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!

That Time I Got to Meet a Penguin

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was pretty much what was going on in my head the night before right after Sameer told me about what we were going to do the next day. I was quite literally on the verge of shedding (happy/excited) tears. I love animals as it is. However, I have always had a special place in my heart for marine mammals. When I was in grade 4, my dream was to become a marine biologist.  I even remember telling my parents that I wanted to go to UBC because they had a good program there. Coincidentally, I did end up moving to BC.  However, we all know that I didn't quite fulfill my dreams to become a marine biologist.

As an early birthday surprise, Sameer booked a "Close Encounters" session for us at the Vancouver Aquarium. It's an approximately 45 min long interactive private session that includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the animals' habitat with an "Aquarium Interpreter" and a one-on-one meeting with the animal(s) accompanied by a trainer. The aquarium offers sessions with dolphins, otters, sea lions, and penguins. You can probably tell by the title of the post which one we chose to do. Usually each private session accommodates up to four people. We were lucky because no one else was signed up for our session, so it was just the two of us.

Some background about the Vancouver Aquarium, for those of you who don't already know ...

The Vancouver Aquarium is a self-supporting and non-profit organization. The organization's focus is on the conservation of aquatic life. Over the years, the aquarium has strived to achieve its goal of increasing awareness to the issues clouding the world's oceans' ecosystems by promoting awareness through community education, research projects, conservation programs and initiatives, like their Close Encounters sessions!

Shout out to Lara, who was our Aquarium Interpreter for the tour portion of the encounter. She was so great! She started off by taking us to the penguin exhibit to give us an overview of the species of penguins that they housed at the aquarium -- the African Penguins aka the Black-Footed Penguins. African Penguins naturally originate from the southern coasts of Africa. The penguins at the Vancouver Aquarium were brought over from the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. Although the seven African Penguins at the Vancouver Aquarium were bred as part of the Zoos and Aquarium's Species Survival Plan, they act more so as ambassadors of the aquarium for their species; allowing visitors (like us) to learn more about them and where they came from. Since these penguins were all bred in captivity, mating is discouraged due to their similar genetics. To deter them from giving in to their natural mating instincts, the aquarium has had to structure and build their habitat in specific ways (i.e. the absence of burrows).

Sadly, we learned that these adorable tuxedo birds are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species. Since the early 1900s, 95% of the species' population has disappeared. Lara explained to us that among a number of contributing factors, overfishing is the number one cause of the species' continually declining numbers. In the wild, the penguins are constantly competing with commercial fisheries. As a result of the lack of available food (sardines and anchovies) in their natural habitat, the birds are forced to venture further and further for food. Because of this, they have less energy and resources to care for their young and become more vulnerable in the face of predators and other obstacles that may threaten their survival. In efforts to buffer the effects of overfishing, the Vancouver Aquarium has created a conservation program called "Ocean Wise" that aims to educate consumers on the significance of choosing sustainable seafood. Many Vancouver restaurants employ the Ocean Wise symbol on their menus to provide consumers with the assurance that the seafood that they are using in the preparation of their meals is chosen in accordance with approved sustainability guidelines.

We visited the "feeding kitchen" where they prepare and store the food that is fed to different marine mammals at the aquarium. On average, an African Penguin eats about 3-5 sardines a day. At the aquarium, they pay special attention to the fish that are being fed to the birds in order to prevent the occurrence of any food borne diseases. Lara told us that each fish is inspected very carefully to ensure that there are no cuts, bruises or abnormalities. From time to time, the penguins also receive vitamin supplements to ensure that they are fully nourished. They had very detailed feeding schedules for each of the marine mammals displayed on various white boards next to the kitchen. Part of the trainers' job is to feed the animals based on the set schedules every day. The animals are also introduced to different toys throughout the week, so that they constantly have the opportunity to interact and adapt to something new in their environment (there is a detailed schedule for this too). Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take any photos of the kitchen area. 

And then, onto the MOST EXCITING part of the session ... we got to meet a penguin! As I mentioned earlier, the Vancouver Aquarium currently has seven African Penguins -- Tofino, Nelson, Sechelt, Salt Spring, Hope, Lillooet, and Steveston; all named after places in British Columbia. We got to meet Hope, a six-year-old female. The trainer (Kristin) told us that Hope was by far the most social and friendly of all the penguins. She told us that if a penguin is not comfortable with their surroundings, they tend to express aggression very visibly. Hope, on the other hand, seemed so comfortable that she was fluffing her feathers and dozing off while standing within arms reach in front of us. 

