Many thanks to our sponsors:

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DAGERAAD BREWING • DOGWOOD BREWING • DRIFTWOOD BREWERY

FERNIE BREWING • FOUR WINDS BREWING • FUGGLES & WARLOCK CRAFTWORKS

GLADSTONE BREWING • HOWE SOUND BREWING • HOYNE BREWING

LIGHTHOUSE BREWING • LONGWOOD BREWERY • MOODY ALES • MOON UNDER WATER BREWPUB

PARALLEL 49 BREWING • PERSEPHONE BREWING • PHILLIPS BREWING • POWELL BREWERY

R&B BREWING • RED ARROW BREWING • RED TRUCK BEER • SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES

SOOKE OCEANSIDE BREWERY • SPINNAKERS BREWPUB • STEAMWORKS BREWING

STEEL & OAK BREWING• STRANGE FELLOWS BREWING • SWANS BREWPUB • TOFINO BREWING

TORCHLIGHT BREWING TOWNSITE BREWING • TRADING POST BREWING • TWIN SAILS BREWING

VANCOUVER ISLAND BREWERY • VICTORIA CALEDONIAN BREWERY /TWA DOGS

WHISTLER BREWING • WHITE SAILS BREWING • YELLOW DOG BREWING

About Victoria Beer Week

Victoria Beer Week is a nine-day series of

events highlighting a broad selection of BC

craft breweries while educating Greater

Victoria residents about craft beer. The

week is bookended with large events that

pair BC craft beer with local Victoria food

vendors, with a clear focus on showcasing

quality BC craft beer and educating beer

enthusiasts. Smaller tastings, seminars and

micro-events happen at various venues

throughout the week.

The Victoria Beer Week Society is a non-

profit organization whose mission is to

facilitate various beer-related events at

locations around Greater Victoria. We aim

to educate and build “beer ambassadors”

out of craft beer newcomers and seasoned

beer geeks alike, as well as increase

business for all facets of the BC craft beer

industry.

Our team consists of a few beer-fanatic

characters, each infamous in their own

way for their passion and dedication to

Victoria’s craft beer scene. Bringing the

same discerning eye to our programming

calendar as they do to a fresh pint of beer,

the board of the Victoria Beer Week Society

works year round to plan and ensure that

Victoria Beer Week is providing Victoria’s

craft beer community with engaging,

adventurous events that look to educate

beer enthusiasts as well as introduce them

to new and exciting beers.

The Victoria Beer Week Guide

Editor: Joe Wiebe

Design & layout: The Number

Printing: Hemlock Printers

Writers: Dave Janssen, Ian Lloyd,

Travis Paterson

From the Editor 2

Drink in the Story 4

kettle sours 8

vbw event listings 10

VBW Schedule At-a-Glance 16

barrel-aged beers 28

1

From the Editor

On Wednesday, November 23, 2016, at 1:30pm, a fire

started in the chimney upstairs at Spinnakers Brewpub.

Alerted by smoke pouring into the room, customers

and staff were evacuated and the fire department was

called. The fire spread down into the floor and up to

the roof. Word spread rapidly through social media

and before long it seemed like the whole city was

watching, either from the sidewalk outside or on their

screens. For many of us, it was hard to believe our eyes:

Spinnakers was on fire!

It took a few hours for firefighters to douse the

stubborn blaze, and then Canada’s original brewpub

dating back to 1984 was closed for business.

Surprisingly, the main floor restaurant was back

open in time for Christmas. The upstairs pub, which

endured the worst damage, took longer, but it too

was re-opened by February—perhaps better than ever

since the removal of the fireplace actually opens the

room up, bringing more light in from the windows

overlooking the Inner Harbour. It could have been

much worse.

On the day after the fire, several media outlets

interviewed me, all asking the same question: Why

is Spinnakers so important? Obviously, there’s its

historical importance as Canada’s first brewpub, and

Spinnakers has also played a leading role in the decades

since it opened in 1984, fighting to change restrictive

liquor laws and helping to grow Victoria’s vibrant craft

beer culture here. Spinnakers has also been a leader in

the restaurant scene as a trailblazer in the local food

movement. Lots of people go to Spinnakers just to eat.

I often call Spinnakers the “cradle of the revolution”

and tell people it should be on their craft beer bucket

lists. I believe that even more strongly now that a fire

nearly took it away. So if you haven’t ever been there

or if it’s been a while since your last visit, make sure

you drop by.

