This is the End

This is the end of BrewardInlet.com.

I recently made the decision to mothball the site.

There is no major reason to close her down beyond I simply don’t write enough to warrant a site anymore(, Although this has been the biggest year yet for traffic).

I wanted to say thank you to all those who have taken time to read, hate or like what I had to say.

This site began as a way for me to blow off steam and talk crap about beer as a break from University. I never expected more than 50 people to care.

Nearly 25,000 views, a top 200 and a top 100 beer blog award later I’m completely floored (mostly because so many of you willingly suffered through my poor, spelling, grammar and writing structure).

So thank you, for reading, interacting and completely disagreeing with me, it’s been a blast!

All the best,

Carnell

P.S. Jars are the worst

 

If you are interested please enjoy a selection of my favourite articles:

Stanley Park

Beer Awards 1

Beer awards 2

Believe the hype

Pop Punk

Mission Springs Rebrand

Wet Hops

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Stereo Typical Beer? Three Kingdoms “Me So Rich” Hefeweizen

I first became aware of Three Kingdoms Brewing several months ago thanks to Instagram Algorithms.

A few clicks later and I was on their website where I was met with this image like this one:

“Me So Rich Hefeweizen”

Well, that’s a lot to take in isn’t it?
Recently I saw via instagram that this beer has finally dropped, and with my interest piqued once more I reached out to the company via their website.

I initially asked them about their story to which they replied they consider themselves Craft Beer lovers who have become Nomadic Brewers. They described being inspired by both Superflux and Slow Hand beer company (an interesting juxtaposition of inspirations).

After this quick cordial exchange I couldn’t help myself and had to ask:

       “Hey (Redacted) thanks for the quick response. I’m not sure if I mentioned this earlier but I do the craft beer blog brewardinlet.com

Some of us in the community have noticed your first release “me so rich” and noted that it evokes some negative stereotyping.

Are you able to speak to the idea behind this?

Of course, If you don’t wish to continue this conversation any further I understand and I will consider our entire conversation private.”

Their Reply:

     “Hi Carnell,

Ah I see. Well, the “Me So Rich” release was simply a mistake. We did not quite know the story behind the me So part. In fact, most customers were not aware of this either. But we did receive some complaints so we changed the name immediately for our second batch. It’s kind of like how parallel 49th had the gypsy tears naming issue. Perception is everything.

If you look up on untapped and search for me So phrase, you can actually see quite many beers are named this way.

Our original thought was to come out with a Me So Series… Ex, Me so Honey for the honey kolsch, Me So Chocolate for a chocolate porter and Me So Rice for a rice lager etc.

But again, we kind of don’t wanna get into troubles again so our next beer is simply called honey kolsch.

Does it answer your question?”

I Replied:

      “I’m curious as to the use of “Me So” for a beer name prefix. What is the idea behind this “Me So Series” . Also are you able to explain the use of “Rich” in the name?

Their Reply:

      “Hi Carnell,

Rich in color as it’s hazy, rich in flavor as it has the banana and clove aroma& taste in the beer.

Again, it was a mistake so there’s no more Me So Series.

Thanks,

(Redacted)

In the end it seems like an unintentional mistake by people new to the industry. The packaging has been updated and you can view the rebranded “Rich Rabbit Hefeweizen” at http://www.threekingdoms.beer.

However if you were like me and needed to know more, now you know.

P49 Brews Brother Collab/Beerstagrammer Collab

Recently a group of Beerstagrammers (we have to find a better title) had the opportunity to sample this years Parallel 49 Brews Brothers Pack.

Each beer is a collaboration with another brewery in BC. This is the 4th iteration of the collab and the first to feature Tall Boys.

Without further adieu, Photos by Vanpours words by noted creator-

P49 x Iron Road – Liquid Dreams Saison (@vanpours) – 

vanpours.com

The name of this beer is serious nostalgia. I had O-town’s first album on repeat during the early 2000s after being gifted it for my 10th birthday. Don’t judge me…everyone has jammed to O-town at some point! Yes, it’s probably at an R&B throwback party, or a random Tuesday if you’re me, but that’s besides the point. Documentary idea: Making the Beer. I’ll get Diddy on the phone. 