Interesting fact #1: Each one of the penguin's feathers are connected to a special muscle in their body that is activated when they fluff up their feathers.

Kristin also mentioned that Hope is pretty much potty-trained (without any training from them). Since she seems to enjoy the company of humans so much, they often let her waddle around their office to explore. This immediately prompted me to start fantasizing about having a penguin waddling around in my office. 

CAN WE PLEASE ADOPT HER?!?!
I'd like to think that she loved me just as much as I loved her.

Interesting fact #2: The only place on the African Penguin's body that is not covered by feathers (aside from their feet) is the bare skin directly above their eyes. This fleshy area turns pink when the penguin is hot and acts as a cooling mechanism that allows them to exert heat.

I could probably go on and on with many more interesting facts that I learned about these amazing birds, but I will spare you. Meeting Hope was undoubtedly one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. I love that the Vancouver Aquarium started doing Close Encounters and think that it is a great way for animal lovers (or just any one in general) to learn more about the animals. Especially knowing that the African Penguins are an endangered species, I feel so grateful to have had the chance to come face-to-face and interact closely with such a fascinating and curious creature.

Last, but not least, major thanks to the guy in my life who made this happen. You da best!!!

Chillin' Like a Villain

For as long as I can remember, I've dressed up for Halloween every single year. I'm fairly certain that I was dressed up for Halloween even for those years that I can't remember ... Thanks, Mommy! 

Year after year, I've dressed up as something cute/sexy/clever, a superhero, a well-liked protagonist, etc, etc. Never have I dressed up as a villain or anything remotely scary. Before yesterday, I never really stopped to think of why that was. 

Yes, sometimes I like to psychoanalyze my life choices. Yes, even trivial life choices, such as what I choose to dress up as for Halloween.

So ... surprise, surprise! My original Halloween costume this year was going to be a "social butterfly". To give you a visual -- I was planning on wearing a plain black shirt with social media icons (i.e. Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter) attached, along with some butterfly/fairy wings and antennae. Cute and clever, right???

Thanks to a suggestion from Sameer (who actually dressed up as Batman), I changed my costume last minute and did a complete 180.  Usually, I don't like last minute change of plans, so I don't know what came over me. I had my reservations, but I just decided to go for it. 

Prior to yesterday, I think the only time I wore face paint for a costume was when my parents put face paint on me for Halloween. I generally don't like face paint; I don't even like wearing foundation. I've also never worn a wig. They've never appealed to me because I find them itchy and creepy. Alas, I somehow managed to wear a full face of face paint and a wig all night. And it actually wasn't that bad! 

I ran into London Drugs pretty much right before I had to get ready, in hope to find some face paint, and was lucky enough to find this palette that had just the colours that I needed.

After looking at A LOT of Google images of "The Joker" and 45 min later. 

Thank goodness Sameer had a green wig handy (don't ask why) because I had no idea what I was going to do with my hair.

Long story short, I was a villain (a damn scary one too, if you ask me) for once ... and I liked it! I actually scared myself a couple of times throughout the night because I barely recognized the face that was staring back at me. I prayed that I wouldn't run into any kids as I was leaving my building because I literally looked like a child's living nightmare.  It made me feel like I had been missing out on the real Halloween fun -- the opportunity to be someone else for a night; the chance to embody a character that's completely different than your own. I've always stayed within my comfort zone and dressed up as something "safe".  

NOT THIS YEAR.  I think it's safe to say that I ventured into new territory.

Tis the Season of Giving

If you are not already familiar with the Christmas song, "My Grown Up Christmas List" ... listen to it! (the Michael Buble version is my favourite). It's a great song and I've really been relating to it this holiday season. As much as I have been enjoying the season's celebrations, I've also been very mindful to all the adversities that people are facing around the world. Especially with all the tragedy that has been happening around the world recently, I am reminded everyday that I am incredibly blessed to be living the life that I live. With my birthday also coming up, I've had a lot of people ask me what I want for Christmas or my birthday. When I think about it, I realize there's nothing that I really need. 