Welcome to #VBW 2017!

Beyond Spinnakers, there is plenty to experience here

during Victoria Beer Week, which is detailed in the

following pages. We’ve brought back many of our most

popular events and are launching a couple of new ones,

including Taco Tuesday and a barrel-aged beer event

called All About the Wood. Whether you’re a sour beer

fanatic, a foodie who loves to pair dishes with beer,

or someone who just wants to learn more about craft

beer, there’s an event for you.

Cheers! See you during #VBW2017.

Joe Wiebe

Co-Founder and Co-Producer, Victoria Beer Week

Photo: Jeremy Nemanishen - CraftBeerVancouver.com

2

Three Stories Are Better Than OneBy Travis Paterson

@travisapaterson

This year’s Drink in the Story lineup features a trio of brewers who truly shaped BC’s modern movement. Iain Hill, Gary Lohin and Matt Phillips each aspired to make great beer and brought a fun attitude that wasn’t seen before.

Iain HillBrewmaster, Strange Fellows Brewing

Iain Hill got his start at Shaftebury Brewing

before landing the job as first brewer at

Yaletown Brewing where he trained under

BC brewing pioneer Frank Appleton. Over

the next 18 years he helped build four

brewpubs and a distillery for the Mark James

Group before striking out on his own at

Strange Fellows Brewing in 2014.

If there’s a voice that’s meant for Drink in the

Story, it’s Iain Hill. Here’s a fella who can talk.

Ask him a good question, pour a clean one,

and crank up your attention. For example, I

asked him if, a few years ago when he was

pouring heart and soul into sour beers when

few other brewers dared, he had any idea

that sours would become the trend they are

now.

After a pause out came his answer, which

drew an analogy to the days when IPAs

weren’t popular yet, either. “It’s really easy

to forget what it was like 15 years ago with

IPAs,” Hill said. “Even 10 years ago, people

would say, ‘Oh sure, IPAs are great, but really,

they are so hoppy it will always be a small

percentage of people who will drink them.’”

But looking at the West Coast IPA explosion

without proper hindsight isn’t fair, he said.

The turning point for IPAs, in Hill’s mind,

was about 2006 or 2007. There were

already quite a few IPAs on the market, but

they weren’t a go-to, and there were no

session IPAs on the shelf yet. Hill was still

with Yaletown Brewing when he learned

about dry-hopping the batch at a warm

temperature.

“It changed everything.” He thinks he learned

it from David Woodward (now of Mount

Arrowsmith Brewing, but then of Whistler

BrewHouse), who learned it from a podcast

by a guy named Vinny. “We were talking

about it so I made an IPA that way, and the

first year of BC Beer of the Year awards we

won gold. Honestly, I’m not bragging, I didn’t

know how to do it, and I didn’t know any

other beers that were warm-dry hopped. But

soon we were all doing it.”

Another thing he likes to talk about is where

the craft beer market is heading as breweries

keep getting bigger and bigger. California’s

Sierra Nevada, for example, now produces

over two million barrels per year. That’s not

microbrewing. But if the quality is consistent,

which Lohin believes it is, then it’s still craft

brewing. “This has never happened in the

past; it’s setting a precedent,” Lohin said. “It’s

about staying true to your values. Okanagan

and Big Rock were leaders, but they went big

and they are now middle of the road.”

Even with the massive growth for Central

City, which moved into its new 65,000

square-foot brewery in 2013, life happens

batch-to-batch for Lohin. “I want my IPA to

taste the same in Ontario as it does here,”

he said. “When I enter a competition, I walk

to my production line and pull off a six pack,

and say, ‘Here’s my entry.’ I’m not going

to make a special batch just to send to the

awards, I want it to be the same that people

will grab out of the fridge at the store.”

Gary LohinBrewmaster, Central City Brewers & Distillers

Gary Lohin learned the ropes at Whistler

Brewing and Okanagan Spring, then became

the brewer at Sailor Hagar’s Brewpub in

North Vancouver. Eventually, he opened the

Central City Brewpub in Surrey, which has

since expanded into a large operation with a

separate production brewery and distillery.

Once upon a time, Gary Lohin made a name

for himself by dosing his Red Racer IPA with

more hops than an orange has vitamin C.

