News/Events
Award winning New Zealand craft beer producer, Renaissance Brewing, is situated in the heart of Marlborough wine country at the top of New Zealand's south island. The aim is to make beers that rival the grape based cousins. They produce top end, ultra-premium ales that enlighten the palate and thrill the senses. Their commitment is to use local ingredients. They are one of the pioneers of craft brewing in New Zealand. The beers nicely showcase New Zealand hops and malt in a range of British, American and European styles.
Try all 5 of their award winning beers, including the limited edition "Tribute Barley Wine" now available in BC.
Brasserie Caulier has just shipped us a couple of incredible summer beers and we scored a few bottles of Scaldis Blonde Tripel.
604355 Paix Dieu Special, an Abbaye Strong Ale with 10% alc/vol, 12*750ml per case wholesaling at $7.10 per bottle. Paix Dieu (Peace God) is the only abbey beer brewed the nights of full moon. This beer was formerly produced at the abbey of Peace God, and the lunar calendar played a central role. In order to maintain the soul of the abbey, the brewery must produce this beer only once per month, the nights of full moon. The result? A tripel of 10% creamy and full of character; an artisanal beer in the purest tradition of Belgian beers of abbey. Each bottle is vintage to help you compare each mash tun.
693770 Bon Secours Blueberry is a delicious Belgian Fruit Beer with 7% alc/vol, 24*330ml bottles per case and wholesales for $3.50 per bottle. Blueberry Bon Secours is a traditional beer which has been fermented three times and is brewed with blueberries. Whole fruits are added to the brewing boat, a process less and less used for producing fruit beers. No sugar is added. It is first fermented while the mash-tun is brewing, a second time while the fruits macerate in a cold cellar, and a third in bottle. Blueberry Bon Secours pours a dark red color topped by a compact and slightly reddish head. It releases strong aromas of blueberries along with scents of hops and light acidity. In the mouth, the beer is dry and thirst-quenching with fine fruity notes confronted to bitterness and a presence of alcohol sharper than in other fruit beers. You can’t miss this Belgian fruit-flavoured beer.
Also, the incredible but tough to get Scaldis Blonde Tripel is back. Limited quantities so get yours now! 479253 Scaldis Blonde Tripel, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, 10.5%alc/vol 6*750ml bottles per case, wholesale $9.25/bottle. Created in 2008, Scaldis Blonde Tripel is refermented in the bottle and sealed with a champagne cork. This semi-sweet brew is crisp, malty and finely balanced.
Make sure you get to Tamam Fine Palestinian Cuisine, 2616 E Hastings St., Vancouver from July 10 through 24 for their special Belgian Beer Days. Take home your Gulden Draak, Saison Dupont or Duchesse de Bourgogne glass and enter to win Vancouver Whitecaps vs. San Jose Earthquakes game.
Great food, great beer and great events are at Tamam.
OK........it's time. Gotta' rant!
On April 1 the BCLDB released it's new pricing strategy. It may have looked like prices in BCLDB stores decreased at this time because they deleted the 5% GST and 10% PST from the shelf price so things looked good until you got up to the till and all the taxes were added back on. It was then you could see that the majority of prices actually increased.
These retail prices lasted about a month then the BCLDB raised quite a few prices (24% of my portfolio) not only on products sold in their stores but on products sold to the hospitality industry who now must pay full retail for every alcoholic beverage they purchase for resale. Why should prices be increased on products not even sold in BCLDB stores? This says nothing but money grab to me.
Now, I see on the BCLDB retail price list for the next period (June 28), they have raised the retail price of another 57% of the products in my portfolio. Only .05% of my portfolio is sold through BCLDB stores and yet they've increased price on 81% of my products since April 1.
As the agent, my selling price to the BCLDB has not increased so that the BCLDB must raise the price to compensate (as stated by Minister Suzanne Anton) but prices have increased each month since the new system has been in place.
It looks as though I will now have to check the BCLDB retail price list weekly (as I've been told they update it weekly) to see if the retail prices remain the same or if they've been changed. No sense in me getting price sheets printed for my hospitality customers as they could all be out of date by they time they are printed.
As with the majority of changes that came about with the updating of BC's antiquated liquor laws, they've managed to bungle another one and the final consumer is the one who pays the price.
A very abbreviated version of my rant as I have to go check and see if retail prices have changed since I started this rant.
We felt it was time for Vancouver to have a unique, style-forward festival. What makes Farmhouse Fest unique?
Well, let’s start with the experience of drinking great beer. We Chose Saisons and Wild Ales For a Reason Drinking a great beer is more than just putting the liquid into your mouth and swallowing. It’s an intense sensory event. Look at how the colour of the beer catches the sun’s rays. Listen to the faint pop of the slowly dissipating head. Stick your nose in the glass and breathe deeply. Faint hops? A bit of fruit? Maybe some acid? Then take a sip, close your eyes and enjoy the cool breeze blowing over you.
Hosting a festival outside isn’t just a location variable. It’s a deliberate decision made to reinforce the connection between what’s in your glass, and what’s in your surroundings. At the UBC Farm, those surroundings include forest, hop bines and an apple orchard. Beer doesn’t spring forth from nothingness. It’s planted, cultivated, harvested, and meticulously crafted into a delicious final product.
Join us Saturday, June 27 from noon to 6:00pm at the UBC Farm 3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver for an incredible craft beer experience.
