Stanley Park Brewing has launched a new seasonal beer, Layer Up, a Dark American Wheat Ale with a unique flavour combination of fig, raspberry, orange and ginger.

The new Layer Up brew was inspired by a recent trip to Nashville at the World Beer Cup, the most prestigious beer competition in the world. The Stanley Park Brewing team tasted a Italian olive cake with FROG (fig, raspberry, orange and ginger) jam for dessert and decided to find a way to bring these flavours to life through beer.

Layer Up represents the colder winter months and encourages people to embrace the season. It’s refreshing taste comes from its flavour profile from Southern USA and is a layered beer – at first, you can smell the raspberry, taste the orange and fig and its ends with a refreshing taste of ginger. Layer Up is dry hopped with Amarillo with a 5.2% alc./volume and and 18 IBU.

It’s the latest addition to Stanley Park Brewing regular beer line-up including Daytrip (Lager), 1897 Amber (Amber Ale), Windstorm (West Coast Pale Ale), Trail Hopper IPA (India Pale Ale) and Noble Pilsner (European Style Lager). Layer Up is now available to purchase and can be found in your favourite pubs and restaurants across BC and Alberta.

Win a Prize Pack

I have a Stanley Park Brewing Layer Up prize pack to give away that includes: Two 6-packs of Layer Up, a TenTree Backpack, a sweatshirt, t-shirt, toque, card deck, and glassware. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Follow Stanley Park Brewing on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more info.

Please enjoy responsibly. Must be 19+. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 13, 2018.

This weekend is full of holiday cheer, and fun, free activities like Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village Museum and Lights at Lafarge, which are both sponsored by Miss604! These events and more are listed below:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Friday, December 7, 2018
Sponsored by Miss604: Lights at Lafarge in Coquitlam
Sponsored by Miss604: Burnaby Village Museum’s Heritage Christmas
Vancouver Education & Career Fair, Free
CBC Open House and Food Bank Day
Opera Mariposa: Così fan tutte
pARTy@PdA! Festive Felting
Vancouver Irish Film Festival
Krampusmarkt Strange Fellows Brewing
Merry Melodies at Central City
Bright Nights Christmas Train in Stanley Park
Aurora Winter Festival at Concord Pacific
East Van Panto: Wizard of Oz
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Christmas at Canada Place
Sasquatch-Themed Winter Light Festival at Harrison Lake
Loft Country Christmas
Vancouver TheatreSports Merry Kiss-Mas
The Arts Club Presents: Miss Bennet, Christmas at Pemberley
The Arts Club Presents: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Little Dickens: The Daisy Theatre
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill
Vancouver Christmas Market
Glow Gardens Christmas, Langley
Gateway Theatre Presents: It’s a Wonderful Life
Bah Humbug! at SFU Woodward’s

Experience sponsored by Destination BC, Tourism Vancouver Island & Tourism Ucluelet

For some, a rainy and windy day means hunkering down indoors with a good book or binge watching your favourite show on Netflix. For others, it means heading out to watch nature’s grand spectacle as billowing breakers crash on the rugged western coast of the continent. If the latter appeals to you, then you know you have to get to Ucluelet and Tofino during storm watching season, which is happening now until about early March.

Of course with the wind, rain, and unpredictable ocean swells, you’ll want to take in this wonder from a safe distance. I recently toured around Pacific Rim National Park with Parks Canada, and the Wild Pacific Trail with an interpretive guide, and they’ve shown me some of the safest, coolest places to storm watch:

Early Music Vancouver presents Bach Collegium Japan: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi on December 9th at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC. Widely recognized as one of the world’s leading ensembles specializing in the works of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries, Bach Collegium Japan and acclaimed British soprano Joanne Lunn, led by music director Masaaki Suzuki perform a concert of music by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, as well as shorter works by Conti, Marcello, and Telemann.

When: Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 3:00pm
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (UBC, 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver)
Tickets: From $18, available online now or by calling (604) 822-2697

Pre-concert talk at 2:15pm in the Royal Bank Cinema with Masaaki Suzuki and Joanne Lunn hosted by Matthew White

Photo credit: João Messias

The highly anticipated Vancouver concert begins with a performance of Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor – BWV 1067. Blending the elegance of French dance suites with the energy and brilliance of Italian composers like Vivaldi, Bach likely wrote this work featuring the flute during his time as kapellmeister to the Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. The ensemble then plays Vivaldi’s beloved Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins from his collection of string concertos entitled L’Estro Armonico. Bach thought enough of this collection to transcribe six concerti from the set in various arrangements over the years.