Today, he is also well known for his bar-

rel-aged beers, sours, and soon, perhaps,

whisky. Like Phillips and other BC breweries,

Lohin jumped on the opportunity afforded

by new liquor laws to distill on site. Central

City released gin, vodka and some other

white spirits, waiting patiently for its whisky

to mature for the requisite three years. The

resulting Lohin McKinnon Single Malt Whisky

was released in January.

“I have no problems talking about the ‘other

side’,” Lohin said. “Really, whisky starts with

an unhopped beer; they are very close

cousins.”

4 5

Monthly organized meet-ups

VIP brewery tours

Guest speakers

local beer events

Giveaways

Join us in Support of Craft Beer! Monitor

Monitor laws and regulations to protect consumer rights, and seek improvement

where required

Enjoy Promote the responsible enjoyment of cra� beer

Promote Promote quality cra� breweries

and neighbourhood pubs

Encourage Encourage the appreciation

of cra� beer

For complete information regarding CAMRA Victoria visit

www.camra.ca

Matt PhillipsFounder, Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

Matt Phillips likely needs no introduction to

the average citizen of Victoria. Suffice it to

say he opened his own brewery here in 2001

and has since grown it into BC’s largest craft

brewery.

Here’s what you need to know about Matt

Phillips: there is no greater tale of starting

a craft brewery than his. Once upon, he

maxed out every credit card and—stop me if

you’ve heard this one—he started a brewery

(on the second floor of a building), lived in

the brewery, showered at a nearby gym and

then... flooded the business below only to

get kicked out. But he probably isn’t going to

tell that tale at Drink in the Story. Or maybe

he will.

“I’m not inclined to drone on about how it

started, though I’ve actually got quite a few

photos from back then that I’d like to share

at Drink in the Story,” Phillips said.

A household name as one of the leaders in

BC’s craft beer movement, Phillips Brewing

took another leap forward in recent years

with the addition of gin and whisky (the

latter is coming folks) from its Fermentorium

distillery and, in 2015, with the addition of its

Malt Works. The goal was to bring in another

local element to the brewery, which Phillips

is doing with truckloads of barley from the

agricultural belt of the Saanich Peninsula.

There was a learning curve around the ger-

mination, but thanks to the distillery opera-

tion none of it goes to waste. “We learned if

malted barley doesn’t germinate in the right

way you have stuck mashes, turbidity in final

product, or runoff, none of which makes any

difference to the distillery,” Phillips said.

So what is he going to talk about at Drink in

the Story? “We’ll find something fun to talk

about,” Phillips said. “There are definitely

some stories from early days that haven’t

been told.”

Drink in the Story: BC’s Craft Beer Legends will take place on Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30pm at Harbour Air Seaplanes.

76

regularly produces a variety

of kettle sours. Luckily it is

not uncommon to find kettle

sours on draught at better

craft beer bars like The

Drake Eatery or Churchill

and many bottled versions

appear on the shelves of

local liquor stores. So grab

your favourite beer glass and

pucker up buttercup.

What the heck is a kettle sour?

In the realm of “sour beers” there are many

styles to explore: sour Lambics, red Flanders,

Oud Bruins and Gueuze, which all originated

in Belgium. One might argue that these

are true sours as they take many years to

produce through barrel-aging with multiple

yeasts and bacteria involved. Brettanomyces

yeast (funk, citrus, barnyard) and bacteria

including acetobacter (vinegar), lactobacillus

(lactic acid, yogurt) and pediococcus (umm,

all kinds of funky, sour flavours) work slowly

to create a complex soured ale. Often,

annual vintages are blended to create the

final bottled product.

When we talk about a kettle sour,

however, we are focusing on the effects of

allowed naturally occurring

lactobacillus on wheat to

ferment the beer.

Today’s brewers have more

control in this process. While

exact (and sometimes secret)

techniques vary they share

common elements. Some

time during the brewing

process pure Lactobacillus

bacteria culture is added to

the wort, which is held in

the brew kettle at a warm

temperature to speed the

souring process, then pH is

monitored or modified for

desired acidity and tartness.

Once that is reached, the

wort is boiled to halt further

bacterial souring and the

brewing process continues

as normal.

lactobacillus. This bacteria works quickly to

produce a lactic acid tartness that suits many

different beer styles.

“The tart acidity produced by lacto is a match

made in heaven with some beer styles,” says

Andrew Tessier of the Axe and Barrel Brew

House. “This acidity really brings out the

citrus flavours of certain American hops,

especially when dry-hopped. Tart raspberry

beers also work well.”

