Calling All Beer Lovers!

To celebrate Valentine's Day this year, we decided to go on a brewery tour to refine our taste for craft beer. We booked the tour through Vancouver Brewery Tours. Several days ago, they had actually sent me an email saying that the tour might be cancelled due to the lack of registrants. Fortunately, two more people signed up last minute, so we were good to go! We learned later that Saturday tours almost never get cancelled and are often fully booked.

The meeting point for the tour was inside Waterfront Station. There, we met our tour guide (Rachel) and our two fellow beer tasters (who were actually from Brazil!).

How cute is this van?!

Rachel went over the general rules and gave as an brief overview of the history of craft beer-making in Vancouver and an introduction to the three locations that we would be visiting on the tour:

1. Main St. Brewing;
2. Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers; and
3. Storm Brewing.

We learned that the area surrounding Main Street in Mount Pleasant is commonly known as Brewery Creek. In the 1800s, the city's landscaping was much different than what it is now. A number of creeks flowed through the city. To take advantage of this, many breweries were established along the creeks -- Brewery Creek being one of them. The brewery industry in Vancouver peaked from 1890-1900, until the Prohibition came along and killed off a lot of the active breweries in the area. Once the province and the city began to relax its restrictions on alcohol production and consumption, breweries slowly started to pop back up. Since the commercial real estate along Main Street along Brewery Creek remained predominantly industrial, it naturally became the ideal location for new breweries. As a result of the Prohibition, a majority of the breweries in Vancouver are relatively new.

1. MAIN ST. BREWING

Our first stop on the tour was Main St. Brewing. MSP was opened by Nigel Pike (owner) and Jack Bensley (brewmaster) in 2014. The brewery is located in one of the city's few industrial heritage buildings dating back to 1913 -- the "Vancouver Breweries Garage".

Rachel gave us a a behind-the-scenes tour to show us where the magic happens. Truthfully, I knew close to nothing about the the logistics of beer-making prior to this tour. However, I am happy to say that I did learn quite a bit and I am excited to share! Bear with me if you are a beer expert. 

Generally speaking, there are two types of beer -- ales and lagers. When she first asked us how many types of beer there are, I immediately thought of a number closer to 5,000. Wrong. The major difference between the two comes down to how the beer is fermented. Ales are categorized as "top-fermenting" beers, whereas lagers are "bottom-fermenting". A second characterization is that ale is made using darker malts, while lagers are made using lighter malts. The process of brewing lagers is actually longer and much more complicated (despite its tendency to be less aromatic), as refrigeration is involved.

Beer is made from four main ingredients: barley, hops, yeast, and water. Some actually argue that true beer is ONLY made from those four ingredients and nothing else. Rachel passed around different types of barley for us to try (yes, we ate it). Just like coffee beans, the flavour of barley can be quite different depending on the type of barley and how its roasted. The first step to making beer is to mill the barley. Again, just like coffee beans, barley needs to be ground up. The remnants of the barley is then steeped in a large tank of hot water to allow for the sugars in the barley to be released. From there, the mixture is drained, leaving a sweet, sticky liquid called "wort" (pronounced "wert"). Don't worry, the leftover barley is not wasted! The barley is fed to livestock. Win-win, everyone is happy. The wort is then transferred into a second tank and boiled together with hops. Hops helps to introduce bitterness, aroma, and flavour to the mix to balance out the sugar from the barley and also acts as a natural preservative. Once the wort is cooled, strained and filtered, it is transferred to yet another vessel, where yeast is added in. During this stage of fermentation, the yeast turns the sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol (in simple terms). Finally, the end product undergoes carbonation (either artificially with the help of machinery or naturally by way of carbon dioxide) and is aged to perfection.

Time for us to enjoy some beer! We were given a flight of four beers to try.

From left to right: Hoppy Triple (Triplequents - not sure if I got the spelling correct for this), Main Street Pilsner, Tart Rye Saison, Westminster Brown Ale.

Since I do not consider myself a beer connoisseur by any means, I am going to refrain from going into too much detail with my descriptions of each beer ... to save myself from embarrassment. 

