This is the place to be.

If you have not ventured to one of the oldest craft breweries in Vancouver. What are you waiting for?

Storm is a fantastic place, you enter right into the action of their brewing station.  There are no chair, or tables, there are no tasters or pint classes. You are limited to 6 tasters in a solo cup for a cash donation.

Their beer board is constantly changing, so check their Instagram account frequently to see what's brewing. Most are very flavorful beers and to my surprise some of the ones you think will be horrible are fantastic. The Pineapple Paradise was my pick of the night. 

~ Colleen

Another visit to Callister

I love how all tasting rooms have their own personality!  And Callister has a great one, this was our second visit to their location, so they did something right !

It was a very busy Friday night when we were visiting Callister, so seating was in high demand! Callister is a remodelled warehouse with keg barrels for tables with bright coloured metal stools. It is small tasting room, so get to know your neighbour!

If you want a variety of brew masters than Callister is the place to visit. This location offers beers from Callister Brewing, as Brewery Creek, Real Cask and a brew-master called “Machine”.  Try a taster from one brewer, or a selection.

Make sure to take a trip to the washroom, it’s behind the bar. There is some great art work along the side and you can see where the action of the brewing takes place. 

~ Colleen

We meet friends everywhere we go

We are often a a large group and sometimes we stick to ourselves and have a good catch up, but sometimes we are social and make new friends where we go. 

On this outing we were at Off The Rails, a second visit for some. Arriving in drips and drabs we grabbed the large table the corner and settled in for flights and pints to taste.

Off the rail has the large corner bench were we sat as well as smaller tables to sit at. They have a giant window with stools which let's in lots of natural light. It is not a large place so when it started to get busy we got friendly. Chatting it up to those in line, or those who could not find a place to sit. We made a couple new friends and hope to see them again !

Storm Brewery

Established in 1994 Storm Brewery is the first craft beery in Vancouver, and every beer drinker should visit this unique location once.

You arrive entering the door off their loading bay; you won’t miss the building it’s covered in graffiti. They do not have a tasting room, there are no tables or chairs, they do not have a bathroom and you recycle your plastic cup while you taste.  The experience is fantastic!

Tasters are by donation, and a good size.  The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. 

They have their 6 main stay beers, and about 6 more which are small batches and on rotation.  Some are hits and some are misses, have some fun giving them a try there are some strange and unique flavours to pick from.   Vanilla Whiskey, Jalapeno Pilsner, Raspberry Bails IPA. Growlers are available to purchase or bring your own to fill. 

~ Colleen

Beer & Dessert Pairing Guide

With brews such as oatmeal raisin cookie, peanut butter milk stout and horchata it's no secret that beer and sweets are a winning combo. Gone are the days when the only thing they served with beer were pretzels. 

But pairing beer with desserts isn't as simple as one thinks. Depending on the type of beer whether pilsner, hefeweizen, IPA or any other beer of choice, it may require a more sweeter or more subtle dessert. That's why Shari's Berries has created a beer and dessert pairing guide to enhance your next brew experience. There are 16 different types of beer to choose from.  Which pairing will you try first?

~ Colleen

Western Beer Club member

We took the challenge

This March was the second installment of the Urban Grind.

For each Tuesday in March the Vancouver Lookout put out a challenge.

The challenge ~ climb 622 stairs each week, for 5 weeks.

The reward  
~ a pint of Steamworks beer and the amazing views 

Is there a better way ....

to spend a sunny afternoon in February ?

Yes, we are having another warm winter and the sun was out. Temperatures around the city were 12 - 15'C and I can not think of a better place to spend the afternoon than a patio. 

I rang up a friend and we met at Red Truck. Their patio is open year round (covered in the winter, of course) however you can still feel the warmth of the sun on your back. Check it out on the next sunny day (which is not in the near future!)

~ Colleen