A friend was in town for a visit and mentioned he wanted to check out the craft beer scene so we checked on line for craft beer Vancouver, made a list and headed off for East Vancouver. Parallel 49 at 1950 Triumph Street was our first stop. We went in, met Angie and selected four beers for our ‘tasting paddle’.
Gypsy Tears Ruby Red – 6%, flavourful and nicely hopped. Yummy. Their web site describes it as: A ruby red coloured ale with a rich caramel malt flavour and a burst of West Coast hops. Using only late hop additions and dry-hopping, the bitterness is restrained while the hop flavour and aroma are pronounced.
Bodhisattva Sour White – sour, citrusy, finishes dry. Aged for three months in stainless steel and one month in used chardonnay French oak barrels. Very interesting.
Toques of Hazzard – 9.2%, Imperial White IPA, my favourite. This seasonal offering is described as: An Imperial IPA made with wheat to keep the beer light bodied and a hazy white. Big hop flavours and aromas of tropical fruit and gooseberries from the Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops.
Hopparatzi – 6%, West Coast Lager, very popular brew. As they describe it: Blending two different styles of beer to create this unique hybrid of an west coast IPA and light tasting lager. Brewed like an IPA and fermented like a lager to keep the beer light and refreshing. The beer is dry-hopped before the lagering process to give a bouquet of tropical fruit and floral hop aroma and flavour.
We also sampled their Infusion, the Hopparatzi with rosemary, sweet lime and lemon.
Angie has worked at Parallel since shortly after it opened, three years ago. She started on the bottling line before moving into the tasting room. We also met Graham With, one of the principals, who started out as a home brewer and trained as a chemical processing engineer. Graham says the best part of his job is making unique craft beers and that the only downside to it is the long hours and the accompanying paper work. The head brewer at Yellow Dog, in Port Moody, used to work at Parallel 49 and they have even participated in some joint ventures. These small brewers are a friendly lot and never hesitate to recommend other products to their customers in the belief that a rising tide floats all boats.
Parallel buys some of its hops from Chilliwack where the industry is making a comeback since its demise in the 1970’s. The rest come from near Yakima, Washington. Parallel has the capacity to produce 18 000 hecto litres of craft beer, which is about double last year’s production.
The burgeoning craft industry in Vancouver has certainly had an effect on the traditional big brewers. Molson’s is no longer bottling in Vancouver.
Parallel 49, opened about three years ago and is now available in BC government liquor stores, private liquor stores and in many provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Then we decided to walk over to Powell Street Brewing as it was only a couple of blocks away. However, the address listed, 1830 Powell Street, was not correct. The business next door told us they had moved five blocks further down Powell Street. We headed back to the car and passed a nice looking local eatery and decided it was time for lunch before we sampled any more brew. Scandilicious, at the northern foot of Victoria, is a great place for breakfast or lunch (more on that later). Their correct address is 1357 Powell Street. The new location has been open only for four months after being closed for three months during the move.
There we met Greg and Kraig, who told me it was mandatory to have a beard if you work in the brewing industry (and I think many male brewers do).
We decided to sample their whole line up and ordered two paddles. They were labeled for us and arranged in increasing levels of bitterness.
Azacca Ale – good body, good fruit flavour
Old Jalopy Pale Ale – smoke, nutty. As they describe it: A twist on a traditional English Pale Ale. English pale and caramel malts combined with the spicy, citrusy, and floral notes of the North American Hop gives this ale a very distinct sensory profile. 5.5% abv 40 IBUs
Ode to Cittra – yummy, citrus, tasty flavours. My favourite. From their web site: A twist on a traditional English Pale Ale. English pale and caramel malts combined with the spicy, citrusy, and floral notes of the North American Hop gives this ale a very distinct sensory profile. (Regular) 5.5% abv 40 IBUs
Dive Bomber Porter – roasted coffees theyclaim: . An unpredictable Brown Porter style ale. Hidden behind the slight upfront hop bitterness and the deep roast character you’ll find hint’s of caramel, toffee, chocolate, and nuts. (Regular) 5% abv 33 IBUs
The second flight included:
White IPA – flavourful, nice bite, bright. The web site says: Wheat and Pilsner malts combined with sweet orange peel and Citra hops that give you a slightly bitter but yet very refreshing summer feel any day of the year.. (Regular) 6% abv 56 IBUs
Hopdemonium IPA – good IPA, hint of chocolate. According to them: is Pacific Northwest IPA is packed with so many hops it was hard to keep them in the kettle. The dynamic hop forefront is backed by an equally strong malt base giving this ale it’s golden colour. (Regular) 8% abv 88 IBUs
Double IPA – A little to much bite for mytaste which came as a surprise. The web site says: A well balanced strong beer. We use a very light malt base to showcase the Columbus, Amarillo, and Azacca hops. There’s a lot of citrus, grapefruit, and melon in the aroma which leads straight into the taste. Watch out, this is a serious hop Bomb. 9% ABV 150 IBUs
Stout – coffee!! They claim: A West Coast Stout brewed with of crystal malt, roasted barley, black malt, and hopped with the ever so lovely Cascade Hop. The roast flavours and aromas are complimented by floral and spicy hop characters. The perfect beer for the winter months. (Winter Seasonal) 6% abv 45 IBUs
For more information check them out at: http://www.powellbeer.com
Feature pic courtesy of Powell Street Brewing – Facebook page
