Tag Archives: callister brewing

Mating Saison – Dogwood Brewing (Callister Brewing)

by Mike

From Dogwood Brewing in collaboration with Callister Brewing comes their “Mating Saison”.  The beer pours a cloudy orange colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of rye spice, rye, grainy malts, fruity, yeast and floral hops.  The flavour is of rye, rye spice, grain, resin, grapefruit rind, earth, yeast, herbal and some bitterness.  This is a fairly dry beer.  The alcohol content comes in at 4.6% with an IBU of 20.  I am always a fan of a good collaboration beer and this one is no different.  If you like a good saison you should take a look for this one.

Commercial Description:  The perfect marriage between two breweries saw the birth of this refreshing Rye Saison. Brewed with organic Azacca hops, all organic malt and lots of tender love… this subtly spicy saison ends with a tropical fruit finish that’s patio perfect and sure to please. ’Tis the season stags and stagettes, so go get your rut on.

Tri-Cities Cask Festival Winter 2017 Pro-Am – Coquitlam

by Mike

On January 22, 2017 I finally attended the Tri-Cities Cask Festival Winter 2017 Pro-Am.  What a festival it turned out to be.

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As beer festivals go this has to be one of the best fests for your buck in the province.  With $49 dollars getting you 10 samples, a custom burger and custom poutine you just can not go wrong.  I also love that this beer fest is 100 percent casks!  Basically every beer that was on offer was a one off creation just for this festival and that seems to be lost in the majority of beer fests these days.  When I saw that 577 people would be in attendance for this festival I expected the room at the Executive Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre to be larger.  Somehow with even this many people in the space it never seemed super busy.  I never had to wait more than a minute to get a sample of a beer I wanted to check out.

Here are the breweries that took part in the cask festival:

One of the more interesting facts about this festival was that it was a pro-am so there were also casks from some home brew clubs that were made in collaboration with local breweries.

Here are the home brew clubs involved:

Everyone that I talked to at the festival was having a great time and seemed to be really happy with the cask beer that was on offer.  I have to say that the burger and the poutine were also awesome!

The following photos are of the different beer that I was able to sample while enjoying the festival.  Every beer that I consumed was enjoyable but like all experimentation some were better than others and some were next level.

I had a great time tying out all of the beers that I did try and I wish that I could have tried more.  Here are my winners for the ones that I was able to try.

Best Commercial Brewery – Storm Brewing – Vanilla Brandy Black Plague

Best Home Brew Club – Full Barrel Brew Club (Langley) – Maple barrel Imperial Stout

Most Intriguing Beer – Mango Habanero Play Dead IPA

My Best of Show – Full Barrel Brew Club (Langley) – Maple barrel Imperial Stout

Now the festival had awards that were voted on by the ticket holders of the festival.  All voting was done via a website and near the end of the festival the winners were announced.  While one of the awards Lines up with mine the other one did not.  Here are the festival winners as per the overall festival goers.

Best Amateur – Full Barrel Brew Club (Langley) – Maple barrel Imperial Stout

Best Pro – Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks – Haze For Daze

Best of Show – Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks – Haze For Daze

There is no doubt in my mind I will be attending more festivals in the future put on by the Tri-Citires Cask Festival people and you should check one out too!  They consist of great beer, food, people and you never have to wait long for a sample like you do at some festivals. Also as the BC government opens up the liquor laws these pro-am events may become even more easy to host.

The next festival they are holding is taking an whole new spin on the festival and making it about the Women in Beer in the Province of British Columbia.  Not all of the women involved will be brewers per say but they are all integral in making their brewery awesome and will help make the casks for the event!

Make sure to check out Siris Cask Fest coming up on April 22nd, 2017.  An added bonus for the women out there the first hour is only open to Women!

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EZ Duz It IPA – Boombox Brewing

by Mike

From Boombox Brewing located at Callister Brewing in East Vancouver comes their”EZ Duz It IPA” and East Coast IPA.  The beer pours a cloudy yellow colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of juicy fruit notes including tropical fruits, pineapple and a floral hops finish.  The flavour is of tropical fruits, mango, pineapple, citrus and citrus peel, mild malts, pine and bitterness.  This beer has a chewy body like most of the cloudy East Coast IPA’s.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.7%.  While Boombox Brewing is already known for making great East Coast Style IPA’s this one seems to build on that reputation.  This beer discussed on the latest episode of Pacific Beer Chat. 

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Old Robyn English Strong – Callister Brewing

by Mike

From Callister Brewing in Vancouver comes their “Old Robyn English Strong”.  The beer pours an amber colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of banana, bread and sweetness.  The flavour is of bready malts, caramel, banana, earth, mild bitterness, maybe a hint of bubble gum and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 7.9%.  This one is sweeter than the average English Strong but it is a tasty brew.

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Coconut Showers Milkshake IPA – Boombox Brewing

by Mike

From Boombox Brewing located at Callister Brewing in East Vancouver comes their “Coconut Showers Milkshake IPA”.  The beer pours a cloudy orange colour with a small off white head.  The aroma consists of toasted coconut, lactose and some citrus fruit.  The flavour is of sweet and toasted coconut, creamy lactose, citrus, toffee, mild earth and some very mild bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 7.1%.  This was a tasty Milkshake IPA but it comes in at the slightly to sweet side for my personal preference.

Commercial Description:  ‘Coconut Showers’ Milkshake IPA. Featuring lactose and toasted coconuts courtesy of our friend Matt of @eastsidebeerfood. Growlers will be filled but are limited to 2L of milkshake per person. See you there!

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