Similar to O-town’s recent number of radio plays, the Liquid Dreams Saison is limited. It’s also a heftier take on the saison style. Peppery on the body with notes of banana. Boozy and dry aftertaste. This isn’t what I would call a sessionable saison, but it’s a nice change up from the more fruit-forward ones I’ve recently had. Like O-town, it grows on you. 

 

P49 x The 101 Brewhouse – I Swear Belgian Style Single (@BrewardInlet)

The Brews Brother Collab is something many of us look forward to. I swear, my buddies are always asking if i have any inside info on the new pack, I don’t. They don’t let up, I see the questions in their eyes. It like, guys, don’t let it weigh on your minds, y’know. You don’t need to move the moon and the stars to get it, just wait ‘til its ready.

In anycase, I’ve had the pleasure of sampling the P49 x 101 Brewhouse (Gibsons, Sunshine Coast BC.) collaboration. This Belgian Single hits all the right notes of a Top 40 hit. A solid malt body is met with Belgian funk rhythms that before this beer might only be found performed by Belgium’s top Funk Band “Solis Lacus” (that’s a legit Belgian funk band). This solid malt and funk base has a shadow by its side, a slight taste of gin which plays nicely with the base flavours. In short, I swear i’d recommend this to all my friends, you might say i’d recommend it to All-4-one of them… but that sounds kind of dumb.

P49 x Sooke Oceanside – Hanging Tough Red Bock (@seatoskybeerguy) – 

SeatoSkyBeerGuy.com

Can I tell you something you already know?  Parallel 49 is awesome. And their Brews Brothers Collaboration Box?  Doubly so. The reason they’re so pleasin’ is self-evident but I’ll list a few of them anyway: collecting & collaborating with such a diverse crew of breweries; putting out product that pushes the norms of style & profile, providing enthusiasts with so many flavours to unpack that Christmas plays a sober, sloppy-second fiddle; packaging and artwork that’s second to none; ‘nuff said.

Can I tell you something you don’t know?  At the height of New Kids on the Block’s (the boy band who’s Hangin’ Tough song this delicious Red Bock was named after) popularity I was blissfully unaware of them and rocking HARD to early Metallica.  One afternoon in grade 11 French class I was most definitely NOT learning French when a gaggle of grade 9 girls peeked thru the classroom window. The focus of their curiosity? Me. I know it’s hard to believe but, back then, I was most definitely NOT a ladies man.  The reason for their misplaced enthusiasm? “You look like Jonathen Knight,” one of my friends who was a girl told me. “Who the expletive is that?” I replied. “The less popular brother in NKOTB,” she finished. Oh.

This beer was brewed with love and tenderness by Parallel 49 and Sooke Oceanside Brewery and I highly recommend you seek it and it’s fellow brothers out.  Thanks for allowing me to sip salaciously while walking “Step by Step” down memory lane!

 

P49 x Luppolo – We’ve Got It Goin’ On Saison fermented with wine yeast  (@Ivantheiceman)

We’ve got it goin on saison. Yes, yes it does have it goin on! It pours a beautiful clear gold. The nose is a soft saison funk bit it’s kicked up a notch with the wine yeast and it really comes through. Then you take that sip and realize just how talented the brewer’s that crafted this saison are. It is balanced so well. The wine yeast plays a special roll rounding out the grain and delicious funk. I think this is my new favorite saison and it should be a mainstay at P49 and Luppolo!

P49 x Fieldhouse – Faded Habenero Peach Gose (@ZappaandZero) 

Parallel 49. Good 

Fieldhouse. Good. 

Gose. Good. 

Peaches. Good. 

Habaneros. Good. 

Together!?!? Better.

Parallel 49 has a reputation for constantly putting out bangers with quality and consistency. Fieldhouse Brewing is known for their big, bold, rustic flavours. So, when I saw both of these power houses on the same can, I just had to have it. 

When you read “Faded – Habanero Peach Gose” on the front of the can, a lot of red flags pop up. How spicy? How sour? How peacherific? 

As a lover of the hottest sauces I can confidently say there is very little heat. It slightly tickles the back of the throat but nothing to warrant a glass of milk. The sweetness of the peach comes through nicely and with its refreshing tartness it gives this beer a fun cocktail vibe. This is a beer I quite enjoyed. It really makes you question what is real. 