My preference (in order, starting from my favourite: Hoppy Triple > Tart Rye Saison > Main Street Pilsner > Westminster Brown Ale.

I tend to be more partial to fruity notes and am not quite drawn to bitter flavours. One interesting thing to note, the Tart Rye Saison is actually a sour beer. This was my first time trying a sour beer and I have to say it was quite peculiar and definitely takes a couple sips to get used to.


2. DEEP COVE BREWERS AND DISTILLERS

Our second stop on our beer adventure was in the North Shore -- Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers. I loved that we travelled to such different parts of the city. Despite this brewery being kind of in the middle of nowhere, it was pretty packed. As you can probably tell by the name, this brewery spot also carries out the distillery of certain liquor -- vodka and gin. DCBD was established in 2013 and focuses on the use of only sustainable Canadian ingredients in their craft beers.

These wooden doors were brought over from China and belonged to the brewery ran by the owner's father.

Fun fact alert! Contrary to popular belief, canning is actually better packaging method than bottling, when it comes to preserving a beer's quality. The reason for this is because a tin can works to completely prevent the beer from being exposed to light. When beer is exposed to ultraviolet light for prolonged periods of time, the beer is said to be "light-struck". I will not go into too much scientific details with this ... Basically, the light causes a chemical reaction in the beer that results in a skunk-like flavour. This is where the term "skunked beer" comes from. Interestingly, the skunked flavour can be masked with lime. Anyone thinking Corona and lime? Hint hint. Also, the inside of beer cans are lined with vegetable oil so that there is no direct contact between the beer and the metal. To avoid the "metallic taste" that many people complain about when drinking out of cans, it's best to pour the beer out into a another vessel, instead of drinking directly from the can opening.

After the tour of the back room, we were met with another flight of beers. We also bought some cheesy bread and a spicy pepperoni stick to snack one. Both were delicious!

Cheeeeeeesy bread! Pepperoni stick not pictured.

From left to right: Rye IPA, Tin Can Amber Ale, Luminescent Chocolate Coconut Porter, Lookout Session Ale.

My preference: Lookout Session Ale > Tin Can Amber Ale > Rye IPA > LCCP.

Even though I ranked the LCCP the lowest, I think it had the most unique taste. You could taste the chocolate and coconut very distinctly and I thought that was pretty cool. I guess it was just not my glass of beer, haaa. 


3. STORM BREWING

For our third and final stop, we headed back to East Van (or Yeast Van as they call it). Considering the amount of beer I had consumed at this point, I was more than happy to not have to worry about driving. I think I am speaking for everyone on this. 

This third location, despite being quite a "hole-in-the-wall" type place, was the most unique of the three!  Rachel mentioned that the owner actually had a mural created on the outside of the building, so that it would be more noticeable to the public. Being the oldest of the three spots that we visited, this brewery was established in 1995 by James Walton. The brewery actually does not have a license to sell alcohol. As such, the business is supported by cash donations in exchange for beer tasting samples.

Here, we were given a reusable cup to use for all of our beer samples. The first two beers that we tasted was the Highland Scottish Ale and the Imperial Flanders Sour. This sour beer was much more potent than the first one that we sampled at Main St. Brewing. The first sip was really quite shocking and I don't think I actually got used to it. We were able to choose two more beers from the list they had on tap to sample. We went with the Vanilla Whiskey Stout and the Pineapple Paradise Pilsner. Both of these beers were distinct in flavour and lived up to their names. With that being said, I don't think I'd be able to stomach a full pint of either. I think we unanimously agreed that this brewery was the most experimental with their flavours.

My preference: Pineapple Paradise Pilsner > Highland Scottish Ale > Vanilla Whiskey Stout > Imperial Flanders Sour.

Although the taste of the beers at Storm Brewing left something to be desired, we all felt that the brewery was a "must visit" destination for beer lovers due to its uniqueness. Rachel did mention that in the past, she has had some dissatisfied tourists who was not a fan of the "interior decorating" of the brewery. I, however, quite liked the grungy feel of it!