Following these instrumental works, soprano Lunn joins the orchestra for a performance of Conti’s dramatic and virtuosic setting of an ecstatic sacred love poem, Languet anima mea. This work was included in Bach’s personal library and is said to have been performed by his wife, Anna Magdalena. It demonstrates the extent to which Bach was influenced by Italy’s vocal music as he was by its instrumental music.

The orchestra then will perform shorter instrumental works by composers that Bach admired – Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D Minor and Telemann’s Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major.

The concert will conclude with a performance of Handel’s spectacular sacred motet, Silete venti – HWV 242. Praised by audiences as one of Handel’s most thrilling sacred works for solo voice and chamber orchestra, it is an early cantata written during his time in Italy as a young man.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to Bach Collegium Japan: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi this performance, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

Follow The Chan Centre on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram along with Early Music Vancouver on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about upcoming shows.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

Update The winner is Kym!

“We’ll go over it once in English and then a second time in Reindeer,” Santa said over the loud speaker of an Air Canada Dash 8. With the help of some elves from the Air Canada Jazz team, Santa Claus himself led safety demonstrations and songs on a very special flight filled with Canuck Place kids and families.

Canuck Place Santa Flight

Gathering at Signature Flight Support Terminal at YVR, dozens of families arrived for an exclusive opportunity hosted by Canuck Place. Gathered in the pre-flight lounge, Spider-Man and a Storm Trooper, and Darth Vader greeted the children as an Air Canada prop plane pulled up with Santa waving from a hatch above the cockpit. He came into the lounge, led the group in some carols, and everyone boarded for a flight up to Whistler and back.

“What an afternoon! 8 years going and the Flight with Santa is just as incredible as it was the first year,” says recreation therapist Gillian Lagambina. “There is nothing more exciting than seeing all the children and families up against the large window at Signature Flight Support watching Santa arrive in his Dasher – 8.”

“Wide open eyes, smiles, jumping up and down, clapping, tears of excitement – this is what makes this event so special. Families and friends come together to celebrate and have fun. There is so much laughter and love as Santa greets the children, sharing silly jokes and his funny renditions of our favourite Christmas Carols. The love and care put into making this day is a success is overwhelming. There are so many firsts, unforgettable moments and memories made.”

There was laughter, smiles, selfies, and lots of high-fives from Santa. Canuck Place provides outings like this, whether they are simple movies nights or elaborate excursions, to create memories and moments that can be cherished forever.

“For our Canuck Place families these experiences and times together with family and friends old and new, are so special and will always be remembered,” adds Gillian. “What I love the most though, is that it shows children and their families that ANYTHING is possible!”

Special events like the Santa Flight allow Canuck Place children and families the opportunity to savour life together. Whether a life is measured in years, months, or days, Canuck Place believes that every life is precious. This holiday season, Canuck Place invites you to light a life in honour of Canuck Place children. Visit canuckplace.org/donate »

Follow Canuck Place Children’s Hospice on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Miss604 is a proud blog partner of the annual Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala

Gateway Theatre presents It’s A Wonderful Life, a new musical adaptation by Peter Jorgensen. Set to soaring songs from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s, this is a timeless holiday classic. With a little help from his guardian angel, George Bailey is brought back from despair on Christmas Eve to see how he has truly touched all the people in his life.

Gateway Theatre Presents It’s a Wonderful Life

Where: Gateway Theatre, MainStage (6500 Gilbert Rd, Richmond)
When: December 6 to 31, 2018
Tickets: Available online now »

Erin Aberle-Palm and Nick Fontaine. Photo by David Cooper.

Holiday fun for the whole family! Travel to Bedford Falls for a joyous journey that will have you checking for Zuzu’s petals in your own pockets and make you believe that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. This heartwarming holiday story is one you’ll want to share with family and loved ones.

VocalEye Described Performances will run December 19th at 8:00pm and December 23rd at 2:00pm. Follow Gateway Theatre on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night on Friday, December 7th at 8:00pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 8:00pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2018.

Update The winner is Emily!