Brewing a kettle sour is a tad challenging, but

produces a tasty beer in a more reasonable

amount of time: weeks instead of the years

it takes to barrel-age traditional sours.

Modern brewers take inspiration from the

traditional method German brewers used

to produce tart Berliner Weisse where they

“The main issue is timing,”

Tessier explains. “You are

constantly watching pH

levels and you have to

schedule your brew day

when the pH is right. Lacto

works at its own pace.”

Another advantage of the

modern kettle sour is that

wide range of beer styles

that can be produced.

There are kettle soured

IPAs, stouts, brown ales,

fruit ales and others. One

of my favourites was the

Sucker Punch IPA brewed

by Andrew Tessier at

Swans Brewpub. The tart

acidity mixed nicely with

the tropical fruit flavours

associated with the Citra

hops. The Moon Under

Water brewpub also

“Pucker Up” on Thursday, March 9 features a variety of sour beers from BC breweries at the Victoria Public Market

A Quick Puckerby Ian Lloyd, Certified Cicerone®left4beer.com

98

2017EventListings For more details and updates on all Victoria Beer Week events check www.victoriabeerweek.com

All events 19+, ID required.

Please drink responsibly.

*All prices + tax and service fee.

10

Friday Night Casks Part 1FRI MARCH 3 7:30pm to 11:00pm Victoria Public Market •1701 Douglas St.

$50*

Celebrate craft beer creativity at our opening Cask Night with a selection of more than 25 unique cask-conditioned beers from BC breweries, along with food from the Victoria Public Market’s fantastic vendors.

Each Cask Night offers a unique range of cask-conditioned beers.

Brewmasters Brunch with the BC craft Brewers GuildSAT MARCH 4 11:00am to 2:00pm Swans Brewpub • 506 Pandora Ave.

$30*

Gather for some craft beer, food and good

ol’ Island socializing. Each table will be

hosted by a BC brewer and your plate will

be filled with delicious food from Swans’

kitchen.

All About the WoodSAT MARCH 4 1:00pm to 6:00pm

$35*

This brand new event celebrates the rare and special qualities

of barrel-aged beers. Only a select number of BC’s best

breweries have the capacity to age beers in wood, which

means these are very exclusive beers. Taste the difference

that barrels make in a wide range of beer styles, including

sours, Brett-conditioned beers, barley wines, imperial stouts

and others.

Friday 3rd Saturday 4th

Participating breweries:

Bad Tattoo Brewing

Bomber Brewing

Category 12 Brewing

Central City Brewers

Driftwood Brewery

Four Winds Brewing

Longwood Brewery

Moon Under Water Brewpub

Powell Brewery

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

Strange Fellows Brewing

Townsite Brewing

Yellow Dog Brewing

11

The Definitive Victoria Brewery CrawlSAT MARCH 4 4:00pm, 4:30pm & 5:00pm departures Various locations (starts at Lighthouse Brewing, 836 Devonshire Rd.)

$65*

Calling all Beer Lovers… Victoria Beer Week

and Brink Events presents an upscale brew-

ery crawl fit only for the most sophisticated

beer drinkers. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes

look at the craft brewery scene in Victoria.

Learn about the history of each brewery,

while savouring 3 taster samples at each

stop. Oh, did we mention you will be deliv-

ered via limo bus? This isn’t your typical uni-

versity pub crawl. Please dress gentlemanly

and lady-like for this swanky beer excursion.

Fishing for BeerSAT MARCH 4 7:30pm to 11:00pm Victoria Public Market, 1701 Douglas St.

$40/$60 with crab boil plate*

Fish and seafood lovers rejoice that this new

event from last year is returning in 2017!

Sample a variety of craft beers along with the

freshest fish and shellfish from local vendors.

For $20 more purchase a crab boil plate,

including half a crab and sides, in addition to

the regular ticket.

Join us for two

special offers:

$6 Pints of LocalCraft Beer (3-5 PM

on the Rooftop).

$5 Pints of SelectImported Beer (4-6 PM in the lounge).

