Brockton IPA from Granville Island Brewing
byLast night John and I were able to get our first tastes of the new Brockton IPA from Granville Island Brewing at their media launch event.
I recently became a fan of the GIB Winter Ale, which I compare to drinking vanilla and pine trees (but in the most tasty sense possible, I assure you). John’s a fan of their Hefeweizen as well so when I asked if he would join me at the brewery after work, he happily obliged.
At the event Brewmaster Vern Lambourne said that the Brockton IPA (a celebration of the brewery’s 25th anniversary) is brewed in the style of a Pacific Northwest India Pale Ale.
I’ve been a fan of IPA’s before and I have to say this was definitely smooth. We were also remarking that it’s a clever choice of labels for this new product — using a palette that matches the Canucks official team colours to a tee. That, combined with the fact that it’s named after Brockton Oval in Stanley Park so they pretty much won me over within the first few sips.
Granville Island Brewing was Canada’s first microbrewery and they adhere to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, where they only use barley, malt, hops, yeast, and water to make their beer. The also make English Bay Pale Ale, Cypress Honey Lager, Lions Winter Ale, Gastown Amber Ale, Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale, and Robson Street Hefeweizen.
The brewery is located on Granville Island, and have a taproom for tastings, a retail store, and you can go on tours. I’m thinking this may have to be a stop on Duane’s “100 Mile Beer Diet” as well.
You can follow @ItsGoodToBeHere on Twitter for GIB news and updates.
The event was really fun (and the food pairings were delicious). I’m a fan of local microbrews and also companies that brew locally. I think it’s great that Vancouver is being put on the brewmasters’ map by all of these ventures – giving the community something else to call their own and share with the world.
9 Comments — Comments Are Closed
mmm… beer. looks like there was live music too eh? i gotta get mojave into the “beer circuit”. they went all out with the packaging design too, it’s beautiful.
Great review and great pics. I was over at the GIB the other day when I saw this, and picked it up to give it a go. I liked it!
Yeah the band was really good but they kept playing John Mayer tunes 😛
Didn’t you once have to chug some of their beer when we did the amazing hunt?
I don’t like beer but looks nice for people who do (like everyone I know)
I don’t drink beer all that often, but do like the GIB – I just wish I could appreciate the different brew. There needs to be like beer school or something like that.
I don’t drink beer very much at all, but definitely like the IPA’s. I’ll have to give this one a try.
If the 100 Mile Beer Diet implies drinking beers that are brewed within a hundred miles of Vancouver, then GIB won’t make the cut. Only their seasonal beers are brewed in Vancouver, the rest are trucked down from Kelowna. Sadly, many “local” labels aren’t brewed where advertised, including the Bowen Island and Whistler brands (also Kelowna). That being said, I think it is a great idea to drink as much local beer as possible (in lieu of macro and import brands, not just because). The average beer drinker won’t have tasted much of what the lower mainland has to offer and would probably discover some lesser known gems.
“I don’t like beer but looks nice for people who do (like everyone I know)”
— Jenny, have you tried wheat beers, Belgian-style fruit ales, or chocolate stouts? I’m sure you would like a beer, it’s just a matter of finding the one you like. Not all of them are bitter, if that’s what you don’t like about the beer you’ve had.
“There needs to be like beer school or something like that.”
— There is one about to open up, Chris, but it is more of an advanced course geared towards the hospitality industry. If you’re just wanting to explore different styles of beer and have someone explain to you what you’re drinking, I would recommend hanging out with the CAMRA (http://www.camravancouver.ca/) people at Dix (http://www.markjamesgroup.com/dix.html) on a Thursday evening or going to The Alibi Room (http://www.alibi.ca/).
[…] Miss 604 Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)stone brewingBeer Blog Roundup – Slashfood Ate (8) […]