Taste is subjective. This is just one guy’s opinion. That being said, it is my sole decision 😉 that you need to give this little spicy peach party a taste.

 

P49 x Fuggles & Warlock – I Want It That Way Yuzu Sencha Brut IPA (@westcoasthomebrewer) 

This 7% Brut IPA is infused with Sencha Green Tea and Yuzu Citrus! A golden brut style IPA with a stone fruit and grape like essence on the nose along side a herbal, slightly citrus tasting note. While the brew is quite astringent on the tongue, the yuzu and green tea additions blend harmoniously together to give a complete brew experience! The teams at parallel 49 and fuggles and warlock should be proud of this concoction, I definitely want it that way!

 

P49 x Coal Harbour – I’ll Make Love To You Black Currant Dark Mild (@hopsnscrubs)

There comes a time.. when a beer so bold and so delicious makes you kick back and remember the days when you and your buddies used to rock matching oversized patterned suits, vests, and baseball hats and croon sexy lyrics to any lady that walked by.

Hops and Scrubs used to do exactly that back in the day. To the full extent. 

Except only in our minds. And instead of matching oversized patterned suits we wore matching Hypercolor t-shirts. And instead of hats we wore our bowl cuts. And ladies laughed at us as we crooned “Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies.

But we digress… Here is a beer that takes us back to the days when Boyz II Men were king

and it was cool to wear pants bigger than three humans.

This is “I’ll Make Love To You” by @parallel49beer and @coalharbourbrewing. Pours a deep dark caramel colour with a pink/almost opaque head. Aromas of cocoa, toasted malts, and berries. Malt, chocolate, coffee, currants on the tongue. Very bold combo and worked out great! Delicious! You just may… no you WILL.. want to make love to it.

P49 x BrewHall – No Diggity Hazy IPA (@crafttourist)

“I like the way YOU work it, NO DIGGITY” and by YOU, I mean Graham With from @parallel49beer and Kerry Dyson from @brewhall that collaborates to create this 6% Hazy IPA for the Brews Brothers Collaboration Pack. It was close but I would say it edged out the rest of the pack as my personal favourite! 

It’s everything that I enjoy in a Hazy IPA but with a fun little funk. Much like the music of the famous Black Street track, the beer had me groovin’ and swayin’ with tropical notes of pineapple & kiwi and a bit a citrus fruit playing a guest spot just like Dr. Dre and Queen Pen did on this catchy hip HOP song straight out of 1996! You could say it was on “Another Level” and that true beer enthusiasts will love this one, from the “East side to the West side!” 

 

Lightheart Brewing Joins the Ever Expanding Options on Brewers Row at Moody Ales

I have alluded to this in previous posts but it seems as good a time as any to write an article regarding Lightheart Brewing joining Brewers Row.

Lightheart brewing originally joined the Independent Beer scene as a collaborative brewery at Callister Brewing in East Van.

They now make their home at Moody Ales on Brewers Row. I want to be clear this is not a contract brew situation.

Lightheart have installed their own tanks at Moody Ales, and as such have a much greater degree of autonomy over their beers. This situation is similar to the arrangement of Coalesce at Twin Sails or Temporal at Luppolo, but to my knowledge those breweries leased tank space (This information is to the best of my knowledge). This might be a first example of brewing owning tanks at another brewery since Glassbender Brewing installed a tank at Postmark brewing.

-Note: Just considered that Superflux may work under this system too, let me know if you know.

The Head brewer continues to be Nathanial Sneff. Releases so far include a West Coast Pale Ale and a West Coast IPA, look out for a Passion Fruit Sour coming soon as well.

Lightheart Expects to be on the Row for the next year or so while they build out their own space elsewhere.

Lightheart Beer is available on tap At Moody Ales, and cans should be on their way soon.

Good Buddy Beer to Grace PoCo at Tin House Brewing

Good Buddy Beer will be brewing out of PoCo in the coming months. Good Buddy beer had been brewing out of Callister in Yeast Van but will make the switch to PoCo when Tin House Brewing, The brick and mortar Brewery they will be sharing space with, opens.

Good Buddy made a name for themselves with creative flavours in their beers such as Orange Creamsicle IPA, a Maple Syrup and Bacon Imperial Stout and a PB & J stout.