BEER WEEK

ON BURDETT

Vista 18 Westcoast

Grill & Wine Bar

250.382.9258www.vista18.com

Clive’s ClassicLounge

250.361.5684www.clivesclassic-

lounge.com

740 Burdett Avenue18th Floor & Lobby

Respectively

13

Beer, Pizza, More BeerMON MARCH 6 5:30pm & 8:00pm Pizzeria Prima Strada 1990 Fort St

$30*

Ultimate Craft Beer Quiz MON MARCH 6 7:30pm to 10:30pm Northern Quarter • 1724 Douglas St.

$15*

Victoria’s Quiz Master Benji Duke hosts this fun and enter-

taining evening. Bring your own team of experts (up to 6

people per team) to try to defeat VBW’s own Thirsty Writer,

Joe Wiebe, and take home a prize package from Hoyne

Brewing. Your ticket includes one beer and a discount on

food so arrive early for dinner and pre-quiz cramming: i.e.

sampling beers from the Northern Quarter’s taps or excellent

cellared beer list.

Monday 6th

Homebrewers WorkshopSUN MARCH 5 11:00am to 5:00pm Category 12 Brewing • 2200 Keating Cross Rd

$10* (includes lunch)

This entertaining and comprehensive homebrewing

workshop is led by Michael Kuzyk, homebrewer-turned-

brewmaster at Category 12 Brewing in conjunction with

BrewVic.

Beer SchoolSUN MARCH 6 Swans Brewpub • 506 Pandora Ave.

$20* each/$30* both

CLASS #1: DANNY SEETON/CHRIS LUKIE - “LET’S GET BREWING” 11:00am to 1:00pm

In this class, you’ll get an

introduction to the brew-

ing process, including a

talk from Danny Seeton

(previously of Parallel 49

Brewing, now at Vancouver

Island Brewery) and a visit to

the brewhouse itself with a

hands-on demonstration by

Swans’ brewer, Chris Lukie.

It’s a chance to see the inner

workings of a brewery and

learn a thing or two about

how beer is actually made.

CLASS #2: GREG EVANS - “THE SHORT THIRST AND THE LONG THIRST - A BRIEF HISTORY OF PROHIBITION IN BC AND THE USA” 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Victoria’s own local beer

historian, the ever entertain-

ing Greg Evans, returns to

tell you all about BC’s part

in Prohibition, both our own

short version (1917-1921)

and the better known “Long

Thirst” south of the border

(1920-1933).

Each class includes one glass of

beer. Attend one class or both

at a discounted rate. Swans will

have a lunch special available

for purchase between classes.

Sunday 5thNEW LOCATION!

Beer and Pizza! Is there a better marriage in

the world of food and beverage? This ulti-

mate beer and pizza party sees four of BC’s

best breweries collaborate with Prima Strada

for custom pairings with specialty pizzas.

We offer two seatings to accommodate your

growling stomach.

14

drink in the story:bc’s craft beer legendsHarbour Air Seaplanes7:30pm–10:00pm

taco tuesdayThe Fort Common6:00pm–9:00pm

The definitive Victoria Brewery CrawlVarious locations4:00pm, 4:30pm & 5:00pm departures

fishing for beerVictoria Public Market7:30pm–11:00pm

SUN5

Friday Night Casks pt. 1Victoria Public Market7:30pm–11:00pm

FRI3

WWW.VICTORIABEERWEEK.COM • @VICBEERWEEK • FACEBOOK.COM/VICBEERWEEK • 9 DAYS • 20 EV

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ERWEEK • 9 DAYS • 20 EVENTS • 50 BREWERIES • INFINITE JOY • DRINK RESPONSIBLY • CHEERS! •

HomebrewingWorkshopCategory 12 Brewing11:00am – 5:00pm

Beer SchoolSwans Brewpub11:00am & 2:00pm

cooking with beerLondon Chef6:00pm & 8:00pm

MON 6

WED 8

ultimate craft Beer Quiz!Northern Quarter7:30pm – 10:30pm

TUE 7

THU 9

SAT 11

Friday Night Casks pt. 2Victoria Public Market7:30pm–11:00pm

FRI 10

Pucker upA Sour Beer ShowcaseVictoria Public Market7:30pm–10:30pm

lift off!A Craft Beer Launch EventCentennial Square1:00pm–6:00pm

all about the wood1:00pm–6:00pm

Brewmasters Brunch Swans Brewpub11:00am–2:00pm

SAT 4

NEWEVENT!

NEWEVENT!

NEWEVENT!

