ Saaz and NZ Hallertauer, giving it a more herbal flavor than those brewed with Northwest hops. The herbal flavors compliment the bitterness of the radicchio Timmy Brown began brewing it with New Zealand hops during the hop crisis, and has kept using them.
This is a course I was skeptical about when Izaak described it to me as we were driving into Vancouver. It really worked though.
“The strong presence of bitter flavors cuts the oiliness of the fish with olive oil,” says Chef Izaak.
Our host Tim Brown pours the Amity Pinot Noir
Course 3: Intermission
Brioche bun with wild boar bacon, poached egg with truffle oil, and Normandy sea salt. BEER: (wine for intermission) Amity Vineyards 2005 winemakers reserve Pinot Noir NAILED. This course says Chef Izaak was the “most adult and upscale breakfast sandwich I could think of.”
It’s truly fantastic, rich and sweet with salty notes from the bacon and sea salt, and paired well with the dark cherry, salal and blueberry flavors of the organic Pinot Noir.
Course 4
Spicy beef chili BEER: Hopworks Secession 6.5% abv 70 IBUs HIT the roast and hops of Hopworks Cascadian Dark Ale married well with the spicy smoke of the chipotle-based chili. The beef roast was stewed with the peppers until it naturally fell apart, and was flaky soft and sweet.
Course 5: Dessert
Medjool dates stuffed with Manchego cheese wrapped in French prosciutto with mint leaves BEER: Traquair House Ale 7.2% DINGED: I had high hopes for this course, but the flavors did not work together as well as they had in my mind the mint helped cut the rich sweetness of the dates, but paired with a sweet malty Scotch ale it could have used more salt as a counterpoint.
Overall the dinner was a huge success with its focus on hearty rich foods paired with big beers leaving us sated and happy.
Tags: Alibi Room, beer and food, Brewery Creek, Cascadian Dark Ale, CDA, cheese, Hopworks, Mission Springs, Vancouver BC, Widmer, wine
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