Not only will be Good Buddy Beer be available at Tin House Brewing (In Fremont Village In PoCo, Near North Paw), but of course Tin House beer too. The brands will share a brewer for the moment.

Of course the creates a new walkable area to enjoy Beer and Spirits in Port Coquitlam’s Freemont Village. According to google Maps it should only take you 4 minutes to travel from Northpaw, To Provincial Spirits, to Tin House brewing, where of course you can also enjoy some Good Buddy Brewing.

VCBW is Upon Us and It’s Time To Take Stock.

I am a big fan of Vancouver Craft Beer Week. It’s fun and it brings the whole community together.

With nearly all the Lower Mainland Region breweries in one place it is  a really great opportunity to consider the Craft Beer trends moving forward. Of course this can’t really be done in advance of VCBW. Even so it is fun to project or guess what the trends will be, and I’ve always thought that the VCBW beer gives us a hint of what is to come.

Two years ago Brewers brought us a Hazy Pale ale which to me announced to the community that Hazy beer was a major part of the industry and here to stay. Secondarily it might have also signalled the success of the suburban and regional Craft beer communities.

Last year, we had the Sea to Sky breweries affirm the rising prominence of regional craft beer communities, and perhaps surprisingly they made a Lager. To me this signalled that our craft beer industry was ready to move past the anti-establishment roots and include all beer drinkers.

This year, the 10th anniversary of VCBW we have Four Winds, in collaboration with Powell Beer and Dageraad brewing brewing a dry-hopped table saison.

I typed that beer style in lower case, because to my mind it is an understated style in the often violently reactionary world of craft beer.

What I take from this, and what I would predict as a major trend in the Vancouver and wider region is a push for higher quality.

It is no secret that I have been fairly vocal about beers that don’t mean my expectations but after the proliferation of craft breweries throughout the lower mainland comes a more competitive period where brewers are selling to an inclusive mature consumer base who are able to tell the difference between OK and great craft.

I believe the choice of three of the Lower Mainland’s 3 most respected breweries in Four Winds, Dageraad, and Powell beer and their choice of a simple yet dynamic style signals to the community at large that things are about to get more competitive. If you are a brewery who wants to stick around you better commit to quality.

With more breweries comes more competition, and since the backbone has of craft has always been its improved quality over macro the competition amongst Craft Brewers will hopefully yield ever high plateaus of quality.

We might also look at the expansion of high quality production in the region to consider the arms race in quality.

-Twin Sails sour program intentionally does not include Kettle Sours. committing to higher labour and cost methods of souring.

-Whole breweries committed to specific styles like Bakery, House of Funk, and Temporal.

-The commitment to high quality Lagers including Foudre and barrel aged versions like those created by Four Winds and Strange Fellows.

We might also consider the results of mistakes

-Riot Brewing on the brink of closing as sales don’t add up

Clearly all of this is guess work and conjecture bused on anecdotal evidence, but if i was forced to hazard a guess… I’d expect your average beer to rise in quality this year.

 

I Was Offered Free Beer, I said “Yes”

A while ago I wrote an article explaining why I had said no to a brewery’s offer of free beer.

It came off as high and mighty, it wasn’t my intention but it did. Well, since then I have been offered beer a few more times and said no thank you a few more times.

How I felt publishing that article

Recently, I said yes.  So how did I fall off my high horse? Well its simple really. I don’t have as much beer as I once did.

Whereas, before my main reason for saying “no” was that I simply had too much beer and there was no point in taking beer that I might not be completely interested while other beer rots in my fridge. Its just not cool.

The fact is I’m getting married this summer and although I have wonder family helping my income is being stretched and I cannot afford to consume as much beer as I have in the past.

Craft Breweries are trying to make a living and offering beer to bloggers and the like is one of the great ways they can keep the beer-intelligensia writing.

So I have swallowed my pride, said “yes, thank you”, and you can probably expect to see it on my instagram.

That said you can also expect to see my honest opinion too.

Believing the Hype is OK… Usually, well sometimes… Definitely Not Never

The Growler recently published a great article by Dageraad Brewer/Owner/Professional Cool Guy – Ben Coli, where Ben makes a great argument for Mainstays being better than the flavour of the week.

