The beer scene in Vancouver has grown over the last 4-5 years so that there are PLENTY of quality beer and food/beer pairing events to choose from in any given week. One event I had to check out was Alibi Room’s 500th Tap List celebration. Tons of special beers on tap plus casks. This event started yesterday (Sunday, March 9) and goes until Thursday, March 13. Lots of stuff switching in daily, so it isn’t a big deal if you didn’t make the first day. I took photos of the entire 16-page booklet, so you can read and weep!
Here’s the cover of the 16-page (!) handwritten guide. It was a really special read…a very heartfelt, funny, honest love letter to our beer scene. Alibi Room kicked off this scene 8 years ago and we’re so blessed to see them still going strong.
I read this thing cover-to-cover. Took me a relaxing 20 minutes at least while sipping my beers.
On this page they talk about Brassneck and if you know me, you know that I love Brassneck and all that it stands for.
One thing that people might not know about is the importance of the importing agencies that bring in all the beer you see from Portland, Washington State, California, Belgium, etc. It takes a lot of work and wrangling with the BC Liquor Distribution Branch to actually get the stuff across the border, so kudos are well-deserved!
Each year has been a record-breaking year for new breweries opening up in BC. It’s come to the point where I don’t totally miss going to Portland. We’ve got a great scene happening here NOW!
So if you read to the bottom, you’ll discover that they’re giving away glasses of Central City IPA for **FREE** until the 2 kegs run out! I didn’t partake cuz I wanted to pace myself, but it’s an awesome guesture.
etc etc…
$5 for 12.5oz glasses. Simple. Great.
The whole event felt like a multi-day Hoppapalooza!
And here’s the 6 page beer list:
Food special and casks for Sunday.
The main man, Nigel, wearing a Brassneck Free Radical t-shirt. And a serious beer guy on the left wearing a Stone Arrogant Bastard shirt!
My first of three beers of the night: Breakside Brett Saison — I wanted to pace myself and also I had to work the next day 🙂
Notes: light-tasting, drinkable, very low in brett. Ok saison character. Getting lots of orange citrus. A solid good. No ABVs listed in the guide, but this tasted low…5% range?
Second beer: Four Winds Juxtapose Brett IPA. Obviously stronger than my previous beer. Citrus hop aroma, not so much citrus in the taste at first…after a few sips the dry citrus character came out. Quite dry and puckery. Brett was subtle but there. More citrus IPA character came out as it warmed up. Started getting a bit “sticky” towards the end. A good “experiment” from Four Winds. I love their bottled Wildflower Saison and Saison Brett.
Simple setup. $5 for 12.5oz. No frat bats (flights) during this event.
So very happy to see “500th”.
Some things that stood out to me but I haven’t tried yet. Maybe later on in the week, if they’re still available! A sourdough saison with spelt?!? I love any twist on the saison style.
“Cereal Killer”..geddit?! I have no idea how they incorporated Cap’n Crunch into a stout. Should I pour more Cap’n Crunch in it and eat it like a bowl of cereal?
Doppelbock with white ash?! Does Parallel 49’s experimentation have any limits?
Third and final beer of the night. Storm Brewing’s Glacial Mammoth Extinction, a 30% ABV freeze-distilled sour beer. 1oz servings only!
Notes: Aromas of red wine vinegar, sour cherries, dark fruits. First hit is sweet, then bit of sour and funk. Way more drinkable that I thought it would be. 1oz serving is perfect for sipping and quiet contemplation. Dark black cherry in colour. Alcohol is there but not too hot or overpowering. Kinda delicious! (Said in a way that implies “very delicious”!) Tastes of plums and black cherries. So good!
Read about my second visit: Alibi Room 500th Tap List Celebration – Part 2
