So apparently I have a reputation. It involves having a couple of beers and
criticizing blogs and beers. Not sure if this is true - then again - if it were true, I would probably deny it. Let's pretend it is true and let loose. Sorry Adem, no beers on board, just a coffee and mango slices.
This is the favourite time of year for a beer geek or aficionado. When I was young, the Sears Christmas toy catalogue was the greatest publication in the world. This has now been replaced by the GCBF beer list. The 2016 list has some great options and a few new breweries. A perfect list for me would be filled with casks and new limited releases. However, if any brewery that focused their marketing department on the above average beer geek, would go out of business quickly. I'm assuming limited beer releases do not pay the bills. I feel a brewery should bring lesser known core brands, something new and maybe a creative cask. That way there is something for everyone. There is an average assessment of this years beers list on
The Brewtal Truth blog. Actually it is quite an accurate assessment. The cheeky description was to taunt this very accomplished author. However, he did miss a few things.
My picks for GCBF 2016
I plan to skip 33 Acres of regularity, which saddens me. They only brought a dry hopped regular release with unknown hops. I usually look forward to trying their creative brews.
Beau's is bringing a gruit or herbed beer. This should be interesting.
Be Right Back are one of the new kids this year at GCBF. They are also bringing a lesser known beer style called the Kentucky Common. This beer style is one of the lost styles that was recently added to the
BJCP list of beer styles in 2015. Looking forward to tying their interpretation.
Brasserie Dunham, yes all those please.
Returning this year is Crannog and they are bringing a whisky infused Back Hand of God. I sure hope there is some left when I arrive late. Will the whiskey also be organic?
Deep Cove has the best beer name at the festival. I'm surprised it took this long to name a beer after the pub crawl anthem by
Spirit of The West.
Foamers Folly have a nitro IPA, which is hard to find. Also their beer naming department needs to use Google. Doesn't Red Arrow in Duncan have a beer named
Idle Hands?
Granville Island is rarely a booth I stop at. However, this year they plan to serve a proper Berliner style weisse with choices of sweetening syrups. I had a stellar Berliner from
Troubled Monk that was packaged with raspberry and woodruff syrups.
Attention
Highway 97, the a traditional Scottish ale does not contain peated malts.
Four Winds. I has hoping for super awesome things from one of my
favourite breweries. Truth be told, I flipped to this listing first.
Their beers are all delicious, but I was longing for something new.
Lighthouse is bringing a perfect mix of lesser known core brands, new releases and casks.
Three Ranges always brings solid beers to the festival and I plan to try their cask, despite my disdain for cilantro.
Don't forget about the newest Victoria brewery
Twa Dogs.
I'm not one for cider, mostly due to lack of appreciation and familiarity. However, I plan to offer up a token for their cask of Spanish style sidre from
Tod Creek. This style is tart, acidic and sometimes lightly sour.
I also have a booth category similar to Brewtal Truth. Their award is called "Why Bother". I call mine the "Zzzz" award, mainly because their booths don't add much excitement to this great nation's most important festival of brewing. Beer geeks, beer writers, sales reps, importers/exporters and people with deep beer money pockets come to this festival to sample the best and varied offerings from Canadian brewers. One would naturally assume breweries would want to bring their best.
Zzzz awards
Bomber, Bridge, Canoe, Gladstone (I expected more), Persephone (only core brands), S&O (core only).
Vancouver Island. Serving Islander (aka craft Lucky) at GCBF. Although, the root beer cask does sound interesting.
Moon is serving only core brands but the cask of Sang de Merle sour is somewhat redeeming
Hoyne core brands only and mentions a cask without how it is different or enhanced.
Phillips. Blue Buck and Pilsner? Blue Buck cask with Citra? I might be an very amateur homebrewer but isn't Sorachi Ace a mild flavouring/aroma hop, how are those dill and lemon flavours going to be noticed from beneath a chocolate and roasted porter? Still... might offer up a token is I have tried everything else.
Did I miss anything? Comment below