The New Forms Festival is well underway and with so much happening over the next week, here’s an update on some must-attend events. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

Arriving for the Brew 2.0 event last night we weren’t too sure what to expect but found ourselves in for a treat once we entered the confines of the Molson Brewery on Burrard.

We started off by mingling and having some beers from the tap, although when I asked the man behind the counter for a Rickard’s Honey Brown I didn’t realize at the time that he was Mr. Rickard himself.

Raul, me, and Gord Rickard – Photo credit: Tris Hussey on Flickr

The group was then treated to various beer and food pairings, organized by Kerry Scarsbrook (on the beer side) and Blair Rasmussen, Executive Chef at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

The mini bison sandwiches (think pulled-pork sandwich) was delicious and its suggested pairing was Rickard’s Red. Meanwhile the prawn quesadillas with a cool Corona could only be beat by the addictive beer nuts.

After the delectable goodies we split into two groups for a full on tour of the Brewery and “Beer 101” session. Gord Rickard led us all around (luckily the oompa loompas didn’t have to carry anyone off) and the tour ended with a taste of Rickard’s Red – that was so fresh, the timestamp on the bottom of the can (right off the line) was about 2 minutes before we drank it down.

Once back in the main room, we were all treated to a special 50th Anniversary Brew (unique to Vancouver) called Rickard’s Gold Standard.

Raul, me, and Geoff Molson – Photo credit: Raul on Flickr

I had a lot of fun and met some very nice people, like Adam and Tonia from the Molson social media team, and enjoyed seeing friends and colleagues. Towards the end of the evening I really enjoyed speaking with Geoff Molson (7x great grandson of John Molson) and having some of the best tasting Canadian I’ve ever tried. In this smaller setting (those who decided to stay well past last call) Duane took a sip of his beer and shouted over to Geoff, “So sure, you make beer, but can you do a keg stand?” to which Geoff replied, calmly and assured, “You know what? YES.” We were all pretty amused by the conversations that followed.

Leaving the brewery we were handed taxi vouchers as well as some lovely parting gifts from Molson – beer glasses and 1GB thumbdrives loaded with promo materials, logos and videos.

I always disclose on my site that, for events and promotions like these, I maintain the full editorial right to express my honest opinion (did I like it, did I have a good time etc.) and I have to say that Molson did this event right. Truthfully I’m more inclined to drink Molson now than I ever was before after meeting such kind and knowledgeable folks as Kerry Scarsbrook and Gord Rickard.

UPDATE: Molson just delivered a little “morning after” present for us.

More photos of the event can be found in Flickr sets by Raul, Karen, Duane, Ianiv, and Tris. John took some excellent shots as well that will be up as soon as possible.

Earlier this summer, Anthony of Farmstead Wines won tickets to a Canadians game through my website. After chatting with him a bit I learned more about Farmstead, and a great cause that they are supporting out at the UBC Farm this Saturday, September 20th. I asked Anthony if he could send me more info and so instead of butchering the details, I’ll pass along his words:

I think that many people do not even realize the farm exists, let alone that it is under intense developer pressure. While the University has promised to keep the farm in some capacity, maintaining it in its current size and location is vital for two reasons. One, the farm has spent 20 years building and maintaining soil vitality and the area is a complex, interconnected ecosytem with forests and fields included in the 24 hectares. Second, at its current size, much of the work and research that the Farm does is directly applicable to farms in the Fraser Valley. As such, it serves as a center for regional understanding of the potential of sustainable and organic agriculture.

Photo credit: bbqmag on Flickr

Aside from the political issue, the fundraiser itself is one which is quite unique. On Sept. 20, participants will be picked up at their homes, brought to the farm for a tour and reception with wine and canapes. Then, not knowing ahead of time where they will eat dinner, the attendees will venture off to a five course meal featuring ingredients from the farm paired with naturally farmed wines. Participating restaurants are West, Gastropod, Cru, Fuel, Chow and La Quercia.

Tickets for this event are $250.00 and are available through Books to Cooks at (604) 688-6755. Attire is farm-formal. 100% of the net proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will be entrusted to the Save the Farm Campaign and its efforts in raising awareness for this vital issue.

To make sure that we can raise as much as possible for the Farm, a 10-day auction begins on Sept 10 at FarmsteadWines/UBCFarm. The winning bidder will get a five course meal paired with wines for 8 people, in their home, cooked by me and Barbara-jo McIntosh (of Books to Cooks).

Kelly over at Full Bodied also has some details up on a blog post and you can also check out the Books to Cooks blog for more information.

A while ago I mentioned a photoshoot that us Crazy Canucks had at GM Place along with Richard Loat, well the pics are now up on the official Canucks website in the FanZone section.

You can listen to our first podcast of our third season, which was recorded and published Monday night with everyone on the line (JJ, Alanah, Dave, John and me).

Also, please browse the other bloggers and podcasters listed on the website as they all offer incredibly witty, smart, and insightful commentary throughout the NHL season.

In town for an event tomorrow night, David Jones of Hill and Knowlton will be speaking to the Third Tuesday crowd in Vancouver tonight.

We hear the horror stories of fake blogs, spam pitches and general ignorance of the social media community by PR practitioners who leap into the online space without first understanding what it is and why it’s different. David will talk about how Hill & Knowlton approaches the online space and how it’s incorporated into virtually every PR program they execute on behalf of companies like HP, Motorola, Bayer and Molson. [ThirdTuesday]

I’m lucky to have been pitched by several great PR and marketing firms and professionals, and I’ve written my share of proposals. Within this month alone I have worked with the fine folks at Zipcar for National Digital Media Day, DreamBank for the Blog World Expo and I have ongoing partnerships with organizations like Fitness World, which is keeping me healthy over the next year.

I am once again a media sponsor (by way of liveblogging) thanks to the lovely organizers Tanya and Monica. The liveblog will begin around 7:00pm so check back soon for updates on the go. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