Farmstrong Brewing - Bellingham

What a great spot for a rest during a day of shopping or for a stop along the way further South.

Farmstrong is right next to the freeway, but you would never know it was there.

We sat outside on a dull summer day, on their giant patio. They're are many picnic benches to pick from, some under trees for more shade on those sunny days.

With over a dozen beers to pick from, we choose a selection of 4. We liked them all !

I look forward to another sunny day to check them out again

~ Colleen

Yoga & Beer

Arriving to Lonsdale Quay with plenty of time before yoga, we got a prime spot right up front! Promptly at 6:30 this very handsome gentlemen started to talk and guide us through our practice. I will take a yoga class from this guy anytime! 

Each Thursday night Lonsdale Quay and a variety of Yoga studios have been putting on a complement class. We all expected it to be a nice easy flow because often new people attend these classes to see what it’s all about. Well this yogi did not have the same idea. He had us warmed up quick with sun salutations then putting us in pretzels with crow pose and trying to put our feet behind our heads!  Wrapping things up at 7:30 with a nice corpse pose just as the sun set!

Just steps away we found a place on the patio at Green Leaf. Trying Lloyd’s Lager, the IPA, and a taster of sours.  We all had different opinions of which one we liked best.  I was a fan of the Modern Gentleman IPA, aged in a Merlot barrel. Carmen’s liked the Raspberry Sour and David’s choice was the Cherry Sour. No matter what someone else likes gives it a try, we all have different tastes.

Green leaf has a great patio, small, so get to know your neighbour and enjoy the view !

~ Colleen 

  

Park Side ~ Port Moody Pub Crawl

Park Side was the third stop on our Murray Street pub crawl in Port Moody. We were all feeling good by this point and ready for another flight. 

Their tasting room is a large open space with high ceilings. Enter through their huge bay doors where you can see the vast space where they have plenty of space for production. Pull up a chair at one of their long tables and get to know your neighbour. This place is a place to be social and make friends. 

A rotating food truck is parked out the side door for you to sneak out to order and pick up without anyone noticing ! Make sure to order a flight, they come in a super cute little bench. Not to mention their great glasses.  Park Side has their own beers to taste, but also some visitors which is great for those people not able to get to Vancouver for beer or out to the Valley. 

Hounds follow those who feed them.... Port Moody Pub Crawl

I think I have found my favorite tasting room!

If you know me, you know that I love dogs. And the name was the first thing that I loved about this place, "Yellow Dog".  Sadly there was not a yellow Labrador or Golden retriever on site when I visited, but dogs are welcome so there is often a furry friend to say hi to. 

There is are some inside seats, but make sure to keep walking... Past the tasting room, past the bar, and past the brewing facility to the back yard! This is where they got me! A bark mulch floor with picnic benches, top it with a beer, and this is the perfect sunny day setting for me. 

The traditional brewery foods are available, like pepperoni sticks, but you are welcome to bring your own. I suggest stopping in at Urbani Foods next door to pick up a tray of meats and cheese. There are also rotating food trucks along Murray Street.

I also love the tasting tray are in the shape of a dog bone! 

So grab a snack and head to Yellow Dogs back yard patio for a pint on a hot summer day.

~ Colleen

First stop ~ Twin Sails ~Port Moody Pub Crawl

Twin sails was the first stop on our Murray street pub crawl in Port Moody. This is a great task for a Saturday or weeknight, if you can find yourself a designated driver!

There are now 4 tasting rooms along Murray Street. Twin Sails, Yellow Dog, Parkside and Moody Ales (original). And also along this stretch is a great family warehouse which creates great Italian street food! Urbani Foods, supplies select grocery stores with the small batch artisan foods. Things like Risottoballs, Mac & Cheese Balls, CraftDried salami’s, and their Italian sausages are amazing. Their location on Murray street is limited because it is the factory, but they do have a great supply of ready to eat foods that go great with beer !  Pick one up and move onto the next brewery.

Twin sails has a large open tasting room, with lots of space. They did things smart by leaving lots of room to expand. The front of their place has a garage door, which was open lets in fresh air and lots of light, making the place feel larger and open. We were there on a Wednesday but it is highly possible they have a band in the corner on weekends or other special events.

We’ve been hearing and talking a lot about Gose* so we gave theirs a try. It was not to everyone’s liking, but everyone has different tastes. They offer it as part of a flight so give it a try yourself. Most of us enjoyed a flight to try a variety of their beers. I think it was a first for everyone.

Twin Sails has a great vibe, and great beers makes sure this is a stop you make.

~ Colleen
(Photo above)

*Gose: a traditional German tart wheat ale brewed with coriander and salt. Twin Sails Gose pours a dark pale golden colour with a slightly off-white, and substantial head. Notes of an almost sour spiciness mixed with an array of dried apricot, zest, and coriander make up the palate for this beer. The finish is crisp, dry, almost mouth-puckering, and very refreshing making it perfect to sip on a warm summer day

Get on the gose Badwagon

The Beer that Magically Goes with Everything
Written by Brad Leone, Bon Appetit

Photo by: Laura Murray

It's the dog days of summer, your commute is brutal and the workdays are long. You're sweating more than your beer is. What is that beer you're drinking, anyways? Is that a heavy, bitter IPA in your hand?

Trade it in for a gose.

Now is that time for a refreshing beer that won't make you want to chug water or take a nap after but one that has flavor and character. If you haven't been stocking your cooler with gose (pronounced "go-sah"), go ahead and start.

Photo by: Laura Murray

Gose is a light beer made with water, wheat, coriander, and salt, and typically should be 4-5% ABV. If you're familiar with sour beers, it's on the mild end of that specturm, like the Miller Lite of sour beers. Gose tends to have a nice, sour and tart lemon flavor that finishes with clean and tickles the tongue with a hint of salt. Those flavors combine to make a super refreshing beer, perfect for beach, barbecue, and sitting-in-front-of-the-nearest-fan drinking. The low alcohol content and salty finishe won't leave you sluggish and dehydrated like a double IPA. In fact, it's almost like you're not drinking beer at all, but beer's younger cousin that's related to kombucha but the family doesn't like to talk about it. But it is beer, and you'll find it in grocery store aisles (not in Canada) made by Westbrook, Anderson Valley, Siz Point, Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, or Victory Kirsch Gose.

Read full artificial at: Bon Appetit