Beer, Pizza,more BeerPizzeria PrimaStrada5:30pm & 8:00pm

Beer, Cheese, more BeerVictoria Public Market7:30pm–10:30pm

vbw 2017at-a-glancevbw 2017at-a-glance

NEW LOCATION

w/ BC Craft Brewers Guild

Tuesday 7th

Taco TuesdayTUE MARCH 7 6:00pm - 9:00pm The Fort Common • 1017 Blanshard St.

$25*

This new event celebrates Victoria’s delicious

taco scene paired up with some great beer

from BC’s amazing craft breweries. The ven-

ue is the Fort Common, a “hidden gem” of

a courtyard tucked behind buildings at Fort

and Blanshard.

Drink in the Story: BC’s Craft Beer LegendsTUE MARCH 7 7:30pm to 10:00pm Harbour Air Seaplanes • 950 Wharf Street

$25*

Check out this lineup of craft beer legends:

Iain Hill (Strange Fellows Brewing), Gary

Lohin (Central City Brewers & Distillers) and

Matt Phillips (Phillips Brewing). Each of these

celebrated brewmasters will take a turn tell-

ing stories while you get to sample a special

beer chosen by the brewmaster. At the end

of the evening, we put all three beers on tap

and you get a chance to socialize with the

legends themselves.

Hosted by Gregor Craigie of CBC Radio’s On

the Island.

18

Wednesday 8th

Beer, Cheese, More BeerWED MARCH 8 7:30pm to 10:30pm Victoria Public Market • 1701 Douglas St

$30*

This has been one of our most popular

events from the start. After outgrowing its

original venue, we moved our signature

beer-and-cheese event to the Victoria Public

Market last year–and promptly sold it out!

If you were there, you’ll remember just how

good the selection of beers and cheeses was;

if you weren’t there, don’t miss out on one

of the hottest tickets in town. Simply put,

beer and cheese is a match made in gastro-

heaven.

Participating breweries:

Axe & Barrel Brewhouse

Canoe Brewpub

Category 12 Brewing

Dageraad Brewing

Driftwood Brewery

Hoyne Brewing

Lighthouse Brewing

Moody Ales

Phillips Brewing

Red Truck Beer

Salt Spring Island Ales

Swans Brewpub

Vancouver Island Brewery

Island-owned and operated, Liquor Plus is a proud supporter of Victoria Beer Week and all of BC’s craft breweries. Stop by any of our eight locations for a great selection of craft beer from Victoria, Vancouver Island and across BC.

Victoria • Duncan • Cobble Hill • Courtenay liquorplus.ca

21

Participating breweries:

4 Mile Brewing

Axe & Barrel Brewhouse

Four Winds Brewing

Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks

Moody Ales

Persephone Brewing

Powell Brewery

Sooke Oceanside Brewery

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

Torchlight Brewing

Trading Post Brewing

Yellow Dog Brewing

Thursday 9th

Cooking With BeerTHU MARCH 9 6:00pm & 8:00pm London Chef • 953 Fort St.

$50*

Join us alongside The London Chef, AKA

Dan Hayes, for an exploration of delicious

meals that pair and integrate craft beer with

next-level dishes. Each attendee can expect

to enjoy a three-course gourmet meal by

the end of the class, with sample servings of

each of the beers used in each dish.

VBW’s own Ryan Malcolm will be assisting

with charm and witty banter. We will send

each attendee home with the recipes and a

Cooking With Beer Guide.

Menu: Chili & Beer Prawns, Italian-Inspired

Beer-Braised Chicken and Sticky Toffee &

Beer Pudding

Pucker Up: A Sour Beer ShowcaseTHU MARCH 9 7:30pm to 10:30pm Victoria Public Market • 1701 Douglas St.

$30*

Sour beers are growing more and more

popular all the time, and what better proof

than the story of this event itself. When we

first held it in 2015, we were happy to fill the

Churchill Pub. Last year, we expanded it to

the Churchill and Garrick’s Head. In 2017,

we’re making the leap to the Victoria Public

Market. Join us in a celebration of all beers

tart, sour and delicious!

Helping Businesses Do Good

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HELL ,, IT BEERYOU''LOONG FOR?

HELL ,, IT BEERYOU''LOONG FOR?

