B12 April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Terminal City
craft beer tour
By GK Limcangco
Good news for hop lovers in Vancouver
-- the craft beer boom is happening right
now. With the demand for delicious, quality
beer rising, many local brew masters
have decided to address this demand.
According to barleymowat.com, there
are some 84 microbreweries in British
Columbia and more are coming.
“Craf t beer is all the rage right
now just like everything organic and
local” said Martin Blasiak, cofounder
of Terminal City Tours, a tour company
offering brewery tours in and around
Vancouver. “Consumers want a product
where manufacturers put their own time,
expertise, and knowledge.” he added.
The BC beer industr y has been
transformed since the founding of
Horseshoe Bay Brewing in 1982. Horseshoe
Bay Brewing is the first craft brewery in
Canada and propelled the microbrewery
movement to where it is today.
John Mitchell, the man behind the
movement was a co-owner and manager
of Troller Pub at Horseshoe Bay. Beer
selection was very limited then and they
don’t even have access to imported beers.
Mitchell changed all that by lobbying with
government to amend liquor laws.
Currently, it’s been hard keeping up
with all the new microbreweries that have
opened their doors. Blasiak and business
partner James Piry founded Terminal City
Tours to help interested folks navigate their
way through the local beer scene. Blasiak
and Piry grew up in Vancouver and decided
to share their passion for exploring and
enjoying local beers and spirits.
“One Sunday afternoon, we joined
Terminal City’s Brewery Tour with a bunch
of other hop lovers and curious spectators.
We all met at the Waterfront Station excited
with what we were about to uncover. As
Terminal City Brewery tour.
soon as we got settled in the van, our
guides introduced themselves and briefly
went over our afternoon tour stops. . Our
first stop was Postmark Brewing, a fivemonth old brewery within the rustic beauty
of the Settlement Building, right in the heart
of Railtown. It was a great space with a lot
of character which was reflected on their
brews.
Our first sip of the day was a beer
called Saissonella, a refreshing beer with
a mild hoppy finish. The Saissonella had
interesting flavours and was good pick to
start to our experience.
The second beer, the Raspberry Lemon
Zest Hefeweizen, got my full attention. With
its fruity flavour that doesn’t overpower the
beer palate, this Hefeweizen is perfection.
I knew then that Postmark Brewing is
offering not just quality beer but pretty
inventive brews as well. We also tried their
flavourful Pilsner and their mildly bitter Red
IPA.
The second stop on our tour took us
to Steamworks Brewery. Established in
1995, Steamworks is clearly one of the
bigger microbreweries in BC. Using the
brewery’s fancy equipment, Piry and
Blasiak provided an in-depth explanation
of the brewing process. Our guides even
answered all the questions that we threw at
them, showing their impressive knowledge
in beer. Learning about what we’re about
to partake made the experience a bit more
special.
We sampled four of Steamworks’
famous brews in their tap room which
opened last June. Sampling their awardwinning Pilsner and their Jasmine IPA was
a great choice. These two beers have put
them on the map and it’s good to know
why. The India Pale Ale or simply known as
IPA, always has an overwhelming quality.
Its bitterness makes it an acquired taste
for many but Steamworks’ Jasmine IPA is
different. It is the perfect introduction for
this type of beer since it scores low on the
International Bitterness Unit (IBU) scale.
It also has a unique jasmine flavour that
I really enjoyed. I don’t see big fans of
IPA putting this on their list of favourites
though, considering its soft bitterness.
Our last stop for the afternoon was
in New Westminster for Steel and Oak’s
Brewing Co. Steel and Oak’s co-owner
Jorden Foss gave us quite an introduction.
Their brew master, Peter Schulz has a
German-style of brewing that gives this
brewery an edge in the local craft beer
market. This was apparent when our taste
buds indulged in the delicious smoky
flavour of their smoked Hefeweizen. This
beer was such a standout that it made our
trip to New Westminster memorable.”
Three breweries and 12 four-ounce
beer glasses emptied, we parted ways
tipsy with bellies full of craft beer. We also
picked up loads of information on how
to brew. Not just to brew any beer, but
beer bursting with character and lingering
unique flavours.
All in all, the Terminal City brewery tour
was fun and educational. An essential
activity if you appreciate a good pint of
local beer. Blasiak and Piry will make you
feel at home right from the get-go. They will
also make it a point to have a chat with you
in between sips. The tour felt personal and
it’s exactly how I want to experience that
first taste of good craft beer.
Drake Medox College
Biggest Contest Ever
Raffle Winners for interviewed by Luisa Marshall.
Photo by Simply the Best TV Show
MP Don Davies draws winning names.
Photo by Simply the Best TV Show
Nineteen lucky students won a free
round trip ticket each to any destination
of their choice during the promo contest
of the Drake Medox College recently. The
winners were announced during one of the
episodes of Simply the Best show. The
winners wereMarjorie Armero, Hannah
Borasca, Alejandria Dabalos, Pat Earhart,
Rosemarie Espiritu,Zariel Fuentebella,
Ethel Las Piñas, Lorna Orfano, Rjee
Pardilla, Catherine Publico, Jessie Talaro,
Rosalie Valdez, Odelia Amistad, Crizelda
Calate, Agustina Atienza, Vilma Fernandez,
Cristine Alejandro and Joy Gamueda. Emy
Santos has opted to get a tuition waiver
instead of getting a round-trip ticket.
Raffle Winners for the Biggest Contest Ever of Drake Medox College.
Photo by Simply the Best TV Show