When I used to think of Christmas or my birthday, the first thing that would come to mind was presents, food, parties, and more presents. Now, I think of love, happiness and family. Maybe it has to do with maturity ... maybe it has to do with moving across the country... maybe it has to do with being away from my family. Regardless, I am determined to do my best this year to help out those who are less fortunate. Everyone deserves to be able to celebrate love, happiness and family 365 days a year.

So, I am starting a personal tradition this year (and I hope some of you will join me!) to pledge gifts to the homeless in my community :) Homeless Partners is a great non-profit organization that allows homeless communities to post their personal stories and gift requests online. You can then pledge/donate gifts based on the wish lists and drop them off to different locations. 

Unfortunately Homeless Partners does not include homeless communities in Toronto. But for my Toronto friends, who are interested in doing something similar, Covenant House and United Way have created lists of items they are collecting to gift to those living in poverty.

With that being said, if you are someone who is thinking of what to get me for Christmas or my birthday, please save the money and donate it or a gift to someone in need this December! (or donate to cause/organization/charity of your choice).

Love openly and give generously, my friends! 

Happy Halloween!

Hurray to my first Halloween in Vancouver and another successful year of costume-making and dressing up!

Here's a sneak peek of my party treats for the night:

I got too tired to prep Friday night, so I only let the Jell-O set and the gummy bears soak for 4 hours on Saturday.

Tip: I always substitute half of the cold water with vodka for a good mix. Let it set for 6 hours.

Tip: Add in just enough alcohol / mix to cover the gummy bears and let them soak overnight.

Every year we spend so long thinking about what we should dress up as, but it's all part of the fun. We were so happy with the way our costumes turned out :) Sameer's Grinch idea was fairly last minute, but thanks to some YouTube makeup tutorials ... we managed to pull it off!

Did anyone guess my costume from my earlier post?

The friendliest Grinch there ever was. 

And of course, no Halloween is complete without some good company. Thanks to everyone who showed up and made it a great time!!!

Sunday Funday

Whoever coined #sundayfunday got it right. 

I always hear people talking about the Monday blues ... but for me, it's usually the Sunday afternoon-ish to evening/night blues. When I wake up on Monday mornings, everything happens so quickly that I don't even have time to wallow in blue-ness. Usually, I spend a large part of my Monday mornings trying to function and wishing that the caffeine in my coffee would be more effective.

Sunday, however, is the day for me where I start to think about all the things I have to get done in the week. And when that list gets long ... it can be quite overwhelming.

... and THAT'S why I always try to make Sunday a "fun day" because: 1) it distracts me from thinking about the negative stuff and 2) it's just nice to fit in something fun / relaxing before getting back to my daily work routine.

Yesterday, #sundayfunday took the form of trying a new restaurant (Dinesty in Richmond) and glow-in-the-dark mini putting! 

(I forgot to take pictures at Dinesty because I was too hangry and couldn't wait to eat.)

He somehow manages to get a hole-in-one every time.

FYI: We went to West Coast Mini Putt in Richmond. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in  the area who's in search of a fun place for mini golf. They're a relatively new spot in Richmond. Their glow in the dark decorations are really cool and apparently they have different seasonal designs for the course. The winner of each group always gets a prize and you get your picture taken (and a bigger prize!) if you get a hole-in-one on the 18th hole. The owner is also super friendly and his dog is adorable.

Colour Me Crazy

I get very excited by new things, so naturally I was itching to post again. We'll see how long this streak of daily posts lasts for.

Finishing up my Halloween costume this morning! Any guesses? 

Nothing better than a cup of coffee and an eyeful of colour to really wake me up in the morning.

A Day in the Life of

Probably like many others, I have been meaning to start a blog for years (but never got around to it). Now that I've taken a leap of faith and finally moved from the Toronto to Vancity - I figured I might as well.

I'm not a philosopher, so I'm going to keep this intro blurb short.

Over the years, I've realized that being happy is a choice. And yes, sometimes choosing to be happy can be (very) hard, especially if I haven't had my morning coffee, my day at work sucked, I'm sick, it's been raining all day, blah blah blah, etc. But, life happens, it happens quickly, and every second you spend agonizing over something is a second you will never get back.  In light of that, I always try to make a conscious effort to take a step back, take a deep breath, and not sweat the small stuff.

And so, here's to my day-to-day attempts at choosing happiness, staying positive, remaining grateful, and enjoying life for what it is ... despite life's nuisances. TGIF! :)

P.S. GO JAYS GO! It ain't over til it's over, Kansas City!