Damnbeerblogger Doesn't Live Here Anymore

It is with mixed feelings that I sit down to write this post, very likely my last one from Victoria, and certainly the last one I'll write from this apartment. Over the past few months, certain things have come together that are resulting in a move back to the mainland, specifically, North Vancouver.

It's a move from mostly-sunny to mostly-rainy. From the home of the cricketers to the home of the Canucks. From a place where people drive like they've had a stroke to where they drive like they're having an aneurysm.

I'm having mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, missing the entirety of VCBW because work commitments meant the four+ hours of ferry travel back and forth were unworkable have sort of highlighted the drawbacks of Island Life. Certainly, it is with a great deal of anticipation that I look forward to being able to attend some of the fourteen trillion cask events CAMRA Vancouver seems to put on every month. Plus, we've bought a house with a basement, and that means homebrewing. I look forward to having you all over for blind taste tests, and by that, I meant taste-testing that may result in blindness. You can't spell "IPA" without "Antifreeze".

But Victoria's been very good to me. I've a great deal of fondness for both the brewing community here and the enthusiasts who spread the gospel. Probably nowhere else in Canada will you find such a huge amount of support for pub culture, and such camaraderie among the blogging community.

So, if you've been looking to me for information on local brews, then you'll need to start looking somewhere else. Actually, If you've been looking to me for information, then you clearly have a few other, more serious, problems. At best, I provide a blend of information and entertainment.

I call it, "entermation".

Even if you're not local, you should be reading these guys: Dan's Small Beer blog is what got me into this whole blogging thing: it's often got big-picture stuff you won't find elsewhere. Ian's left4beer brings a serious bent to things: if you're looking for a review that, y'know, actually describes what the beer tastes like, then it's the place to go. Dave is the guy to go to if you want poutine. Actually, he's probably the most active at keeping Beer On The Rock current and happening: it's a sort of beery Superfriends site that combines the efforts of all of them.

There's others too. Obviously you need to keep an eye on CAMRA Victoria as there's a sea-change coming there that's going to see an increased social media presence along with continued excellence in getting premium draft guest speakers in to spread the gospel. Brewery-wise, I expect to see great things from Vancouver Island Brewing and Lighthouse as well as continued excellence from Driftwood. I'll sure miss the growlers full of Phillips and the craic at Swan's and Spinnakers.

YADBB rolled over 10,000 page hits earlier today. As such, I've got something special I've been saving for just such an occasion: Brewdog's Tokio.

I'd like to use it to raise a toast to the Island, all who live on here, all who brew here and all who drink craft beer here.

Sláinte, my Island friends. You better believe I'll be visiting.

New, But Any Damn Good? VIB Double-Decker IPA

If you were to ask any of my friends to describe me, they'd say, "Brendan? Total car nut." Then, if pressed for more details, they might add, "Oh, he's got red hair too." So it shouldn't surprise you to hear that I spent my entire day today running over to the mainland to get progressive-rate lowering springs and Koni inserts installed in my jalopy by a specialist. Result? It's like a new car, but most importantly, it was able to use its enhanced cornering abilities to get me back in time to grab a six of Vancouver Island's new beer: Double-Decker IPA.


I wasn't quite in time to hit VIB's store, but after bleating out a call for assistance, I was reminded of the little gem that is the Penny Farthing liquor store, which I always forget about, and never fails to stock at least one beer I couldn't find anywhere else. Yes, you do have to navigate Oak Street Village and its suicidal octogenarians that dart out in front of you (dart is perhaps too strong a word), but hey, at least brittle bones don't mark up the paintwork much. It's like worrying about colliding with meringue.

I'm a bit confused about how to feel about Vancouver Island Brewing. On one hand, I have fond memories of scouring Vancouver for the few cases of Hermannator Icebock that ever made it over, at one point forcing a dejected BCLDB store employee to hand over the flat he'd hidden in the back for himself (I felt bad and left him one case). But on the other hand, I've got a friend who insists on using another term for their Sea Dog when ordering, which is a bit off-putting. And, I don't mean sailor.

So pints of Seaman aside, I consider VIB to be Victoria's Granville Island Brewing. Both were (weirdly) founded in 1984, both have a full and varied lineup, and both have paved the way for upstarts like Driftwood and Phillips to come bounding on the scene with crazy beers like Singularity and Hop Circle. So can Vancouver Island Brewing put out a beer that competes with the whippersnappers? Well, as it turns out, yes.

Oh bugger, I've spoiled the rest of the review.

Well, for those of you still reading, there are two things you need to know. First, be prepared for the inevitable endless onslaught of babbling about the brewery mixing Victoria's English roots with westcoast brashness to produce a blend of old and new. Those red double-decker buses are now chiefly used by tour companies to ferry about ancient and foamy-boned tourists, while anybody actually going anywhere takes a bus that's more Star Trek shuttle than Coronation Street. Never mind twee references to tradition and heritage and all that claptrap. This beer needs to stand on its merits alone.

Second, if you're looking for a beer that's hoppier than a crack-addled Bugs Bunny, look elsewhere. This is not an IPA version of an extreme sport, where the volume knob goes up to eleven and you can't come first unless you fracture something. Rather, this beer is a gentleman's sporting event. Like cricket. Or philandering.

As it says in the sidebar, there are many great beer-blogs out there that will deal with a beer review by assigning a rating, drawing comparisons and listing tasting notes. So make sure you wait for Ian's take on it at Left4Beer, or check out what Dan will have to say over at the Small Beer Blog. You really should be reading these guys anyway.


All I can tell you, without reference to mouthfeel or anything like that, is that I liked it. It was not dissimilar to the Propeller IPA I had last week in that it tasted nearly like something Fuller's or another English brewer would make. As you can tell from the colour, there's a lot of malt in there, but the crispness that rests on the palate isn't of the same everything-else-now-tastes-like-styrofoam intensity of a Dogfish Head 90min, just a nice dry finish like the tannins in a cup of strong black tea. It's also insanely drinkable and smooth, and there's something just out of reach, like a hint of Teutonic brewing influence. There might be a German spy in the O.A.S.

Vancouver Island Brewing Double Decker IPA
Recommended if:
-you're taking public transit home from the pub
-you favour smoothness over intensity
-you were weaned on Islander Lager

Not recommended if:
-you're Kevin Falcon
-you're looking for hop salad in a bottle
-you're Kriss or Kross