While I appreciate the article and agree in large part I noticed many friends and colleagues applying the argument against Hazy beers en masse. Well as avowed Hazy apologist I have yet another article no one asked for.

Concern 1

Dead on Arrival

Ben makes a great point to start, many one off beers are ill-conceived. He’s right. There are quite a few beers that should have been aborted long before the ever reach your local’s shelves.

That said a lot of main stays make it to shelves when they shouldn’t. Many breweries including some of your favourites have let main stay beer hit the shelves that has been clearly flawed. So, while main stays have had time to be perfected, they don’t always hit the shelves in their perfect state.

Concern 2

No time to test batch

Here’s the thing… You think Sierra Nevada Pale ale or for that matter Even Steamworks Flagship’s recipe hasn’t changed since its initial sale? Beer recipes often change incrementally, its experimenting in the search of improvement. This happens with Hazy beer too…

Most breweries have a few go-to basic Hazy recipes, and they tweak for each release. A hop variety here, a different grain there, and an extra hopping addition every so often. It’s not unlike how people incrementally changed their pale ales back in the day, the major difference is whereas in the past the label would never change, these days each release is a new piece of art from a graphic designer whose work spaced is littered with succulents.

Why? Well the craft market is super crowded and craft brewers don’t have the money to advertise to you and me like the bug guys. Where they can punch above their weight is on the shelf where brewers can quickly pivot their branding to catch the latest craft punter (you)>

I gotta ask, what is the harm in that? More work for artists, more excitement for you and I, and more competition for macro-beer.

Concern 3

If it was any good you’d keep making it.

Early into Twin Sail’s pivot to their White Can Series (following their all german beginnings) they released Space Armadillo. This beer sent shock waves through the community and for some reason it wasn’t released again for nearly a year.

Don’t you think Twin Sail’s would have loved to follow that rich sales vein? The fact is new breweries can struggle to get consistent supplies for brewing and are often forced into the spot markets. Whereas more established brewers can sign contracts with producers to ensure steady shipments of special hops or adjuncts, new brewers must use spot markets for one time sales.

The fact is Twin couldn’t secure the supplies they needed to make Space Armadillo a core beer.

 

So while by and large I agree in the merit of breweries main stay beers, I think we can agree that one offs serve a purpose and can be great.

Tiering the Breweries of Vancouver and Sea to Sky

I am going to get shit on for this…

But that’s OK, I write to start conversations and lists and rankings start conversations. So here we go.

A little about the rankings… This is about QUALITY of beer… nothing more nothing less. A bad beer diminishes overall quality in my eyes. That said this is my Monolithic view of the quality of beer coming from a brewery… no math.

Breweries within tiers are equal in my eyes.

Not all Breweries are listed, but rest assured I would never say no to a brewery that is listed, as for the others…

These are my personal opinions, they won’t match yours, feel free to be angry anyways

Tier 4 (Solid Lagers & Ales)

Doan’s Craft Brewing

The Beer Farmers

Strathcona Brewing

Coast Mountain Brewing

Howe Sound Brewing

Trading Post Brewing

Central City Brewing

Ravens Brewing

Storm Brewing

R and B Brewing

Hearthstone Brewing

Coal Harbour Brewing

Brewhall

Main Street Brewing

33 Acres Brewing

Britannia Brewing

Bomber Brewing

Bridge Brewing

Callister Brewing

Tier 3 (Breweries who I can count on to crush it often)

Parallel 49

The Parkside Brewing

Steamworks Brewing

Taylight Brewing

Northpaw Brewing

Field house Brewing

Silver Valley Brewing

Demi-God Tier (breweries I’ll always make a point of visiting)

Dageraad

Beere Brewing

Strange Fellows

Steel and Oak

Brassneck Brewing

Yellow Dog Brewing

Luppolo Brewing

God Tier (Breweries I get stoked to go to)

Twin Sails Brewing

Boombox Brewing

Superflux

Backcountry Brewing

Temporal Brewing

Four Winds

 

 

More News on the Third PoCo Brewery

I’m going to let the Tri-City news take this one away, the article does a great job of breaking down the whole business plan. Their Plan has some really cool parts and some I’m concerned about and will break down at a later date… Until then the Tri-City News Presents:

PATINA BREWING