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Prior to this, I've always been a "wine >> beer" person. This tour has definitely helped me gain a newfound appreciation for beer! Although I wouldn't go quite as far to say that beer  > wine (based on my personal preference), I think I can definitely entertain the idea of wine = beer.  I would definitely recommend this tour and might even do another tour to visit some different breweries at some point in the future. BOTTOMS UP!!!

Our souvenir glass that came in our goodie bags!

Caribbean Chronicles - Part 2: Tortola/Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

TORTOLA - the biggest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands.

VIRGIN GORDA - third largest and second most populated of the BVIs.

At this port, our cruise ship docked at Tortola. The island is visually known for its lush green mountains. Although it only takes about 45 min to sail from St. Thomas to Tortola, our ship took a much longer detour, so it became an overnight trip. We suspect that they did this to avoid having to pay hefty docking fees.

We signed up for a shore excursion to visit the Baths on Virgin Gorda. The first leg of the excursion involved a 40 min boat rid  through the Sir Francis Drake Channel to the island of Virgin Gorda. 

Sad story: Laurie got food poisoning the night before and was too sick to join us on the excursion. Needless to say, she really missed out. SORRY LAURIE.

6 am is too early for a proper face.

Something you may not know - Haily and I are actually really prone to getting sea sick. This may seem ironic since we go on so many cruises, but it's true! This boat ride in particular was pretty brutal. Every wave that hit the boat brought on a new wave of nausea. We saw many people rush outside to the upper decks to get fresh air. Haily took a Gravol in anticipation, which knocked her out pretty quickly. I was knocked out pretty quickly too, sans Gravol (seeing that we woke up so early that morning). Thank goodness.

The next leg of the excursion involved a 20 min open-air shuttle ride through the island's Spanish Town to the beach. Still a bumpy ride, but much more enjoyable that the boat ride.

The Baths on Virgin Gorda are well-known for its unique geological formations, consisting of over-sized granite boulders and naturally-formed cave systems that feature picturesque grottoes and isolated pools. Although the formation of the Virgin Islands was largely due to volcanic activity, the piles of granite boulders that are situated along the beach area were not. Geologists seem to believe that large slabs of granite were formed around 50 million years ago, as a product of solidified, slow-cooling molten rock (aka magma) that was pushing its way upwards to the Earth's surface. As the magma hardened and cooled, it caused the slabs to shrink and crack, which in turn led to the creation of boulders. Although the granite was formed below the surface, geological processes, weathering, erosion, and uplifting of the sea floor has allowed the boulders to be exposed. Voila!!!

Skull Rock - some say this rock was the artwork of pirates. I like to believe that it's true.

Granite is made up of four main minerals: hornblende, biotite, feldspar, and quartz. The quartz in the granite makes up the majority of the beach sand, as quartz is the only mineral out of the four that is not susceptible to chemical decay. Many of the boulders along the beach have large pitted pockets and sizeable indents. The indented areas were likely made up of different materials that weathered more quickly than the other parts of the rock.

From the shuttle drop-off point, there are two ways to get to the Baths. One route involves a hiking trail that passes through Devil's Bay, while the other route takes you straight to the Baths. We decided to take the hiking trail.

There were lots of cacti (I love cacti!), like these ones ...

And these ones ...

The trail was fairly short, so we got to Devil's Bay in about 15 min.

We made it!

My parents are cute.

WE ROCK CLIMBED! (As in we climbed some rocks.)
I swear this is actually a lot higher than it seems in the picture.

After snapping a bunch of pictures at Devil's Bay, we moved onto to explore the Baths.

We totally stylin'.

Since the pathways through the Baths involved trekking through water, stepping over rocks, going up and down wooden steps, and manoeuvring through narrow tunnels ... good grip was key! The water shoes that we bought in St. Thomas came in super handy. Even though Haily still managed to slip and fall. Luckily, she only came out with some scratches. The water inside the cave systems were crystal clear! In many areas, we could see tiny little fish swimming around our feet as we walked by.

The Baths were really cool. I don't always think shore excursions are worth it, but this one definitely was. It's amazing how big some of the boulders are. The most amazing part of this place is that it's a masterpiece of natural geological processes. 