S W A N S B R E W E R Y , P U B & H O T E L5 0 6 P A N D O R A A V E . V I C T O R I A B C

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Lift Off!SAT MARCH 11 1:00pm to 6:00pm Centennial Square • 1 Centennial Square

$25Presented by:

FEATURING NEW BREWS FROM:

4 MILE BREWING

DAGERAAD BREWING

FUGGLES & WARLOCK PERSEPHONE BREWING

POWELL BREWERY

SPINNAKERS BREWPUB

STEEL & OAK BREWING

SWANS BREWPUB

TWIN SAILS BREWING

WHISTLER BREWING

WHITE SAILS BREWING

YELLOW DOG BREWING

Friday 10th

Saturday 11th

Friday Night Casks Part 2FRI MARCH 10 7:30pm to 11:00pm Victoria Public Market • 1701 Douglas St.

$50*

Lift Off became Victoria Beer Week’s mar-

quee event last year when more than 500

people sampled a dozen brand new beers.

This year, we are launching at least a dozen

new beers from BC craft breweries with

packaged versions of those beers available

at a pop-up liquor store on-site for the first

time anywhere.

Celebrate craft beer creativity at our second

Cask Night with a selection of 25 unique

cask-conditioned beers from BC breweries,

along with food from the Victoria Public

Market’s fantastic vendors.

Each Cask Night offers a unique range of cask-conditioned beers.

Hoprocket illustration: Anja Werner – bravecreative.ca

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Ticket Information

CASK COMBO - $90 FOR 2 EVENTSFriday Night Casks (March 3 & March 10)

OPENING WEEKEND - $100 FOR 3 EVENTSFriday Night Casks (March 3) + All About the

Wood (March 4) + Beer School (both classes

on March 5)

CLOSING WEEKEND - $95 FOR 3 EVENTSPucker Up (March 9) + Friday Night Casks

(March 10) + Lift Off (March 11)

All tickets are available through our new local ticketing

partner, Ticket Rocket.

Available online at: vicbeerweek.ticketrocket.co

Over the phone at (250) 590-6291

or toll-free at 1-855-842-7575.

Or in person at their box office at

101-804 Broughton Street, Victoria.

TICKET PACKAGES

FOODIE FRENZY - $100 FOR 3 EVENTSFishing for Beer (March 4) + Taco Tuesday

(March 7) + Beer, Cheese, More Beer (March 8)

SUPER SATURDAYS - $50 FOR 2 EVENTSAll About the Wood (March 4) + Lift Off

(March 11)

BEER GEEK HEAVEN - $75 FOR 3 EVENTSAll About the Wood (March 4) + Drink in the

Story (March 7) + Pucker Up (March 9)

“Have you Heard the one about the Russian and the Mattress…”

Dirty lines. Good for jokes...not for beer.

800.663.9633 hemlock.com

Attention to detail, fine colour, perfect finish – we know the commitment quality takes. So when it comes to the printing needs of your brewing business, it’s all right here on tap. From posters and signage to tent cards, packaging and more, in small or large batches. Give us a call and we can discuss it over a cold one. Because we love beer, too.

Think of us as the craft brewers of printing.

26

bon barrels can complement the dark malt

character in an imperial stout. Gin barrels

can be used to add to the spice and floral

profiles created by certain Belgian yeasts.

And wine barrels can add the perfect

amount of toasted oak and wine-derived

fruitiness to complement a sour red beer.

If a brewer is only looking for this sort of

flavour contribution from the barrel, they

may want to use new (to them) barrels

every time to maximize the flavour intensity

from the vessel and its previous contents.

Contact times between the wood and the

beer can be shorter if barrel flavours are

more intense.

Brewers also look to barrels as an ideal

environment for the diverse microbes and

long aging which are necessary to produce

complex mixed-culture beers. These beers

rely on a mixture of yeasts and bacteria,

including “normal” Saccharomyces yeasts

typically used in beer along with less com-

mon yeasts such as Brettanomyces, as well

as lactic acid bacteria, which produce the

acidity that makes “sour” beers sour. Barrels

can provide the right environment for these

organisms and the months to years that

they need to do their thing. Brewers usually

select barrels with a more neutral taste for

longer-aged, mixed-culture beers to allow

the complex fermentation character to

develop without being overpowered by the

barrel.

Additionally, barrels influence beer through

a natural and fundamental feature of the

wood – its porosity. Unlike the stainless

steel fermenters typically used in commer-

cial breweries, wood is a porous material

that allows the transfer of oxygen into the

barrel. This micro-oxygenation is important

for certain chemical reactions in the beer as

it ages. These same sorts of reactions make

barrels great for wine and spirit production.

