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Victoria is a delightful English-inspired city of historic structures
(the Empress Hotel, the Parliament building) situated around
an inner harbor bustling with ferries, harbor taxis and other
maritime traffic. Floatplanes do their elegant aerial ballet
to and from nearby Vancouver and Seattle, or fly simple sightseeing
sorties.
And there is much to see around Victoria. Situated on the
southern tip of Vancouver Island, a huge land mass straddling
the latitude between Canada and the U.S., due west of both,
Victoria is on the leeward side of the island. The weather
for this year’s 15th edition of the CAMRA-sponsored
Great Canadian Beer Festival was nothing short of spectacular.
The GCBF began life 15 years ago and flourished in the confines
of the Empress Hotel Conference Hall. The location was great
for inclement weather but restricted both the number of breweries
possible and number of people to enjoy them.
A few years ago, the fest organizers moved the event to the
more weather-friendly mid-September dates and to a spacious
outdoor sports field called the Royal Athletic Park, a half-hour
walk from Old Town. Held for two days, the fest features a
lineup of the best beers British Columbia has to offer (which
is increasingly excellent), plus beer from other provincial
locations throughout Canada and from some U.S. breweries as
well. This year Alpine, Anacortes, Baron, Boundary Bay, Elysian,
Heads Up, Lazy Boy, Peaks Brew Pub, Pike, Silver City, Skagit
River, Water Street and Winthrop Brewing all made the trip
over from the state of Washington to make the party truly
international.
| The real sensation was Half Pints Brewing’s Double
IPA called… wait for it… Humulus Ludicrous.
The hop-heads went wild! |
The tents for the brewers and seating for attendees were
arranged on the field like a village, with various “streets”
for those wandering between clusters of breweries. Lineups
for the beers (queues) arrayed out from the booths and consequently
didn’t create the congestion often encountered at other
festivals. Some of the longest lines formed in the late afternoon
around the “must-taste” offerings, including Merridale
Ciderworks Scrumpy and products from several other worthy
brewers. Quebec’s Unibroue was very busy, as were the
hotties from Hugo’s Brewhouse doing their best Reno
911 impression.
For most, it was about the beer. Founding copublisher of
the Celebrator, Bret Nickels, long decried the absence of
good beer in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. A new brewery
has changed all that, and Bret is elated! Half Pints Brewing
brought its Little Scrapper IPA and Stir Stick Stout, but
the real sensation was its Double IPA (!) called… wait
for it… Humulus Ludicrous. The hop-heads went wild!
And from Manitoba? Yeow!
Many of the breweries present, like Spinnakers from Victoria
and Elysian from Seattle, brought cask beers and served them
directly by gravity.
John Mitchell was honored by the CAMRA chapter for his pioneering
work in opening the first brewpub in North America, Howe Sound,
in 1982, and for promoting craft beer for the last 25 years.
Local brewpubs were packed for the weekend. We had beers
at Swans Buckerfield Brewery and lunch at the waterfront at
Canoe Brewpub. But the best beer and food were found at Spinnakers
Gastro Brewpub, located on the inner harbor. Specializing
in English-style beers and locally acquired, organic, sustainable
meat, fish, poultry and produce, Spinnakers is a culinary
gem. The owner is Vancouver Island’s most notorious
terroir-ist, Paul Hadfield, who showcased the bounty of the
island with a special tasting dinner for his visiting guests.
Local oysters and muscles, Muscovy duck, locally caught sablefish
and superb produce were featured. Each course was presented
with a house-brewed beer and a local wine.
When staying at Spinnakers, you can choose between spacious
modern accommodations and a beautifully restored 19th-century
Victorian house with period furnishings.
I hope to see you at the 16th annual event next year! |