Caribbean Chronicles - Part 1: Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands

SAINT THOMAS - the most cosmopolitan island of the US Virgin Islands, and also one of the most popular Caribbean cruise destinations. 

This is the third time we've been to St. Thomas .. and it just never gets old! Truthfully, I'm automatically in love with any destination that consists of countless scenic vistas, beaches, and diamond stores. Initially we were planning on taking the Skyride (700 ft gondola ride) to the Mountain Top, but ended up taking an open-air taxi tour instead. The Skyride was $21USD/person for a 20 min ride to the top, while the taxi was $25USD/person for a 2 hour tour (and it also took us to the Mountain Top).

Our tour guide and driver, Patrick (yes, he has the same name as my faja!), did a fantastic job. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the island. The US Virgin Islands are comprised of three islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. St. Thomas, being 32 square miles, is the second largest of the three. In 1917, the US acquired the island during WWI as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the Caribbean and the Panama Canal. The island was purchased for $25 million in gold!!! The residents of the island were granted US citizenship in 1927.

Mountain Top - looking out onto Magens Bay

The Mountain Top (top of St. Peter Mountains) is the highest point in St. Thomas and is home to the Caribbean's largest duty free gift shop. At the back of the shop, there is an observation deck that is situated 1,500 feet above Magens Bay.Magen's Bay is the most popular beach and snorkeling destination in St. Thomas.  Previously owned by Jacob Jorgenson Magens (and named after his daughter Magens), the bay is now owned by Arthur Fairchild. As a result of a generous donation from Arthur Fairchild, the municipality of St. Thomas and St. John now owns 56 acres of the beach and surrounding areas.

What's the story behind the Banana Daiquiri? In 1953, Captain George Soule (an allegedly famous British sea captain ... sorry, I'm not a History major) decided to venture out from his home in the Barbados on a quest to uncover the perfect Caribbean cocktail. So I was told. Please do not hold me accountable to the truth and accuracy of this story. And so, he sailed the Caribbean Sea and discovered Guava Gimlets from Guadeloupe, Sour Sop Sodas from Saba, and Mango Margaritas from Martinique. The last stop on his journey was on the island of St. Thomas. Mixing the Virgin Islands' Cruzan Rum with sugar cane extract, ripe bananas, fresh lime juice, and homemade (secret, of course) banana liqueur, Capt. George Soule invented the Banana Daiquiri. The Mountain Top makes more than 3 million sales of their Banana Daiquiri every year. 

As we were driving down from the Mountain Top, Patrick pointed out many different trees that carried fruit that were native to the island, including: avocado, banana, mango, sour sop, coconut, papaya, breadfruit (it's not part bread), pomegranate, and fig! Fruit salad for dayssss. Patrick picked out some leaves from a tree on the side of the road and asked us to guess what type of leaves they were.

These leaves are female! Hey girl ... 

The leaves smelled sweet, kind of like lemongrass. Any guesses? Turns out, they were bay leaves. I had no idea bay leaves grew on trees. Sorry, I'm not a botanist either. After a closer look, it seemed pretty obvious. The freshly-picked leaves look quite different than the dried ones that you usually see in grocery stores. We also learned that there are male and female bay trees and that the leaves of each type of tree look and taste distinctly different. Male bay leaves are thinner in width, while female bay leaves are plumper and thicker in width. Male leaves are the ones that are typically used in cultivation, as they are more pungent and flavourful in taste. Sorry ladies!

Before heading back to the docks, we stopped by two more view points. After awhile, all ocean/beach pictures look the same, so I will spare you by not posting anymore. 

Ok, maybe just one more:

Patrick pointed out several houses along the shore and identified them as homes that are typically occupied by vacationing celebrities. One of the beach houses was formerly used by Ex-President Bill Clinton as a celebratory spot, right after he won the election in 1992.

He had a lovely bunch of coconuts.

Before I end this post, I would like to point out another fun fact (or not fun fact, if you are not a fan of amphibians)!  The island is actually crawling with iguanas and geckos. You could literally see them everywhere. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a good photo of an iguana ... but, here's this little guy instead!

This poor guy already shed is tail.