Micro-oxygenation also influences the

microbes in mixed-culture beers, helping

to cater to the different needs of different

microbes.

The final step of many barrel-aged beers is

blending. This is often where the hand (and

palate) of the brewer can help to create

an exceptional beer. Whether a barrel is

Wooden barrels—and larger upright

wooden tanks called foeders/fou-

dres—play a central role in the production

of many wines and distilled spirits. Histor-

ically these barrels and foeders were also

the fermenters of choice for a diverse range

of beers, including the original pilsners

of Plzen, the porters of London, and the

lambics and acidic Flemish ales of Belgium.

Today, barrels are no longer used at most

modern breweries. But with an increasing

popularity in traditional beers where barrel

use continues and with a growing wave of

creative younger breweries, including some

here in BC, putting barrels to both novel

and traditional uses, barrels are returning

to a place of prominence in many craft

breweries. So what is a barrel-aged beer,

and why do we love them?

A barrel-aged beer is, quite simply, a beer

that has been aged in a wooden barrel for

some period of time. But that leaves a lot of

room for variability! Barrel-aged beers can

be light or dark, high or low ABV, sour or

not, etc. Brewers choose to use barrels for

a variety of different reasons, selecting spe-

cific types of barrels and specific processes

to complement different beers. Barrels used

in beer production are usually made out of

oak, though other woods such as chestnut

are also sometimes used. Barrel interiors

are toasted to different degrees depending

on the intended use of the barrel. Decisions

regarding the wood origin (type and where

it was grown), barrel size and the toast level

all change the impact that a barrel has.

Sometimes a brewer is looking for freshly

dumped barrels from spirit producers or

winemakers to capture some of the same

flavours present in those spirits and wines.

For example, the char and vanillin in bour-

All About Wood

What’s in a barrel-aged beer?

by Dave Janssenhorscategoriebrewing.com

“A barrel-aged beer is, quite simply, a beer that has been aged in a wooden barrel for some period of time. But that leaves a lot of room for variability!”

28 29

used for mixed-microbe fermentation over a long time or a shorter

aging to pull some flavour from the barrel, each barrel provides

a unique beer. Selecting individual barrels to blend into one final

product helps to balance sharp edges of individual barrels and add

highlights to the base character that each barrel provides. Often

during the blending, some barrels may be discarded because for

whatever reason they didn’t turn out right. This is an unfortunate

risk involved in barrel-aged beer production, but great brewers

know that incorporating these barrels into the final blend would

only lower the quality of the final product.

While brewers may choose from a range of different barrels and

barrel aging processes to best suit different beers, one factor is

often common among barrel-aged beers: they generally take

more time and involve more risk than ordinary beer. This means

that these beers come at higher cost to the brewer due to the cost

of the barrels themselves, the investment in time, and the loss of

some sub-par barrels to make sure the final beer is as good as it

can be. The best barrel-aged beers are therefore a product of the

passion of brewers to make an exceptional product; and we

appreciate the time and effort that goes into them!

WE’RE

KIND OF

A BIG DILL!

OPEN 7 DAYS

A WEEKVICTORIAPUBLICMARKET.COM

3130

Let the robots do the work.

250.896.8808

Fintech systems specialistsgetmetrics.ca

Victoria Beer Week wouldn’t happen without the support of our generous and hardworking volunteer corps. Thanks for doing what you do and being so cool while you’re doing it!

If YOU would like to join the ranks of our volunteer army, please visit : victoriabeerweek.com/volunteer

The VBW2017 Volunteer Crew is Supported

by HeartPress PR

The VBW Board of Directors is Ryan Malcolm, Chris Nohr,

Jay Nowak and Glen Stusek.

Victoria Beer Week is co-produced by Sheleena Gutierrez

and Joe Wiebe with invaluable assistance from our amazing

volunteers and our ace production team:

Dan Ball, Brittany Davies, Trish Duncan,

Lori Muñoz Malcolm, Rhian McKee, Madison Packford,

Nels Veliquette, and Kyle York.

(Chris Long and The Number got us to where we are today

and we are forever grateful.)

About theVictoriaBeer WeekSociety

Thanks to our amazing volunteers!

CHEERS FROMVICTORIA’STICKETING

COMPANY

TICKETROCKET.CO

March 9 - 26www.sparkfestival.ca

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